We traveled the Erie Canal from beginning to end. All 338 miles from Waterford to Tonawanda. We had no agenda, no schedule, and we weren’t in any hurry. Saw the whole thing at a turtles pace of 7 MPH.
There were very few conventional marinas with slips and finger docks, like we’re used to seeing in New England, instead, they have “walls”. Most are free of charge and have water and electric. Some charge a small fee, but all of them are beautifully clean and well cared for, especially for the 200th anniversary of “The Ditch”.
The Baldwinsville wall.
Mike Georaiadis. We met him on the wall at Baldwinsville. The next day he brought us a big box full of interesting foods seen in the lower left.
Most of the time, we were alone.
Lyons wall.
The wall in Spencerport.
The wall at Ilion.
Sometimes we would travel for days without seeing a single boat.
A Guard Gate. It can be closed to seal off the canal.
A lift bridge. The bridge attendant stops traffic and raises the bridge, after we pass under it, he lowers it, then drives to the next one to meet us and repeats the process. The same person can operate 3 lift bridges!
At times, it was a very lonely experience.
The wall in Rome, NY.
There were exciting moments as well.
Here we are furiously bailing out our dinghy for the third time this trip. A squall on Lake Cayuga flipped it over like a leaf.
Friendly boaters rescued Salty’s gear that was floating away.
It wasn’t until we neared the end of the canal that we started seeing other people and boaters.
Festival in Medina.
Erie Canal party boat.
The XO discovered a mead bar in Medina.
She sampled all the different flavors. I think there were 12. Then did it again the next day.
The friendly Meadmaster let us taste the various kinds of honey that he uses to make the mead.
The Medina Meadmaster.
The busy wall at Tonawanda.
I loved every moment, but it had to end sometime. When we pulled into Buffalo, it was time for a new experience: Lake Erie.
Buffalo and Lake Erie.
Looks like the good life!
Love this one. Love to you both. It looks wonderful.
Isn’t Mead made from fermented honey? Never tried it but always wanted to. I bet it gives you a very unique buzz! hardy har har 🙂
I always look forward to your pics and the people you meet along the way. Did you eat any of the “interesting” food?
Congratulations on traveling the entire Erie Canal!
Still have food left from that “Care Package”