Today is the final day of actual travel for the Wayward Explorers on this adventure. They are traveling from Brewerton to Baldwinsville. There’s not much new and exciting to say about this route as they’ve already traveled it multiple times in both directions. When they first came off the Oswego Canal to the Erie Canal, they had turned east for a short bit to go to Brewerton for fuel and to visit with a few friends. Then they turned west and passed it again. They passed this route again on their way from Syracuse to Sylvan Lake, and now as they return, they are covering this same stretch of water.
Once again, they stopped at Winter Harbor Marina to fill the tanks. When they stopped before, their tanks were half-full, and now they are half-full again, so they used a little more than half their diesel capacity on this trip. This time, it took 160 gallons to re-fill the tanks. The Explorers have noticed that people who boat often fashion themselves as experts. One thing they have been told is that you should fill the diesel tanks before winterizing to reduce the amount of condensation that can form in the tanks. They honestly don’t know if this theory is true; so many boaters have strong opinions(and often opposing opinions) on matters that it is hard to know if they are right or wrong. The Explorers filled the tanks after the first season, and didn’t after the second, and didn’t really see any difference in their performance of their engine. Still, the price at Winter Harbor was better than anything they’ve seen recently, so they decided to bite the bullet now, and enjoy starting next year with full tanks.
After fueling up, they passed through the familiar Lock 22, and covered the same stretch of the canal that they have seen over and over. They passed by the J&S Marina where they will be hauling out on Monday.
As they were getting close to the lock in Baldwinsville, they checked the dock wall before the lock to see if there was electric power. Unfortunately, there was none. Had there been, it would have made sense to tie up there for the upcoming rain because they would be on the same side of the lock as the marina. Without shore power, they would never be able to keep their batteries charged while cooking, keeping their food refrigerated, showering, making ice cubes and using the Starlink for the next few days, so they pressed on through the lock to the dock wall where they have stayed multiple nights, and know there is electricity for a small donation. They are hoping for a break in the weather some time on Sunday, so they can pass back through the lock and park at the marina.
In the evening, they walked to Tops to get a few provisions to last through the weekend. On the way to Tops, they passed a HUGE historical graveyard with many monuments and plaques. They even saw the tomb of the actual Baldwin, namesake of Baldwinsville. However, after the graveyard, the sidewalks ended, the road narrowed, and they had to keep leaving the roadway to let traffic pass. After shopping, on the return trip, they took an alternate route through neighborhoods (with sidewalks) which was longer, but much more enjoyable.
In the evening, they both enjoyed (how rare!) the sequel to Knives Out (Glass Onion), and got ready for bed. Instead of the noise of the race track, they were serenaded by the sound of a crazy number of ducks with intermittent quacking. It was a peaceful night.
The rain is expected to start in the morning, and the Explorers expect to be mostly holed up in the boat for the next 3 days, packing up what needs to be taken off the boat, and catching up on mundane tasks like email and bills; with any luck, they will find breaks in the weather to get out and stretch, and perhaps do a final load of laundry. Rather than bore their readers further, they will wait until the final day, Monday to write their final blog entry for this trip. Until then…..
