| Jane and I spent 3 weeks in August of 2005 traveling the Erie and Champlain canals to Lake Champlain from our home port of Buffalo NY. We had great weather and a fantastic trip. Some stats from our voyage: Total Miles covered - 1,040 Engine hours - 160 Diesel used - 386 gallons Total Locks - 88 Log Day 1, August 5 Destination Middleport The boat was provisioned during the week, so Jane and I cast off at around 4pm as soon as I got out of work. We had a great cruise to Middleport where we arrived around 9pm. Jane is into the chicken tenders now, which we had plenty of at Mr. Ed's the local watering hole. Day 2, August 6 Destination Newark We cast off at 7am heading east on the canal. Long day of cruising, we made port in Newark at around 6pm. We had a nice dinner aboard and hit the hay early. Newark is a great town with great facilities, well worth a stop if you are passing through. Day 3, August 7 Destination Brewerton The plan today was to meet our friends, Rob and Marie at the junction of the Cayuga-Seneca and Erie Canal. Rob and Marie are from Pennsylvania have a 24' Bayliner and we cruise with them to Presque Isle every year. They only have a 2 week holiday, so once we hit Lake Champlain they will take off while we take our time. We cast off at 7 am again and had some excitement just outside lock 24 - I was heading into the morning sun and didn't see a canoe tucked into the trees fishing. Well, the fellas on that canoe must have got some pretty wet feet as our 3 foot wake sent them rocking and rolled into their boat. I made sure they didn't capsize and then slowly continued on our way. I always slow to dead idle for canoes and kayaks, I just didn't see these guys. Rob and Marie where right where they said they would be, and we enjoyed seeing them again. We both headed east across Cross Lake and into Baldwinsville. We always seem to have to wait in the lock here, the lockmasters seem to be very slow and want to make sure they have every spot on the wall filled. Took us close to 45 minutes this time to get lowered. Once out of the lock, we continued on to Brewerton, where we took on fuel at Winter Harbor, $2.14 per gallon for diesel - yippee! We made port in Brewerton at around 7pm, our friends Dave and Jeanne in the Kaleen were waiting for us. They had made the trip from Rochester, and planned to voyage with us. We all had a great Margarita reception and enjoyed each other's company before retiring for the night. Day 4, August 8 Destination Lock 20 Jane and I cast off at 6:30am to make the long trip across Oneida Lake. The lake was perfect and 2 hours and 15 minutes later we were cruising into Sylvan Beach. Today we planned to stop at Lock 20 for the night where there is a nice little park. We made the lock at around noon, a nice short day of cruising! The park here is great, the dock is a small floater with room for 2 or 3 boats. We secured the Missy with a spider web of lines and found to our delight that there is 50 amp power here. I split it to 2 30 amps which would give Rob 30 amps for his A/C when he arrived. Dave and Jeanne can get by on 15 amps, so I would just run a cord from Missy to them. We got a call around 1pm from Rob and Dave - engine trouble. Dave had blown an impeller crossing Onieda Lake and had overheated one of his engines. They stopped in Sylvan Beach to locate parts and fix the problem. Rob is a crack mechanic and had the Kaleen back in order as soon as they got the parts, which was quite a challenge. They both arrived around 5pm, and we all had a great pot-luck dinner outdoors. Day 5, August 9 Destination Amsterdam After a light breakfast and coffee, all three of our boats pulled out at 7am to start our eastward trip. We ran into a surly lockmaster right off the bat at lock 20, he made us wait and wait and wait. Took us about 45 mins to get through the lock. It was unfortunate that some of the lockmasters really seemed to have an attitude. We found this to be true on our last 2004 trip, and it seems to have gotten worse this year. I think they need to send some of them to charm school or something for a few weeks for an attitude adjustment! Our destination today was lock 11, Guy Park in Amsterdam. Kaleen and Kimberly Rose took off ahead of the Missy today and got us a good spot on the wall. Guy Park is on the high side of lock 11 in Amsterdam. They have free tie ups with three 15amp power poles, which was better than no power. If you want more facitlities, you can proceed through lock 11 and stay at Riverfront Park. This is all new, full facilties. They charge $1 per foot here. We all had another potluck dinner tonight on the bridge of the Missy after our usual happy hour snacks and drinks. It was really really hot today, so after dinner everyone ended up in the water. Very refreshing and a great way to end a long day on the canal. Day 6, August 10 Destination Mechanicville We set off at 7 am once again in hopes of making the end of the Erie Canal and Waterford today. Ran into quite a bit of commercial traffic this morning, 2 tows pushing barges passed us heading west. Kind of unusual to see anything other than pleasure boats on the canal, but supposedly the commercial traffic is on the uptick. Luckily, we didn't have to share a lock with