Smith's Falls to Ottawa and Back

A few days ago I was hell bent on doing a blog entry ranting about those power boaters who don't take responsibility for their destructive wake. But I've calmed down a little, and come to accept that it is part of human nature to destroy the things around us in pursuit of our own wants, whether out of ignorance, or just lack of caring. Serena on the other hand is still pretty pissed, that's why I kept her away from the keyboard. One of the episodes found her down below cutting up cabbage for a coleslaw when we got trashed by one of those destructive humans. Luckily, she still has all of her fingers, and most of the coleslaw was still edible. BTW, to all those power boaters who do watch and control your wake, I commend you, and you have my utmost respect and admiration.

As I mentioned in the last entry, the weather had not been cooperating with us, so we decided to book it to Ottawa, get that part of the trip over with so that we could relax a little on the way back through. I mean really, the entire waterway from Smith's Falls to Ottawa looks like the following picture, and other than looking at the odd cottage, there is nothing to do, or to see.

Ottawa on the other hand is really neat from the boat. We've been there several times by car of course, in fact we lived there for 5 years, but taking our own boat through the waterways of the nations capital city was pretty cool. Docking right down town in the heart of the city. Right directly in front of National Defense Headquarters. The same building that 6 years and 10 days ago I walked into first thing in the morning, handed the security guard my military identification card, giving up a life of servitude for a life of freedom. And not once in those 2200 days since have I regretted that decision. In fact I doubt I ever will.

So what does one do in the nations capital. One does tourist things.

We had lunch down on Sparks street, in an open air cafe.

Two days in a row of course.

We visited and took pictures of the now famous sink hole. By the time we got there they had already dump some 300 truck loads of concrete into it, so it was a little less impressive.

One takes naps in the cockpit, but that happens everywhere.

One plays the guitar in the cockpit. I thought about doing it on the street to make a little change, but the guys that were out doing that didn't look like they were making enough to buy coffee. So I did it for me instead of everybody else.

We walked around the Parliment buildings, and looked at the last 8 locks that we were not going to go thru. It takes 2-4 hours to go down, another 2-4 hours to come up, and the poor lock masters have to do all the cranking by hand. It would be nice to say we did the whole system, but that is just way to cruel to the guys out there in the heat cranking those doors and gates open and closed. So we'll live with the shortcoming. 

And the parliment lawn selfie, no tourist trip to Ottawa would be complete without it. I didn't run into Justin while I was there, apparently he was getting his hair done and wasn't available for coffee.

This little fellow a.almost turned us from cat lovers to dog owners. He was a rescue from the Dominican Republic, and very comfortable on the boat. I was walking back from getting some wifi, and I stopped to pet these three dogs that were running around. Then they followed me back to the boat. I wasn't sure at first if they even had an owner, but after awhile some guy on a cell phone followed along behind. I knock on the hull of the boat and asked Serena if my new three friends could come visit, they followed me home.

Apparently this doesn't happen very often where two boats pass in a flight of locks, us going down, them going up. 

On day two of being downtown we kayaked down the Rideau canal then took this little side creek into a residential area. It was preety cool kayaking downtown, under the bridges; we just had a blast.

We just fit under the Pretoria bridge, I mean just......

Coming into the downtown. So neat bringing our boat into Ottawa.

Let's face it though, we are not really tourists, and being around thousands of people all the time, everyday, is not our cup of tea. I had a hard time watching all the people going to and fro, especially the ones in suits. Thoreau said it best when he said that people are living and dieing in a prison of there own making. It is exactly the type of lifestyle that Serena and I have been trying to avoid, and the city is the poster child for it.

So off we went, back down the system, (see the first picture), to Smith's Falls to load up on provisions and go anchor somewhere quiet.

Showering on the boat. PG rated.

Spending time with other boaters in the locks. You meet some nice ones, and some not so nice ones. We try to be one of the nice ones, but some people make it so hard.

Vita back to one six.

Rideau Canal First Impressions

I have to admit, for many many years of longing to travel the Rideau canal system, I really was not prepared for it. We’ve done canals before, in the Trent, and in the US, but the Rideau is completely different. I think it is the only place we have ever been that reminded me of the old canals in Europe, and the only place we’ve ever been that made Vita seem like too much boat!

