Barb and I rode our bikes to FortOntario toview a French and Indian Encampment then watch a battle reenactment on the grounds of FortOntario. We met Stan, Colleen and their two grandsons at the fort. We watched everyone in uniform march around and shoot at each other as was done 250 years ago. Lots of color and pageantry!
Dinner was at a restaurant a short distance from the boat in a quaint old building with the Andersons. Barb and I had another evening of good food and great company. Dinner conversation was making cruise plans for tomorrow weather permitting. Today looked great from here but small craft warnings were posted and the seas were predicted to be 3 to 5 feet. I saw no signs of rough seas but I wasn’t out in the lake!
Candle making
Friday, June 29, 2012
76°30.697’ W
43°27.560’ N
OswegoCanal / OswegoRiver
North of lock #8 on the west wall
Oswego, New York
NOTE: As soon as we cross into Canada early next week we will cease using our cell phones! You can text on Barb’s phone but the data connection (email) will be turned off. Skip’s phone will be off. Texting will be the primary way to contact us, then email for most of the month of July. The blog will be written daily but sent when internet is available at marinas. On our return to the US all forms of communication will be in place again.
Next Endeavour and Moor $tuff left Winter Harbor Marina in Brewerton at . We cruised 35 miles and passed thru 8 locks! It wasn’t the best choice of days as the wind was blowing out of the west and we were heading straight north which put the wind on our beam. From the time we departed the marina we dropped 125 feet to the level of LakeOntario. Our boats are now safely moored in Oswego at a city dock with electricity! The city has provided a water front park with washrooms 50 feet away. For twenty dollars a night this is a great deal!
Turn startboard for the
Oswego Canal
Stan was able to lower the scoot-coup off his boat for all could have a fun ride around town. The hardest part of the day was getting into and out of the thing!
Old Oswego Lock
Dinner was on “Next Endeavour” then back to our boat for sleep. As hot as it was during the day it cooled off to a point we needed covers to sleep!
Tomorrow we will attend a French and Indian Encampment on the grounds of FortOntario. This is a weekend event and should be fun.
Entering Lock 5
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
76°09.594’ W
43°14.646’ N
WinterHarborMarina
Brewerton, New York
Stan, Colleen and their two teenage grandsons arrived this morning.
Barb and Colleen spent most of the day shopping for supplies for the boat. One of their freezers had a malfunction while they were away from the boat and the food spoiled. Stan had issues with some of the work the marina had done so stayed with the boat while it was completed or corrected.
Stan and I had a captains meeting, drank a few beers, and then discussed our options when we depart from here. At present we will do a counter clockwise loop of the Saint Lawrence Seaway 1000 Islands to Montreal, take the Ottawa River to Ottawa then back to LakeOntario via the Rideau Canal.
The plan is to depart tomorrow morning after taking on fuel and pumping out the holding tank.
Working tug pulling dredge equipment
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
76°09.594’ W
43°14.646’ N
WinterHarborMarina
Brewerton, New York
The day was spent working on the boat. I washed the boat and cleaned the fenders of the lock grime they had accumulated. The boat is looking good and ready to travel again!
We are now in a holding mode, waiting for Stan and Colleen to return to their boat. They are scheduled to arrive Thursday morning and if all goes right we will depart Friday morning!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
76°09.594’ W
43°14.646’ N
WinterHarborMarina
Brewerton, New York
The morning was spent returning the rental car before working on unfinished boat projects. We’re just killing time at this point in time and enjoying it! Tomorrow is another day. We are looking forward to getting underway again --- probably Friday!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
76°09.594’ W
43°14.646’ N
WinterHarborMarina
Brewerton, New York
Today we dodged the rain all around us for our five hour drive back to the boat. Once the car was unloaded we went shopping for supplies.
The day and evening went by quickly and when we returned to the boat ----- our bed was a welcome sight!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Dan and Jori’s home
Surry, New Hampshire
Sunday is a day of rest and the four of us did just that, for most of the day!
Dan and I did assemble a pergola for their back yard. The day was hot so we found a shady spot and entertained ourselves assembling it. Without instructions we did get it together and it turned out just fine! After that it was time to read the Sunday paper and kick back!
We will probably head back to the boat tomorrow. We need to stock the boat with supplies for our trip into Canada later in the week.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Dan and Jori’s home
Surry, New Hampshire
The day started with a trip down the road to visit an Alpaca farm. The farm is a neighbor of Dan and Jori’s a few hundred yards away. The owners are retired but have a business harvesting and producing maple syrup, making clothing from the Alpaca wool and a knife sharpening business! All activities are conducted at their leisure, a nice profitable style of retirement.
Alpacas
The afternoon was filled with heavy down pours until later in the day when the weather front blew thru. With company invited the plan was to eat outside next to the rushing creek, but that didn’t work out!
Jori prepared a great dinner for the four of us plus two of their close friends Deb and Bruce. Great food, wine and company! Barb and I had a very enjoyable evening!
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Dan and Jori’s home
Surry, New Hampshire
Today we took in the local sites. Jori prepared a list of must see places and off we went on another road trip! First we crossed the mountain to the town of Walpole, NH - delightful and quaint! The shops are few but upscale a perfect setting for those people looking for a quiet and quaint place to retire to.
It speaks for itself!