the big barges! Around Schenctedy, we ran into a gaggle of rowing skulls. This seems to be very popular rowing club area, there are at least 3 clubs lining the river here. These things are everywhere here, and they sure don't like to move out of the way. Once clear of that mess we proceeded eastward to lock 8. There is a real nice park and all new wall to tie up to on the west side of lock 8. We will definitely stay here next time through. A few more locks and we were coming into the Waterford Flight of 5. These locks are amazing, they drop you over 150' in less than 1/2 mile. Unfortunately, they were having some problems with Lock 3, and they made us wait on a very high wall with a terrible current. I jumped from the bridge of the Missy to shore and tied us up, then ran back to assist the Kaleen in getting secured. 1/2 hour later we were locking again. It was around 3pm when we hit Waterford, so we decided to go on to Mechanicville, on the Champlain canal. We did 2 more locks and pulled into Mechanicville at around 5pm. I got a pumpout for the Missy, they have a great free pumpout here. There was not enough open space on the wall for all three of our boats, so Kaleen rafted off the Missy. Plenty of free power here, as well as water. Nice stop for sure. After dinner, the girls were sitting on the bridge of the Missy when all of a sudden we heard them all screaming - what was going on?? It seems a BAT flew in through one of the open windows and was chasing bugs around inside the bridge enclosure! He soon found his way out, much to the relief of the crew. However, the bugs kept coming, soon there were millions of them! They were coming out of the water in droves, only to fly into the lights on the dock and die. Everything was soon coated with dead bugs - the dock, the water and the boats. What a mess! Within an hour, they were all dead..very strange. Day 7, August 11 Down Day Rob and Marie took off early today, since they wanted to get to Lake Champlain today. We decided to take a day off, since we have been really putting in the hours for the last 5 days. First order of business was to do some laundry. Mechanicville has a laundromat very close to the wall, which was great. Dave and I did the honors while the girls relaxed..what's wrong with this picture?! After laundry, Dave and I took a walk into town. There is a Price Chopper supermarket about a mile away, nice new store with everything you need to restock your boat. After returning to the boat, we spent the next few hours cleaning the boats and getting things in order. The rest of the day was spent just relaxing, drinking beer and enjoying the surroundings and good company. We had a nice dinner and then settled in for the "bug show". They weren't as bad tonight, I would estimate only 2 or 3 million compared to the 10 or 12 million the night before! Of course they all died right on cue, and once again made a mess of the boats. Looks like we will be cleaning again before we head out in the morning.. Day 8 August 12 Destination Whitehall We left Mechanicville at around 8 am under partly cloudy skies. As we continued our voyage north on the Champlain Canal, the scenery continually changed for the better. We passed through locks 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11. Surprise, no lock 10! Once past lock 9, we could see the Adirondac mountains in the distance. Most of the voyage today was through wilderness and long straight man-made sections of canal. The water turned a chocolate-milk color as we got farther north, presumably from recent rains. We pulled into Whitehall at around 4pm, there were 2 other boats tied up on the wall. Whitehall has a beautiful wall with free power and water, but the town doens't have much to offer. Most stores are shttered and closed, although there is a nice marine store about a mile away and a Tops grocery store also within walking distance. It was raining slightly by the time we docked, but it didn't seem to deter the CW band from playing a free concert in the park right off the wall. We could hear the music in the Missy as we enjoyed a great dinner. Day 9 August 13 Destination Cole Bay We awoke today to overcast skies. There is a Tops supermarket a short walk from the town docks at Mechanicville, so we took advantage and picked up some supplies and fresh vegatables. Our last lock for a long time, lock 12 was soon behind us and we were finally on Lake Champlain! Lake Champlain starts out not much different than the canal. It is narrow and marshy, however, still very scenic with the mountains in the distance. We passed 2 marinas at the end of this long stretch. This is a no wake zone, we got the blue light salute from the local watercop even though we had the Missy basically idling. He turned the lights off and left us alone after I dropped to dead slow. We passed Fort Ticonderoga, but didn't stop. We understand you can anchor on the south side of the Fort and dinghy in. A few more hours and we were passing under the bridge at Crown Point. It is here that the lake finally gets wider, deeper and absolutely beautiful. We set our waypoint to our destination, Cole Bay, which was abut 7 miles north. We made the anchorage at around 4pm and found a great spot on the north side of