Tonawanda

We're headed for Tonawanda today; it's our last port on the Erie Canal. The waterway is glass calm. We are excited and relieved to be at this next step in our journey. It is bittersweet to be leaving the Canal behind though. 

As we pass through Medina, there are several spots where the canal becomes an aqueduct that sits above the town. The first is at Culvert Road with another at Orchard Creek. The waterway literally creates an overpass for the roads below. We wanted to photograph our journey through these areas, thinking it would make great pictures. In a boat, you couldn't really tell how high above the surrounding countryside we were though. 

Culvert Rd. Medina, NY (Maps)

Culvert Road view south of the Erie Canal

Culvert Road view north of the Erie Canal

Osimo passing over Culvert Road

Orchard Creek view north of the Erie Canal

Orchard Creek view south of the Erie Canal

Erie Canal spillway at Orchard Creek

Glass calm waterway

Red Barn Reflection

Northernmost point on the Erie Canal

Corn fields

Apple Orchards

The western Erie Canal - straight and narrow

Beautiful Hayfields

Weaping Willow

Medina, NY

Erie Canal mural, Medina, NY

Boiler 54 Beer Bar

Restaurant and Marina, Middleport, NY

Nautical playscape

Gasport Mural

Lockport building

Erie Canal Shop

River Paddleboats

Lockview IV

The last two Locks in the Erie Canal, 34 & 35 are in Lockport. They are unique in that Lock 34 leads directly into Lock 35. This is called a staircase lock. Boats exit the first and enter directly into the second. 

Each of these Locks will raise us 25 feet. As we were preparing to enter Lock 34, the Lock Master told us to tie up on the port side. The River Boat Ferry, Lockview V, would be in the Lock with us, tied to starboard. 

Twenty five feet is a long way up. There were a lot of people watching, taking photos and filming our rise to the top. As we exited Lock 35 we passed under the Big Bridge in Lockport. It was once the widest bridge in the world. It's now the second widest. The underside of the bridge was incredibly close overhead. We were immersed in darkness at first. It was like we were entering a cave with a light at the end of the tunnel. This was a very cool passage!

Approaching Lock 34

Inside Lock 34

Approaching the Big Bridge

Ready to pass under the Big Bridge

View exiting Lock 35
Under the 2nd widest bridge in the world

Exiting out from under the Big Bridge

Information about The Big Bridge:

https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=other/bigbridge/

The Tonawanda wall had room for both Mystic and Osimo but we were not together. Tonawanda is a party town! Boats are rafted up to each other along the wall. Music is blaring, cocktails are flowing. It cost us $30 to stay one night. We heard that there were several boats that had been on the wall so long that they owed thousands of dollars. City dock workers tried to catch them to bill them and then chase them off. We were so tired that we didn't even explore the town. We sat on Osimo's patio and enjoyed a quiet moment with Bob and Sue before retiring for the evening.

We are focused on finding a place to raise our mast. Dave has been researching options. Many Loopers use Wardell's just outside Tonawanda. We'd heard so many negative reviews from sailors we've met along the way that we did not want to go there. 

Dave contacted RCR Marina who has received good reviews but they were pricey at $650. He tried Oversheimer's who could step our mast at Sail Buffalo for $275, but they had to schedule us out almost a week. In addition, they would not give us time at the dock to complete all our rigging. 

Dave heard Wolverine Marine in Erie PA was an option. When he called he found that the Pennsylvania Port Authority does all the mast stepping for the surrounding marinas. He called the contact, Tony, who said he could step our mast the following Friday at Perry's Landing Marina, right next to Wolverine. This gave us a couple days to get there, it was the cheapest option we found at $150 and it fit our travel schedule. This is not the first time that Dave's diligent research has saved us time and money.  

The infamous Wardell's

It was a relief knowing where we'd get our mast stepped. Now, we just have to get to Erie, Pennsylvania with our mast on our deck. Tomorrow we'll enter the Niagara River and begin our journey crossing Lake Erie; the first of three lakes we need to cover in order to complete our Looping adventure and make it to our winter haul out in Door County. It feels like we're almost home!

