This week our Erie Canal journey took us to quaint towns and across the biggest lake in New York. We also took a side trip to Lake Ontario and did some maintenance on HOMES. We also made HOMES 5 feet 4 inches shorter – on purpose! 😂

Monday, August 22, 2022 – ILION, NY (Village of ILION Marina) – Layover Day #1

If you recall from last Sunday, we made plans to stay in ILIONS, NY for Monday because of the rainy forecast. That decision was actually a blessing, because the nine-hour day, which included seven locks, on Sunday had taken a toll on us. We slept until 9:15 this morning. We usually get up at 6:00 a.m. or 7:00 a.m on cruising days.

After a leisurely morning, we started our chores. I did the usual laundry, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning bathrooms and floors, but I also got my project of cleaning the helm station chairs done (one in the lower helm and the two in the flybridge). Tim fixed the steering-fluid leak in the upper helm steering column; fixed the leak in the port engine injector (caused by loosening it when we ran out of fuel in the Atlantic Ocean); ran the update on our Garmin (which always causes issues that need to be resolved); and, cut off the dock pole at the bend that I caused back in South Carolina when the dock pole got stuck on a mooring ball. Now we have a short dock pole.

With Chores done, we cleaned up, put on raincoats and walked into Crossway’s Tavern for dinner. While sitting at the bar, we had a nice talk with the friendly owner/bartender/waiter. He told us his grandma opened the tavern 60 years ago. She ran it for 30 years, then his dad ran it for 30 years, and now it’s his. It’s right across the street from Remington Arms Co. He said that Remington was bought by another company last November and closed the museum and will be moving the headquarters to Georgia, where they are getting huge tax brakes and incentives. For now they still have 300 union jobs. The company is hiring, but only through a temp agency. He said when his grandma opened the tavern there was a bar on every corner and the men would crowd in at lunch and after work, and his grandma would even cash their checks.

We got back to HOMES before the next round of rain showers. On our walk back, I started to notice the “support our UMWA” signs in the yards. The United Mine Workers of America represent the workers of Remington Arms Co.

Tuesday, August 23, 2022 – ILION, NY (Village of ILION Marina) – Layover Day #2

The rainy forecast continued, so we decided to stay put for another day. The rain was holding off until late morning, so we walked into Dunkin’ for coffee. On our walk, we found a cart with fresh sweet corn We put our money in the honesty box, then headed to Aldi’s for a few things. We can’t pass up a grocery store that close to HOMES.

In the afternoon, Tim read some engine manuals and I read a book on my iPad. He ordered the spare impeller from the marina where we’ll be staying on Thursday. He also ordered oil for an oil change on the engines. Each engine takes 8 gallons of oil. The John Deere dealer in Cicero, NY only had 15 gallons, but we have 2 gallons onboard, so we’ll have enough. The manager put our name on the oil and we can pick it up on Thursday.

We also did some route planning. We decided to take a side trip up the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario and then back down to the Erie Canal. It will take three days, but we don’t know when we’d get back to explore the Oswego Canal, if we don’t do it now.

When the rain let up, we used the pump-out facility at the marina for our waste tank. Pump-out facilities and marinas are rare on the canals. The norm are free docks, along walls, with no amenities. After that less-than-pleasant job with the waste tank, we treated ourselves to ice cream at the marina.

The rain continued through the evening, so we cooked our sweet corn and abandoned our idea of walking back up the Crossway’s Tavern.

We enjoyed our time in ILION, NY. True… it doesn’t have a quaint coffee shop or a unique local brew pub. However, what it does have are friendly, hardworking people who look after their neighbors. At Dunkin’, there wasn’t a tip jar, but there was a box for a local foundation that was collecting money to help local families in need. The box didn’t just have change in it – it was stuffed full of dollar bills. That box, along with the honesty box at the sweet corn stand, says volumes for this little town that is fading away, due to changing times. It is clear that Remington Arms Co. has been the heart and identity of the town since 1816 when Eliphalet Remington forged a rifle in his father’s forge. The glory days of the Erie Canal have passed the town by and now it appears that their Remington identity is being taken away too. It will be interesting to see what the town looks like if we make our way back here in a year or two.