Cole Island. There is a boys camp on the mainland here, supposedly the oldest in North America. The boys seemed to be having a great time swimming and canoeing in the small bay. As the temperature was pushing 90 degrees, we all had a great time swimming in the cool clear water here. After our swim, we enjoyed a nice dinner and watched some movies and drank wine with Dave and Jeanne before turning in for the night. Day 10, August 14 Destination Vegennes, VT I got up early today to take some photos of the sunrise. I was well rewarded, got some fantastic shots. After coffee was brewed, the rest of the crew started to come to life, and we enjoyed a light breakfast with coffee while discussing our plans. Missy needed a pumpout, so we decided to go to Westport Marina, about 2 miles away. We weighed anchor and Kaleen and Missy headed out into Lake Champlain. It started raining, I think this was one of the only days we saw rain all day on the trip. What a great summer this was! We headed into Westport, while Kaleen continued on towards Otter Creek. Westport Marina is a great stop, the people that work here are fantastic. They had me secured in minutes, and pumped out just as quick. We were soon motoring back out into the lake in search of Dave and Jeanne aboard the Kaleen. We located them pretty quickly and regrouped for our trip down Otter Creek. Otter Creek is a very narrow, but navigable creek off Lake Champlain that is around 6 miles long and ends at Vergennes, VT. The entrance is very tricky, you have to hug the shore, then turn over 90 degrees to get into the creek. Lots of rocks here, so follow your charts and GPS! Once in Otter Creek, the water gets deeper and it is just like traveling the canal. We arrived at Vergennes and found the docks with power were all full. Dave and I docked at the small floating dock and secured our boats. After talking with some of the boaters, we discovered that most of them were getting ready to leave, as it was a Sunday and they were all local boaters. Great! Once the boats left, we moved the Missy and Kaleen to the preemo docks with power and water (and of course, FREE!) I took a bike ride into town later that day to get some supplies (beer!). Wow, what a hill you have to climb. I got to the top and thought I was going to die! However, the ride back was neat - 100mph down the hill! The rest of the day we spend aboard playing games and reading, as it continued to rain all day long. Day 11, August 15 Down Day We were enjoying our stay in Vergennes, so we decided today to stay in port one more day. The rain from yesterday was gone, and the sun was out. A nice day indeed. I started the day by giving the Missy a bath, there is great water pressure here and I was able to get her clean and shiny in no time. We all left the boat at around 10am and took a stroll into town. There are quite a few nice restaurants here, but not much on the way of a grocery store. Dave went in search of a jwelry store to get his watchband fixed while Jane and I got a panini sandwhich from a cafe called "Just Good Food". And you know what? It really was good! We returned to the boats after a while and spent the rest of the day reading and checking out the falls by dinghy. If you do take your dinghy or boat close to the falls, be very careful, there are rocks just below the surface quite a ways out from the falls. We nicked the prop of the dinghy on these. You can't see them, as the water here is murky. Later that day a few more boats pulled in, one was a small cruiser from Burlington. The owner told us that they came to eat at the Black Sheep Bistro, which he said was fabulous. Sounds like a good recommendation to us, we decided to check it out. So we made reservations and at around 5pm we headed up the big hill into town. The restuarant was awesome! All the entrees were $15, appetizers were $5. The food was very unique, all signature dishes. The girls had a chicken entree, and I had a wonderful fish. They serve both mashed potatoes and fries to the table, which were also great. A great dinner was had by all of us. After dinner, we took a walk to the park in the center of town where a band was starting to play. We hung around for a few songs, then headed back to our boats for the night. We really enjoyed the day and our stay in this neat little town. Day 12, August 16 Destination Burlington and Valcour Island We bid farewell to Vergennes at around 7:30am and made the 6 mile trip down Otter Creek back into Lake Champlain. First order of business today would be to get some fuel. We found great prices and service at Shelburne Shipyard, which is just south of Burlington. Missy took on about 100 gallons at a pretty fair price of $2.30 per gallon. From Shelburne we made our way into Burlington Harbor. We raised the Burlington Public marina on the VHF, and they directed us into an open slip. They give you one hour free dockage here, additional hours are $5 or you can stay overnight for $1.50 per foot. We found Burlington to be very nice, they have a shopping district in the center of town with a road closed to traffic. All sorts of shops and cafes. Of course, Dave and I could care less, we were in search of BEER which we did find at the Vermont Brewing Company, and excellent