A Close Call For Osimo On Our Way To Albion

In the morning, we meandered into town for the Brockport Farmer's Market. We purchased green beans, corn, peppers, and apple fritters that we just couldn't pass up; our total cost was $10. We returned to the boat and prepared to leave with Osimo. I reminded Dave to return the bathroom keys. Once we were underway, I asked him, "You returned the keys, right?" He gave me a blank look. Apparantly, he'd been waylaid by a curious local and had forgotten to drop off the keys. We'd already called the Bridge Tender and asked to pass under the lift bridge. Dave hailed her, apologized and explained that we needed to stop for a moment.

Dave guided us back to the wall and tied off as I ran to the drop box. When I returned, he called the Bridge Tender again to say we were ready to pass. Mystic sits much lower in the water than Osimo. We move close to the bridges as they slowly rise since it doesn't take much for us to fit underneath. Osimo  was following us at a safe distance. We had already cleared the bridge when all of a sudden we heard screaming on the VHF. "STOP, STOP STOP!" Dave slipped our engine into neutral as we both looked back in confusion. We could see that the bridge was stopped park of the way open and Osimo's windscreen was right at the bridge deck. They were not going to make it under. 

Bob told us later that all he saw was the side of the bridge coming at his forehead. In response to the Bridge Tender's frantic command to stop, he put Osimo in full reverse. Luckily, this spun the boat sideways which avoided a nasty collision. The Bridge Tender came over the radio apologizing profusely. She told Bob he'd have to take Osimo back to the wall to wait for the repair. The bridge lift had failed. Mystic was now on one side, Osimo on the other. In the middle of all this chaos, I was stung by a yellow jacket which I am allergic to. It's amazing how fast a good day can go bad. 

We decided we would continue on to Albion; Osimo would follow once the bridge was operable. It was raining and chilly but the canal water was calm, creating beautiful reflections. Tuffs of fog drifted past us, both over the water and just above our boat. We got soaked, but it was an easy day.

Passing through Holley, NY

Bike house

We're still above the houses

Repurpose, Reuse, Recycle

Reflections

We arrived at Albion and headed straight to the showers to warm up. We were tucked between two bridges again, alone on the free wall. The rain continued, so we waited in the shelter of our cabin, hoping we'd see Bob and Sue before days end.

We like to research the small towns that we visit. Albion's Main Street bridge was built in the mid eighteen hundreds out of wood and iron. It collapsed in 1859 under the weight of 250 fair goers watching a tightrope walker balance over the canal. Fifteen young people died in the accident. 

Link to an article in Orleans Hub about the bridge collapse:

https://orleanshub.com/main-street-bridge-in-albion-was-site-of-catastrophic-collapse-in-1859/

Bob and Sue were finally able to move past the broken bridge at Brockport. We helped them dock when they arrived at Albion. They were glad the repair didn't delay them for days but were shaken by their close call. It's a good thing the Bridge Tender was paying attention. Things could have been much worse!

Osimo arriving at Albion

Osimo arrives at Albion

We walked over the Ingersoll bridge to the tow path on the north side. There was a canal work boat docked along the wall. Someone had hung a pig in a boat from it's crane; it was very cute. We took photos of our boats from across the canal then walked over the Main Street Bridge. It made a nice little loop hike for us to get some exercise.

Main Street Bridge in front of our boats

This little piggie...

...went sailing

Ingersoll Bridge behind our boats

We walked into historic downtown Albion. Most of the buildings are made of Medina pink sandstone. We took photos of churches, Government buildings and old homes. The homes are huge but many are in disrepair. We could tell that this town had been a happening place right after the Erie Canal was built. Much of the commerce has moved away from these small towns. 

Historic Albion NY

Cool Brick Street

After dinner, the four of us went on a rainy walk in search of ice cream. We stumbled upon Tinsel, a cute little shop next to the main street bridge. It seems like we can always find awesome gourmet ice cream in the places we stop! After our treat, we returned to the wall and went to bed early. We had no internet to keep us amused. Tomorrow we go through the last two locks on the Erie Canal. We can't believe we're almost to the Great Lakes.