JACKIE B III Going Loopy

  This is the intersection of the Erie Canal and the Oswego Canal.  The Erie Canal goes to the left and Lake Erie.  The Oswego Canal goes to the right to Lake Ontario.  When we got to the first lock on the Oswego canal they said to tie up and the would let us know when the lock was repaired….Oh NO!!! But the little village of Phoenix was absolutely adorable and friendly beyond measure.   This is Cathy, she runs the Boat Brats program.  The youth in town jump over themselves to help boaters on their docks. The museum which is in the original lock keepers building was fascinating.  Of course he had fantastic views up and down the river. Speaking of fantastic views.  The waterfalls at the dams today were spectacular.  It was difficult to keep tending the lines when we really wanted to be taking in the views. We travelled with two other Looper boats today From now on we are going down hill so the lock chamber begins high and down we go. One of th...

We crossed Oswego Lake from Sylvan Beach to Brewerton. Laying up there for the Fourth of July.  This lake is so big there are islands in the middle, although we could always see the shoreline all the way across. We stayed at the family owned Ess-Kay Yards.  It was so green and friendly. They provided a loaner car for up to 2 hours and they even provided a hammock rest in. Thanks to the loaner car we were able to go to church.  We went to Grace Evangelical Covenant Church .  It was a special time of worship and communion.  We felt quite welcome here, We were able to take our tender all over as our shuttle craft. Some times I drive, some times I am driven😁 This is the sunset from one excursion.  We also went to a restaurant for dinner on this trip. This was our trip out to three mile bay, the local party hangout spot.  The water was very clear.  The bottom was sandy.  But…we saw two snakes…BIG ones, while we were there. The Marina put on a par...

In the morning most of the loopers had moved on except for us. This is what the beach looks like.  They have a a casino that we did not check out. There was also an amusement park that we also did not check out.  But we did go to the beach bar with live music and and a volleyball competition. Mike was able to go kiteboarding.  We also took some dingy rides out to a sandbar and we went paddle boarding up Fish creek, 6 miles+. It was a fun place to hang out. “The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest.”” Exodus 33: 14  

The early morning hours saw 4 boats leaving Little Falls bound for Sylvan Beach. We began the day following the vessel Stardust.  But they took a port tie up while we went starboard.  Suddenly we’re in the lead.   We were the first vessel in and the first vessel out for 8 locks. Here are some shots of the crew following us. It was another beautiful day.  This is some remains of the old Erie Canal and another waterfowl over a dam. The water was so calm when we noticed something swimming across the canal.  It was a fawn! The Erie Canal is truly and engineering marvel .  This section was the straight and narrow I had pictured in my head, views fore and aft of our boat. We arrived in Sylvan Beach.  We had 14 Loopers on our boat for docktails .  Guess who forgot to take a photo. Our Journey  “Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.” ‭‭Titus‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  This is a “Guard Gate” on the Erie Canal.  They protect the locks in the event of a catastrophic failure of one of the dams. Our new friend Carmine travelled with us through 8 locks on this day. I was very impressed that he could do this all by himself. He is only 5 years younger than my Mom. The most intimidating lock so far was lock 17. This is a sluice gate.  It comes down like a guillotine and we went up an impressive 45 feet.  This guard gate protects lock 17.  This was the last lock before Little Falls NY. The Geology here is amazing. This is Moss Island popular with rock climbers. The town is below the level of the canal. It’s almost as if we are coasting along an aqueduct. The photo on the left is the view from where we are tied up for the night.  The rocks below is what we are avoiding by using the canal. there also used to be a 40 foot falls closer to lock 17. Our Journey “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” ‭...