It is tiny; and shallow. The locks are small, the lifts are small, the cuts and creeks and rivers, are really really small. There were several places where we would not have been able to be side by side with another Bayfield 29. And we have seen in channel depths as low as 5’, smack dab in the middle of where we are supposed to be. But gorgeous, wow, there is no way that I can put into words the profound feeling you get when being surrounded by nature, much of it pristine. Its kind of like the feeling I get when I go for strolls in the woods, just me and nature, and ahhhhhh.

The weather unfortunately hasn’t been the greatest, with a cold front moving down from the north, and the winds driving the chill right into our bones, it hasn’t felt too much like a summer vacation. I only drove for 5 hours yesterday, but I was done, I had nothing left to give. And today we are staying put, tied up against the lock in Smith’s Falls, hiding below waiting for a chance to escape and tour this cute little city, afraid that we might get blown of the concrete pier should we stick out heads out.

Don’t get me wrong, we have had a some great times in the last few days, and the worst day on the water is still better than the best day behind a desk. I’ve included a couple photos with narrative below, and until the sun comes out.

Vita back to one six.

Looks like hard work eh? 

Ahh, the great white fisherman. I set him free, a little too small to fillet. Ironically this is the only perch we have caught so far, I don't know where they are all hiding, but I wouldn't mind a good feed of perch. Just maybe a little bigger than this one.

Serena has found her new adoptive family. I don't think they know it yet, but she is planning to knock on their door at the earliest possibility and let them in on the secret. Lets face it, who doesn't want this water slide in their back yard?

Our friend Jim from the yacht club was super duper kind to us, letting us borrow his two 8' kayaks for the trip. We love them, and have added them to our purchase list for future money that we hope to find under a rock, or pick from a tree at some point. True to form though, fumble fingers (me) dropped half of one of the paddles into the water beside the dock and watched as it went straight to the bottom with no desire to come back up. Why it wanted to escape so bad, I have no idea, I would have treated it well, only gentle strokes. So, long story short, we bought Jim a new paddle, before we even left the dock to start our trip. We are planning on getting a lot more use out of these in the next few weeks.

Yeah, this part wasn't fun, 

The 401 bridge from the Rideau Canal, we've seen this a thousand times from the other direction, always dreaming of being down below. It may seem funny, but from this point of view, there was no desire to be on the Hwy. Which vantage point would you prefer?

Our first lock of the season, or set of locks. These Rideau locks are beautiful, old school, carved rock walls. And easy to traverse. The lock masters let the water out gently, a little bit at a time, so the ride up is like a warm bath with bubbles, relaxing and enjoyable.

I am not sure this picture does it justice, but you can just make out two green markers down the middle, and a red marker on either side. The red marker on the left had abandoned its post and went to visit some of his friends further down the channel. At times like this, common sense is the only thing that keeps the boat from going aground. Its hard to get upset though, the heavy traffic season is going to start soon, so this little red fellow was just trying to get a short vacation in before the big work started. Can't really blame him for that.

Dinner on the boat. We spent some time fishing in the afternoon, right from the lockstation, and manage to wrangle some tasty crappie out from under the dock. The water here is crystal clear, so there is no worry of contamination at this point in the year. We're hoping to find a few more of these in the weeks to come.

Really. Of all the things to see on route. I can't figure out if this is a retired sailor who just couldn't give it up, or a powerboater trying to get one more of those damn sailboats off the water. It is possible that this sailboat has received the coveted Jeep Trail Rated sticker, and is just proving a point, but either way it was good for a chuckle.

And So The Vacation Begins

I’ve been noticing lately that a lot of the things that we do seem to make others around us uneasy. Some are afraid of water, some are afraid of boats, or bad weather, or being trapped in a small concrete, rock and steal room while thousands of gallons of water come rushing in, (a waterway lock). And a whole host of other things, that to us, seem pretty normal, but to others can be truly terrifying.

I was beginning to think I was immune to these phobia’s and fears, but I’m not, I just don’t wear them on my sleeve, and a few days ago we left our yacht club for a summer of cruising Ontario’s canals, and I was sick to my stomach with anxiety and irrational fear. I couldn’t even pinpoint what was really bothering me, but my stomach was tied in knots anyway. Maybe that’s the point, for some reason my brain does not allow me to notice those fears until I am already knee deep in them. As long, of course, that there is no sharply pitched roofs on the waterway, those I know I have issues with. Brrrr, gives me the willies just thinking about it….

Well I needn’t have worried, Vita preformed flawlessly, the weather was beautiful, and Serena and I were in 7^th heaven once again. Anchored in a little bay with just each other for company. Good food, good beer, and good companionship.

