The last stretch....... — Little Red Tug

Seneca Falls bid me farewell in grand style. A morning stroll from the docks took me across a bridge where I found a hidden gem. The Ludvico Sculpture trail winds along a mile path next to the canal in a woodland setting. Along the way are several different sculptures that celebrate both the regions Womens’ Rights history as well as other local notables. I spent a tranquil hour with a coffee wandering around and enjoying the morning. I had a nice long walk up the opposite side of the canal and spoke to a few other boaters. There was a gentleman who had a sailboat and he was headed to the East coast from the Great Lakes. Sailboats traversing the canal need to have their masts unstepped in order to make the clearances on the bridges and I saw a few other boats like his in my travels. We enjoyed a nice chat and I enjoyed hearing his travels and wanderlust outlook as he traveled at his own pace without a destination.

Time came to leave and I motored back down towards the main canal. At the second set of locks there was an explained delay as the inside of the locks were being painted by a worker on a small barge. The lock tender drained the locks and I shared my trip down with the man painting and his barge. The staff that work the canal do a great job of keeping up the locks and the grounds and buildings. It seems like they take a lot of pride in the locks and do what they can with the money allocated to them. I saw a number of small work boats in my travels doing dredging or other canal work and they always waved when I passed by. I have heard that some boaters make cookies and other treats for lock staff as treats!

A nice fall morning gave me a chance to cruise along and enjoy the scenery. My afternoon destination was Syracuse which was at the end of Onondoga Lake. By the time I reached the lake the wind had picked up and there was a fair amount of chop for the transit. It was a chance for me to see how my boat would hold up with some 2-3 foot waves. The boat handled well and it was a fun trip. I got to use my wipers for real and caught some spray on the trip. At the end of the lake there is a narrow canal into downtown Syracuse. Some boaters may find this part of the trip difficult as the depths are shallow. Once I transited the canal through some industrial urban areas I arrived in Syracuse inner harbor.

It appears that there has been a big effort to re-imagine the downtown port area. There are several new pavillions for concerts, walking and running paths, areas for farmers markets and a brand new hotel. There is ample docking for boats free of charge and boaters are welcome to spend the night. The area still looks to be in a depressed neighborhood but an effort is being made to make it welcoming to boaters. I was the only boat there that day and I soon found out why.

My plan was to head to the Erie Canal Museum which was a 30 minute walk. The area has a number of old factory buildings which have been converted in to apartments and the streets have been revamped including some great restored cobblestone streets. As I walked along I began to notice that there were a number of people wearing orange and it soon dawned on me that this being a Saturday in a big college town there was a football game on and every place would be packed. I had hoped to grab a bite at a highly recommended BBQ place called Dinosaur BBQ but as I rounded the corner I saw hundreds of fans jammed outside drinking beers and waiting for tables. I scrapped the lunch plans and headed right to the museum.

Housed in an old weigh station along the route of the Old Erie canal when it went through Syracuse, the Erie Canal Museum is a true gem. It has some great permanent exhibits including an old canal barge and a number of artifacts of historical note. I had only allocated a few hours for the stop and I felt rushed when going through the exhibits but what I had chance to see was great. In order to really understand the history of the canal I had read a few books on the history of the canal before the trip and seeing real artifacts and a canal boat brought the history into the present. I wish I had more time but I will be back again. Kudos to the staff at the museum for keeping local heritage alive.

On the way back to the museum I wandered past the main square and found that the annual Italian Fest was in progress. Not having had lunch I jumped on the chance to scoff some great food from some of the local vendors. I walked off the meatball subs as I retraced my steps back to the boat and started on the last leg of my journey. The crossing back across the lake was just as windy but with a following wind it was a more enjoyable trip. I made it back to the canal and the last remaining few miles back to the Pirates Cove Marina around 5pm.

Passing just before the dock I saw a matching Ranger 21 (except in royal blue) and remembered that I had been in contact with a fellow Ranger owner on the Tugnuts forum. He had given me some advice on cruising the canal since he lives on it and we had emailed back and forth a few times. Now I gave him a call and when I got to the dock at the Marina he was there to meet me. Also there was the owner of another Ranger 25 who was doing the whole canal and had stopped for a few days. All being Ranger Tug owners we ended up chatting, touring each others boats, and having a few beers. It was a nice end to the trip and a reminder of the community that owners of these boats have.

I checked in with the office staff and took a nice long shower. The marina has an great place - Dock’s Grill - to eat and I enjoyed a last night meal on my trip. I fell asleep this being the last night of my 10 day trip. Looking back I realized how lucky I was to have been able to spend some time on the canal, to meet so many people and to do something that I wanted to do for so long. I was happy, I was content and I was tired. It had been a great 10 days and I can’t wait to get back on the canal.

The next day I loaded my boat up and started back to the real world planning my next trip for my boat….