local brew pub. Had lunch outside on the patio, excellent place. We left Burlington about 2 hours after we arrived, and headed for our overnight destination, Valcour Island. Valcour is a great destination, the whole island has coves and anchorages, so no matter what way the wind is blowing, you can find a calm spot to drop the hook. We checked out the east side and Smugglers Cover first, however, the cove is really small! I got the Missy in, but was really nervous about being so close to shore. I had a heck of a time just turning around here, it it alot smaller than it appears in the cruising guide. Heading north, we circled around to the west side of the island and found our perfect spot on the south side of Bluff Point. A word of advice, these anchorages are very popular with the sailboaters! There were about 6 here when we arrived at 3pm, by dusk there were close to 30 of them surrounding us! An excellent dinner served on the Missy followed by a spectacular sunset made this a picture perfect day. Day 13, August 17 Destination Burlington After taking Coco for his morning walk and duties on shore at Valcour, I picked up Jane and gave her a tour around the south side of Valcour Island by dinghy. There is big cliff at the south end with very intersting rock formations. I forgot my camera, so no pictures - sorry! We had a light breakfast and weighed anchor and headed out with our initial plans to visit Burton Island State Park. We transited "the Gut", which I was told is a must-do for anyone visiting Lake Champlain. Once through the drawbridge, I radioed the state park and asked them about depth. Due to the dry summer, water levels were low this year and I was concerned about the dockage here. The dockmaster stated there was 4 feet in the harbor, but Missy drafts 4 ft, so we decided to change plans and spend the night at Burlington. Back out through "the gut" we went and headed south to Burlington. Winds were picking up, and we were slogging through a short 1-2' chop. Upon entering the Burlington harbor. we called the boathouse (public marina) and asked them about a mooring. They told us to grab any mooring between 20 and 30. Well, first of all the wind was now cranking at around 25 knots. Secondly, you can't see the damn numbers on the moorings when it is that windy! Jane and I finally located one after circling 3 times. Great, now we have got to catch it! Jane tried and tried, and at last had the mooring on the hook - I ran down to assist here - guess what - we couldn't hold onto it!! Too windy! We bent our boat hook and then actually had to let go with the hook attached. More bad news - I'm drifting into the sailboat behind us! They caught us and held on while we got our senses together. Someone in a dinghy was nice enough to get our mangled boat hook back to us, and we cast off headed into dock. No mooring for us tonight! I called the boathouse and they had a slip for us and were on the dock to help us in. No problems docking and we were soon having a great cocktail hour. Dinner tonight was aboard the Kaleen with Dave and Jeanne, Dave treated us to an awesome pasta dinner with plenty of red wine. Once again, a gorgeous sunset ended a great day on Lake Champlain. Day 14, August 18 Destination Button Bay Today we start our long journey back home. Today would be our last day on Lake Champlain, I only wish we had another week, since we have barely begun to explore what she has to offer. Jane and I went to breakfast with a Mainship owner, Bill Gilbert, that we had corresponded with before and during our trip. Bill took us to the Oasis Diner, which is a popular stop for all the politicians that visit Burlington. Bill was also nice enough to give us a great tour of the city and showed us things we never would have discovered on our own. Thank you, Bill! After breakfast, we cast off at around 11am for a slow cruise down the lake to our destination at Button Bay. It is rumored that Button Bay and Button Island are named that on account of the button shaped rocks which are found there. It was fantastic crusing today, not a ripple on the water and temps in the 80's. We arrived at Button Bay around 3pm, and found a great spot to anchor right off the island. Dave and I took the dinghy into shore and explored the ruins of an old mansion on shore. Not much left besides the foundations and alot of rusty plumbing. Alas, we didn't find any "buttons". Once again, a great dinner aboard Missy and a picture perfect sunset completed this wonderful day that would be our last on Lake Champlain. Day 15, August 19 Destination Fort Edward We have a long day ahead of us today. Our plans were to travel down Lake Champlain to the Champlain Canal, then through 5 locks to Fort Edward. We awoke to great weather, although a bit on the chilly side. We had coffee, then left our anchorage at around 6:30am. The lake was like glass once again, perfect cruising. We hit the Champlain Canal and lock 12 at around noon. By now the skies were becoming overcast, but no wind. Dave had scooted ahead of us, he would arrive at Ft Edward an hour or two ahead of us and get us a good spot on the wall. After locking through C7, we made a sharp turn to the starboard and followed the Hudson a short distance to Fort