The Explorers left the Medina boat basin, passing through the aqueduct they seen on their walk the previous day. The boat ride for the day was short and uneventful other that all the lift bridges (at least a half dozen) they had to pass under. There was no delay or waiting at the bridges, and the ride into Spencerport was calm and peaceful.
In the canal boating world, Spencerport has a reputation of being the nicest, most inviting stop along the canal, and the Explorers have to agree. There is free electricity and water and a wonderful dock that is in really nice shape. There is a Visitor Center with nice bathrooms and showers, where the Explorers were presented with a “boating packet” that included loads of information, but most importantly, the code for the locked bathrooms at night. There are restaurants on the water and the walk into town (groceries, laundry, etc.) is a mere 4 minutes. There is docking on both sides of the lift bridge, very convenient for the traveler that might arrive after the bridgetenders have gone home for the night. The Explorers arrived early, so they requested a bridge opening and docked on the east side, in a position to leave the next morning without delay.
The Explorers took advantage of their early arrival to take care of some chores. They carried their laundry to the laundromat and started up the washers. Sidekick Sue is usually adamant about staying to monitor laundry because she HATES when people leave their laundry unattended and cause delays for everyone behind them. Today, because the laundromat was nearly empty and the walk back to the boat was only 4 minutes, Captain Mark convinced her to use the 30 minutes to walk to Tops (next door) and bring a load of beverages back to the boat. Beverages are one of the most challenging items to keep in stock on boat trips because they are heavy and the grocery stores are often not quite so convenient. So Sidekick Sue agreed, and they carried a load of fizzy waters back to the boat, grabbed their grocery bags for food shopping, and walked back to the laundromat (by way of the post office). They still arrived with 10 minutes left on the wash cycle. Once the clothes were in the dryer, they repeated the process, this time picking up a few food items and some snacks to offer some friends that were meeting them that evening in Spencerport. They easily made it to the boat to put away groceries and back to the laundromat before the time ran out on the dryers. Shortly after, they were walking back, carrying their clean, folded laundry…. very proud of themselves for simultaneously getting their laundry done, their shopping done, and their 10,000 steps for the day.
Sidekick Sue took advantage of the time they had earned from their efficiency to do a quick sweep around the boat, inside and out, knocking down all the spiderwebs and tidying up the cabin. One of the parts of boating the Explorers still don’t understand, is the number of spiders that take up residence on a boat. Every day, they knock down the webs and dispose of all the spiders they can find, and every morning there are brand-new webs and brand-new spiders. Who knew that spiders liked boats? And why?
After she finished work, the Explorers friend from college, Cheryl, and her husband Ron, came to visit and see the boat. They brought their bikes, so they all took a bike ride east along the canal to Hen Peck Park. It was an easy ride, with no elevation changes, and the path was quiet enough that they could ride side-by-side and chat, except when switching to single-file to let the occasional biker pass. The bike ride was enjoyable except it was a little chilly and the riders rode through many swarms of gnats; Sidekick Sue definitely ingested a few. The riders turned around as it started to get dark, and headed the 4 miles back.
Back at the boat around 7:00, they headed over to a local BBQ joint where the Explorers ordered Yuenglings and shared a huge stuffed potato with even more comfort food on the side. After a great dinner filled with conversation, they all returned to the boat and the Explorers offered a short tour of the vessel before enjoying a night cap on the flybridge. The Explorers were grateful for the company of good friends. The evening was chilly; Fall seems to be coming right on schedule. After Cheryl and Ron left, the Explorers tucked in to bed; this would be the first night on the boat that Sidekick Sue felt compelled to wear her long underwear to bed.
Wayward Explorer being passed by a barge, luckily in a wider part of the canal.
Bike ride selfie by Cheryl. Sidekick Sue’s face looks like she’s preparing to ride through a swarm of gnats.
After the bike ride. Ready to go eat.
Nightcap on the flybridge.