Riding the Erie Canal Historical Trail

Sunday, September 15, 2013



Yesterday Greg rode 70 miles roundtrip to Lockport and back. The weather was sunny, but cool, perfect for his ride. Check off another Bucket List item! Below are a few photos from his ride along the Erie Canal.

Note from Greg – the wildfowl were plentiful during the migration season and very accustomed to bikers on the towpath. Even the Great Blue Herons would ignore me as I rode by 15 feet away. Of course, there were plentiful ducks, cormorants, and especially, geese, which sometimes made me ride around and between grumpy-looking individuals. I saw one golf course with a tee right against the opposite side of the canal, where four men who were tee-ing off were surrounded by a semicircle of about 200 geese. Instead of a sand trap, they had a goose hazard, especially for walking.

Northernmost Point on the Erie

Looking across the canal at Medina. Standing on the huge aqueduct over Oak Orchard Creek.

Typical Lift Bridge on the canal.

Opening the lower lock at Lockport.

Looking at the Lower Lock from the upper Lock.

Upper Lock

Today we head south toward Maryland. Got to get back home to handle some business and see family!

Following the Seaway Trail

Sunday, September 8, 2013


Friday morning we made a quick trip back to the tire place to have the torque checked, as they requested. Everything was fine. The new tires ride well and feel safer. Big treads! Then we ventured into downtown Burlington. For years I have wanted to visit The City Market, Burlington's co-op. I love the opportunity to visit other co-ops, plus I had some items I can't find elsewhere, and was hungry for them! (Bubbie's, bulk nuts, bulk teas, etc.!) We also thought we'd eat lunch in one of Burlington's great restaurants.

Leaves are starting to change

Our campsite on Grand Island

Looking across Lake Champlain to the Green Mountains

Interesting flowers at the State Park

The best repair shop ever - They had a kitchen and made me corned beef hash and eggs while I waited for my oil change. This Freightliner dealer also had the most expensive oil change ever!

We finally made it downtown. There was nowhere in either their parking lot, or on the streets that we could park, so we drove back out of town. All of the downtown streets were under construction. No good food, no lunch out... We found a Hannaford grocery store way out of town and replenished the perishables. The day before, we found a great farm stand and I overbought produce, as I tend to do when I find really good stuff. At least I had that much.


By then we were both ready to leave Vermont. We've visited there often in recent years, we had considered moving there, so we didn't feel the need to stay longer. We drove north almost to Canada and crossed the bridge over Lake Champlain to Rouses Point, New York. Then we drove west and skirted the Canadian border again.

Crossing the north end of Lake Champlain

By the time we reached Hoganburg and the Mohawk reservation we were ready to stop. The Allstays app that we use on the smartphone to find campgrounds, said there was free parking in the lot of the Akwasasne Mohawk Casino. There may have been a way to park in the lot all night, but they had a paved RV area with hook-ups for $25, so we went into the casino to sign up. After 5 nights of dry camping, we were ready to “treat” ourselves to hook-ups! Years ago we stayed in a casino campground in Mississippi, and they gave us all sorts of freebies and discounts for their buffets, so we thought we might get something. Nada! Oh well, we had a safe spot for the night, security cameras everywhere. But, no wifi! That was a surprise. Maybe there is a way for people to cheat with it. Who knows.

Big casino in the middle of nowhere!

Scenic campsite

Amish on the Mohawk res near the casino

After a night of glorified “Wally World” (WalMart) camping, (blacktop, glaring lights), we left in the gloom. Looked like we would get rain later. We continued until we reached the St. Lawrence and drove south along it until we reached Clayton, near the entry into Lake Ontario. By this time it was raining. After passing several crowded private parks, and one closed state park, we drove into Cedar Point State Park. The woman at the counter was surprised that we didn't have a reservation. What?! It's after Labor Day. We are into the slow season. Well, this campground was almost full! She offered us six sites to chose from. We took the least muddy and signed up for two nights.



We relaxed for the afternoon, Greg watched tennis (Even the Watertown tv station carried the US Open and over the air digital tv gives a great picture). I organized food and planned menus, and I tried to re-group. We have just had the summer of a lifetime! We kept up a busy pace and saw a great deal. Now that we are back in the States we are experiencing a bit of a let-down, like post vacation blues. I have been hoping for some quiet time to process everything, and get some creative work done. I know myself well enough to know that I am overdue for “me time”. That was the plan in Vermont, but it didn't happen. So we are now in a nice campground, and a lot of the campers cleared out today, so maybe we can have some peace and quiet for a few days here. We are due back in Maryland soon and have lots to accomplish there, so we need to be rested and ready.