Edward. This is where the Hudson breaks off from the Canal, up to lock C7, you are traveling on parts of the Hudson. After lock C7, the canal is entirely man-made. The water gets very shallow as you approach Ft Edward, make sure you follow the markers. We measured less than 5 ft in one spot. Dave had a great spot for us on the wall at Ft Edward, and we were soon secured and having a cocktail. It was raining lightly, but nothing major. Dave and I took a walk into town, there is not much here. A convenience store and a restaurant were about it. However, the wall we tied to was new and had free power and water. It is a very high wall, so a bit of a chore to get off and on the boat. We enjoyed a great dinner cooked on the grill tonight and watched a few movies before retiring for the night. After our 10 hour run today, we were all pretty wiped out. Day 16, August 20 Destination Waterford Another early start today - we cast off at around 7:30. It would be about a 5 hour run for us today to the port of Waterford at the eastern entrance to the Erie Canal. Still raining, but more of a drizzle than a steady rain. After passing through locks C6, C5, C4, and C3, we made Mechanicville at around 11am and stopped in for a free pumpout. The winds had really picked up now, blowing close 25mph. Dave and I both docked with no problems, pumped our tanks and were back underway with no problems. Lock C2 and C1 were pretty difficult for us due to the high winds. It it tough to hold the Missy in place when the winds get over 15 mph. However, we made it through just fine and were soon approaching Waterford. As on our trip up, the place was packed with no spots on the dock with power. This place is getting way to popular, it seems that alot of boats are coming here and staying for weeks at a time. Two free nights and then only $10 per night is too good of a deal. I really think the town needs to start charging by the foot after the 2 free nights. I got a spot on the high wall with no services, and Dave rafted off the Missy. We got lucky and were able to get a good spot in a few hours when a canal boat left, so we were all happy. Once moored, Dave and I took the dinghy across the Hudson to the Price Chopper grocery store. They have a dock on the river which is really neat. We got plenty of provisions here and then took off back to the boats in the dinghy - yes, it was rough and yes, we both got soaked!! Another great dinner aboard the Missy (Jane made a fantastic Bourbon steak!) made a nice end to the day. Day 17, August 21 Destination Amsterdam We caught the first lock today at around 8 am. It was back on the Erie Canal today, and our first order of business was the Waterford Flight of Five. Five locks, 133 feet rise in less than one mile. No problems locking through, each lockmaster had the lock ready and waiting for us. Very nice. We were soon heading west and through locks 7 and 8. On the west side of lock 8, there is a nice little park with a new low wall at the end of the lock. We debated staying here, but decided to press on to lock 9, where there was supposed to be another small park. At lock 9, we found the park to have small finger docks only, which were exposed to some pretty rough water. Oh well, keep pushing on! Lock 10 is getting a big damn renovation, so no stopping here due to all the heavy equipment. By the time we got into lock 11, it was getting dark and we knew exactly where we were going to stay for the night - Guy Park. Luckily, there were no other boats there, so we got our pick of spots and power to boot. We were all pretty tired after today's long trip and 10 locks, so we decided to go out to dinner at Russo's, a local Italian bar and grill. If you like food, this is your place! We could not believe the size of the portions of lasagna, shells and spaghetti we were served! Holy pepperoni! I don't think any of us ate more than half of the meal. I think the total tab with drinks was under $50 for 4 of us - what a deal! After this belly-busting meal, we all rolled back to the boats and promptly went to sleep - sweet dreams! Day 18 August 22 Destination Little Falls After coffee and a light breakfast we headed out at around 7:30am. What a beautiful day! The water was like glass and the sky clear and sunny. Traveling east today, we passed through locks 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and finally, the grandaddy of them all, Lock 17. 41' vertical feet later and we were at the top and headed into Little Falls. We both found great spots on the wall. We always enjoy our stay here, top notch facilties and a great view. Tom Ryan, the dockmaster, will bend over backwards to accomodate anything you need. Dave and I took a ride into town to buy some more wine and a few groceries. I ended up in a liquor store that was staffed by one little old lady who for the life of her could not figure out how to use the cash register. She rang up one bottle of wine for $57,000!! Wowser! She finally gave up and added my purchase up on paper.. We had a great dinner again tonight served by the #1 chef of the trip, Lady Jane. After dinner we watched some videos and called it a night at around 10pm. Day 19 August 23 Destination Sylvan Beach Dave seemed to have developed a redness around