Wednesday, September 29, 2004
The Erie Canal, Palantine Bridge, NY
Fall Splendor on the Canal
I’m from Las Vegas, which means my point of view is instantly askew. For instance, when someone is nice to me and tries to help me out, I usually take it to mean their hand will soon be open asking for a tip, and if they don’t get one, the helping hand becomes a pointed middle finger. It is the nature of things in the a neon capital where lively hoods are not made by helping, but by servicing others. It is a sour way I see the world, always thinking others won’t help unless there is something in it for them – almost flat out greed. I always hoped this cruise would help me shake some of my negativity and allow me to have faith in mankind again. This Erie Canal section has certainly helped. The people here seem so willing to offer assistance just because they genuinely want to. Beginning way back at the Buffalo Yacht Club, the friendliness and generosity of the local people along this route has impressed us more than I would have ever expected.
Brewerton Boatyard
When the phone call came last Thursday morning (the 23rd) – early – we had no idea what to do. Vanessa’s father had suddenly suffered a stoke and was hospitalized. Vanessa was understandably in shock and emotional. I fell into my “let’s get focused” mode and put my emotions aside as I tried to figure out how to best handle the situation. After all, we were somewhere in the Erie Canal, but how were we going to store the boat, get to an airport, and fly to North Carolina to be with Vanessa’s parents? We were tied to the town dock at Brewerton, NY on the western edge of Lake Oneida. I looked at the chart. Just the other side of the bridge where we were moored was Brewerton Boatyard, owned by Wayne and Helen Carrol, who we would discover are two incredible people.
Wayne and Helen – Our Heros
I called the number. Helen answered the phone and I tried to explain our situation. She took immediate action, directing us to our dock, meeting us there, helping us tie up, consoling Vanessa, picking up a car seat from a friend for Sidonia, and driving us to the Syracuse airport. I was actually stunned as this complete stranger entered our lives and gave so heartily of herself for our benefit.
“Now, don’t you worry about a thing. You just go take care of your father. Everything here will be fine,” she said.
Binga (in her new Halloween costume) being spoiled by her recovering Grandfather – Theropy for Grandparents.
“We have a cat on board,” I interrupted.
“That’s no problem. Wayne will feed her and take care of her. Call me with your flight information when you’re on your way back and I’ll get the car seat and pick you up at the airport. I just hope everything is okay with your Dad.”
As it turns out, everything is okay with him (thankfully), and we returned to the boat on Sunday (the 26th). Wayne and Helen even helped us to collect some of our mail we’d had forwarded. They really went out of their way to help us by making a bad situation manageable. We couldn’t have done it with out them and really appreciate everything they did for us. When we left Tuesday morning, it felt as if we were leaving family.
Deer Swimming Across the Canal
Canal Swans
Fall Colors Along the Canal
That’s the way it is along the canal. Friendly people are everywhere. There’s always someone on one of the old mule tow paths offering a friendly wave as we motor by, or a lock or bridge tender offering advise about where to stop and what to see, or a tug boat captain pulling aside to let us pass and continue on our way. Everyone is relaxed and neighborly. There’s no rush here. And who would want to hurry? The scenery is spectacular. Nature is all around.
The other morning, three deer came out of the woods and swam across the canal right in front of us before disappearing into the woods on the other side. I’ve never seen so many blue heron in all my life. I don’t know if it is because we are so late in the season, but in most of these places, there is more wildlife than people. Most of the time, we have the canal completely to ourselves.
Our timing for our canal transit is almost perfect, as the autumn foliage is incredible and abundant. For the first time on this trip, fall is here, and we are happy about it! We’ve seen the progression from lush green to an explosion of reds, yellows, oranges, and purples. Nice.
But, if you think canaling is all motoring around looking at leaves and animals, you’d be wrong. Just when you think you’ve had enough of the solitude of nature, another town pops up, or even better, another lock. Locking and lift bridges are navigational realities of the Erie Canal that help break up the trip and add to the adventure – each lock is completely different. Some lock up, some lock down, some are fast, some are slow, some are tall, some are short – you never know what you are going to get until you get there. Today, we were crossing the Adirondack Mountains and came across Lock 17, summed up by one word – Wow!
Exiting under 17’s Giant Gate
Vanessa – Locking down in 17
Lock 17 is the biggest lock in the whole canal system, and with a vertical lift of 40 feet, is one of the tallest locks in the world. Locking down that sucker was cool! There’s just no other way to put it. Here we are passing through this beautiful mountain town of Little Falls, NY, admiring the scenery, when the river begins to sweep us down stream at a very fast pace (it takes a lot of water to fill that lock, causing quite a current). Into the lock we go. It isn’t impressive at first, as we were on the top, locking down. But, when that thing started to empty and when, twenty minutes later, we found ourselves looking at the giant lift door rising in front of us and all that concrete and steel behind us, we suddenly felt very small. Lock 17 – an unexpected milestone on this adventure.
Fellow Canalers and Friends Tom and Mim aboard Runaway
Another great thing about the canal is the people we’ve met who are traveling the same as us. When we were back at Tonawanda taking down our mast, we met Tom and Mim Miller aboard Runaway. Up until we left for North Carolina, we would pal around with them, canaling along, then finishing up with dinner and sharing the events of the day. Tom and Mim have gone on ahead, but we can’t wait to catch up with them down the coast somewhere. They have become fast friends and, while we keep in touch with them, we miss them already.
Boat Buddies Charis and Sidonia
We have also been lucky enough to reunite with Bob and Heidi and their two kids Charis and Cameron. We happened across them in Brewerton and have had fun catching up on the different adventures we’ve had since our separate Port Huron departures after Labor Day weekend. We’ve been traveling together since. It is great. They are a very sweet family. Binga has little friends she plays with every night when we dock. Three kids on land who have been cooped up all day in a boat makes for a very noisy and energetic display that is always worth a few laughs.
We only have two travel days left on the canal before we enter the Hudson. We don’t want to rush as the canal is fantastic. We kind of don’t want to leave. But, go we must.
Lake Michigan from the Sky: Saugatuck and Holland Harbors Below – Home
On both flights to and from North Carolina, we connected in Chicago. It was interesting as I could see most of our route, except Northern Michigan, from the air – the whole canal, Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair and the rivers, Lake Michigan, Chicago. It was fun to see where we’ve been and consider where we are headed next – down the Hudson River Valley to the Big Apple. I was also surprised to discover how I felt. Even after all the difficulties and headaches Lake Michigan gave us, I still got a little knot in my stomach when I flew over it. Its emerald green waters, its miles of sandy beaches – It’s so beautiful. It is still my most favorite body of water in the world. I think for me, it’s still “Home.” As much as I don’t want to think about it now, I know one day I’ll be back. As for the ol’ Erie Canal, there is no question: I’d love to come back. It is definitely worth another look. It is a great adventure and a terrific destination all by itself.
-Steve