Friday, July 26: Fairport, NY is a Great Canal Town!

Date:                           July 26, 2013

Day on the Cruise:      102

From:                          Lyons, NY Town Wall
                                       
To:                               Fairport, NY Town Wall

Statute Miles:              25.9 SM

Time:                           4.5 Hrs

Cumulative Miles:       2,189.8 SM

On Board:                  Susan, Chuck, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut


Here we are in Fairport, NY, which is very near Rochester, NY. We are getting closer to Lake Ontario.

On the North wall at Fairport, NY

Fairport is a Canal town that has really taken advantage of being on the waterway. They made a conscious decision to become the model Canal town, and that they have. They took the several blocks of the town that lies along the Canal between two bridges and have redeveloped it into a fantastic area with brick walkways, places to gather and sit, restaurants, and music venues. It reminds us of Kingston, where we stayed for almost three weeks. People are everywhere. This place is alive and vibrant tonight! The wall is lower here and it's much easier to get on and off the boat.

We went into fuel saver mode on the short trip over from Lyons, and with the Locks we went through, we barely averaged 5 miles per hour. It was agonizingly slow, that is for sure.

This is a marina along the Canal

The weather was beautiful again today. It was a little warmer, but temps were comfortable and there was little humidity. The past two days have been a little Fallish to me. Very much appreciated!

Big Canal Corporation dry dock at one of the Locks we went through today

Canal Corporation dry dock

Canal Corporation dry dock

Dry dock at one of the Locks

Canal Corporation tug

View out our front door on a beautiful morning

Canal is narrow in this section

This was the second day of running without the top up. I can't see my iPad screen in the sun so I can't use it for navigating. Everything gets hot in the direct sun. We have to wear hats to keep the sun off our faces and (balding) head. I like riding with the Bimini up much better. We also are reluctant to let Maggie ride on the fly bridge without the top because of the sun and because there are no side curtains to restrain her from jumping or falling. So, she has been riding in the cabin. She still manages to bark frequently which has gotten on my nerves.

We found some lower bridges than the day before on our trip today. One was so low that I went into hard reverse to stop the boat as I ducked below the console. We cleared by a foot or two, but it sure didn't look like we would. Man!

Low bridge, everybody down!

Not much head room!

Mural under a bridge

Newark, NY

Newark, NY

Mural under a bridge in Newark, NY

Narroe section of Canal

Canal boat at a wall

Major highway along the Canal

Straight and narrow with the tow path on the side of the Canal. Where is our mule, "Old Sal"?

We are enjoying being in Fairport. The dock master came by and gave us a huge welcome packet. There is a good walking tour of this old town. The charge for docking here was only $9 and this included power! Such a deal!

We are tied to the wall at Fairport, NY

"Blue Moon" in Fairport, right in front of the famous sloped lift bridge

"Blue Moon" on the wall in Fairpoer, NY

We ate dinner at a local Mexican restaurant a block back from the wall. It is a local place that makes everything there. It was very good, if not a bit different from other Mexican restaurants.

After dinner, we took Maggie on a walk along the wall, crossed a bridge to the other side of the Canal, then back and across another bridge. There were people everywhere tonight downtown along the Canal!

Canal boat coming under the Main Street lift bridge in Fairport

Canal boat that you can rent for a trip along the Erie Canal

View of Fairport along the Erie Canal

We are tied to the wall at Fairport. Note the beautiful hardscape and park along the wall.

Cruise boat at Fairport

The South side of the Canal at Fairport

Cruise boat under the Main Street Bridge

Cruise boat at Fairport

The North wall at Fairport

Looking to the East along the Canal from a bridge in Fairport

Walls at Fairport

North wall at Fairport

Dock master's office in Fairport. Maggie makes a friend.

Decorated boat in Fairport

The monkey

Beautiful evening in Fairport

Looking East along the Canal

At Fairport, we now begin encountering lift bridges. There are something like 15 from here to the end of the Canal. You have to call and get them raised to pass under. The bridge here in Fairport is right behind our boat. It is listed in the Guiness Book of Records as the only lift bridge that is sloped from one side to the other. One side of the Canal is higher than the other and there was no room in the city to account for the elevation change, so they sloped the bridge.

Susan and Maggie on the Bridge

See the bridge sloping down from left to right?

An old bridge

The old bridge

Tomorrow we will go 40 miles to Brockport, NY. We are less than 100 miles from the Western end of the Erie Canal. We have been on the Canal for over a week!

Thanks for Reading!