Life On Orion

 Finally! We got to move and motored to Cleveland this morning.  It was only a 3 hour trip and after the long days we have put in, it was just long enough. The lake was like glass and we had no issues getting out of our slip in Mentor and tied up here just fine too.  It is a fun, modern, happening marina right on the edge of downtown and the area has been developed with restaurants, parks, etc.  We are literally next door to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a huge Science Center, so tomorrow we have tickets to the Hall of Fame. There is a Mexican restaurant at the edge of the Marina, so Al and the two of us went for lunch after we got settled. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy with more wind, so we planned to stay here until Monday when we hope to be able to move on.

 Still in Mentor Harbor but today was at least a little more interesting. Weather was very windy with 4-5 foot waves on Lake Erie and solid whitecaps out there. It became partly cloudy and temps were around 80, so Tom decided to take an Uber to a 9-hole golf course in town and play a round.  Our boat neighbor (guy who crashed his boat), Larry, went with him and they really had a good time.  Bev, his crew person and I took the marina launch over to the pool and spent the afternoon there.  The pool is huge and beautiful and we just reclined in comfortable lounges and read our books. When the guys got back Larry and Bev, along with our buddy boater, Al, came onto our boat for wine and snacks and we all enjoyed our time together. Weather looks to be good tomorrow, so we plan to go to Cleveland.

We had thunder storms complete with thunder and lightening this morning, so we didn't go anywhere.  And Madison spent the morning in her thunder coat and pacing around the salon. I made french toast for breakfast and we stayed inside watching the rain.  Mid morning a huge 50+ foot boat pulled in and we couldn't believe they had been out on the lake in that weather.  They tried several times to pull into a slip and every time the wind blew them around too much.  We were surprised that the marina didn't have them do a side-tie to a long dock, but just then we watched in horror as the guy smashed the back end of his boat into a dock. He finally tied up on a long dock next to us and we talked to him about his boat damage.  He put a pretty good hole in his swim platform which holds his dinghy and it's a fancy platform that raises and lowers the dinghy, so it's probably 10's of thousands in damage.  He spent the morning on the phone with his insurance company and taki

 Left Erie before first light to get out onto the lake before wind and waves picked up and the plan was to travel about 30 miles to Geneva State Park Marina and be tied up by noon.  Well, the best laid plans often don't pan out....  Geneva State Park had no openings for boats, so I started working my way along the coastline and looking for dockage.  None to be had in Fairport and finally found 2 spots (for Al and us) in Mentor Ohio and the Mentor Harbor Yacht Club. What started out as a 5 hour trip quickly turned into a 10 hour slog and we were exhausted by the time we arrived here.  Instead of dodging crab pots, we had to dodge fishing nets! Unbelievable! I kept the binoculars and Tom zigged and zagged the boat when we spotted them. By the time we got here the wind had shifted to behind us and we were rocking and rolling pretty good. The harbor entrance was narrow and had huge swells, so it was a bit like surfing for a couple of minutes there.  I didn't have a lot of time to n

 Well, the weather forecast for Lake Erie wasn't great for today and we are exhausted, so we decided to stay put for another day.  They have a nice laundry here so I got all of our clothes and some bedding washed, we got the canvas bimini cover put on the flying bridge and did some cleaning and organizing up there as well. I took advantage of the marina day to make a batch of pasta salad to have for lunches while underway. We walked to Smuggler's Wharf, a new restaurant a block away, for an early dinner with Al and then Tom and I enjoyed an after dinner cocktail on the flying bridge. The weather forecast looks good for tomorrow, so we will check it again at 5 am and if all still looks good, we will leave for Geneva OH at first light. Goodbye Pennsylvania!

 Finally pulled into Wolverine Marina in Erie PA about 3 pm after a very long day on the lake. Weather was really good for the first half of the trip, then the wind gradually picked up, and although it was benign by Lake Erie standards, it was an uncomfortable ride for about 4 hours. Waves were up to two feet with the occasional 3 footer and we bounced around pretty good. Fortunately I had prepared the inside of the boat so lamps, appliances, etc were safe. Funny side story from today - about 3 hours into the trip Tom suddenly remembered that he forgot to take Madison out to pee this morning.  That meant she had not gone to the bathroom since 8:30 pm last night.  We felt terrible but this dog has an iron bladder.  I tried to get her to go on the cockpit of the boat when it was still pretty smooth, but she wouldn't go.  Finally about 2 pm she was in a panic and I leashed her up and took her out on the bow of the boat.  She peed forever! From now on we will be sure to potty the dog o