We wound up spending four nights total at Cedar Point. The rain cleared out and we decided to take the only site left out by the river for the last two nights. We had a view of the water, and several times a day and night, large ocean going ships sailed by. That part of the campground was full, but quiet, with mostly New Yorkers who come there every year at this time. The heat and humidity ramped up after a big thunderstorm rolled through early, in the morning, but we were able to sit outside and watch the river because, there were no biting insects! Greg got in a long bike ride, so he was happy!

Late season spider

30 miles on the bike was enough on a hot humid afternoon.

Our neighbors taught this guy to come onto their table and help himself to peanuts. He posed for us and was disappointed.

After four nights we left and continued driving south along the St. Lawrence and then west where it joins Lake Ontario. We didn't really have a plan, just that we needed someplace with wifi to catch up after not having it for four days. West of Oswego, we found a small private park off the beaten track near Port Bay and the town of Wolcott. Time to regroup with internet access so we could research our options. Greg decided he had a Bucket List item to do, riding his bike along the Erie Canal.



Yesterday morning we unhooked before the rain started and drove towards Rochester. We needed a post office, a food store, and a Bank of America. Bingo! All three were close to each other in Webster east of Rochester. And, the food store was a Wegman's! I spent too much, like I always do at Wegman's, but we enjoyed ourselves finding items we hadn't seen in months in Canada, and had a good Indian meal from the hot bar.



By 3 PM we were ensconced in Red Rock Ponds RV Park in Holley, on the Erie Canal. We had traveled through downtown Rochester and saw the old Kodak complex. There seem to be some buildings occupied, but there are a lot of old, deteriorating, unused industrial buildings, right downtown.



The park we are in for three nights will give Greg a chance to bike both towards Rochester, and to Lockport, his family's old hometown. Today he rode toward Rochester in the rain and drizzle. We are hoping for some better weather tomorrow so he can attempt the roundtrip to Lockport. I got to have fun doing laundry!

Back to the USA!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013


We woke to a VERY quiet campground on Sunday morning after the ending to the 1:30 AM rock concert the night before. A few older people began to wander about looking sleep deprived like us. We were tempted to start banging around and making lots of noise, but being the kind of people we are, we just packed up and left.


We reached the border in 2 km reinforced by breakfast and caffeine. There was a line and we waited about 15 minutes for our turn. The “Welcome to the United States” sign looked good to us. Maybe peace and quiet and sleep awaited? Greg had prepared an EXCEL table of our expenditures from Canada for the things we needed to declare and pay duty on. All we needed was the form to turn in. We had our passports ready.

Lining up for Customs

Two women greeted us from the booth. They wanted to know where we had come from and how long we had been there. They were a bit surprised by how long we were in Canada. “Where did you like the best?” In unison we said, “Newfoundland!” They were surprised. “Did you purchase anything while you were there?” Greg told them about the alcohol, and the motor for his wife's bike, “So she could ride easier.” They both nodded and thought that was a great idea. “Do you have any produce with you?” I replied that we had apples, beets, onions, a few blueberries and a plum, and some tomatoes. “Are the tomatoes cut?” “No, I thought tomatoes were okay to bring in.” “They used to be, but not any more. If you cut them, you can keep them.”



I ran to the back of the camper, grabbed a cutting board and knife, cut each one in half, threw it in a bowl, and handed the bowl to Greg to show them. I didn't want to throw away the rest of my good L'Ile d' Orleans tomatoes! They handed us our passports back and told us to have a great day, and we drove off! They never gave us a duty form or had us pay! Sort of helped to make up for the rough night before. Bye-Bye- Quebec!!!



We pulled into the Vermont Welcome station. The first sound that greeted us as we entered the building was Garrison Keillor presenting a radio broadcast of “A Prairie Home Companion” As we wandered through the brochure racks, we listened to a story about Guy Noire, Private Eye, one of our favorite characters. Suddenly, the small building filled up and everyone was speaking French. I told Greg we must only be dreaming that we are back in the US. We looked outside and there was a tour bus from Quebec in the parking lot! Time to head on. Bye-Bye “Quebeckers”!



