Oct 4-7, 2008 - Up the Erie Canal

On October 4, 2008, we left Albany, NY to head up the Erie Canal. Our good friend, John Peterson, joined us in Albany to help with passage through the locks.

There are not many directional signs on the water, however, heading up the Hudson from Troy, we came to a "turn in the road". We chose to leave the Hudson and to turn left into the Erie Canal. We had 21 locks to go before we reached our destination in Brewerton, NY.

In this picture, we are heading up the Erie Canal toward a lock. On the right side is a wall where boaters can tie up for the night or to wait for a lock to open. In October, 2008, we did not have to wait for any locks. Diesel was over $5.00/gallon and people were not on the water. We only had one other boat with us in the 22 locks we traversed. Approaching a closed lock. To the right is a dam. While the lock gate is closed, the approaching boat will see a red light. When the gate opens and the lock is ready, the light turns green.

On our passage through the Erie Canal, we were going west and thus in all but the last two locks, we were going up. When we came into the lock, John and I would each grab a rope that was hanging down. We would use the rope to keep the boat stable while the lock filled with water. Captain Robert would stay at the helm to make adjustments to our position. The lock walls were slimy and very wet. Some had very rough walls with holes and cracks containing a whole ecology of life forms. We wore gloves that kept our hands from slipping on the rope. John would usually hold the forward rope and I would grap the rope towards the aft.

Once we are in the lock and holding the ropes, water comes into the lock if you are going up or goes out of the lock if you are going down. In this picture, we are going up, so water is coming in. The water comes in from down below. The water you see coming out of the gate is not where the water comes in. This is a leak.

As water comes in, the boat goes up the wall and the rope gets shorter and shorter. In this picture, we are near the top and I am holding the very top of the rope. When a boat is going down, you start the trip down with the rope at the top. It is hard to grab the rope in this position, so you use a long pole with a hook on the end. This pole is called a boat hook.

Since we are now at the top of the lock, Captain Robert checks on John and I. Good news! The Grand Fromage team has fulfilled all tasks successfully for this lock.

The lock is now filled with water and we are now at a higher level. The locks vary in height raised or lowered based on the elevation. A few are only 8-10 feet. However, one lock is over 40 feet.

Since the lock has now filled with water and the boat is at a higher level, the gate is opening to let us out of the lock.This is the little boat that shared a lock with us. An east bound boat is waiting for the green light to enter the lock and go down. The lock master.We successfully made it through the 22 locks. I have to say that it was a lot of fun and scenic as all get out. Since this was early October, the weather was quite brisk, but we had little rain.

Sept 17-18,2008 - Up the Hudson, Kingston

The ride up the Hudson is very scenic, dotted with many lovely homes and quaint villages.

In the middle of the Hudson is an island with a ruined castle. We learned this mysterious place is called Bannerman Castle. It was built in the early 1900's to store mutitions. Eventually a fire destroyed a sizeable portion of the structures. You may read about this intriquing place by clicking here. We rented another car in Kingston to take in more sights, plus play another round of golf. We drove across to the east side of the Hudson to tour the Vanderbilt Mansion. Click here to learn more about the Vanderbilt Mansion.

The landed gentry await an invitation to tea

The Hudson from the Vanerbilt MansionMany loopers recommend a meal at the Culinary Institute outside Hyde Park. It was hard to get a reservation, but persistence was rewarded. You have a choice of several resturants. We chose to eat at the American Bounty. The meal was very tasty indeed. We were disappointed in the service however. We were told that each student spends the last portion of culinary training working as a server. The guy we had as our server was not getting this part of his education. To read more about the Culinary Institute, click here. After our lunch, we went outdoors to find a multicultural festival, complete with band. You can't keep Sandy off the dance floor.Team Finnegan cuts the rug.

Sept 12-16, 2008 - Up the Hudson - Haverstraw

We left Liberty Landing Marina on Sept 12, 2008. It was fun seeing Manhattan from the water. We tried to recognize the many buildings we had seen on land. Here is the skyline of NYC from under the George Washington Bridge. Already the city is fading into the distance. As soon as you pass under the George Washington Bridge, suddenly and magically on the port side, the scene changes from city to woods, cliffs and granite. There is a lot of commercial traffic on the Hudson.

The Hudson was extremely scenic

We spent a few nights at a marina in Haverstraw, NY. It was a convenient place to rent a car and do some shore exursions. Haverstraw Marina has renovated all of the slips for the smaller boats. The new docks are floating with all new electric and water hookups. Because of the size of Grand Fromage, we were told we would be in a "luxury slip". I was quite enthused to hear about the luxury slip. Could it be we'd have a paper delivered each morning with maybe fruit and muffins? The luxury slip concept had to be a joke because we were directed to these old fixed docks that presented severe docking challenges and electrical woes. However, in the early morning, the luxury slip did present a very nice sunrise.
We took a tour of West Point, situated in a most scenic spot on the Hudson. During the Revolutionary War, the colonists strung out a heavy chain rope across the Hudson to prevent the British from advancing up the river. This narrow part of the river, right below West Point is the site where they strung the chain. Thirteen links of the chain, representing the 13 colonies, were saved.
We used the rental car to drive out to a very lovely golf course.
We scored a couple of birdies.
Being from California, we did not recognize the animal below. I had to call my Vermont daughter, Daria, to discover the identity of the groundhog. They are huge.

Sept 8-12 2008 - NYC with Jim and Sandy -

I don't know if other people get nine months behind posting a blog, but it has happened to me. Instead of feeling overwhelming guilt at my posting sins, I'm just going to catch up so I can start with our current adventures.

On Sept 6, 2008, our friends Jim and Sandy from Murphys, CA joined us on Grand Fromage. Jim and Sandy were our neighbors in Forest Meadows.

There are very creative parks in Manhattan. The park where the little ferry from Libery State Park lands is called Battery Park. During the day, staff puts out toys. Here are some children playing with soft toys.

With Jim and Sandy on the subway

The Chrysler Building

Big buildingsHere is the mandatory picture of the "naked cowboy", a must see in Times Square. You know it is a must see when you are asked at least ten times, "Have you seen the naked cowboy yet?" Yokels on the lose in midtown Manhattan.

A statue at the Rockafeller Plaza. During the summer, the area is filled with resturants. During the winter, it is a skating rink.

Jim and Sandy at the top of the Rockafeller building. Let Robert pour you a beer at the Rockafeller Plaza.My friend, Sandy Our last night in NYC was 9/11. Directly across from our marina is the Trade Center. Every year on 9/11, search lights are lit to commenorate the buildings that were destroyed.

Aug 30 - Visit to Central Park

Wandering about Central Park was an extremely enjoyable experience. It is a treasure for any city, let alone a city the size of New York. The park is magnificent in size and scope. We only had time and energy to explore a very small segment, but I could happily spend days discovering new gems. When you are in the park, until you look at the skyline, you'd never know you were in one of the largest cities. The people who designed and built this park left a real gift. From all appearances, it is a gift greatly appreciated by the locals. There were people everywhere - jogging, playing on the vast lawns, sunbathing, strolling on the winding paths, rowing boats. Even with all of the people, you could still easily find a private, hidden nook.

Belvedere Castle, which is a wildlife viewing area. In front is Turtle Pond.A wonderful view from the tower of Belvedere Castle

A resident of - you'll never guess - Turtle Pond