It was a very chilly morning when the Wayward Explorers awoke, their first preview of Fall weather. Sidekick Sue pulled out some cold weather clothes, while Captain Mark (still wearing shorts) ventured out to use the facilities at the Fire Department and mail his mother’s birthday card.
The morning was relatively uneventful. The Explorer navigated through three locks without incident. As they passed through Newark, they made a mental note that it looked like a nice location and they should stop there on the way back east. Sidekick Sue enjoyed watching a great blue heron that kept flying up ahead every time the Explorers got close enough to disturb him. They finally lost sight of him when the canal opened up wide in Port Gibson; he must have taken a left turn away from the canal channel.
The Explorers were starting to see signs of a semi-consistent bike path along the canal, and planned to stop in Palmyra for a bike ride. The dock in Palmyra was hidden off to the left-hand side in a small basin that jutted out from the canal. It was a nice little park area that even had restrooms, water and electric, but the Explorers did not need this for a short daytime stay.
The Explorers unfolded their folding bikes and started east along the canal path. After a very short time, they encountered a piece of construction equipment (no one aboard), surrounded by yellow tape in the middle of the trail. There was another side trail, so it was easy to get around. About a mile up the path, a truck came by to let them know the path was closed for construction; apparently, that was the intent of leaving a little Bobcat on the trail. So the Explorers turned around and biked the mile back. They picked up the trail in the western direction (which had a construction detour, but was passable), and biked out 4 miles. Part of the bike path was on the functional Erie Canal, but part of it steered back to the old canal towpath. They passed some relics of the past: an old aqueduct that the old canal used to pass through, a bridge that crossed nothing but a grass field (that used to cross the canal), and finally an old historic lock where they stopped and turned around for the day. They biked the 4 miles back, negotiating the detour in reverse, and only once getting off the correct trail, only to be re-directed by another construction worker.
As the Wayward Explorer approached Fairport, NY, the walls of the canal were more consistently stone and rock instead of looking more like traditional riverbank. The area became more urban with a lot more boats on the canal, and a lot more people on the paths. The Explorers also encountered a lot more rented canal boats, which moved a few knots slower than the Wayward Explorer. All afternoon, they would pass the canal boats, only to have to wait for them in the next lock. In Fairport, there was also a lift bridge that the Explorers had to radio to ask for a lift.
The Explorers stopped for a night in Pittsford. The area was nice with comfortable recreational boat facilities on one side, and commercial traffic parked on the other. The restaurant across the canal had live entertainment and the Explorers had a nice walk around, exploring the area. They even ran into the occupants of one of the canal boats they had passed all afternoon. Captain Mark’s brother, wife and son came for a visit and brought some delicious snacks. We had a nice time catching up and enjoyed all the people-watching in the area. The whole area was alive with activity, music and people, but it seemed to abruptly stop exactly at 10:00 PM. Captain Mark’s family headed home and the Explorers headed to bed.
At the dock in Palmyra.
Sidekick Sue along the trail.
A bridge the Explorers crossed while biking.
Another old preserved lock.
Historic Lock 60
Lift bridge in Fairport.
A bridge to nowhere. The Erie Canal used to run under it.