Our next stop was a grocery store. We let our groceries dwindle in anticipation of cheaper US prices. Greg kept wandering back with food and beer. “This stuff is so cheap!” Then we filled up with diesel at $1.30 a gallon less than the last fill-up in Canada. We drove west across the northernmost part of Vermont over to Lake Champlain, and then down the chain of islands in the middle of the lake. Stopping on Grand Isle, we entered Grand Isle State Park. We were hoping to get a site, but since it was Labor Day weekend in a state that likes its outdoor recreation, we didn't know what we would find.

Typical Vermont car

There were no hook-ups, but as usual, we were prepared to dry camp. They had a few sites left and they directed us to site 81. The ranger told us we would like it, since it was a bit off the road. We found it and there were other campers cars all over it. We went back to complain and the ranger had to go chase the adjacent campers cars off. The rest of the campground was crowded, but not loud, so we thought it would be fine and certainly quieter than the night before.

Our campsite

Monday morning was overcast with intermittent rain, so campers left early. We had a good night's sleep, and the campground was mostly deserted the rest of the day. Greg took a good bike ride around the island, and we had empty shower rooms to choose from. About 7:30 severe thunderstorms rolled in. We had been watching the black clouds building for the last hour. We knew from the radar that it was crossing the Adirondacks across the lake. We turned out all the lights and watched the storms for an hour and a half. We haven't been in a thunderstorm since last summer. After that we fell asleep and had a restful night.



This morning we woke up to drier, cooler air, after the hot muggy day we had yesterday. Greg decided a long bike ride was in order. I wanted a day to write and contemplate. We thought we would stay two more nights. We commented that now that the kids were back in school, the campgrounds would be quiet and almost empty. Just before he left for his bike ride, I reminded him to stop at the office and pay for two more nights, since we really liked this site.


We saw a car pull into the adjacent site and another on the road. We heard someone say, “They don't have to leave until 11.” Uh-oh! Greg walked to the office to try to sign up for two more nights, and was told that the site was unavailable and a bunch of kids would be camping all around that site. He went to look for another site while I quickly stowed our stuff. I had dishes to wash and put away and things were strewn about after our lazy, quiet morning. In the meantime, the group parked a car and a big yellow rental van in the way and started to unload. Then two school buses showed up and disgorged 100 kids from fifth to eighth grade! We found out later they have 40 adults with them, too! We realized that we would not be able to escape the noise, and they would make a mess of the showers, so we decided to go to the far end of the campground to another large loop, and find a new site. After a lot of looking, there were plenty of empty sites, we chose one near the playground and field with a few shade trees. We wanted to get some sun on the solar panels since we would no longer be in the generator use area.


Fine. Greg went to dump tanks, and I went to the office to pay for two nights. The site was $2 a night more than the other, since it was considered a prime site. That was okay. I paid for two nights and we discussed all the kids, and how we didn't want to be close to them. “Oh,” the ranger said, “Just a heads-up. They are using the playground from 1-4 today!” What!!!! Well, we'd already paid, and Greg was going to go bike riding and miss it, so we stayed. While we were setting up, the kids started walking up from the other end of the campground and taking shortcuts through our site! We were the only camper in the whole area. Seriously, you are going to walk two feet from me, between me and the rig? I put up our folding chairs between the tree and the rig. They squeezed through. I started making comments. Finally one of the parents noticed and told them to go around. Unfortunately, one of the first to cut through was a father. He came through again later while I was sitting in a chair and squeezed between me and the rig. I looked at him and said, “UH..hello!?!”. His only reply was,”How you doing?”

View from our second campsite - We can't get away from the children!

Long story short, they screamed, yelled, played noisy games next to the rig for the next two and one-half hours. During the egg toss it started pouring rain. They were supposed to clean up their eggs. Hope it doesn't start to smell here. I put our chairs under the awning when the rain started. When the rain stopped they started leaving. Right back through the site. One boy just grinned back. He was one of the first ones to walk through before. We thought they had gone. Now they are walking up the road behind us to go to the beach, fishing and playing on the playground. A few have walked through the site, again...Sigh... I really wanted some peace and quiet... I am ready to head to the Adirondacks and find a quiet wilderness spot for a few days. If we are out of contact, you'll know why!


