Cruising Day: about 40, I think
Miles (N) since departing Maine: 641
After almost two months of cruising, we have begun to loose track of the date and day of the week. This really doesn't matter much as any day on the water is as good as any other. So our trip since Schenectady has been slow and bucolic. The Mohawk river in this area of New York was heavily damaged by the constant rain in June and early July. Many of the boats that had planned a trip west on the Erie Canal turned north to Lake Champlain or returned south to NYC and home. The closure of the canal delayed many loopers by as much as a month, some on the Hudson but others in between locks that were closed due to high water. One 40 foot President in Little Falls was swept over the marina wall and ended in the parking lot. Some boats were totaled and some were lucky enough to be refloated with out any serious hull damage. We have seen many boats on stands in the marinas awaiting gel coat and topside repair. This has not been a friendly year for boats along the Mohawk.
So we made a decision in Utica, a place forever recalled on our log as the place of the best Italian Restaurant in New York. Also the place where PM's dear college friend and resident Italian gourmet cook, Deloris Chainey, nee Mancuso, lives with her recently retired husband, Rick. Deloris also recently retired and is currently going through the idea book on her next phase of pursuit.
Anyway, in Utica we took a 40 mile bike ride over to Rome, happened on a very home town parade, Rome Days, and had lunch at the Oriskany Diner. While enjoying Blueberry pancakes for me and a hamburger, four been salad and onion rings for PM, two large lemonades all for $10, we had the discussion both of us had been having privately in our heads. Due to delays from mechanical issues and delays due to the canal closure and our firm commitment to having a relaxing and slow paced cruise, we would east again and explore Lake Champlain for the rest of the summer, forgoing the plan to loop through Canada along the Rideau and St. Laurence Seaway. This decision filled us with some regret initially but as we talked about it, it made more sense. Our summer itinerary is about a month behind as we had intended to arrive in Kingston, Ontario by July 1, cruise the loop to Ottawa and back south to Montreal, down the St. Laurence and then south into Lake Champlain by August. Our revision allows us the time on Lake Champlain we would not have had if we continued west. And we will see much of the area we miss this trip next year as we do our Great Loop cruise.
So we are headed east now, back to Waterford, NY where we will turn north via the Champlain Canal to Whitehall, at the southern end of Lake Champlain and the place where the American Navy was born and into the clear waters of the largest freshwater lake in the US after the great lakes.
We are this evening tied to a pier in St. Johnsbury, NY. This is one of the many towns along the Erie Canal that time has passed by. Walking around this evening we saw old turn of the century and post Civil War architecture. Fortunately, there appears to be a lot of retired people in the area who have restored many of the old homes, and this is really a very attractive town in its own way. There is not much to do here, but a walk around the main street allowed us many good evenings and hellos from residents sitting on their porches to watch the world go by. One lady explained she was 88 and doing her daily "word search" game to keep her mind alive as her body seemed to take care of itself. She was one of many we have met and a very sweet and somewhat chatty lady on her porch overlooking River Street (most all of the towns along the canal have a River Street and Main Street if no others) who welcome us to their town, fill us in on local history and ask about our travels. We have met some genuine people. I feel sometimes like the CBS reporter who would pick a city, select a name at random and go find out about their lives, Dave's World, I think the show was called.
Oh, the cutlass bearings have worked as intended and our fuel economy has dramatically improved. I also adjusted the idle so we are safe from stalling at embarrassing moments. Other than the maintenance routines of filling the water tanks, emptying the holding tank, changing oil and filters every 100 hours and being absorbed by the never ending little tasks that are part and parcel of living on a boat, our days are filled most often with the slow passage of hours at 7 miles an hour watching the world pass and the daily joy of a cruising lifestyle, and we are loving this life more every day.
We have had no interesting lock issues since we were turned sideways by a stiff wind gust at Lock 9, which we will revisit in a day or two.
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