West is Done

Originally posted at www.svsweetescape.com

It is Thursday evening and we are tied to a floating dock just west of Oneida Lake in Brewerton New York.  The dock is free but provides no services such as power, restrooms or showers.  That’s okay since we are pretty self sufficient.  At the end of the dock next to the bridge are two restaurants - bars with tropical themes.  You know the kind, outdoor deck seating, fake palm trees and Jimmy Buffett music although tonight is Karaoke night and we are being treated to the usual song stylings of people who are not professional singers for a reason.

We crossed the bridge this afternoon and walked into town.  We needed to visit a marine store in order to replace a deck key that was dropped in the river earlier today at the fuel dock by a person who shall remain nameless.  Incidentally, we paid just $3.99 for marine diesel here today, the lowest on our cruise so far.  We found Brewerton to be a typical middle class town.  Not bad but lacking the charm of some of the communities we have seen further west along the canal.

We spent last night in Baldwinsville tied to a free wall just west of Lock 24 following a long 60 mile run east on the canal from Newark New York.  Newark was interesting.  They had everything you could think of there - a beautiful dock with shore power, brand new restrooms and showers and laundry facilities and it was all free.  Even the WiFi was free.  It amazes me the lengths that some of these communities will go to in order to be boater friendly and welcoming.

As this is written at sunset we are sitting in the cockpit surrounded by waterfowl.  In fact, we have been surrounded by waterfowl for a couple days now.  Neither of us have ever seen so many Blue Heron or Snowy Egrets as we have seen on the canal.  You see them wading along the banks as you approach and they stand frozen until they think that they have been spotted and fly away - all blue and gray or white, almost prehistoric looking in their appearance.

Here though we are surrounded quite literally by ducks. These are not normal ducks like you see at home.  No, these are New York ducks with a New York attitude.  You have never heard such loud, obnoxious and continuous quacking as we are hearing tonight.  Oh well, at least it helps to drown out the Karaoke.

And speaking of wild life.  Yesterday as we were motoring along the canal we saw a guy fishing wearing tiny thong underwear.  Disturbing to say the least.  Judy took a photo which we are pleased to present here.

We are at the halfway point in the canal.  Tomorrow we will cross Oneida Lake, a 22 mile long body of water which separates the western canal from the eastern.  As we put miles under Sweet Escape’s keel we are both feeling an increasing sense of freedom.  Just how fortunate we are is made clear to us by people everyday.  In fact, we have spoken to three different couples just this evening who strolled by along the dock looking at the boats.  The last, a young man and his wife expressing envy that we don’t have to go to work in the morning as they do.  It wasn’t very long ago that was us...walking along the docks and dreaming.   Life is good. 

See our album pages for additional photos of the western Erie Canal.