 Here we are tied up to the wall at Canalside in Buffalo.  It was a short trip involving one Corps of Engineers lock and one swing bridge. Weather was great and we arrived right about noon so we had a few hours to wander around the waterfront in Buffalo.  There were tents with vendors set up all over, food trucks and tons of people! We got some lunch from the food trucks and took it back to the boat to eat before enlisting the help of two other guys to raise our arch back up. One of them was Al, our buddy boat friend and the other was a huge burly guy Tom found on the dock watching the boats and Gary was worth his weight in gold.  Man, was that guy strong.  We gave him an Orion t-shirt and Tom took his picture at the wheel in the pilot house for a souvenir and he said we made his whole day!! Tomorrow looks like a good travel day on Lake Erie, so we will depart at first light.  Assuming we can go all the way to Erie PA, it will be about a 10 hour day.  Ugh...  You have to make miles whi

 We arrived in Tonawanda NY about 2:30 this afternoon after an 8 hour boat trip.  We left Albion as soon as the lift bridge opened at 7 am and traveled the rest of the Erie Canal.  It was narrow and rural and was really beautiful.  Lots of farmland and citrus groves lined each side of the canal at different times.  I lost track of how many lift bridges we had to hail and have lifted, but the only tough part of the day was the last step lock (2 locks back-to-back) in Lockport.  We were raised a total of 50 feet and the locks were turbulent and the walls were especially slimy and rough.  I ache all over from holding the boat onto the wall with cables. Once we exited Lockport we were officially off the canal and then traveled 2 more hours to Tonawanda.  Niagara Falls is 25 minutes from here and lots of folks go see it, but we will wait until we can see it from the Canadian side as well next year. We passed through miles of residential area where homes are built right on the canal and ever

 We had a long, but productive travel day today with 2 locks and 5 lift bridges.  We stopped in Brockport and tied up at the city wall and ate lunch at a bar & grill, then arrived here about 3:30. We are the only boat tied up here and the town is historic, but has seen better days.  A little eerie, but it's just for overnight.  We took Madison for a walk and saw lots of historic churches and buildings. Albion is also the birthplace of George Pullman who invented the sleeping car for trains.  Fun fact... It will be an early night for us because tomorrow will be another full day underway.  Yay!

 The email came late this morning that the guard gates have been lifted and the locks opened west of us, so tomorrow is moving day! It's strange, but we both have mixed emotions about it...  We have gotten comfortable here and grown to love the town and the people we have met. I have a little "first day of school" anxiety since we haven't traveled in 2 weeks, but hopefully it's like riding a bike. We took a walk to the Amazing Grains Bread Company this afternoon to load up on breads and baked goods and what a find it was.  They are only open to the public 2 days a week and it was worth the wait. The best thing we got was their special salty bread and spicy dipping sauce.  Yum! This afternoon both the boat and Madison got a bath, we had salads for dinner and then walked to the gazebo in the town center for our last concert here. The group was The Swooners and they played wonderful oldies from the 40's and easy listening.  Stopped for a nightcap on the way back

 It certainly feels like I'm living here - haha. We are still stuck due to closed locks and guard gates but are making the best of it. On Tuesday morning, Joe, one of the Harbor Hosts for the loopers association came to pick us up.  He has 2 dogs, so he brought them along and Madison got a field trip as well.  We drove about 40 minutes from here and went to Mendon Ponds Park, which is a glacial area with a lake, deep woods and many hiking trails.  It was beautiful and again, not what I had always thought of when I thought of New York.  Madison got to swim in the lake a bit and we all enjoyed a hike and a nice lunch canal side in Pittsford.  Yesterday we walked the mile and a half to Target and did a small bit of shopping before taking an Uber back to the boat. We have made friends with the couple next to us on a houseboat who live here full time in the summer and they had us over for homemade pizza on the grill last evening.  Fun times! After dinner we took Madison for a walk aroun

 After a pity party for one on Sunday, I have a better attitude about our trials and tribulations and have embraced our extended stay in Fairport. We have so much to be thankful for - our health, each other and happy healthy animals.  We honestly could not have gotten stranded in a nicer spot and we now know the town like the back of our hands!  Haha.  Tom said after another day he's going to register to vote...  There are help wanted signs in every window, so we could always get temporary employment! Someday we will look back on this period of time and remember all the wonderful long walks through the historic neighborhoods, great meals and meeting such nice people.  They are doing some repairs to the lift bridge just down from our boat and we now know one of the workmen - we walk by so often.  LOL! Residents of the condos just beside the boat routinely come down to the dock now and ask how we are and chat.  Madison is somewhat of a celebrity and has never gotten so many pets and

