The Cruising Adventures of Wild Blue and crew...

Jim

We have driven through the Big Apple sticking tight to the freeway due to this country boy knowing the core was no place for us. Your maybe a little less country then me but I doubt by very much at heart. Sure admire you and Joan's going for it and really enjoyed your telling the tale as it occurred. Your travels are true Grand Adventure.

The closest I've been to that many people was a July 4Th at the Washington DC Mall. Enjoyed the fireworks but its an experience I'll never repeat again willingly. The strange thing was finding a person we knew from the tiny town of Cokeville standing in the long line to the subway in front of us as we were leaving with the crowd.

Best Wishes,

Jay
 
Ya know, Jay, I thought of you two while we were coming down the Hudson, with the Manhattan skyline in the not so distant haze... "I'd bet this is what Jay felt like just before that rapids swallowed up and drenched his boat!" :shock: :mrgreen:

Heading into the BIG city was certainly outside my comfort zone, but it was a real treat. Like you, we come from a place where you look a stranger in the eye and greet them as you pass... maybe it's because there aren't a gazillion of them going by? :wink: It's a different world. Walking through Central Park, Joan said to me, "It would be really different growing up in this city... can you imagine not having a yard to play in when you were a kid?"

I can see the allure for some folks, but I certainly prefer a bit more "wide open" in my space.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
It's been a while since I posted a sunset photo. Here's from last night on Seneca Lake...

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Peaceful.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

Heading west in the Erie Canal today.
 
I'm glad you both got to PA. There are only 2 seasons in Pennsylvania: Winter and Road Construction!

We have really enjoyed following your travels - you keep us inspired!

Moria
 
Alok":av7fw155 said:
mbwf":av7fw155 said:
There are only 2 seasons in Pennsylvania: Winter and Road Construction!
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As opposed to the two in Texas: Summer and Night!
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There are two seasons in Washington also- Dark Grey and Light Grey

California only has one season--- from Jan 1 to Dec 31--- fire season
 
We're having a good season here... friendship season. :D We're on the wall at Newark, NY; Dave and Jan from Fan-C-Dory and Nick and Marcia from Valykrie were here when we arrived... another mini-impromptu gathering. We also met and visited with Nate on C-Lover for a while in the middle of the canal.

The 6 of us went out for supper at a nearby restaurant, then spent an enjoyable evening on the dock visiting, along with two other couples on boats.

We found out that neither Garmin nor Navionics have charting for this portion of the Erie Canal. So much for being told that: "all of the Erie Canal and Trent-Severn are on that chip." Yeah, we have paper charts, and yes I know it's a canal. :roll:

Pleasant scenery all along the canal today. About 45 miles and 8 or 9 locks. The facility for boaters here at Newark is nice... and the price is right. :thup

Best wishes,
Jim B
 
A couple images from yesterday:

Izzy really likes Seneca Lake State Park - the dock is easy access and it's quiet. As we got the boat ready to head out, she gave us this look...

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The wall in Newark is a very pretty setting...

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Park-like on both sides of the canal. One shower, but it is large and spotless. We didn't get here in time to get a spot on the floating dock, so it is a bit of a climb UP to the wall, but we have 30 amp power and water. Joan gets on top of the boat and steps onto the wall... I have been jumping up from the cockpit railing. It keeps us in shape. :wink: Izzy isn't so sure about that wall; she has been a bit skittish with her walks here... when she looks towards the boat, all she can see is the radar arch and the bikes.

It was a quite night on the canal last night. We've found weekends to be busier (and noisier) on the canals, so this was a very pleasant departure. I think we'll spend another night here before heading west.

We said good-bye to Nick and Marcia this morning; they're heading east towards Seneca Falls.

You know the song... you'll always know your neighbor, you'll always know your pal, if you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal.

:D

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Hi Jim,

The picture of Izzy was very cute. I am convinced that some cats like to travel. Our Mr. Grey knows when we start to load the motor home that we are going somewhere. He plants himself near the front door and watches every move. When we let him out he makes a bee line for the motor home. Newark has always been a favorite stop for us. The staff at the visitors center is always very helpful. I sure hope you get to go the the Newark Diner and say hello to Jim for us. It is truly one of the outstanding greasy spoons in the US.