The second day was more of the same, only we got the anchor down early in behind Ram Island, in Hay Bay, and had time to try all kinds of stuff. Serena was on the coach roof in a lawn chair, beer in one hand, and a fishing pole in the other before the engine was idled down.

We spent the day kayaking, fishing, swimming, and just chillaxin. It was the reason we wanted to go cruising in the first place.

Day three had us move to Collins Bay Marina in Kingston, to take advantage of the free overnight dockage that our reciprocal agreement with the yacht club allowed. We picked up some marine hardware, some groceries, and went to our favourite restaurant for pasta, the Pasta Shelf. A long hard day that saw us in bed early.

That’s where the blue skies ended. The fourth day saw a bad weather forecast continuing for the next three days; move now, or get stuck. I knew we shouldn’t have stopped in Kingston, but the lure of pasta had my brain not thinking right. The forecast was for 40 km/h winds with gusts to 50. Bullshit, I’ve been in lots of 50 km\h winds (25 knots), and had a great time sailing, this was more like 70 km/h, at least. It was brutal. We got the living crap beat out of us. The few boats that were out were large sailboats with barely scraps of sail up, and they were healed right over. Unfortunately Vita does not currently have a mast, because we are doing the canals this year, and they have a height restriction that does not allow it. So we did not have the wonderful stabilizing effect of the sails to calm the ride. A swell coming off of Lake Ontario, and wind driven waves from another direction made for a terribly confused sea and a very rough ride. There were times we would role and I would swear that the keel was trying to come out of the water, and times when I could watch the bowsprit sink beneath the waves. Only a sailor would take a power boat out in that crap, and Vita is effectively a power boat right now. Add to this rain coming down in sheets so thick it was like a pea soup fog had rolled in. One of these rain squalls hit us as we were trying to enter Kingston Harbour. We had a following sea at that point, thank god, but the Wolf Island ferry was leaving, and two sailboats under sail were headed straight at us. Rules of the road be damned, I knew the ferry wasn’t going to get out of my way, and there was no way those two sailboats were going to be able to avoid me in that mess, so we swung Vita around and back out towards the lake in order to make enough room for everyone. Once all the potential collisions were over with, we headed back into the harbour unmolested, and aimed for the little bridge opening in heavy winds and a following sea. Parts of me didn’t un-pucker until we were shot through the hole under the highway into the relative calm of the waters behind. And so we started the Rideau Canal system, its starting to feel like a vacation now.

Vita back to one six.

640 Day Blog Update

Day 1, It has been a day since I wrote my last blog entry, and I will probably save them up for a bit before I upload them to the blog. I'll keep a simple daily diary, and then update them all at once somewhere down the road.

Day 2. Are you freakin' nuts, its been almost 2 years. just the idea of writing it bores the crap out of me.

Wow, I cannot believe it has been so long since my last entry. Life just eats up time, and rolls along whether you want it to or not. I'll try to give a quick update. We've been out of the loop for a long time, but I need to keep it short, or you'll end up falling asleep on me.

As of the last blog entry we were knee deep in a pile of dirt and building materials, trying to end up with a house. The event took us the better part of a year, with Serena's parents moving into the main house in May of 2015, and us moving into the granny suite in the back of the garage. By that time though, my father was living in our 13' travel trailer in our driveway, after separating from my stepmother, and he needed a place to live. That meant another summer lost to building another house. However, my body was starting to break down, and during the process I managed to blow out my right knee, and spend 5 months suffering the pain of a bad case of tennis elbow. Not to mention that Serena and I being so busy, we had neglected our heath, and in November my Doctor informed me that my blood sugar had moved me into the pre-diabetic range, heading toward all the bad stuff that that usually brings on a person. But I have a boat, and I want to cruise, and being a slave to doctors and medication is not an option for me. So although late in the game, it was time for some real change. Serena and I started to educate ourselves in health and diet, spending the winter of 2015/2016 looking after ourselves, walking, and trying to figure out what a healthy lifestyle looked like to us. As of this week we have moved aboard Vita for the summer, I am officially no longer a pre-diabetic, and we have lost a total of 100 lbs between the two of us. We feel great, and are looking forward to a lot of years of cruising, hiking, travelling, and living life to its absolute fullest. Come with us for the ride.

