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Friday night (June 29th), we got to the boat late, after cleaning and packing up the house. Our new home until next May is considerably smaller than our house, so loading the boat was quite a challenge. We planned to take "a couple of hours" Saturday morning to finish stowing stuff away, then leave. Well, we had several friends pay us a visit on Saturday, and we didn't get stuffed stowed, so at about 3:30 we left anyway from Bronte Oakville for Oswego NY where we enter the Erie Canal.
The weather didn't co-operate and we ended up spending Canada Day in Coburg, where they had a great Canada Day Celebration.
On Monday , we crossed the lake to Oswego, and started the trip down the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal connects Lake Ontario to the Hudson River, and is the first leg to get to the Ocean. It was built in the early 1800's and was built to move freight from New York to Buffalo, and then though the Great Lakes. There are 31 locks that take you up through the mountains, then down to the Hudson River. The last 5 locks alone drop 165 feet. And
they are all within 5 miles. Going through the Erie Barge canal is an interesting trip through the industrial history of the United States. There were many very large factorys built along the canal, and most are abandoned, as industry moved to the south, then offshore. The scenery along the canal is beautiful, especially on the river parts that wind through the mountains.
It really took us 3 and a half days to go through the Erie Canal. Most of our days involve getting up early, and travelling about 12 hours!We entered the Hudson River at Troy New York, and are spending Friday night at Castleton on the Hudson. Now we have tides to think about, as you don't really want to travel when the tide is against you. Tomorrow we'll go to Hop O Nose in Catskill where we will have our mast put back up. (Going down the Erie Canal the mast has to be down.) We don't have to get up so early tomorrow, and that will be great!
Our first week of retirement just seems like the beginning of a holiday. We are happy to be underway, and look forward to our adventures ahead.
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Joan
non-member comment
Glad to have seen you!
Thanks for stopping by on your way to your the boat that Friday night. I know that stop added to your late night but we so enjoyed your visit. Thanks again for dropping off the tarp. We wish you both well and stay safe! Love the blog. I'll be anxious to here of your adventures.