I spoke with my friend John Z. from the local newspaper in Newark and told him of your travels. He will try to meet you and your crew.

Thanks for the wonderful pictures and your story. It reminds us of all the fun times we had on the canal.

Fred, Pat, and Mr. Grey(the cat)
 
teflonmom":1v5kfj7e said:
Hi Jim,

The picture of Izzy was very cute. I am convinced that some cats like to travel. Our Mr. Grey knows when we start to load the motor home that we are going somewhere. He plants himself near the front door and watches every move. When we let him out he makes a bee line for the motor home. Newark has always been a favorite stop for us. The staff at the visitors center is always very helpful. I sure hope you get to go the the Newark Diner and say hello to Jim for us. It is truly one of the outstanding greasy spoons in the US.

I spoke with my friend John Z. from the local newspaper in Newark and told him of your travels. He will try to meet you and your crew.

Thanks for the wonderful pictures and your story. It reminds us of all the fun times we had on the canal.

Fred, Pat, and Mr. Grey(the cat)
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Hi Fred,

We just got back from biking around town... Newark is a great little place. Lots of interesting architecture and more hair salons and churches per capita than any place else we've been. :wink: Not sure if that means well-quaffed sinners or pious folks with nice nails?

Jan told us that your friend had been by while we were gone. Sorry we missed him; maybe he'll come back this way.

We rode by the Newark Diner... it certainly looks like our kinda place, but I have my mouth set for prime rib, and The Corner (restaurant) only has it on Wednesdays and Saturdays. (Man does not live by pizza and burgers alone.)

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Hi Jim and all,

The Newark Dinner is best at breakfast. So if you don't get a proper load of bad fats at the corner just visit the diner in the morning. We have worshiped at the Free Methodist Church many times. They are a warm and loving bunch.

Fred, Pat, and Mr Grey(the Cat)
 
Here's a few more images from Newark:

Getting bikes down off the top of the boat...

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That is the top of our boat that is at the same level as the wall... convenient for getting the bikes off, not so convenient for getting on and off the boat.

Here's another look at the waterfront park...

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Great use of green space, for locals and visitors. You can barely see it in the above image, but there are very nice murals painted on the walls of the Visitors Center and the bridge supports...

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We've really enjoyed our time here in Newark. Heading west tomorrow.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
On the advice of Fred, we walked to the Newark Diner for breakfast. Their claim to fame, besides our friend’s boast that it is the best diner in New York state, is the fact that Luke and Laura from All My Children filmed a segment here... in 1993. I’m pretty sure nothing has changed here since then, including the grease on the grill.

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We shoved off from Newark around 10:00, heading west. Only 20 miles and two locks to transit today. It was warm and still, as you can see from this reflection. This portion of the canal is narrower and still wooded on either side. There is once again a bicycle trail that runs alongside the canal... 100 miles from here to Tonawanda.

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At one point, a guy on a bike paced us... that wasn’t difficult since we were only doing about 6 knots. He actually slowed down to stay with us; he gave us the “OK” sign and a thumbs up... we knew he had to be a C-Dory fan.

When we pulled into Fairport, he was right there to watch us tie off... “Is that a 25?” he asked. “I was just on the C-Brats website this morning - they look like great boats!” After we got tied off and set up, we gave our new friend, Mark, a tour of Wild Blue. We encouraged him to go back to the website and check out our cruising thread to see what we’ve been doing with this boat.

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On our last couple RV trips, we’ve tried to follow the 2/2/2 Rule whenever practical: that is, don’t go more than 200 miles per day, pull into a campground by 2:00 in the afternoon, and stay for at least 2 days. Today, we did that with the boat: don’t go more than 20 miles, pull in by 2:00, and stay for two days. It is $7 per day to stay on the wall here; that includes power, water, immaculate restrooms and showers, and a pumpout. Not as good of a deal as FREE at Newark, but it sure is easier on the budget than our stay in New York City!

