Friday September 18: Washington DC - What an Incredible Place!

 Yea!!! It was a 3rd place finish for the relay team of Matt (bike and run) and Becky (swim) in the Olympic length triathlon last weekend here in DC. A bit of rain before the event started at 7 am but otherwise a nice day.

Good job on everyone's part (including Steve and Wendy as the support, carry-all-the-junk-around, team!!

The draw of this even of course is the opportunity to swim in the Potomac River and then run/bike around the monuments surrounding the mall area of DC.

Lots of opportunities for pictures of the monuments.


It's been a quick week and a half (Becky was here only 3 days) but we had time for trolley tours, a private tour of the Pentagon (thanks Matt!!), a segway tour and time to just relax and enjoy the company.

Steve was able to pose by the podium in the Pentagon - one of two places pictures were permitted to be taken.






Matt will be stationed here for two years - I highly suspect we be back for return visits - especially now that Steve and I have become masters of the Metro and can go anywhere with our over-65 card which is good for half price metro tickets :-)


One last weekend here and then off to Yellowstone National Park for a week and a half.

The weather is predicted to be in the 60's with lows in the 20's during the week we are there. What were we thinking????

Thursday September 10: Washington DC - a Fast Catch Up!!

The key word for the end of August was - HOT.

Temperatures during the day were in the high 80' with 100% humidity some days.

What are we doing on the Erie Canal on a boat with no air conditioning???

We reached Medina on Sunday Aug 30 - the farthest west that we were going to go. It was time to turn back and head to Pirate's Cove - Guppy's home for the next 8 months.

Like all of the small towns along the canal, Medina was no exception with the electric/water and free mooring.

Medina is mostly known for it's red sandstone. Left is the original armory here in town.

Many local buildings are made of this sandstone as  well as some not so local: Buckingham Palace and the Brooklyn Bridge both used Medina sandstone in their structures.

Churches, homes, business buildings - you name it and it has the red sandstone.

Even the bank of the Erie Canal made use of the sandstone - lining the banks of the canal as a prevention to water erosion from boat wakes.

We even found a good breakfast place with a weird hot dog guy squirting ketchup on his head - definitely strange.


This was really a pretty stop with the most impressive thing being the concrete wall - dam really - built to permit the canal to run over the sizable creek east of town.

It was nice to be able to ride along the top of it - cool waterfall produced by the creek flowing under the canal.

But it was clearly time to head out. The original plan was to put Guppy away on Tuesday Sept 8 and then travel to Washington DC on Sept 9.

Instead we made a push to get back to Pirate's Cove on Friday the 4th stopping at some of the towns we bypassed on the way west: Holley, Spencerport, Palmyra, Newark (again), a long day of 50 miles to Baldwinsville and then a short 14 miles to Pirate's Cove.

A total of 1200 miles traveled between May 28 and September 4. Good summer - ready for a cool time at Matt and Wendy's home in Alexandria, VA!

Guppy cleaned out, winterized and ready to be put away!

Saturday August 29: Lost on the Erie Canal

Lost on the Erie Canal? Well, perhaps 'lost' isn't quite the right word. We know exactly where we are - just can't remember where we've been! We know it's the canal because of the numerous work boats - all painted blue and yellow.

But the small towns that dot the waterway are pretty much the same.

Wonderful dock area along the canal - usually right next to the main drag of town - with power and water.

Yesterday we arrived at Brockport and decided to stay another night since it's Saturday and we don't really know how busy places are on the weekends.

Besides, it was time to sit for a day.

Since Clyde with it's VERY noisy trains we've been to Newark - really nicely painted visitor center which has restrooms, a shower and free washer/dryer, no trains - then on to Fairport.

Fairport (Guppy is circled in red) was a very busy port getting ready for their annual Music Festival and we had one of the prime spots! But it was only Wednesday and the festival didn't start until Friday. Plus we were told it really is crowded - often late into the night with lots of folks running around who perhaps had enjoyed the adult beverages just a bit too much! Didn't sound like our kind of scene ,,,,,  Plus not only were the trains back but they had to blow their whistles as the tracks ran through town!

Thursday the plan was to go to Spencerport (20 miles) but after an hour of off and on rain with threatening dark clouds we decided to stop at Pittsford (only 7 miles) instead. Good decision as the day was just not all that nice.

Yesterday we made the 23 mile trip past Spencerport (we'll stop on the way back) on to Brockport under sunny skies and cool temperatures. Perfect and way more fun than traveling in and out of rain. I sure do miss the miss the flybridge enclosure of the trawler ....

The Erie Canal itself seems to constantly change. Sometime we are traveling along areas with thick woods on both sides of the canal.

Then we'll be in an area with a highway and mowed median along the canal. Sometime the trucks will honk at us!

Parts of the travel remind us very much of the Trent - especially as we pass near Rochester. This part of the canal was cut through rock - very similar to the cut from Balsam Lake to the liftlock at Kirkfield.

Industrial buildings could easily be seen around Rochester.

And there must have been 30 bridges as the canal winds it's way on the south end of the city - mostly car bridges but some old train bridges as well that seemed to no longer be in use.

Probably the cost of removing them is not worth it.


