July 24-25, 2017
Rain kept us in Newark most of the morning and we used that time to do laundry and boat chores, by 11:30 it had cleared and we were on our way. Today our passage took us up Lock E29 and Lock E30 – both 16 feet, as we made our way to Fairport. It is said that the next 100 miles of the Erie Canal most closely resembles the original Canal, as a ditch dug through the landscape with a towpath on both sides.
Since we are expecting mail to arrive in Buffalo next week, we are in no hurry to complete the canal. We plan to just meander through the small villages along the way, visit with locals, and take the time to enjoy the Erie Canalway Trail. Fairport, a very popular stop along the canal, is considered to be the Crown Jewel of the Erie Canal. We loved the local library with its emphasis on serving teens and children, the specialty shops, and walking along the Canalway Trail.
We had seen several tourist canal boats and had assumed that they were piloted by qualified captains. Last night, when one docked behind us, we realized that was not the case. The captain seemed to be having trouble docking so Rick went out to provide assistance. It seems that anyone can rent and captain a canal boat after going through a two-hour hands-on lesson.
The lift bridge crossing the canal on Main Street is one of the most unusual bridges in New York State. Completed in 1914, the bridge has an irregular 10-sided design and crosses the Erie Canal at an angle of 32 degrees from southwest to northeast. Every angle of the bridge is unique, and there are no square corners on the bridge floor.
Tonight Rick received an advisory that, due to high water levels and swift current from recent heavy rainfall & runoff, the Erie Canal will be closed from Locks E-24 Baldwinsville to E-29 Palmyra, as will the Cayuga-Seneca Canal from the junction of the Erie Canal to Lock CS-1 Cayuga. That is the area we have just left and although we are not in a hurry, we are happy not to be “locked in.”
