Another check off the Bucket List

Waterford in NY Harbor

Monday September 15

Moving on down the Hudson to NYC.  Once we passed under the George Washington Bridge, it was a constant game of "dodge em" --- ferries of all kinds, tugs, tows, freighters and pleasure craft, power and sail, of all sizes.  We made our way steadily to our target anchorage.

Freedom Tower rising above the NYC skyline

Two powerful symbols of our freedom

On my Bucket List --- to be anchored on our boat behind the Statue of Liberty................














              The view from here .............. priceless!

Wrapping up the Birthday weekend

Sunday September 14

Friday night, as we walked to dinner, Garry and Craig got a hot tip on the Croton Damn -- a "must see" according to the local.  It certainly didn't disappoint

View from below.......

It took 14 years to build of quarried, hand cut stone --- the second largest structure of it's kind in the world.  Guess what's the first  ---

OK I'll tell you, it's the Pyramids!!

                       



                         



                          And from the top....








The reservoir provides a significant portion of the water supply for NYC.  It was certainly a beautiful spot!

And a great send-off as it was time for Craig, Cheryl and Jeri to head back to Ohio.




It'll be tough to top this weekend!

Sunset at Half Moon Bay

Martins, Nelsons and Friends DO NYC!

September 12 - 14

Half Moon Bay -- Doug's 60th 

We pulled into Half Moon Bay marina at the same time friends arrived by car all the way from Ohio to help celebrate Doug's birthday.  

After dinner Friday, THE birthday, the celebration continued Saturday with a train trip into NYC to "do the town".

Breakfast for the 40 minute train ride into Grand Central Station.




It was gray and overcast with rain threatening as we took off on foot to see the town.  And we certainly did.......








Starting with Times Square

Rockefeller Center, home of NBC  - the ice rink is a cafe this time of year









On to the Ed Sullivan Theater, home of the Late Show with David Letterman and the Hello Deli, just around the corner.  It was mainly carryout, so we moved on to a great little Irish Pub for lunch.

After lunch, Central Park.  What an amazing place, with it's fountains, zoo, lagoons, street performers, carriage tours by both horse and bicycle ....


We were considering a double decker bus tour when the rain began.  So we took a time out at Rosie O'Grady's to work on Plan B.








The subway would take us to the Freedom Tower AND keep us dry.

The Tower reaching into the clouds.

One of the two reflection pools with the names of all who died on the perimeter.

                         It is a somber yet inspiring place --- a fitting tribute to all the heroes of 911.










The rain had subsided by this time and we once again took off on foot through China Town to Little Italy for a second birthday dinner.








The returning rain failed to dampen our spirits as we enjoyed a wonderful Italian dinner and picked up cannoli on our way to the subway that would take us back to Grand Central Station and then back to the marina.  Cheryl and Jeri's pedometers logged about 12 miles + subway and train miles ---- in one terrific day!!

Cruisin' down the Hudson

September 8 - 11

Albany Yacht Club

We spent 3 days in Albany where we met Doug and Jan's friends Chris and Pat Race.  Our mail finally caught up with us, thanks to them!  Chris also graciously loaded us into his pickup for a grocery and liquor store run, so we're fully provisioned and ready to move on.

Next stop Kingston, NY

Rondout Yacht Basin, about 40 miles farther, was the logical overnight stop.  Just off the Hudson, it was an older, well kept marina with the requisite railroad bridge just upstream.  Just can't seem to get away from those trains!

Scenes from the Hudson..............  

West Point was one of the highlights along the way

      The other side says "Sink Navy" , of course!

On this anniversary of 911, we are once again reminded that freedom isn't free.  We're grateful every day to the men and women of our armed forces, police and fire fighters who serve all of us every day.

The Erie Canal

Seven Days/30 Locks

Freight Trains and Work Crews

The trip began under cloudy skies, hot and humid --- warmest weather we've had all summer!  We moved through the remaining 7 locks from Oswego to Phoenix for the first overnight stop.  It's obvious the "season" is pretty much over after Labor Day.

No "Brats" to welcome us at the dock with lemonade or offer to run errands, etc.  School is back in session!

A nice little park, but we were the only activity.

Two more locks to our next stop - Rome.  