The Plan:

Going way back our original plan was to sail to the Bahamas and back in a year. And, if we liked it, we were going to take off for an indefinite period of time. We did that, and we loved the life, complete with its ups and downs, but we also realized that we wanted a house here at home. So instead of cruising as an end all, be all, cruising would be a part time life for us. Maybe 6 months out of the year, or longer, or whatever takes our fancy. So we are headed back down to the Caribbean next summer, and we don't know when Vita will be back in Canada. But, she needs a little work before she goes and we need a breather before we are ready. This year will see us travelling the local canals, the Rideau and the Trent Severn, as well as Georgian Bay and the North Channel. And for those who know those areas, access for a sailboat is limited, so Vita will be a power boat this year. It works out well, because the bowsprit is completely rotted out, and needs rebuilding before it will be safe to put up the mast again. I had cut some white oak last year and milled it on the saw mill just for that purpose, but its a winter project; next winters! There are also a list of upgrades and changes that we would like to make, from lessons we learned on the first trip. But for now, we just want to take the summer off, enjoy life on the water, and get to know Vita again.

Vita back to one six.

Where o' Where is Vita

Well. unfortunately she is sitting neglected in her slip at the Yacht Club. She is dirty, the rig isn't tensioned, the sails aren't on her, and if she has feelings, I am positive that she thinks we have left her. Its sad really, but it is hard to build a house and take care of a boat at the same time. Especially when you do all the building yourself.

The good news is that we are going cruising again. We came home to design and build a small house, to give ourselves somewhere to hang our hats when we are at home, and ended giving it to Serena's parents to live in until they no longer wish to. That way owning the house costs us a little less, we have somewhere to call home, and someone looks after our house while we are gone. Because we are going sailing! Reading the blogs of our other friends in Grenada has refueled our desire to make that trip, and we can hardly wait to get back out there. But we also realize that it is important to have a home base, at least for us. We weren't home 6 weeks and Serena had already had surgery to remove her gallbladder. So we realize how important it is to have someplace to recover. BTW, she recovered in a 13' travel trailer, with no running water, no TV, and no electricity. I think she is going to insist on something a little more comfortable next time, but she's a tough ol' broad, I give her that.

But first we have to get this house built, and maybe two, but that's a longer story that will have to wait for another time. Its hard work, and most of the time it is just us two broke back rednecks to get the job done. Right now we are down to one, because Serena threw her back out a couple of days ago. Luckily we have great friends and neighbors that lend us a hand when we need it. Ironically, the couple that bought our last house have been the most helpful. Pierre, at 69, is still full of life and energy, he can be hard to keep up with, and Ginette, his wife is a wonderful lady. She actually made us a couple of delicious meals while we were working late, and is just so friendly, you would almost think we were paying her to be that way. My son comes up and helps on some weekends with the heavy work. And my buddy Ron, my Dad, and anyone else who feels inclined is always willing to give advice, pick up a piece of debris, or try and figure out what the hell we are doing.

I am working on the crawlspace/foundation today. It goes together like big styrofoam lego blocks, and then we fill them with concrete. It is a more expensive system then some, but it is do-it-yourself, provides and incredible insulation value, and goes together really fast. Then next week is floors, waterproofing, backfill, etc...... It stops eventually, but I can't see the end. Below are a couple of photos we've taken while we are here, it has its ups and downs, just like cruising, but its still a lot of fun. Now I got to get back to work.

My new barber. He's not quite as good as his Grandma, but what he gives up in skill, he gives back in enthusiasm. Duke turned 4 yesterday.

This is Megan. She is the cutest little red fox that hung out with us for a few weeks. She would curl up in the driveway and watch us work. She eventually disappeared, as it was time for her to abandon her young to the world. Now we have two of her babies dropping by in the evenings. They aren't as friendly, but being a little scared will probably keep them alive longer. She is just so damn cute.

This is what a hole in the ground, in the woods looks like before you plop a house on it.

Buying the tractor was a god-send. It has saved our backs so much, an keeps the site looking clean. Ok, cleaner....

Here is home. It doesn't look like much, but we have a shower that would rival any cockpit shower, a head, a little trailer, internet (via our extender, and a gracious neighbor), a screened deck to avoid the mosquitoes, barbecue. Well, like I said, kind of like a boat, with more dirt.

One of the things I wanted to do when I bought the tractor, was to take the empty beer cases back to the beer store in redneck style. After saving up 18 cases of empties, which took several days, I took the trip. My friends thought it was hilarious, the girl at the Beerstore never even twitched, she's seen this more times than she cared to admit. But I was just funnin'.

And really, when is comes down to it, does this look any less relaxing than the view from a cockpit in the Bahamas.

Vita back to one six.

Home Isn't Where You Hang Your Hat.....

