September 23, 2013
Length of Trip: 14 days Nautical Miles Traveled: 435 Hours of Cruising: 23 Longest Driving Day: 67 NM: Erie, PA - Port Colburne, ON Pleasant Surprise: The Oswego Canal & River, NY Biggest Disappointment: Erie, PA Favorite Destination: Niagara on the Lake, ON Favorite Meal Carriage House, Stone Road Grille, Niagara on the Lake, ON
September 21, 2013
We had to get up early as we were to fly home before dawn Sunday and had to get the boat all squared away by Saturday afternoon. The weather report was 100% rain and thunder and I was a teeny bit concerned that it would be an uncomfortable day we didn’t have any proper rain gear. We had several locks to navigate and that meant I would have to be outside handling the lock line and we didn’t have any proper rain gear. As it turned out, we were super lucky and the rain held off. The locks were...
September 20, 2013
Once again the morning consisted of catching up on email and business matters followed by a short walk to the downtown to get a few supplies and see the town in the daylight. Following lunch at Captain Jack’s, it was then time to cruise to our next destination of Oswego, NY to ready for our next big lock experience tomorrow. Oswego is a surprisingly cool town. The entrance to the Oswego river is flanked by factory type buildings, but just past that is a cute harbor. We were met by our...
September 19, 2013
After another leisurely morning, I popped back into to the restaurant – this time the lure was the butter tarts the waitress had said people drive for hours to buy. Even though this has been a fattening trip and I am trying to get serious about omitting breads and sweets (at least cutting back), how could I resist checking out that claim? I didn’t and while It was good, my life was not any better for having tried one! It was probably just ‘the gods’ testing my resolve and I did not pass...
September 18, 2013
Cities are okay, but we decided we like the smaller lake towns a bit better. All these small towns we have been visiting have flowers everywhere, they are not as overwhelming as the big cities and the harbors are charming. When we were tying up last night I heard a big splash and when I turned in the direction it came from the rings on the water in addition to the sound of the splash seemed as though someone had thrown an old fashioned TV off the dock. I looked around to see who could have...
September 17, 2013
We went for a fabulous walk down the uncrowded (as it was Monday) boardwalk at Balmy Beach, then stopped at a beach café for a latte/diet coke. We tried to sit outside while we waited for a cab, but the bees were after us so we waited inside; then they dive bombed us as we jumped into the cab. Our cab driver had moved to Toronto from Bangladesh three years ago, and I asked him if he liked it here. For the next half an hour he railed on how unfair Canada is and that he couldn’t get a...
September 16, 2013
Today we planned on going to the Toronto Art Gallery but unfortunately, it is closed on Mondays! So I worked on the blog and John worked with a repairman in the Tiger Pit as the generator wouldn’t start when we tried to use it a couple of days ago. John discovered 4 liters of water had found its way into the engine and mixed with the oil. According to the knowledgeable serviceman, this was due to Cruisers incorrectly piping the generator exhaust out the boat. John is working with the dealer...
September 15, 2013
I went for a morning run through the pretty town while John installed an AppleTV for the Salon TV so we can watch movies downloaded to our iPads when we have a free WiFi connection. We cruised a little way up the Niagara River to recalibrate the navigation system then crossed Lake Ontario to Toronto. We were welcomed to the harbor with a regatta of Laser type two person sail boats. John carefully maneuvered us around them and even more carefully into the tight harbor. We had an excellent dock...
September 14, 2013
Today we took a walk in the morning and enjoyed the quiet streets in the adorable town of Niagara on the Lake. The restaurants and shops lining the little streets are charming with myriads of gorgeous flowers carefully planted like garden bouquets in every possible location. The horse drawn carriages hadn’t yet come out for the day. We returned to the boat and John stayed to clean the boat exterior while I walked back to town for a little shopping. On the way, a bee flew up my shirt sleeve...
September 13, 2013
We were up before dawn to be sure to get our position in the cue for the Welland Canal lock systems. The Welland Canal runs the same general direction as the Niagara river bypassing the famous falls through a system of eight locks which gently lower you 326’ along its 27 mile length. Originally constructed in 1829, the canal system we used today dates back to 1932. Several of the locks drop (or raise) the vessels by nearly 50’ - quite a sight as you look up a 80’ high steel gates holding...