Life in the Slow Lane: Navigating the Erie Canal - portable gas grill

The correction took place near the Erie Canal in New York state. Y. —
I put one hand on the solid brass rudder handle, saw the front, and put our ship Seneca at the center of the calm green ribbon along the modern Erie Canal.
The cyclists walked faster than we did because they were down towpath and now it's a bike ride and walking trail.
Even roller skating and joggers passed us in the same direction.
We operate at the fastest speed, at high speed, and move easily at 5 miles an hour.
Just a day ago, I was racing along the New York state highway at 70 metres. p. h.
In a hurry to pick up the canal.
But I found that life on the canal was fast for me.
That means 150-foot wide, 12-foot-
In its heyday, the deep ditch changed New York and the whole country, and ushered in an era of industrial and economic powers.
This means that like the ship was traveling on the canal for nearly 200, it was manipulated through the lock and under the bridge.
This means a view of the backyard in northern New York, sliding through the lawn and pier, through the oversized summer house, and seeing a modest trailer by the water's edge.
This means taxiing through farms, woods and swamps and watching the herons wade through the shoal.
This means exploring the small town along the canal and looking for traces of its past.
Our family took the boat away from five or three.
Day Tour in MacedoniaY.
On a dock east of Rochester
Lake shipping is the largest of several companies that rent yachts on the canal.
The first step is how to operate 42-foot-long, 12-ton craft.
When our coach Matt Christ learned that my wife Sarah and I had no more experience than a canoe, he was not worried.
Operating Seneca is as easy as driving, he said.
But first, he happily reviewed all the things that could go wrong.
Don't run aground on the wrong side of the buoy.
Don't let the boat's rope get stuck with the propeller.
Don't tie the boat to the side of the lock as the water is draining or you will find yourself hanging on the lock wall before the weight of the boat starts to separate it.
He said, "this will end your holiday ahead of time.
"We had a short training session that included courses for docking and passing through locks.
After that, we were alone, west of our floating home.
As promised, the ship is easy to handle.
It helped it not go fast enough and brought us a lot of trouble, and the canal was about as much water as the bathtub.
There are two locks and four suspension bridges (
They must be raised in order to give space for ships to pass)
Along our route, they greatly increased their sense of freshness and history.
When the canal was first built, the lock was one of the wonders of the canal, making it possible to create a navigable waterway on uneven terrain in northern New York. My 11-year-
Max, the old son, soon played the role of a radio operator.
"Lock No. 33, Lock No. 33, this is seneca, asking to pass West," he said to the phone as we approached the first lock.
On our trip to the upper reaches.
This means that the function of the lock is to lift our ship to the water level upstream, about 25 feet higher than the point where we enter the lock.
We drove the car in and the tall gate closed behind us with a metal sound.
Our work is simple: grab the ropes on the side of the lock to prevent the boat from drifting.
The operator then opened a gate and the water climbed up until it raised us nearly three layers.
The canal project began in 1817.
It was completed in 1825, stretching 363 miles from Albany on the Hudson River to Buffalo on Lake Erie.
For the first time, goods can reach the Hudson River quickly by boat from New York City, through the canal, all the way to the Great Lakes and the interior of the country.
It led to prosperity in the north, and the industries, inventions and ideas that emerged near the waterways helped create the modern world: the first factory to build a mechanical harvester (
Brockport in the 1840 s)
For making cheese (Rome, 1851);
Invention of Kodak camera (Rochester, 1888); an early large-
Scale hydropower station (
Niagara Falls, 1895);
The beginning of the women's movement (
Seneca Falls, 1848);
The creation of jelly-O (Le Roy, 1897).
In the first days, the canal was only 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep, and the boat was only pulled by a mule along a towel.
It has been expanded twice over the years, eventually with huge space for modern barges.
Commercial traffic stopped before the medium term.
In 1970 seconds, the canal has become an entertainment waterway that the country has maintained and operated.
On the first day, we arrived at henpike Park in the Greek town, starting from our starting point, about 6 hours of stable driving.
There is no dock in the narrow canal.
Instead, ships will be tied along concrete walls by the water's edge.
We roast the steak on the portable gas grill provided on board, then lie next to the canal in the quiet park and watch the meteor cross the sky.
The Seneca Hotel is spacious and beautiful (Mid-
Lake design and build your own ships)
The apartment has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a shower and a kitchen with a refrigerator and a stovetop.
The table in the kitchen folded up and made a third bed.
Max and our daughter, 8-year-old Emma and 4-year-old Romy like to run a boat while we're driving: It's like having an RV on which you can ride. (
Children wear life jackets when they are on the roof. )
The next morning we had a cruise for about an hour, a short exploration in the town of cerport, then a lunch at Hots on the edge of Barton Park, one of the South Union Streets
They took the Frankfurt people they called "hots" seriously in the west of New York and had a long list of regulars at Barton's store for lunch.
Then we continued to travel west for about an hour and a half to Brockport.
The town is home to the Brockport College and is part of the state university system, which helps to give it a sense of funky, bookish.
There are about 8,300 residents in the town, retaining a large amount of land on the 19 th
The brochure provided by century architecture and pier side visitor center details the hiking.
We walked along the main street and visited the friendly elevator Bridge bookstore.
Then we set out to find a playground.
We found one on Utica and Holly Street)
Walking in the tree
Admire the gardens and old buildings.
From a small Boston whaling boat to a 43-
A minicomputer yacht was pulled up for the night.
There is a lively scene on the side of the canal, boat people trading at sea, local people walking in the evening.
We made dinner on board and then went back to the street for ice cream at the Seaward candy shop.
The store also produces its own chocolate in a strange shape, including bands.
AIDS is almost life.
The size of the revolver and the picture of the Last Supper.
We went East the next day.
I noticed the return trip and I didn't see it on my way out.
One of them is a large embankment, part of the canal is built on a block of Earth, and seven layers are piled up above the surrounding countryside to cross the steep valley.
Early the next morning, we returned to the dock in Macedonia.
So far, we feel like experienced "sailors" like the boatman in the mule --
Power Day claimed.
We are used to the easy-going rhythm of the canal, and we do not want to say goodbye to seneca --
Five miles an hour.
If you list a charter company with a boat rental on nyscanals, The New York State Canal Company's website. gov. Mid-
Lake navigation (800-545-
4318 M, midlakesnav. com)
Rent a boat from May to midOctober.
Prices vary depending on the size of the boat and the length of the trip.
Conventional three
The boat we rented, one of the largest, was charged $1,875 at night.
But last spring, in the middle of the recession, when I booked a trip, the company offered a discount and we agreed on the price of $1,675.
Combined with taxes and $75 in insurance costs, the total amount reached nearly $1,900.
At the park edge Hots, EATBarton, South Union Street, between eastcerport Slayton and Lyell Avenue ,(585)303-4265.
Sea Candy, 7 South Street, Brockport (585)637-
4120, serving ice cream and unusual customizationChocolate.
Correction: September 22, 2009 Friday, there is an article on a map on the Escapes page about boating on the Erie Canal in Le Roy, New JerseyY. , incorrectly.
It is located 30 miles southwest of Rochester, not north of Buffalo.