Home is where the people you care about most hang their's!

And southern Ontario, is home for us.

This will probably be the last blog entry for awhile. With any luck we'll get a small trip in August, just to blow off some steam, and there will be some maintenance entries this fall. But for now it is time to concentrate on putting together a land based home. And as such, I am afraid that this post is going to be short-short.

We left Oswego Canal lock 5 shortly after 7 am on Friday. The lockmaster was a little late for work, so we were slightly delayed, but made good time down through the remainder of the locks. The winds were blowing 20 knots out of the south, and I was a little concerned about heading out into Lake Ontario with that kind of wind, and the mast on the deck. But Serena was gung-ho, and unconcerned. "If its bad, we'll just turn back". It was a good call, because the winds on the lake never climbed over 10 knots, and we had a lovely, if boring 8 hr drive. Must be some kind of funneling effect from the Oswego valley that made the wind speed pick up in the canal. Anyway, we decided to push on to Trenton, as the forecast for Saturday showed 50 km/hr from the west, right on the nose. After weathering a few squalls, some bumpy going, and a 1:30 am pizza craving, we arrived at CFB Trenton Yacht Club, tied up to vistor's dock, had showers, and fell into our bunks.

We spent a lot of time reflecting on our trip as we traveled the last stretch towards home. It is amazing how much we have grown as sailors, and cruisers. How our attitudes have changed towards potential challenges, and hazards. I can remember being concerned about crossing Lake Ontario, anchoring, things that seem simple to me now. I remember being scared shitless of New York Harbor, which on reflection, seems just silly. And we can remember our naive beliefs about cruising, which stand up very little to the act itself.  Have we done something special? No, not really, people do this all the time, and some others make our little 9 month trip look like a stroll through the park. But for us it has been a tremendous opportunity to expand our experiences; and if lives can be measured by their experiences, then ours has just grown by leaps and bounds.

Whats next? Well, that's the big question. Building a house is first. But as far as cruising is concerned, I am sure there are plenty who do not expect us to go again. And there are days I go to bed wanting to sell Vita and move on to something completely different. However, we still love boat life, and there are still so many things that are on our bucket lists that include "Vita", so no doubt she will be in our family for a long time to come. As for cruising itself, I think that Serena and I have found the limits of our abilities, and as long as we keep them in mind, we should be able to cruise for many more years to come. As for gaining experience outside of what we have already done, well, ya just never know... Life is too precious and too short to deal in absolutes........

Almost Home

Yep, its been 13 days since I did a blog update on our travels, because we haven't been travelling, then all of a sudden, after 3 days of no internet we are 6 miles from lake Ontario, and only 18 hours from home. Plus, as an added bonus, tomorrow is looking like a great weather window to cross the lake. With our mast on deck, we need a gentle wind preferably from the south. As if somebody was listening.

We currently sit on the lock wall in Minetto, NY. Not as far as we would have liked to get to today, but apparently the lock workers left all their equipment on the top wall of the next lock, so there is no where for us to tie up. It adds about 45 minutes to our trip tomorrow, but not enough to delay the crossing. The unfortunate part is that we are trapped on the boat. The lock is in the middle of the river, with a spillway on one side, and a power plant on the other. And; of course; the gate to get to shore is locked behind the lock master when he leaves for home. Oh well, it just means we fuel up in Oswego before we hit the lake, and I have enough time to do a blog update.

I had to reread my last post to get an idea of what was going on at the time. We had been stuck in Castleton-on-the-Hudson, mast on deck, and no where to go. Unfortunately, that carried on for far longer than we were comfortable with. After 8 days on a mooring ball, trapped on the boat by bad weather, we moved in front of the mooring field and dropped the hook. The Castleton boat club raised the price on their mooring balls to $25, and unless somebody is dying, we would never pay that much for a ball. Anchoring in the Hudson River was far easier than a lot of other places we have been, so no concern. However, the weather continued to be crappy, and we sat on the boat for another 5 days. We surfed the internet, watched movies, worked on little boat chores, finished up the house design, and basically just tried to keep ourselves from going nuts. One of the other things we started doing, was watching the online, realtime, video displays of the docks at Waterford, NY. Waterford is the start of the Erie Canal system, and the place we were trying to get to. We had called the visitors center a couple of times, and they told us that we couldn't get through the Troy lock until the Erie Canal opened, May 5th. Well, if we couldn't get through the Troy lock on the Hudson River, we couldn't get to Waterford anyway. We watch the docks go in on the 29th, and started to salivate. Then on Thursday the 1st, we noticed on the video, that a sailboat was parked on the dock. A catamaran that had passed us a few days previous. Aha, lets try it. We fueled up, got rid of our garbage, and got a pump out, at the Bost Club that we were no longer paying guests at, and headed up the river to try and get to Waterford. After all, if one boat made, why not two.