Keene town square
We drove to the local water reservoir and dam then off to Keene an old college town with impressive 100 year old very well kept homes. The town square is filled with investment brokers and lawyer offices. This is an interesting area with low taxes and most people working - there may be a message in the way they live! Lunch was at the restaurant “The Stage Hands,” which had inside and outside tables to dine on. The food and location was good, making our dining experience unique! Later in the afternoon, we had a tour of Dan’s place of work which was informative and impressive.
Reservoir at dam
Jori topped off the day with steamed mussels for an appetizer followed by crab cakes as the main course!
Another perfect day!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Dan and Jori’s home
Surry, New Hampshire
View on our drive
Today was our day to take a road trip! New Hampshire is a state covered with densely forested mountains, miles and miles of back roads dotted with home sites carved into the rocks and trees. Coming from Illinois where you can see corn growing as far as you can see this is totally opposite to our norm.
From there we chose a different route to return to Dan and Jori’s home. The roads were a little rough, narrow and without center lines, but three hours later we arrived back where we started!
Another great adventure!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Dan and Jori’s home
Surry, New Hampshire
Another lazy day of retirement is planned. Barb has been doing laundry, has an appointment to get her hair cut and I will play on the computer!
Dan & Jori's home - front view
Area south of the driveway
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Dan and Jori’s home
Surry, New Hampshire
Fort Stanwix
While on our boat we woke to the sound of rain which continued until early morning. We waited for the weather to clear before driving the marinas courtesy car to the airport and pick up our rental car. On our way to Dan’s home we stopped in Rome, NY at FortStanwix, close to where we docked our boat a few nights before. The fort was reconstructed from original drawings found in the archives in England and played a major part in the Revolutionary War for our independence. FortStanwix is a National Monument and worth a visit if in the area.
From the fort we drove I-90 which followed some of the shore line of the Erie Canal we had just traveled in our boat. It was enjoyable seeing the same landscape from two different perspectives. The MohawkValley is spectacular from every perspective and should be on everyone’s list to see at least once.
We are now at Dan and Jori’s enjoying a family visit. We arrived after --- in time for a glass or two of wine and a light dinner.
Barb and I plan to take a few day trips while here and drive to Boston or TBD!
Monday, June 18, 2012
76°09.594’ W
43°14.646’ N
WinterHarborMarina
Brewerton, New York
Today will be a day of doing nothing! Barb has packed our bags and we’re ready to go to New Hampshire tomorrow.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
76°09.594’ W
43°14.646’ N
WinterHarborMarina
Brewerton, New York
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
Our weather continues to be good! We covered 36 miles today and 2 additional locks.
Our early departure!
Old Erie Canal Lock
We departed early this morning trying to get ahead of the weather that was predicted for this afternoon. We left the dock at and arrived in the harbor by just ahead of the wind! Our timing was perfect. Oneida Lake was kind to us during our crossing.
Captain leaving lock 21
Starting across Oneida Lake
On arrival I changed oil in both engines and serviced the V-drives. The boat is now ready for our next leg of the trip into the 1000 Islands on the Saint Lawrence Seaway then into Canada!
Tomorrow we will check all of our charts for Canada and prepare for our week away from the boat to visit family in New Hampshire.
Lighthouse
Almost across Oneida Lake
Saturday, June 16, 2012
75°27.125’ W
43°12.100’ N
BellamyHarborPark Docking – no electric or water
Rome, New York
Another beautiful day!
Our great weather continues which make for a beautiful cruise day! We covered 35 miles today and 3 more locks. The last lock was filled with debris making our approach to the wall --- a little tricky. My main concern was dinging a prop if I hit a log or loosing control when the boat was in neutral! All went well and we experienced the same problem when exiting the cell.
On our way here we passed Rickshaw tied to a wall in Ilion, NY. She looked safe and sound waiting for her owners to return.
Approaching Lock 19
Again we did a very slow cruise and stretched out our arrival to store our boat for a week! We will spend the night at the free dock which is part of a city park. This is a recent improvement to this section of the Erie Canal. The original free dock still in place has electric and water but is in such bad shape that I wouldn’t consider mooring the boat under such conditions!
Tomorrow --- maybe we’ll stay here or maybe we’ll get out of here early and cross Oneida Lake. It can be a dream or a nightmare! It’s long and shallow and has a tendency to get rough. Stay tuned for our report tomorrow!
Waiting for lock 20
Our view at Rome
Friday, June 15, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
74°51.928’ W
43°02.090’ N
Little FallsCanalHarbor
Little Falls, New York
Lock 14 - first lock of the day
See the horse and buggy?
We were blessed with another perfect day of warm and sunny weather! We traveled 20 miles at a very slow pace. We passed through 4 locks the last one being a 40 foot lift. Instead of doors that most locks have this lock is one of two in North America that has a gate that is raised 20 feet above the water allowing boats to pass under. The gate is massive and drips lots of water on your boat as you pass under it to enter the chamber.
Herkimer Home
Herkimer Home
On our trip west we stopped at Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer’s home. Herkimer was a hero during the battle of Oriskany in 1777. The state of NY has seen fit to place a small floating dock on the canal for visitors on boats. The MohawkValley continues to amaze us with its beauty when every bend in the canal brings more beautiful surroundings.
Herkiner Cemetery
The town is small and dining limited but the one we chose had good food at reasonable prices. We dined with another looper couple Marc and Betty Johnston on Kat Man 2.
Tomorrow we’ll do another slow cruise west on the Erie enjoying every beautiful mile of it!