On the way, we passed the 1000 mile mark for this trip --

WOW!  One of the local fisherman had to give up some of his wall space for us to tie up at the town park.  A nice walk took us into town where we found Fort Stanwix,

a wooden fort from the 1700's that has been faithfully restored complete with dry moat and drawbridge,

a huge ACE Hardware and lighted falls visible from the end of our dock.






And I did mention the trains.................  The main rail line follows the canal, as in right next to it.  So at every stop, we're hearing the trains -- not exactly peace and quiet!

Onward!  7 more locks to Canajoharie.  

Along the way we met up with those work crews I mentioned earlier - like 5 of them in one day!  After recent heavy rains, they were very busy dredging and clearing debris.  Not easy to maneuver around, as you can see.












Lock 17 in this segment of the canal, Little Falls, is the largest lift in the system in which a gate is actually lifted above the boater -- 40.5 feet!  It was a bit daunting pulling out UNDER the gate!










We tied up for the night at a city park dock in Canajoharie, just below Lock 14.  We were grateful to plug in to power --- with temps in the 90's and the d*#*# trains, it was wonderful to close up and turn on the AC.

It's such a small town, they put the traffic light in the middle of the intersection so you only need one!

We did enjoy the food here, Mercato Italian for dinner, breakfast at the diner and a great little coffee shop run by two former NYPD cops.  Got a few tips for restaurants in NYC -- nice couple.

Tried to get a bigger copy of this map, but the tourist info center was closed, of course.  It does show our starting point in the upper left at Lake Ontario and the end of the Erie Canal on the far right at the Hudson River.  Total on the Oswego and Erie Canals, 177 miles.

Day 4 - Amsterdam

Sunny, hot and humid as we moved through 3 more locks to Amsterdam where we tied up at a beautiful park with power, bathrooms and shower.  

Although the restaurant was closed for the season, they were set up for a wedding, so the place was hopping.  So we had evening music interrupted by those d*#*# trains every 10 minutes.

Day 5 - ??? Where to stop?

After taking advantage of the free do-it-yourself pump out, we were on our way.  The destination would change several times as we got more info from the lock masters along the way.  We definitely wanted to stop in Waterford.  BUT the Tug Boat Roundup was in town, so there would be no space available at the town docks.  After talking with lock masters at Locks 8,7 and 4, we were assured there would be space on the wall between Lock 3 and 4.  Under normal conditions,  there is no stopping between Locks 6 and 2, only allowed during the big event.

Guard Gate 2 - This is one of 2 such gates leading into Lock 6 -2.  Not locks, these are for flood control and you pass under them just like we did at Lock 17.

Through Locks 6,5,4 to this spot.  Looks idyllic in this pic --- it was anything but when we pulled in.  There had been storms in the area and there was a stiff wind.  Then we noticed there were no cleats to tie to on the wall!  With some creative tying and extra long lines, we were secured to rings and large post on the wall.

The Admiral gets her Girl Scout badge for that one!

It's Saturday -- Sparty big game against Oregon, no local channels available, so Garry and I walked into town to watch at the Whiskey River bar.  Yummy wings, a country band and a drink with one of the founders of the Tug Boat festivities -- what a hoot!

Sunday we checked out Tugs


     



   from this small wind-up version









to normal size




The mules have long since retired.....................

We stopped by the farmer's market for some fresh produce, then Tracy's Dessert Tray for some heavenly scones and chocolate chip cookies.  Good thing we're doing all this walking............

Out of the canals

Monday Sept 8 

Felt a little like fall -- clear blue skies and cool temps for our exit out of the Erie Canal into the Hudson River.  Locks 3 and 2 are the last in the canal.

Caught these on our way out ......

Nothing like going backwards!













Lock #1 is actually on the Hudson River about 3 miles downstream from Waterford.  It's the only one run by the Corp of Engineers and of course only 1 side of the gate was working.  So we slid in through the 20 ft. opening (we're 15 ft. wide) and moved on through.  We won't be missing "locking through"!

Now it's on to other challenges, like dealing with tides for the first time.  The Hudson is a tidal river -- with a change of about 5 ft from high to low.  It's a short trip from Waterford to Albany,

SUNY (State U of NY) beautiful building as we enter Albany.

where we're secure at the Albany Yacht Club by lunchtime.  Doug and Jan have good friends and family here, so it's the perfect spot to spend a few days.

