Tonawanda

 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 everyone has their boat tied to their own private dock.  You have to travel VERY slowly by these homes so you don't leave a wake in the water that will rock their boats and docks, and these people are militant about it.  Some stand on their docks and scream at the passing boats to slow down and some video tape the offenders.  We went the speed of smell so we wouldn't be yelled at, but it made the last of the trip so tedious...

There are several city walls here to tie up to but it is very crowded on a weekend and is a popular local destination, so we were lucky to get a spot.  Our friend Al helped us tie up right behind his boat and we will both leave in the morning for Buffalo where we will put our arch back up so our flying bridge will be functional.  We had to fold it down to pass under the low bridges on the Erie Canal.

Some Advil and an early bedtime are next on the agenda!

Sorry - no pictures until further notice - I can't access them.  😏

Comments

Jennifer Holsen said…
Fascinating trip today. You do such a good job with descriptions. Feel like i am right there with you!!! Love you guys!
July 28, 2021 at 11:02 AM
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