There are still ducks everywhere and clearly fed by boaters and townpeople near the docks. And we actually spotted two turtles. Guess they are just hiding in the less accessible areas of the waterway.

Two casualties and repairs this week. Steve found a new rim for his bike (to replace the one that split apart in Lakefield) plus a new tire for the back rim. Good bike day!

Second was the cabinet above the sink fell down at one end.

No problem - take it all of the way down, drill some new holes, use some longer screws (the original ones were ridiculously short) and the job is done.

I'm surprised it even stayed up this long given how it was attached.

Nicely done, Steve!

Shortly after we pulled into Brockport yesterday, Steve was off on his bike to the local Wegmans grocery store.

A nicely timed strip to the store as the special of the day in the seafood department was lobster!!

The timed picture of our dinner last night was not so great but you get the idea :-)

Up early this morning with a quick shower at the welcome center and we were off to the Brockport Diner for breakfast.

In Fairport, we found the DeLand mansion built in 1876 - along with the church across the road.

The mansion is now the Green Lantern Inn.

For some interesting history, click here. Be sure to click on the arrow on the right hand side of the page for the complete history of the company and the DeLand family.

Here in Brockport is one of the original signs advertising Ivory soap - which also has an interesting history as to why it floats.

Click here to read about it if you are interested!

This particular sign is from the late 1800's and was restored in the 1990's.

We have been through more than a hundred locks this summer but this one on the canal has to have been the fastest release of water through the doors that we've ever seen! I would NOT want to have been hanging out very close to this :-)

Of course, if we were perhaps the lockmaster wouldn't have released it so fast!

Monday August 24: Clyde NY

We were off fairly early Sunday as the goal was to continue south on the Oswego River to the intersection of the Erie Canal - then head west.

The locks are much larger than those on the Trent canal - but still have leaky doors!

The travel is river travel so no checking of the weather to find out if the winds will allow us to go - just a question of how warm/cool it will be and what are the chances of rain. Or we just look at the sky :-)

We made a quick stop at Phoenix to pump out the holding tank. Do-it-yourself, free pumpouts are almost at every town here on the canal. One thing they have done right - make it easy and free and folks will use them.

This is a nice stop that we have passed by numerous times - seems like the timing for stopping here is just never right. Positioned very close to the junction of the Oswego canal (goes north to Lake Ontario) and the Erie Canal (running east and west between Buffalo and Waterford), it is too close to other places we'd  rather stop.

The Erie Canal has been invaded by hydrillia - a non-native invasive water plant. Many places along the side of the canal (with minimal boat traffic) have been taken over.

It's very thick (we saw herons standing on the plants) and grows very quickly.

This is the same plant that was so pervasive on the St. John's River in Florida. Not sure what will be done to keep it under control. For more info in this invasive plant, click here.

There's tons of blue herons, the usual number of ducks and sea gulls along with a few swans.

Strangely we've not been able to spot a single turtle in the miles we've been on the canal so far. Not sure what that's about. Seems to be plenty of habitats that would appear perfect. One beaver hut as well.

And of course the elephant in the someone's front yard that seemed to really amuse Steve :-) Weirdly out of place if you ask me!


Two immature bald eagles and one adult that just sat very still so we could take it's picture. Such beautiful birds - it's nice to know that they are making a comeback in some of the northern state areas.











The only other animal sighting was at the Baldwinsville Diner - want to ride the Champion Horse? Leather saddle and all! I was tempted but it said you were riding at your own risk. Seemed like I should just pass :-)

So we stayed last night at Baldwinsville. Five dollars for power was the total cost. We are definitely going to get spoiled traveling here.

The small towns all have a town dock - almost all with power and water - almost all free. Some have showers and a laundry (free also) as well.


Up and out for breakfast with a quick ride around town. Nice little place - similar to all of the small towns in the north it seems.

And of course it seems there is also a requirement for at least one building with a mural. With a riverboat. And other illustrations of the days past.

These towns seem to get their identity either from the canal or from one or more large industries that for the most part have now moved on to other areas or have just gone out of business.

After a nice morning we moved on another 15 miles to the town of Clyde. Interesting sights along the way ....

including what appears to be an old bridge abutment. I'm sure there is a story behind this but I thought it was pretty neat looking.

It was a nice town complete, again, with power and water. Both free. Next to a well kept park.

The downside: the train tracks which ran right along the canal on the other side. The upside: they didn't blow a whistle but there must have been a dozen trains throughout the night - and they sounded like they were right next to us!

All in all a good night though.

The homes in the area ranged from this huge 1800's home that is haunted and has tours to a home of what would appear to be the same vintage.

It may truly have been haunted!

Not terribly well kept up. Not even sure if it was still being lived in - although the grass is mowed.

The usual central park along with a nice WWI memorial.

I always find it interesting that WWI is often referred to as the "Great War" on these memorials. Who knew there would ever be another world war?

Topping off our bike tour of the town was the Hillbillies Paradise Diner. We decided not to have breakfast there although, honestly, it probably would have been just the kind of place we like :-)

Tomorrow? Another 20 miles or so west on the canal to another of the small towns that dot the next hundred miles or so to Buffalo.