Hyde Park, NY to Sylvan Beach, NY to Brewerton, NY
Hyde Park Marina was a convenient stop on the Hudson River, right next to the Culinary Institute. There was not much around, so we went for a walk, hung out on the boat where we saw the Hudson Rowing Club sculling. Oh, did I mention trains on both sides of the river? Many trains?
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| Train Tracks Behind Marina |
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| Sculling |
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| Rob's Perfect Anchorage! |
Thursday, we had a leisurely morning before going to the Culinary Institute of America for lunch. The campus was breath taking, overlooking the Hudson River. We bought pastries at the Apple Pie Cafe prior to having lunch at Ristorante Caterina de' Medici, which was really good. Students run all of the restaurants, and each student learns every aspect of the restaurants' operations. We grilled our waitress with questions about the Institute, and were really impressed by the way it's run and how students present themselves. In addition to the Culinary's regular curriculum, 2-, 3-, and 5-day boot camps are offered for cooking enthusiasts.
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| Culinary Institute |
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| Culinary Institute |
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| Culinary Institute |
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| Culinary Institute |
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| Culinary Institute |
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| This One's For You, Randy! |
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| Culinary Herb Garden |
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| Culinary Institute from the Hudson |
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| Culinary Flower! |
We stayed at Catskill Marina in Catskill, NY, from Thursday, July 7, through Sunday, July 10. Located on Catskill creek, we saw a lot of activity from boaters as well as kayakers. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, with many boaters choosing the area to spend their summers. The location was just across from Hudson, NY, which is a really nice town where many people from New York City have second homes. It was also close to Claverack, where Rachel and Brian have their get-a-way home “Clavershack,” and where we spent the weekend. (Although that's what they call it, it's really a cute, home that they tore down to the studs and renovated, on 3 acres of land). Rachel picked us up, and on the way to her house, we went past the Catamount People's Museum, a large, sculpted cat made out of bark. It was no wonder we couldn't find it on the map! We had dinner at Baba Louie's – a pizza joint with gluten-free pizza! What a treat!
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| Rip Van Winkle Bridge, Catskill, NY |
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| Catamount People's Museum |
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| Catamount People's Museum |
On Saturday, July 9, we went hiked to Highland Falls, and went to the beach on Lake Taghanic... all in preparation for our big night out at the Lebanon Valley Speedway, a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Oh yeah, and I won't forget, it was dollar dog night!
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| Highland Falls |
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| Rob, Rachel and Brian at Highland Falls |
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| Lake Taghanic |
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| Lebanon Valley Speedway |
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| Lebanon Valley Speedway |
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| Missed the Eve of Destruction School Bus Races! |
After brunch at Le Gamin in Hudson, we went back to the boat, walked around Catskill to photograph some of my favorite “Cats,” and had a cookout with Rachel and Brian. We made burgers, corn and potatoes, all on the grill, and they sure were yummy!
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| Rachel Shares an Anniversary Toast with Brian |
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| Kittyland |
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| Catastrophe |
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| Purrency Cat |
We left Catskill Monday morning, July 11, and cruised to Waterford, NY. On our journey, we passed Troy, went through the Troy Lock, tied up for the night on the wall, and anticipated our journey through the Erie Canal. OK, what song comes to mind??? It's been in our heads for days now, with my favorite rendition sung by Bruce Springsteen! And there are only 249 bridges to remind us to sing... low bridge... everybody down!
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| Athens Lighthouse |
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| Troy, NY |
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| Waterford, NY, First Lock on the Erie Canal in Front of Lady Royal |
Through most of the canal, we've stayed in small marinas or tied up on walls, which are generally found before and after locks (35 locks in total). The advantage of the marinas is electricity, which means air conditioning. The canal, so far, consists of nature, the river, locks, bridges and residential areas. Locks range from 7' to 40', and vary in how you tie up to the walls. To traverse the locks, fenders are dropped on the side of the boat, and we hold on to lines or attach a line to a cable or pole. Tuesday, July 12, we tied up at Guy Park in Amsterdam; Wednesday, July 13 we stayed at a nice marina in Little Falls; Thursday, July 14, we stayed at Sylvan Beach, just before Lake Oneida, which was a roll-back-in-time carnival atmosphere, with rides, skeeball, restaurants, and games; and Friday, July 15 we stayed at Ess-Kay Marina in Brewerton, where we used their courtesy car to re-provision.
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Welcome to the Erie Canal!
Lock 2 is the First of a Flight of Five Locks at the Beginning of the Canal |
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| Entering a Lock |
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| Lock Door Closing |
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| Rob In a Lock |
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| Leaving a Lock |
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| Scenery |
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| Scenery |
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| More Scenery |
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| Guy Park |
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Beech-Nut in Canajoharie, NY
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| Erie Canal |
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| Erie Canal |
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| Gate to Lock Lifts Overhead |
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| Lock Door Open |
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| Lock Door Closing |
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| Lock Door Closed |
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| Water Level Raised |
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| Leaving Lock |
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| Little Falls Canal Marina |
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| Marina View |
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| Little Falls |
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| Little Falls Canal |
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| Canal Street Shoppes |
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| Guard Gates Control Water Levels on Canal |
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| Railroad Bridge Just Before Lock |
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| Air Force Practice |
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| Sylvan Beach |
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| Ford Fairlane, Antique Car Show, Sylvan Beach |
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| Sylvan Beach |
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| Sylvan Beach Ride |
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| Skeeball |
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| Full Moon Over Lady Royal – Sylvan Beach |
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| Ess-Kay Marina Sunset |
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| Erie Canal Home |
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| Marina Entrance on Erie Canal |
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| First Sea-Plane Spotted! |
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| Boat House on Erie Canal |
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| Dragon Fly on Lady Royal Windshield |
We are now on the west side of the Erie Canal, with about 5 days left to go before reaching Lake Erie. The last 100 miles replicates what the old canal used to be like. It is narrow, with towpaths on both sides, and small towns along the way.
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