The weather was gloomy as we headed into the Erie Canal.

We fueled up at the infamous Wardell Boat Yard and then headed east, cruising behind a sailboat with new owners who jokingly referred to us as their “search and rescue” team.

The skies were gray and it rained off and on as we made our way to Middleport. We tied to the wall for the night and helped our sailboat friends get settled. Next morning was still gray as we all continued east.

We saw the sights along the way through rain and mist,

though occasionally skies would brighten a bit.

It was a pretty path between the rain showers.

We enjoyed seeing the cute towns (Medina, Albion, Holley, Brockport, Spencerport) along the way.

We had removed the radar tower and collapsed the Bimini top of our boat to fit under the fixed low bridges in our path. When the bridges could open for us, we sometimes had to wait as a bridge operator drove from one side of town to the other to let us through the bridges on either side of their downtown area.

Pittsford was a fun stop, as usual, and we docked and dined at Aladdin’s, our favorite Greek restaurant. Then we walked to Pittsford Dairy Farms for ice cream and to stock up on some delicious pastries!

The next day we cruised past Fairport and Palmyra.

All along the canal, we traveled through locks. Kathy complained that it always managed to start raining just as she needed to stand on the bow and tend the lines. So Captain Kenton told the lock tenders that we would simply float in the middle of the lock as it descended, since at this point we were the only boat and the locks were calm. (Cue Tom Petty: “And we’re freeee…free floatin’…!”)

Cruising through Fairport and Macedon, we eventually reached Lyons for the night. We docked by two very small but friendly boats and walked up to a local bar for a burger.

A cloudy but pretty path first led us to Clyde,

and eventually to Baldwinsville.

We reached Three Rivers junction, the place we snapped a shaft and lost a prop last year. It was less eventful this year (whew!) and we followed a sunny path to Brewerton, our stop for the night.

In the morning, clouds joined us again as we crossed Oneida Lake to Sylvan Beach.

The skies brightened as we locked through Rome, Whitesboro and Utica.

We spent a day traveling with a couple of slower boats. We were faster reaching each lock, but then sat and waited for the others to catch up before locking through. It slowed our travels and we reached our last lock for the day at 5:05 pm. Unfortunately, the lock had closed at 5:00, so we all tied to the lock wall for the night, had docktails together, and got up with the sunrise so we could lock through as soon as the lock opened.

Then we spent a beautiful, clear day cruising through locks and past trains.

Friendly locals waved from the bridge at Amsterdam. We continued past the Adirondack Power and Light plant and around the Akwesasne Casino as we worked our way to Mohawk Marina for the night.

The next day we headed to Waterford, at the eastern end of the Erie Canal. It was September 11, and there was a memorial celebration that included a large crowd around the lock and a wide variety of boats on display at the wall.

It was a beautiful conclusion to what had started as a rainy, cloudy journey through the Erie Canal!