Messing about in boats….

“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

― Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

If you haven’t read The Wind in the Willows for a while then perhaps it would be fun for you to return to this book merely for the fact that children’s books these days aren’t as quirky. The story of mole, badger, toad and rat make for some interesting reading and provide some fun escape from the daily routine. I remember reading a book when I was a child several times as my grandfather shared it with me at bedtime. Today, with kids attached to iPads and the Internet, it seems we’ve wandered away from books like this. The best part about it though is the fact that rat, one of the main characters is obsessed with boats and boating. Not only is he obsessed with it, but he shares his experiences with boats with his best friend mole. Together they while away the day at a row boat on the river idling the time and enjoying the day.

What could be a better metaphor than the time that I spent with my boat. Although I didn’t get out as much this summer as I could, the time that I did spend on the boat was awesome. In September I spent 10 days on the Champlain canal with one of my best friends simply messing about with boats. We started by going to the tugboat round up in Waterford New York and from there headed out on an adventure with no predetermined expectations or destination.

if you live in the Northeast and you haven’t heard of the Erie canal system and had an opportunity to visit either by foot, car, bike or boat you’re missing out on a gem of an area. I’ve blogged about it before but again I can’t say enough about it. Started as one of the countries greatest infrastructure projects, today it is simply maintained for recreational boaters primarily. While there is very little commercial traffic on the canal, the State of New York has done an excellent job about maintaining the canal as a recreational and tourist area. Not just the waterway itself but in general the whole corridor that stretches from Albany all the way to Buffalo is maintained as a site for people to visit and experience both the present in the past. You can go back in time and be in the present at the same time and it provides an opportunity to see things from the water and land.

We started our journey in Waterford New York where we were hosted at the tugboat round up for the weekend. This annual event is put on by the city of Waterford, the state of New York tourism board, public and private interest as well as a group of dedicated volunteers Who use the festival to attract people and highlight both the past history of the canal and the current workings of the barge and tug industry. Over the three day weekend visitors are afforded the opportunity to see boats of all sizes including working togs and small recreational tugboats like mine. There are even mini tugs! The community comes together to host the event including the local fire departments as well as a farmers market and many vendors. We often live in such a hectic time today tied up with our so many first world problems that we can forget that there is a small-town America that still exists today. I can’t say enough about the people who put so much effort into hosting events like this that make our communities better places and provide an experience for people to escape from the daily grind. Activities for children and adults were plentiful and the opportunity on a gorgeous weekend to stroll down the Waterford visitor center and enjoy a day free of the hassles of daily living were appreciated by many. Over the weekend we had an opportunity to interact and meet so many different people from the Maritime industry as well as regular recreational boaters. Each of them had a story and an ear to hear ours. It is a great event and if you have an opportunity to visit be sure to do so.

After a weekend of the events we used the Waterford visitor center as a launching point for the next week to head north along the Champlain canal and see parts of New York state along with the residence there and hear a bunch of stories. There’s something special about traveling by canal on a boat. The views are different. Time slows down. An opportunity to see you around you the things that you often miss while traveling by an enclosed car are unique. We traveled through 27 locks, over 250 miles and although we stayed in one time zone it off and felt like we were back 50 years. Just like the Erie Canal, the Champlain canal is part of the New York State canal system. It links to Hudson River and it’s one of the most historical waterways in the United States and provides a conduit for people to travel both back in history and into the present. Along the way one can pass through the Saratoga battlefield, the site of American revolutionary war battles, and through a more recent history of industry in decline.

Multiple small towns located along the waterway provide an insight and opportunity of the history of America from the early 1700s through today. Each town was unique and although there was a current that ran through each of them we shared, each had a unique story. Some towns relied on the lumber industry while others relied on water power and factories associated with it. Some town saw their Peak in the 1800s while others prospered well into the 1900s. Today some towns have revitalized themselves and our hubs of tourism and local economy. Other towns along the way have not fared so well. The nice thing about the Champlain canal is there every few miles there’s a different town to stop in with each of them adopting and encouraging boater to visit. Almost every town along the canal has public docs, restrooms for boaters, and a small downtown with varying levels of commerce. We traveled along at a 5 mile hour less really pace and took advantage of almost every town along the way to stop, stretch our legs and see something new.

Some towns are clearly in decline which is sad. Many towns along the way actually have began to re-imagine themselves as they come to grip The changing demographics of America. Almost every town has a small central downtown Square with shops along the way. Some towns have full storefronts while others have empty ones. What are the things that I most appreciated was that when we travel through the small towns by car you often get no flavor for the community than what you see through a window traveling 30 miles an hour. Traveling is a pedestrian through these towns gives you an opportunity to meet people, see behind the scenes, and get a feel for what small towns in America are gripping with every day. Along the way we found an 80 year old who owns one of the nicest laundromats in America and told us a joke , a story, and an oral history of the area. In one town we found a new brewery recently open by a younger couple who had moved to the area. They talked about a resurgence of the school system with younger couples moving into the area with children looking for a quieter way of life that was more community-based. We heard stories from like tenders about individual towns and not once were we ever met with anything but friendly and warm attitudes. Although like many communities each of these areas Heather challenges, there was an underlying resilience that we noted in all of them with an attitude that things will always get better.

The one thing I will tell you is that this trip reminded me to take Opportunities as they are presented in your life every day. We live in a world that is often hectic, busy, and sometimes can be overwhelming. The time I spent on the Champlain canal provided me an opportunity to slow down and really get behind the scenes of the towns that have made our history and will continue to do so for many years. If you have a chance I would highly encourage you to visit this area either by boat, foot or however. Take a chance to slow down and do the things they provide you an opportunity to see a community from a different side.