Canal Port Medina
“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” —Thomas Edison
We started our morning by visiting the North Tonawanda farmers market…it was full of wonderful sections. After enjoying our breakfast at the market and picking up a few items (we should have gotten more) we headed back to the boat and started our trip east, back to Ithaca. Our planned destination for the day was Lockport, so we could explore the old Flight of Five locks. After spending a few hours wandering through town, reading the history of the area and visiting another farmers market, we decided to move a little further east before finishing our day.
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June 16 – Lockport Flight of Five
June 14-15 West to Tonawanda
Gateway Harbor
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” ― Jawaharlal Nehru
We woke up on Thursday morning to a sunny but VERY windy day…20+ MPH winds. We usually don’t mind the wind especially when we’re in a river or canal, but we have our isinglass and bimini down. Sitting in the wind gets a little old, so we spent most of the day exploring Medina, visiting with a few people and relaxing. By the middle of the afternoon the wind had laid down a little and we moved on to a little park in Gasport…absolutely nothing in town, but it was a nice peaceful little spot.
June 13 – Medina, NY
Canal Port Medina
“If we were meant to stay in one place we would have roots instead of feet.” – Rachel Wolchin
We had a lazy morning in Brockport since we woke to wet windy weather. We caught up on cleaning chores, inside and out. By lunch the weather had cleared some, so we moved west. We chose to stay in Albion. We actually dock and had a look around, but we didn’t find much of a reason to stay…so we moved on to Medina. It was a much better choice and we had fun visiting with a few other boaters and enjoyed a good meal at Fitzgibbon’s on Main Street.
June 12 – Brockport, NY
Brockport Town Dock
“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” ―Rumi
We’ve been having beautiful days and probably should be traveling more each day…but we really have nowhere in particular to go and we’re having fun relaxing and exploring this wonderful little towns. Stan went back to Cafe Macchiato for breakfast and brought me back a huge cinnamon roll. What’s not to like about spending the morning having coffee and a cinnamon roll on the flybridge…with a great view.
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June 11 – Bridges, Bridges, Bridges
Spencerport Town Dock
“Low bridge, everybody down, low bridge for we’re coming to a town, and you’ll always know your neighbor, and you’ll always know your pal. If you’ve ever navigated on the Erie Canal” -Thomas S. Allen
The last 100 miles of the Erie Canal from Fairport to Tonawanda most resembles the original Erie Canal. Miles and miles of straight dug canal with towpaths on both side. This section of the Western Erie has more dockage points with electric and miles of developed walking/biking paths along the old towpath than the previous 246 miles. The little towns along the canal are so pretty, with nice canalside parks, gazebos, walking trail, restaurants, shops and very nice people. The towns are clean and there are beautiful flowers everywhere…very picturesque.
June 10 – Fairport, NY
Fairport Town Dock
“Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.” ―Michael Palin
Our next stop on our western travels was Fairport. It’s a wonderful little town that really caters to boaters on the Erie. It was a beauty stop..we met a few very nice people, enjoyed a local brewery and had an amazing dinner at Mr. Dominic’s. The Village of Fairport is a suburb east of Rochester. It’s known as the “Crown Jewel of the Erie Canal” and was named as one of the “Best Places to Live” by Money Magazine in 2005. From what we could see wandering around and from the canal…I can see why.
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June 9 – Newark, NY
Newark Town Dock
“I’ve come to know that what we want in life is the greatest indication of who we really are.” —Richard Paul Evans
We had another short day planned, so we thought we’d wander through Lyons a little more and visit the farmers market. The only problem we encountered…the farmers market doesn’t start for another week or so. Too sad, we enjoy farmers markets, but not a surprise since summer really doesn’t start around here till the middle of June…or even July.
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June 8 – Lyons, NY
Lyons Free Dock
“Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.” ― Asian Proverb
We had a slow relaxing morning, enjoying our coffee on the flybridge. We’re into a slow pace now…stopping at each little town to explore. Our destination today was only nine miles west…the little town of Lyons.
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June 8 – Clyde, NY
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” ―Marcel Proust
Today was the first time we’ve cruised since we arrived in Cayuga Lake over a year ago, and I finally got to add a new marker to our travel map and info to our travel log…it’s been awhile since I’ve done either one. It sure felt amazing to be back on the water and actually on the move.
June 7 – Western Erie Canal Adventure
“Don’t wait for life to come to you, go out there and grab it with both hands and never let it go.”
The Erie Canal is part of the New York State Canal System, a 500+mile network of inland waterways that also includes the Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca canals. Together, they connect the Hudson River with Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake and Lake Erie via the Niagara River, allowing boats to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the upper Great Lakes. The NYS Canal System is made up of 524 miles of navigation channels, four distinct canals, 57 locks, 17 lift bridges, 13 moveable dams, 41 power houses and 22 guard gates.
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