Wednesday morning- About 5:30 PM yesterday a teacher came by and apologized “in advance” for the noise, telling us that they were all going to have dinner next to us and then a campfire on the nearby beach. I told her it had been noisy since 1o'clock and everyone had been cutting through our site all day! She said she would make an announcement later to tell them to stop. So they had dinner, played more noisy games then went to the beach for a while. We at least had quiet to eat our dinner. At 9:30 they all funneled past our site. Greg said it was like a parade with all the lights and noise. They were followed by at least a dozen slow moving cars of the parents who were too lazy to walk to the other end of the campground.


This morning they showed up again, and walked through our site. Sigh...so much for listening to their teacher. They are supposed to leave at noon. A few parents looked sympathetically at us and said that they hoped that wasn't our only night here. My issue is the poor planning on the part of the school and the campground. State Parks are known for their spacious, private, quiet sites. That's why we camp here instead of the “cheek to jowl” crowded private parks. We are willing to forgo hook-ups in order to have a nicer place. The school group is actually camped at the far end of the park. They are doing all their activities at the extreme other end of the park, so they are constantly traipsing back and forth and annoying everyone in the park. This is a big park. Why didn't someone realize that the kids should be camped in the same area they are using for activities? That would have contained them to one area of the park, and allowed for a decent camping experience for everyone else? I wouldn't be quite as upset if we hadn't intentionally moved to this end, because we knew we didn't want to deal with the noise and mess! Plus, we gave up generator privileges and paid more for this site!


Okay, you are saying, get over it. I am looking forward to a quiet afternoon after they leave. I also found an evaluation form for the park, so I have the opportunity to vent to them as well.


They finally left at 1 PM. I cheered as the buses pulled out. Later I walked to the office and had a good chance to vent with the assistant ranger. They were all equally upset, and said that these kids are badly behaved every year. She lives in a house next to the camping area with the kids and had to spend all night telling them to be quiet, and then they started again at 6 AM. Apparently, they reserved through the phone system and didn't go to the section they usually use next to the recreation area. Okay, I felt better after commiserating with her, and the rest of the afternoon was quiet.

Rainbow during sunny downpour

Thursday- Today we left early to get an oil change and new tires. We are back at the state park tonight and will head out in the morning. We hope to go over Lake Champlain, north of the Adirondacks, and then to the St. Lawrence and down towards 1,000 Islands.

Quebec City and South to the Border!

Saturday, August 31, 2013


We are sitting in the rig in Stanstead, Quebec at the Lac Frontiere Campground, two km from the United States border, listening to a band sing “Sweet Home Alabama” in a heavy French accent. The campground is having a cook-out and concert for the Labor Day weekend. The amplified music was unexpected and we are hoping it stops by 11 PM (note from Greg – actual end was 1:30 am), so we can sleep, old folks that we are!


Tomorrow morning we will cross over the border back into the United States. We had a final four days to explore Quebec. We left Sainte-Rose-Du-Nord on Wednesday morning to head to Quebec City. The road on the south side of the fjord became our route after we yet again, missed a turn in the town of Saguenay. We had planned on driving through the mountainous area south of the fjord toward Quebec City. Instead we went back out to the coast, but again, we didn't get to see much of the fjord.

The largest aluminum pyramid in the world - at la Bai de Ha Ha

This tiny town had 330 creches as its claim to fame, probably one for each resident

Mountain pass through the provincial park

Late in the afternoon we came over a hill and saw the city in the distance. Driving along the river we found the Trumel campground. Checking in, we found ourselves one of the few transients, as most of the residents were seasonal, and had put a lot of time and money into decks, woodstoves, grills, plantings, fences and whimsical decorations around their trailers. At night it looked like Christmas with all the strands of lights, especially on the artificial palm trees. It reminded us of a Canadian version of some of the parks in Florida and Texas in winter, also filled with Canadians.