Wednesday, August 24, 2022 – ILION, NY (Village of ILION Marina) to Sylvan Beach, NY (Free Dock)

Soon after leaving the marina this morning, we eased under a railroad bridge and entered our first lock of the day – Lock #19. Today, we’ll see several spillways reminding us that the Mohawk River is beside us, providing water to the canal. The views were stunning with the Adirondack Mountains off in the distance to our right.

We passed several places where massive old pylons showed the skeletal remains of the Erie Canal’s industrial past. A lone old brick smoke stack showed where a thriving plant used to stand.

After Lock #20, we went under two sets of the lift gates. Lock #21 was exciting because it was our first lock going DOWN. Pulling into the lock looked like taking HOMES into an infinity pool – sitting on the edge of water! From the back of HOMES, I watched the cill emerge as we lowered 25 feet. The cill is a protruding stone or concrete ledge. Lock #22 was identical to Lock #21.

An hour after Lock #22, we pulled up to the free dock at Sylvan Beach, NY. After getting tied up, a nice local couple stopped and took pictures of HOMES for their Eire Canal website. They like to post pictures of passing boats. After dinner on HOMES, we walked the short distance into town, where it felt like stepping back in in time.

Sylvan Beach gained popularity in the 1880s. The resort community began with a sanitarium for people with chronic illnesses to rest and relax in nature. Union Chapel was built in 1887. It is a historic interdenominational church that has held worship services every summer since 1887. The town was known for its Gingerbread Architecture, but not much remains due to the harsh climate.

By the 1890s, Sylvan Beach had grown into a resort town, with steam trains bringing people to the area where they could enjoy two amusement parks, wooded, sandy beaches and steam boat rides on Lake Oneida. Prosperity continued with the opening of the Erie Barge Canal in 1916. This canal enlarged the original Erie Canal and started using Oneida Lake as part of its course. That route is how we got to Sylvan Beach today. We could see the old Erie Canal off to our left.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Sylvan Beach was the home of the Big Bands, bringing in Jimmy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellington. Completion of Interstate 81 in the 1960s created an easy commute from Syracuse. The amusement park on the village green today looks like it hasn’t changed since the 1960s.

After a drink at Harpoon Eddie’s, we enjoyed an evening on the boat – talking to people as they walked by. One passer-by was so intrigued with our trip that he talked for a long time. He gave us his information to look him up if we ever make it to the Cayman Islands. That may take a few years!

Thursday, August 25, 2022 – Sylvan Beach, NY (Free Dock) to Brewerton, NY (Brewerton Boatyard & Marina)

We started our day with breakfast at the Pancake House. I wanted to see inside this historic building, and I never have to twist Tim’s arm when corned beef hash is on the menu.

Today, we have no locks – just an 18.7 mile cruise across Oneida Lake, taking us 2:44 hours at 6.8 knots. Oneida Lake is the largest lake wholly within the state. It is named for the Oneida Indian Nation, who lived here until being forced to cede their land to the U.S. after the American Revolution. The Oneida Nation, as part of the Iroquois Confederacy, allied with the British. Today, the Oneida Indian Nation runs a restaurant and casino in Sylvan Beach, next to the amusement park.

We had a beautiful day to cross the glass-like Oneida Lake. We rejoined the canal at Brewerton, NY, where we had reservations at Brewerton Boat Yard and Marina.

The rest of the day would be work. After docking, we went to the office and picked up the spare impeller that Tim had ordered and bought a few more odds and ends. While Tim was paying for that, I scheduled an Uber to take us to get the oil that Tim had on hold in Cicero, NY – a 10-mile trip up the road. Luckily, our Uber driver had an SUV, because we had four boxes of oil (19 gallons). We thought the store only had 15 gallons, but they found some more. We took all they had, even though we only needed 16 gallons for the oil change.