Back in the USA

September 1 - Labor Day

Finally, a calm morning!  It was cool and overcast as we headed across Lake Ontario bound for Oswego, NY.  Skies began to clear around lunch time as we checked back in with US Customs after 2 months in Canada.

Entering the Oswego Canal

Moving through Oswego Harbor on our way through the first lock (Lock 8 - going backwards again) of the Oswego Canal.  This is a series of 7 locks that will get us into the Erie Canal.  

We had locked through and tied up on the wall at the bottom of Lock 8 by 3:30.  Only 29 more locks to get to the Hudson River!

Kingston, ON

August 28-31

Laundry, groceries, R&R

7:30 am departure from Belleville for the 50+ mile trek to Kingston, ON.  With a brisk wind, there was a slight chop on the water, but a beautiful ride with only a couple of ferries to dodge.  After a brief stop for a pump out, we pulled into Flora McDonald Confederation Basin (now that's a mouthful!).  The marina is right in the middle of this bustling downtown

with a lovely park area between the marina and the courthouse you see in the background

Our dock was on the farthest dock --- great for a little quiet from the hustle and bustle, but a LONG walk to showers and bathrooms -- really had to plan ahead!






Garry and I got our chores out of the way early on Friday -- laundry and a hairy ride to the grocery before lunch.  We'd been advised it was "only a 30 minute walk", so we figured 15 minutes by bike, right?  Well --- it was a 45 minute ride through downtown traffic and several blocks of construction related detours, but we made it.

Later in the afternoon, we took the bikes by ferry over to more bike-friendly Wolfe Island.  The ferry ride was lovely, nice bike ride and Long Island Ice Teas at a little waterfront bar as we waited for the return trip.

Saturday we took in a great farmer's market, had an early dinner followed by a walk (only 30 minutes as billed) over to Fort Henry.  The fort sits high on a bluff overlooking the harbor at the strategic mouth of the St. Lawrence and the entrance into the Rideau (that's ree dough) Canal.








Skies were threatening and the wind relentless, but we managed to make it into the fort about an hour before the last scheduled famous Sunset Ceremony of the year.  The event hadn't been canceled due to weather in more than 15 years and this was no exception.





Despite a 7:30 thunder storm, the Fife n Drum corps took center stage promptly at 8.

After a couple of hours of drills and gunfights on the parade ground, we decided to hike back to the boat.  Just in time for the fireworks and the rain!

Three nights in Kingston became 4 as the relentless wind continued Sunday morning.  We filled the time with a "3 hour tour" of the Thousand Islands.  It is a beautiful area, though we all agreed we love the more remote areas of Georgian Bay even more.

Dinner back at the dock, followed by dessert aboard Waterford --- yummy strawberries from the farmer's market and my Grandma Boehler's shortcake!  Bill and Patti, from the Grand Banks trawler docked next to us, joined us.  They had great information to share about the Chesapeake and their favorite anchorages.

The best part of our travels is most certainly the wonderful people we meet along the way!

Leaving the Trent behind

August 24 - 27

Locks 19 thru 1

This last half of the TSW was very scenic, winding through the Otonabee River section to Rice Lake, a relatively shallow but clear lake reminding us a little of Lake St. Clair back in Michigan.  First stop, Lock 18, Hastings.  

The highway swing bridge is actually operated by the lock master in conjunction with the lock itself.

Next stop, Campbellford, Lock 13.  Here we stayed at a municipal park in a little town noted for "the world's best chocolate", Empire cheese and Dooher's donuts.  All three establishments were on the other side of the river from our dock, so we're quite sure we burned off all the calories.......

Last stop, Frankford, Lock 6.  Our path took us through 5 locks in 4 1/2 mi for a total drop of 108 ft!

Frankford's claim to fame, a great little Chinese restaurant -- yum!

We left Frankford on Wednesday the 27th for the last 6 locks in about the last 6 miles of the TSW. 

 

Day Dreams pulling out of the lock.

Leaving Lock 1 behind.

Since we're going in the opposite direction of most TSW travelers, this is the end for us.  A challenge and a great experience!

Out of the TSW and into the Bay of Quinte at the far eastern end of Lake Ontario, we arrived at Meyer's Pier marina in Belleville, ON by early afternoon.  Nice to have showers, laundry and power again.