On my second attempt I actually made it to Spencerport without running into anything. It turned out to be a really nice little town with everything I was in need of, free dock, free showers, nice museum, good food at a near-by restaurant, and a grocery store that I could walk to. The people in the museum, volunteers, were really pleasant to chat with.
Next morning, I cast off and headed to Albion. Not quite as nice, but very pleasant nevertheless. It, too, had a free dock and free showers. I met a couple in a sailboat. They were from not too far away from Albion and out for a long cruise with their son. We chatted about boats and the wife of the couple ran into a former student of hers. He told us that there was an antique car show in town and that we should walk over. He is in the local fire department and was cooking hamburgers for a fund raiser. So, guess what we all did for dinner. The car show was fun. The couple and I continued to talk about boats and cruising. And, the hamburger from the FD was really good.
Next up was Lockport. I tied to the entry wall for Lock 34. It was not a particularly pleasant place. The wall was really rough, so I put out extra fenders. I was on the opposite side of the canal from the town, so I didn't get to see much and it rained. When I first got there, a Canadian couple helped me get tied in. We, too, talked at length about boats and cruising. Turns out that they lived not too far away and were just about to finish up the Great Loop on a boat that they had built. It was beautiful, about 35', twin engines, steel hull. A really tough looking seaworthy boat. As part of their loop they had also gone to the Bahamas.
Locks 34 and 35 are the last two locks on the Erie Canal and they are adjacent to one another. They are sometimes referred to as the "Siamese Twins". When you leave 34 you are entering 35. They have a combined lift of about 55 feet.
There were still several mile of the Erie Canal after the last locks. I continued on to the Niagara River. Everybody told me to make sure that I made a left turn onto the river.
The weather turned a little sour, but I made it to Beaver Island State Park Marina for the night. And... so endeth the Erie Canal. I enjoyed (except for that bridge) all 383 miles and 560 feet of lift. From Waterford to Tonawanda a fun trip.
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| Inside a Lock |
Next up was Lockport. I tied to the entry wall for Lock 34. It was not a particularly pleasant place. The wall was really rough, so I put out extra fenders. I was on the opposite side of the canal from the town, so I didn't get to see much and it rained. When I first got there, a Canadian couple helped me get tied in. We, too, talked at length about boats and cruising. Turns out that they lived not too far away and were just about to finish up the Great Loop on a boat that they had built. It was beautiful, about 35', twin engines, steel hull. A really tough looking seaworthy boat. As part of their loop they had also gone to the Bahamas.
Locks 34 and 35 are the last two locks on the Erie Canal and they are adjacent to one another. They are sometimes referred to as the "Siamese Twins". When you leave 34 you are entering 35. They have a combined lift of about 55 feet.
There were still several mile of the Erie Canal after the last locks. I continued on to the Niagara River. Everybody told me to make sure that I made a left turn onto the river.
The weather turned a little sour, but I made it to Beaver Island State Park Marina for the night. And... so endeth the Erie Canal. I enjoyed (except for that bridge) all 383 miles and 560 feet of lift. From Waterford to Tonawanda a fun trip.
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