Before tackling the oil change, we wanted to get the radar arch down. The second half of the Erie Canal has two bridges that have a clearance of 15 feet. With the arch, we are 21 feet tall. We began by taking down the plastic enclosure.

Next, Tim built a box to lay the arch on. We bought the wood back in Del Ray Beach, Fl, before we started our journey. We knew this day would come, so Tim already had a plan. We laid the arch down first so we knew how tall to make the box.

With that job done, we turned to the job of changing the oil. It took four trips to the oil receptacle. It was a long day, but we felt good about our accomplishments!

Friday, August 26, 2022- Brewerton, NY (Brewerton Boatyard & Marina) to Fulton, NY (Free Dock)

We headed out of Brewerton, NY looking quite a bit different than when we had arrived. We tackled three locks on our 18.2 NM journey, taking 2:48 hours, at 6.5 knots.

To enter Lock #23, we had to go under a guard gate. After lowering 6.9 feet, we exited the lock and continued along the Oneida River until we came to the split.

Since we decided to take a side trip to see Lake Ontario, we turned to the right at the split and headed up the Oswego Canal. Lock #1 of the Oswego Canal took us down 10.2 feet and then we had to go under a lift bridge. Lock #1 is in the Phoenix, NY. We are going to stop here on our back back down to the Erie Canal on Sunday night.

The new ”topless” HOMES creates a few issues that we knew we would encounter. 1) The sun is too hot for the iPad. Today, we used an umbrella for shade, but when the sun got behind us, we just gave up and used just the Garmin. 2) We have to drive inside when it rains. However, we didn’t think we’d encounter those two issues on the same day, but we did. 😂

Of course, the 10 minutes of rain occurred right as we entered Lock #2, so we got drenched! By the time we pulled out of the lock and tied up at the free dock – yards from the lock – the rain had stopped.

After dinner on HOMES, we walked around the town of Fulton, NY -the birthplace of the Nestle Crunch bar. Three generations of families in Fulton, NY worked at Nestle before it closed in 2003. Henri Nestle, a Swiss chemist, was attracted to the area because of the region’s cows, who produced milk rich in milkfat. The first Nestle factory in the U.S. was opened in Fulton in 1900 to make condensed milk and baby food. In 1908, it began making cheese and chocolate. The factory closed in 2003, after Nestle decided that the cost of restoring, and updating the factory was not worth the effort. Nestle wouldn’t even talk to the city officials before pulling out. The streets don’t smell like chocolate anymore, but we walked up to look at Lock #3 and walked along the towpath until we found Tavern On the Lock to have a drink.

Saturday, August 27, 2020 – Fulton, NY (Free Dock) to Oswego, NY (La Parrilla’s Dock)

We were in no rush this morning. We can’t dock on the wall at La Parrilla’s until after 5:00 p.m. because they have a wedding occurring beside the dock. So, we walked over the bridge and got coffee at Dunkin’. We could see HOMES from the bridge and there was a boat in Lock #3 going southbound. We also walked to the hardware store. Tim needed a new aerator for his bathroom faucet, since his faucet sprayed water everywhere but down. On the way, we found a little farmer’s market. It appears the town has survived the last 19 years without Nestle. However, we didn’t see very many young people or young families yesterday or today. I have to wonder if towns without quaint coffee shops and unique craft brew pubs are indicative of a town losing its younger population.

We headed into Lock #3 around noon. Lock #3 is the highest lift on the Oswego Canal – 27 feet. We heard another boat on the radio coming out of Lock #2, so we decided to share Lock #3 with them. It turned out to be a police boat. Surprisingly, with our history, they did not board us. As soon as they exited the lock, they pulled to the wall to check fishermen for their licenses.

The journey started a little rocky. Coming out of the lock, Tim was maneuvering around the police boat and the current from the Oswego River spillway over into the canal was so strong that it pushed us. He throttled back too quickly, killing one of the engines. The engine immediately started back up, but the steering wheel was being slow to respond. I ran down to the engine room to get the extra steering fluid. Once we got into a straightaway, he added more steering fluid. We have been dealing with this steering issue for awhile. It appears someone put the wrong steering fluid in it previously, so “pink” fluid comes out when we add more of the correct fluid. This winter, we’ll flush all of the systems.

