07/08/2005, West Point NY
Of course, any trip down the Hudson River wouldn't be complete without a visit to West Point. Luckily, Carole and Tony's friends were able to pick us up in Newburgh and drive us to West Point. It was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed the tour more than I expected.
One sign of our security-conscious times is how complicated it is to even get tickets for the bus tour, which is the only way for the public to tour West Point any more. All the people who are going on the tour have to stand in line and show some identification. Then you get on a bus and are only able to get off at designated stops. It was a little frustrating to me that we couldn't get a close look at many points of interest. Still I understand the need for security, but I do regret that places like West Point are sealed off from the public.
The tide flow up and down the Hudson had a decided effect on our speed. We would alternately slow down and speed up every 2-3 hours depending on whether the tide was coming in or going out.
After returning to the boat in Newburgh, it was time for our friends, Carole and Tony to leave for home. Since they moved to the Denver area a few years ago, we have only been able to manage short visits. It was wonderful to have time to truly "catch up".
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07/07/2005, Hyde Park, NY
Since we would pass directly by the Culinary Institute of America, we took the opportunity for a truly decadent lunch. The Culinary Institute has four restaurants and reservations are necessary. We were able to get lunch reservations for the restaurant specializing in traditional American Cuisine. It was amazing! We had everything "soup to nuts" as they say and lunch took 3-4 hours. Even the weather cooperated because it was a dreary, rainy day, and having a terrific lunch inside was good.
Getting to the Culinary Institute is a good example of how you need to be creative and flexible on a boat. Although the Culinary Institute is directly on the Hudson River, it doesn't have a boat dock. So I called a nearby marina and asked if we could tie up for a few hours. They said OK, and we then took a cab to the Institute. The marina's restaurant even called us a cab!
We spent the night before at a nice marina on the Willkill River in Kinston NY. Being off the Hudson was nice because the area was more sheltered. As we were to learn the next night when we stayed at a marina directly on the Hudson in Newburgh NY, even being in a marina on the Hudson doesn't guarantee calm water. It was a "rolly" and uncomfortable night.
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07/05/2005, waterford, NY
The Erie Canal joins the Hudson River at Waterford, NY. It is a great stop because there is a free city dock where boats can tie up complete with power hook-up and pump out. What more could tired boaters want. The eastern end of the Erie Canal has several locks close together and we were glad to be finished after a marathon couple of hours. On the Erie it was difficult to grab the lines to tie off the boat because they were attached below the top of the lock. With our high bow, I had to use a very long boat hook to try and get the line. Sometimes I was even lying down on the bow (very undignified!). The locks in Canada were easier to manage in a coule of ways -- the lines used to tie off the boat were much easier to get and the workers were always helpful.
We enjoyed getting off the boat and walking around Waterford, which has a small commercial area on the waterfront with some shops and restaurants.=
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07/03/2005, Sylvan Beach, NY
Lake Oneida is on the Erie Canal and has a beautiful beach. Since is was July 4th weekend, the place was very busy with other boaters, campers, and people staying in cottages and motels. It is a rather shallow lake and the warm water was inviting to everyone. We enjoyed some time ashore walking around the small community and getting some groceries.
The Erie Canal is wider and deeper than the Trent Severn Waterway in Canada, which makes for a more relaxing trip. Carole and Tony have some friends that live near the Erie. The next day they picked us up in a car and we actually drove to a restaurant for dinner! It was a treat for Paul and myself because we had only been going to places we could walk or bike to.=
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06/30/2005, Phoenix, New York
Phoenix, NY, a small town at the end of the Osewego Canal was an unexpected delight! The Osewego Canal connects Lake Ontario and the Erie Canal. The town has a very nice dock where you can tie up for free. Even better a group of local youth called the "Bridge Brats" are available to help with just about anything. As you can see from the picture, I quickly signed them up to give the boat a good cleaning (which was really needed!!). They even went swimming to get the side in the water (the weather was hot, and I think they were glad to have an excuse to get in). Although we didn't have to pay, I gave them a nice tip, of course. They also helped carry dirty stuff to the laundromat and would pick up carry out at the local pizza place. This summer program was run by an energetic volunteer as a way to provide local kids some productive activities.
Within walking/biking distance of the town dock are stores, fresh produce stands, and a few restaurants. A regular grocery is a 15 minute bike ride. The dock is next to a small park where there are regular community events. While we were tied up, there was a small group which gave a performance of mostly polka music (very lively) and a fish fry.
Here we said good bye to good friends, DH and Barbara, who had been with us for three great weeks. Although we had some difficulties (hitting the rock and needing to get the damage repaired) and the locks were a lot more work than any of us had ever imagined, their time with us was very special, and I was going to miss their cheerful company (and DH's marvelous cooking). A few days in Phoenix was just what we needed to clean up and get ready for our next guests, Carole and Tony Schaffhauser. They arrived without incident July 2nd, flying into Syracuse and getting a taxi to meet us in Phoenix.
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06/29/2005, Duck Island, Lake Ontario
Leaving Trenton, Ontario we had a lovely trip up the Bay of Quinte. Leaving the bay, we crossed Lake Ontario to and anchored in a group of islands simply called "The Ducks" (one is little Duck, another Great Duck, etc)...
Summer days are long this far north, and there was plenty of time to dinghy to shore and take a short hike to the lighthouse on the west end of the island. Our plans were to cross to New York State the next day. As usual the sunset was wonderful.
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