Traversing the Trails: Erie Canal

We learned that many folks travel down the Erie Canal as a part of making the 6300 mile trip around the eastern United States called the Great Loop. We thought we'd try a small portion of that trip by renting a small trawler and spending a week on the canal.

CruiseUSA rents a Nimble Nomad which is a shallow draft boat well suited for exploring sheltered waters. It has a 50 HP Honda outboard, kitchen, head (bathroom for landlubbers), heat and air conditioning and comes equipped with everything you need to live aboard.

You leave from Hibiscus Harbor near Union Springs, New York. A typical voyage goes about 150 miles at 6 mph with stops at various towns along the way for food and supplies.

Lots of wood on the inside which gave it a cozy feel

You statrt out heading North on Cayoga Lake. A GPS gives recommended paths to take down the lake.

Julie did well navigating the canal while I took a break for photos

The GPS provided with the boat gives guidelines for the recommended route. You can zoom in and out as needed for added detail or a bigger picture of the route.

Cruise USA suggested we purchase the New York Canal guide and this was most helpful. Think of it as a road map for boats that needs no batteries to work.

The locks all have ropes that dangle from the top. You use these to hold the boat in position while the lock is filling or emptying.

Each town along the way offers docks with tie ups and power. They are smart as this helps their economic development as you often walk into town for supplies or dinner.

Typical sign at the landing showing Points of Interest in the Town

By day this is a couch and at night a filler is put in to make a bed that extends across the aisle

Julie checking our progress along the way

We got to explore the bottom side of many bridges.

Sometimes it was easier and more comfortable to stand and steer for a while

Nice thing about the NOMAD design is you can stand within an enclosed area while handling the locks as opposed to standing on the deck of a boat

Creative painting of the bridge abutments along the way.

Tied up in Fairport for the night. This was a great place to stay.

On our way to the restrooms and shower house

All sorts of boats make the journey along the canal

The Dockmastr in Fairport will meet you and tell you the highlights of the town

Gotta love this boat's name

Fairport at night was quite pretty. We were across the river from a night club and heard some good Frank Sinatra tunes from the entertainer.

We met other canal boats along the way

Pittsford is as far west as we went before turning around for the return trip. Beautiful place to stop

The Fairport dockmaster told us to be sure and get some of the wonderful chocolate milk from the Pittsford Dairy. We did and it was worth the effort

Heading back down the canal

The bridge over the canal in Fairport must rise to give clearance. It is quite the thing to watch

The Erie Canal has been modernized over the years and some older portions are retained for historical purposes. We stopped to check out a section

You can also rent larger canal boats as shown here. These sleep 4 to 6 and are much larger.

It is fun to walk around these turn of the century towns and see the architecture

Cooking on the rear deck was fun

After a week or so you stop at a pump out station and vacuum out the holding tank. These are all along the canal.

Locking thru

Trinity Church outside of Seneca Falls

Seneca Falls is the inspiration for the movie "It's a Wonderful Life". They have a museum dedicated to the movie history

One of my favorite memories of the canal trip was locking thru the two Seneca Falls locks, each with a 25 foot drop, with eight kayaks full of parents and their children. This was the first time the kids were in a lock and we shared their excitement