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One of the interesting features in this town is the lift bridge; you can see it in the photo above, behind Wild Blue. There is only 9’ of clearance under the bridge, but it raises up to allow boats to pass under it. Yes, we are parked near the bridge... you can hear the cars driving over it. But, with our air conditioner running and the windows and door shut, you don’t notice it.

We had a late lunch at an Italian place not far from the canal. The portions were so big we won’t need supper and we’ll have leftovers for tomorrow!
 
Hi again,

I am glad to hear that you did not have the Big One after eating at the Newark Diner. I forgot to tell you that not only was it a greasy spoon, but that almost everything there was greasy.

Enjoy Fairport=-It's all good.

Fred, Pat, and Mr. Grey(the cat)
 
We received a very nice surprise last night... the gentleman I told you about that looked at Wild Blue is an author. We had just gotten back from the showers, when we felt what we thought was a small wake (the window covers were all on). Joan looked out into the cockpit, and there was an autographed copy of his current book, "The Raven", by Mark Holdren. Very thoughtful.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
On to Spencerport... 25 miles, 2 locks, 2 lift bridges, and in by 2:00. We have some big decisions to make... Texas BBQ or pizza? Quite a few restaurants within easy walking distance of the canal port.

When we tied off, I went to the bridge tender's office to check in; along the way, I found what looked like a pager. It belongs to one of the other bridge tender/dock masters... that entitled me to a free night here, with power and water! Of course, just showing up entitles one to the same thing. :wink:

We saw some sailboats with sails up and drawing today... they sure seemed like a long ways off. As we got closer, we could see they were radio controlled boats. Looks like a fun way to pass a warm summer day.

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We are still on the outskirts of Rochester, but you'd never know it from the canal; still mostly wooded on either side. We passed through a section where the canal is above the outlying area, evidence of how it was dug through the hillside. Lots of bridges in this area...

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The only boat we crossed wakes with was a rental canal boat; and, of course, in a narrow area under a bridge. We watched these ladies dock at Fairport a couple nights ago... their boating skills haven't improved much... they apparently needed their half in the middle, right in the narrowest part. :roll:

There is starting to be evidence that autumn may be coming...not in the weather, but in the leaves. The ground cover is changing in some places, even a few of the trees. Surprising, since they've had so much moisture here and it isn't really cooling down at night, yet.

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We haven't had a lot of time to explore town, yet. But, Don, the dockmaster (his wife wrote the song for the C-Brat group) tells me the ice cream at Abbott's is pretty fine.

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Thunderstorms are predicted for this evening, but it's a warm, sunny afternoon. Here's how a couple local kids found a way to stay cool...

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Yeah, that's an inflatable kiddie pool. :D And, they fit under the lift bridge.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Jim,

Marcia and I will second the recommendation on Abbotts's ice cream. Also, there is a great used book store called Book Centre in the plaza just south of the Texas BBQ. Keep an eye out for a Carver (32 I think) with a 25 horse O/B as auxiliary power. It's owner is named Fran and he and his wife are completing a Great Lakes Loop this summer. He is a wealth of local knowledge. Have fun.

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
Hi Nick,

We couldn't pass up Abbott's... custard type ice cream. We saw the Book Centre during our walk through town, but didn't stop (it was after 6:00). Joan is now reading the book we were given by Mark in Fairport. I haven't seen the Carver; only two boats at the dock tonight.

We are enjoying the towns along the canal. Coming from the mid-west, it is very interesting to see the architecture of the homes here, some 200 years old. The progressive small towns have embraced tourism... a clean industry. And plenty of people besides boaters who enjoy the area along the canal.

Big storms rolled through just east of us... rain, wind, and hail. We had some gusty winds about the time we docked, but never saw any precip. Looking at the 10-day forecast for the area, I don't think our luck will hold.

Don, the dock-master, couldn't say enough good about the C-Brats who visited here recently. He has a sailboat and a houseboat, but you've got him thinking about a C-Dory!

Best wishes,
Jim
 
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