June 8 - Lyons, NY

Lyons Town Dock

“Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.” ― Asian Proverb

We had a slow relaxing morning, enjoying our coffee on the flybridge. We're into a slow pace now...stopping at each little town to explore. Our destination today was only nine miles west...the little town of Lyons.

Lyons is nestled alongside the historic Erie Canal, midway between Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes. It was once known as “The Peppermint Capital of the World” due to extensive essential oil production and is regarded as the Peppermint Village. The Erie Canal has run through Lyons since its beginning as Clinton's Ditch, but through the years the canal's location has changed as it evolved and enlarged. The original canal has been covered up and is now part of Canal Street.

We had lunch in town and wandered around enjoying the weather and poking our heads into little antique shops...no new treasures were found. We spent the afternoon taking care of a few maintenance issues that popped up.

Wayne County Courthouse

The streets of historic downtown Lyons

There are dozens of murals in the towns along the Erie Canal that depict the history of the canal and the importance of each community. Here are three we found in Lyons, this one is called Generations. It's located in the Dobbins Drugs building and depicts the three generations of family pharmacists that have run the store. 

I couldn't find the name of this one but the following picture was on the bottom corner and includes a little history.

This one is called Street of Dreams and depict downtown Lyons in 1915

We had several canal boats as neighbors when we first arrived...but by evening they had pulled out for other destinations. 

June 7 - Clyde, NY

Clyde Town Dock

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” ―Marcel Proust

Today was the first time we’ve cruised since we arrived in Cayuga Lake over a year ago, and I finally got to add a new marker to our travel map and info to our travel log...it’s been awhile since I’ve done either one. It sure felt amazing to be back on the water and actually on the move.

We had a cool start for our adventure...we woke up to 49º. It’s been quite cold the last few days...Tuesday we never got out of the 50s. A little cool for June, but I’d rather have this than the heat in Texas right now. After a very cold start, the day warmed up and we had a great run up the lake, through lock 1 of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and through two locks on our way west on the Erie Canal. 

Most of the canal today was in a very rural area of upstate New York, a large section ran along the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. It was very peaceful and we only saw a couple of boats. Tonight we are docked at a free dock on the outskirts of Clyde, next to a pretty park. 

Leaving our marina this morning

A few pictures of the countryside along the lake

Lock 1 of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal

You don't have to own a boat to explore the Erie Canal...you can rent one at Erie Canal Houseboat Rental.

Erie Canal Lock 25...it was in a pretty setting and would have made a good stop for the night, but we weren't quite ready to call it a day.

Typical scenery today

Lock 26...where we had planned to stop for the night, but it just wasn't very appealing, so we moved on.

This is Bridge E-93, the lowest on the Erie Canal. It's reported to be 15'-10". (update...there were several other bridges that were under 15')

Our home for the evening in Clyde

Western Erie Canal Adventure

"Don’t wait for life to come to you, go out there and grab it with both hands and never let it go."

The Erie Canal is part of the New York State Canal System, a 500+mile network of inland waterways that also include the Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca canals. Together, they connect the Hudson River with Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake and Lake Erie via the Niagara River, allowing boats to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the upper Great Lakes. The NYS Canal System is made up of 524 miles of navigation channels, four distinct canals, 57 locks, 17 lift bridges, 13 moveable dams, 41 power houses and 22 guard gates.

A little info on the NYS Canal System (For more info click on the picture to enlarge)

We have done the eastern Erie Canal, the Oswego, the Champlain and part of the Cayuga-Seneca canal...so it just seemed right that we spend a little time on the western Erie Canal. We've heard it's the best section of the Erie with lots of pretty historical towns and villages to explore. Many of these communities provide free docking to visiting boats with power and water, and they are within walking distance of shops, restaurants and other attractions. Hometown hospitality is a hallmark of the canal corridor—lots of friendly lock tenders, harbormasters, and greeters who take pride in carrying on the nearly 200-year-old tradition of welcoming travelers. Our plan is to spend a few weeks traveling west to Buffalo and back to Ithaca...stopping wherever something looks interesting...no real itinerary, no real destination in mind, definitely no hurry.

The New York State Canal System’s exceptional scenery, history, culture, and natural resources earned the waterway and the communities along its shores a Congressional designation as the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in 2000. The entire waterway was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016. It has been in continuous operation since 1825, longer than any other constructed transportation system on the North American continent.

A map of the Western Erie and a few of the towns along the way. 

Fun Facts:

• Start of construction: 1817 in Rome, NY
• Grand Opening of Erie Canal: 1825
• Travel time from Albany to Buffalo in 1825: 5 days
• Travel time from Albany to Buffalo by Stagecoach: 2 weeks
• Length of the original Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo: 363 miles
• Number of locks in 1825: 83
• Number of locks today: 57
• Elevation change from Albany to Buffalo:571'
• Canal dimensions in 1825 Original Erie: 4' deep x 40' wide; locks 90' long
• Canal dimensions in 1862 Enlarged Erie: 7' deep x 70' wide; lock 110' long
• Canal dimensions from 1918- present: 12-23' deep x 120-200' wide; locks 310' long
• Cost to build: $7,143,789
• Number of aqueducts to bypass rivers and streams:18