his ear that was getting worse, so he decided that he would stay in Little Falls until the medical clinic on shore opened so he could see a doctor. Jane and I headed out at 7am and would save them a spot on the wall when we arrived in Sylvan Beach. The stretch we traveled today has got to be about the most boring stretch on the whole canal. Most of it is man made and straight as an arrow. Not much to see for sure. But it was easy crusing and we pulled into Sylvan Beach at around 4pm. Sylvan Beach is a really neat little beach town. This was the first time we have stopped here, and really liked it. There is a free wall on both north and south sides, try to get a spot on the north side so you have easy access to the town. There are cottages that are right next to the wall, it feels like you are docking in their backyard! No power or water here, but it is a free tie-up. In town you will find a little amusment park, some really nice restaruants, a well stocked convenince store with an attached liqour store, and alot of gift shops if you are into souveniers. The Kaleen showed up around 5:30, Dave was checked out and fine. Dave and Jeanne had their son and daughter in-law and kids as visitors tonight. Jane and I enjoyed a nice dinner on the Missy. We enjoyed our short stay in this little town, and would recommend it to anyone passing through. Day 20, August 24 Destination Baldwinsville We bid farewell to Sylvan Beach at 6:30am and headed out into Onieda Lake . It looked like it would be a perfect day to make the long run across Onieda Lake. The sun was coming out and the lake was like glass. 2.5 hours later we were headed into the inlet at Brewerton. We pulled into Winter Harbor for our 3rd and last fill up on this trip. As last year, diesel had gone up almost 30 cents a gallon since we passed through 2 weeks ago. However, still a great bargain at $2.34 per gallon. We talked to Dave and Jeanne on the VHF, they would head north on the Oswego River today while we headed west towards Buffalo. We said our goodbyes, we will miss them the rest of the trip. After passing through Lock 23, we sat back and enjoyed a nice slow cruise to Baldwinsville, where after passing though lock 24, we arrived at around 2pm. We found a great spot on the wall and took a walk into town to check things out. The town has really come alive since our last visit here, alot of new stores, shops and restaurants. I picked up some gas for our little Honda generator, and Jane picked up a few groceries before we walked back to the boat to enjoy the rest of the day. Day 21, August 25 Destination Newark Check out the pictures in our album of the deep blue skies and fluffy clouds...that was today's trip. Just a great day of cruising, we enjoyed cruising through the Montezuma swamp, through locks 25,26 27 and 28a and 28b. That brought us into our favorite port, Newark at around 2:30pm. Jane and I took a walk into town and picked up some groceries at a new Sav-A-Lot store. We checked out a local restuarant, but decided to eat on the boat. By teh time we returned to the boat at 5, the wall was totally full. This port is becoming popular, make sure you get here early. Day 22, August 26 Destination Spencerport After a light breakfast, we cast off for a leisurely cruise to Spencerport today. Our travels took us through locks 29, 30, 32 and 33. After 33 we will have no more locks until Lockport! Yeah! We passed through Rochester and across the Genesee River. I was suprised when crossing the river when my depth alarm went off. It was less than 6 ft deep! This junction could use some dredging for sure. We arrived in Spencerport at around 2:30. Jane and I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and reading books on the bridge of the Missy. We couldn't believe what great weather we had on this trip! Another sunny and warm day. Around 5pm, our friends Dave and Jeanne joined us for dinner. They had returned home with the Kaleen yesterday. We had a great dinner cooked by Jane and much wine while we spent the evening talking about our great trip together. Day 23, August 27 Destination Middleport Today would be about a 5 hour trip to Middleport. Of course, Mr. Ed's was in order for lunch! Awesome chicken tenders as usual. For dinner we went to the Basket Factory. The place was packed, and we ended up waiting over 1/2 hour even though we had reservations. I had a Mahi-Mahi that was really good, Jane had a sirlion that she said was only so-so. (It think she was spoiled from my materful barbequeing!) Our last night of the trip, we went back to the Missy with full tummies and great memories of a wonderful three weeks aboard. Day 24 August 28 Destination Tonawanda Homeward bound...we left at around 10am and after passing though locks 34 and 35 we pulled into our slip at around 2:30. I hope you enjoyed traveling with us on this trip as much as we did. The Erie Canal and Lake Champlain are both wonderful destinations for a great boating trip. Feel free to check our our photos by clicking on the link at the top of the page Email me if you would like any infomation on cruising New York's great inland waterways... Till next time - boat safe and think summer! -Capt Ron and Lady Jane aboard the Missy |
| 2005 Lake Champlain Trip |