The rest of our 17.4 NM journey was uneventful and gorgeous. We went down Locks #5 – #8. There is no Lock #4, if you are wondering.

Once we exited Lock #8, we saw La Parilla’s dock and the chairs set up for the wedding. We continued out the mouth of the Oswego River into Lake Ontario. “Oswego” is the Iroquois Indian word meaning ”the small water pouring into that which is large.” And, Lake Ontario is large and deep! After clearing the Oswego Harbor West Pierhead Lighthouse, we were out on Lake Ontario. The lighthouse is the fourth lighthouse in this location. It was built in 1934 to replace the 1880 lighthouse. It was automated in 1968, but is still an active aid to navigation. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Lake Ontario was glass-like and being enjoyed by many fisherman. We went out a few miles and put HOMES in neutral, then made some nachos for a snack. We tooled around Lake Ontario for about 2 hours, then headed back into the harbor and pulled up at La Parilla’s. The bride and groom were still getting some pictures taken, but the guests were all inside.

After talking with the Loopers in the boat in front of us, we walked up to the Press Box for dinner where Tim enjoyed some local craft brews. The evening was cool, but picturesque. As I was working on my blog, the bride and groom came back outside for sunset pictures. They ignored me. 😂

Sunday, August 28, 2022 – Oswego, NY (La Parilla’s Dock) to Phoenix, NY (Free Dock)

We turned the heat on in our stateroom this morning and shut both doors, so it would be toasty warm when we got out of our showers. We started the day with sweatshirts, but the sun soon warmed things up to 85 degrees. Today we will go back up the whole Oswego Canal – All 7 locks and 23.7 miles – ascending 118.6 feet to the level of the Erie Canal.

The canal originally opened in 1828, connecting the Erie Canal to Lake Ontario. It opened three years after the Erie Canal, when it was quickly realized that a connection to Lake Ontario would be beneficial for trade with Northern New York and Canada. The current canal was opened in 1917. The canal follows the Oswego River on its entire course, either using the river basin itself or artificial channels.

We went through Locks #8 – #5 all alone. When we got to Lock #3, we had to wait about 20 minutes because the lock keeper for Locks #3 and #2 is the same. He already had a boat coming into Lock #2, so we had to wait for that boat to clear Lock #2 and #3. By that time, we had two boats behind us waiting – both Looper boats. So, after the northbound boat exited the lock, HOMES led the parade of three Loopers into the lock. HOMES continued to lead through Lock #2 and #1, then we pulled off at the free dock in Phoenix, NY. Lock #1 only ascends 10.2 feet, the least amount of lift on the Oswego Canal, but it has the historic Trunnion Lift Bridge to go under.

When we passed by Phoenix on Friday, we decided it looked like a fun place to stop. Phoenix and the Oswego River system were the site of critical events in the French and Indian War. It became an industrial town after the completion of the Erie Canal and Oswego Canal. Most of the buildings on the Canal Waterfront District were built between 1917 and 1929, after a fire in 1916 destroyed most of the town.

We are now tied up at the Phoenix free dock after our nearly 6-hour journey. We have water, but no electric – which is fine. We’ll run the generator for about an hour to charge up the batteries. As we were tying up, we realized that a very informal wedding was taking place in the park beside us. When the preacher pronounced them husband and wife, we honked our boat horn. They cheered and came over and talked. After getting settled in, we walked up the street and found Lock 1 Distillery. The newly weds were in there and we toasted to their marriage (they’d know each other for 15 years and did this on the spur of the moment) and our journey.

We just finished dinner. Tim pumped up the paddle board. He tried it out for the first time and didn’t fall off. Now, I’ll take it for a spin.

This is where we will leave you on our Erie Canal journey…until next Sunday.

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