It was slow going, fighting the tide and current the whole way, but the Troy Lock let us through. Woohoo, a dock, restaurants, groceries, and beer. We had drank our very last beer the evening before we made the trip, we needed refills. The river current was pretty rough, as you can tell by the picture above, but we wanted through anyway. We are getting much better at handling Vita in bad situations, and she always seems to get us through.

We got to the free dock in Waterford, boat number 3. We visited with the other boaters there, and went to dinner with some new cruising friends. Then off to the grocery store for beer and food. Showers, and then to bed. It was nice to be tied up somewhere different, with land only a step away. Showers, flush toilets, businesses where others will cook your meals for you, and good old fashioned Americana grocery stores. 

How do you make grocery shopping sexy. You fill the cart with beer, and have this guy give you his best come hither look. Or this is just a good picture of a well trained bitch. Either way, Serena made me do it.

Lock spillway. Pretty little town Waterford, the parts that aren't destroyed by poverty.

The second day, being close to land, we donned our shoes and headed out to see the town. Pick up a few more things, and stretched our underused legs. Day three was more of the same, to the point where my knees were screaming in pain, and Serena was yet again laid up with a wrecked back. When will we ever learn.

Vita on the Waterford docks. The docks eventually filled up with boaters, but none of them came near us. The section we were on had no power, and they all wanted their yellow umbilical cords tapped into the nearest plug. That was one of the design criteria for Vita, off grid.

More Canadians waiting for the Canal to open. I don't know why, I am pretty sure they can fly. Oh well, who am I to judge.

One of the other couples we met at Waterford were Scott and Sue, bringing home their new boat, or floating house, whichever you choose to call it. 66 feet long with over 1300 horse power between the two big diesel engines. We helped Scott celebrate his 66th birthday with our friends Rick and Dar from M/V September Dream, their daughter, and her new husband. Out cruising, its all about the people.

The final day there, Serena was laid up. I did some more chores, shopping, water, and remounting her TV. It helps with her sanity, and by default, mine.

But that was it. The lock opened at 7:00 in the morning on May 5th, and we became of a single mind, get through this damn canal system before it shuts down us. The Erie Canal is a beautiful stretch of water, but if your on a mission to get home, it can be the evil reincarnation of Satan.

The first wave through the lock included 2 power boats, two sailboats, including us, and some freakin' moron that shouldn't be allowed to own a boat, let alone a 48 foot motor cruiser. They'll sell these things to anyone. He spent more time drifting around in the lock then going through them. We were the last of the five to enter the first lock, and we were up at the front by the time we got through the fifth lock. As the other boats jockeyed for a position as far away from the idiot as possible. And then when leaving the last lock, his wife asked if they could go ahead of us, because her husband couldn't go as slow as us. I am still not sure if that was mean, or if he just was that useless. Note to those who want to enter a lock in a boat they haven't yet figured out how to handle, wait until you are alone. There is a much less chance of being shot by an irate boater, this is the US after all.

After that we just had the blinders on. We were travelling as fast as we could, for as long as they would let us. The first day was 11 hours, then 10, then 11, then 10 1/2. As long as the locks would let us through. We are tired, but after tomorrow morning we shouldn't have to worry about getting caught in the lock system. Serena did manage to take it easy, despite the locking drills, and she is feeling much better. Its a good thing, because we might actually get home before 2nd lift-in at the Yacht Club, and her services may be required on the crane crew.

Our friends on September Dream. We played leap frog with them a bit in the canals, but they tailed us from Brewerton until the next lock. Stalkers. Just kidding. They promptly passed us after the lock, and then stopped at the next lock for the night while we pushed on. I get the impression that they are in no rush to get home. Can't say as I blame them, but we are headed into the next adventure rather than an old one.

Love this lock, a bridge across the chamber. You don't want to park under this on the way up. On the way down its much easier, read the sign.

Wow, hard to believe we will be back in Canada tomorrow; knock on wood. There are so many things that we are looking forward to; cheese curds, poutine, butter tarts from the butter tart factory, our truck. And of course, all of you, our family and friends. See you soon.

Vita back to one six.