 We are in Fairport, NY at the village docks and are STILL here after 8 days.  The story is involved, has many ups, downs and twists, but I will give you the Reader's Digest version. We were about 6 mi down the canal last Saturday and had gone through Locks 29 & 30 where the water level was low and passage was going to be very stressful.  We went through with 2 other boats and although it was nerve wracking, it was uneventful.  We were feeling so relieved and relaxed after going through there - if only we knew that was going to be the easiest part of our day.... We stopped for fuel at a family run small marina right after Lock 30 (we had stopped there last fall and knew Brian was such a nice guy and he sold enough fuel to know that it was good fuel.) It is tricky getting in and out of the fuel-filling area, but Tom drove in like a boss and when we went to leave, we had no stern thruster. We thought maybe it was a glitch of some kind, but long story short, the motor had just die

  It was an exhausting day - only 6 hours of travel, but 8 locks.  The locks require you to hold onto a long thick rope hanging from the lock wall and you have to physically hold your boat onto the wall.  Tom always is in the back of the boat and I am in the front/middle. By the time we were in our 8th lock, we were spent... The rain that was forecast for today did not materialize, but it was cloudy and humid - I'll take it! Dewey continues to improve and has taken up his post in the pilot house while we are underway.  It does my heart good to see him happy and feeling well again! The city wall here in Newark is quite nice and the Port of Newark has done many improvements to make itself a canal community for boaters. There is a beautiful park here which includes picnic areas, gazebo, covered pavilion and benches that overlook the canal. It is free to tie up here and there is electric, water hookup and pump-out station along with free restrooms, showers, laundry facilities and most

 This has been the best little surprise of our trip on the Erie so far.  We actually took a little detour down the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and paid a visit to the Village of Seneca Falls.  They have a wonderful town dock here and beautiful visitors center with restrooms, showers and laundry.  Dockage is free and we have electric and water also.  All in a picturesque setting and within walking distance of everything the town has to offer. We got here about noon on Wednesday and are leaving tomorrow.  One day was not enough time to see and do everything... Seneca Falls is best known for 2 things - the site of the beginning of the Women's Rights Movement in 1848 and it is believed to be the fictional town of Bedford Falls depicted in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life".  Both of those things are featured everywhere in town and we visited the Wonderful Life Museum on our first afternoon.  What a fun experience! Lot's of memorabilia and movie souvenirs.  They sell replicas o

 It was a short travel day today, but it was stressful in it's own way due to annoying little things that happened.  We waited for a pump-out at Pirate's Cove which we had scheduled for 9 am and finally at 9:15 someone sauntered out and we paid $5 for a "coin" to run the pump.  Apparently it is powerful enough for only small boats, because Tom spent more time waiting for the pump to prime and pressure to build than he did pumping.  It is on a timer (4 minutes) which did not begin to empty our tank and we ended up paying another $5 for another 4 minutes.  Argh... just an annoyance and we got a later start than we had planned.  We had pretty good weather for the trip and only one lock. The free city dock here in Baldwinsville is quiet (we are next to a cemetery.  LOL) and the town is within walkable distance.  We docked just as a huge thunderstorm rolled through with thunder, lightening and big rain.  We couldn't hook up the electric for awhile until the storm passe

 It's been a good holiday weekend here, but we are anxious to get moving down the canal.  Dewey is recovering nicely and it is unlikely another emergency vet visit will have to happen. We have used the time here to catch up on laundry, boat washing and some social time with new looper friends we met here. Yesterday for the 4th of July the 6 of us had a potluck barbecue at one of the picnic tables on site using one of the guys grill he brought from his boat. Had some yummy food, lots of laughs and made friendships that will last a long time.  We are all going our separate ways this week, but will likely meet up on Lake Michigan somewhere. Tom and I went to the pool today for a bit and although the water was cold, it was nice to sit there and soak up some sun. The 6 of us loopers ate dinner at the bar and grill next to the pool one last time, which was fun.

 Dewey was able to come back to the boat with us yesterday and he truly is glad to be back here. Discharge from the emergency vet took longer than discharging Tom from the hospital! I have a bag of meds and a schedule to give him pain meds, anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-spasm drugs.  He's eating pretty well, but not drinking enough, so I have to be sneaky and add some water to his wet food every time he eats.  Hopefully that helps his urine output.  Fingers crossed that I don't have to make another visit to the vet.... We went for the last dingy ride for awhile this morning and now hauled it back up on top of the flying bridge for the next cruise segments. Some organizing to do and then hopefully will head a few miles down the canal to another marina for the 4th of July weekend. Some of our friends have already left to go ahead on their loop and others have come to take their place.  It's amazing to me that we know as many people already as we do..... Stay tuned for more