The Quebec skyline

The Shrine of Ste. Anne du Beaupre

French all-terrain RV next to us. I assume they took this to Hudson's Bay, not so great for Old Quebec City

Thursday morning we checked out of the campground and drove over the bridge to Ile d'Orleans, the 20 mile long island in the St. Lawrence River just downstream from Quebec. It has been the “garden” of Quebec for centuries, and now specializes in growing potatoes, leeks and strawberries. I've wanted to go there since I was young. It was supposed to be rural, quaint, and charming with it's farms and traditional Quebec architecture. Well, the houses are there, and some farms, but it was also crowded with vacation homes. It was a bit of a disappointment. We did have lunch in a park at the far end of the island and hiked up an observation tower, which gave us a great view down the St. Lawrence.

The campground canteen

The bridge to Ile d'Orleans

Strawberry farm stand

River Pilot's houses from the early 1800's

Typical village with skill tests for RV drivers

Historic farm house

Bulk freighter heading upriver

The east end of the island

Observation tower

On the shore road on the way back towards the bridge, we stopped at a farm stand and bought produce and a homemade blueberry pie. It was all from the farm across the road. Coming off the island we had planned to visit the Montmorency Falls along the shore road, but road repairs and detours made it impossible to drive there, so we drove around the outskirts of Quebec and across the bridge over the St. Lawrence.

Farm stand

Should have bought two!

Restored farm house

Montmorency Falls- higher than Niagra

We passed the city of Levis and found the Camping de le Fort Martiniere Campground along the river. After a conversation where the owner, who knew some English, managed to assure us that we could take a bus to the ferry, we lucked into the last campsite. Canadians celebrate their Labor Day on the same day as the States. We were hoping we could find a space for us for Thursday and Friday nights.


Friday morning dawned rainy, but by the time we were ready to leave for the city, it had stopped. We walked a kilometer to the #21 bus. We knew it came on the hour and half hour. We arrived just after 10 AM and saw a bus drive away. Oh, well, guess we had a long wait for the next one. Within a few minutes another bus showed up, we got on and were on our way to the ferry dock. Arriving at ferry dock in Levis a short ride later, the ferry was waiting. We paid our fare and got on. A sign said that a TV documentary called “Rendezvous III” was being filmed on board, and by riding on the ferry, we were consenting to be filmed. Pretty loose laws. In the States everyone on board would have to sign a release.


There were several cameras filming riders, who were photographing three gymnasts, who were moving around the end of the boat and climbing on and off the railing while wrapped up in thick blue ropes. The ropes had big balls of trash wrapped in duct tape and tied to the ends of the ropes. It was only a ten minute boat ride and we were more interested in watching Quebec City draw closer as we sailed across the river.

Old Quebec

Acrobats and film crew

We disembarked in the Old Port of the city. We had visited here almost two years ago when we cruised New England and Canada. This time it wasn't as easy to access the city as when we could just walk off the ship! We walked through the Old Port and up the Breakneck Stairs, named for what happens if you are not careful! The newer, old part of the city is up on the bluff. You either walk up the steps, or take the funicular, the elevator that takes you to the front of the famous Chateau Frontenac Hotel.

The Old Port of Quebec and part of the Breakneck Stairs

In front of the hotel is the Dufferin Terrace which is a wide boardwalk along the top of the bluff, overlooking the river and the port. Here we joined a tour of the remains of the old governor's chateaus and fortifications which had been been buried under centuries of rubble and buildings. Our tour guide was part of the crew that did the archeological digs, so he had a passion and great knowledge about the area. We descended below the boardwalk and saw the old fortified wall, the foundations of the chateaus which at this level included the kitchens, pantries, wine cellars and latrines. Our guide had been part of the latrine digs, which were also used as garbage pits, so they yielded a lot of crockery, china, bottles, and other discards. A half million artifacts were recovered.

Historical Archaeology tour

Artifacts from the dig

Kitchen improvements added by the British

We learned the history of the French, then English governors starting with Champlain in the 1600's. We saw cannonballs from the battles and sieges for control of New France. Quebec was a strategic city desired by the French, English, and Americans to enlarge their claims in North America.


After our tour, we walked and climbed along the governor's walk from the end of the Dufferin Terrace, past the Citadel and over to The Plains of Abraham. We rose higher and higher up above the St. Lawrence. We watched a vessel sail past, probably carrying grain out to the North Atlantic. At the top we walked through The Plains of Abraham park. The sun had come out by now and the city residents were enjoying the park; picnicking, sunning, biking and jogging.

Looking down on Old Port

The Boardwalk in front of the Chateau Frontenac- Dufferin Terrace

The Plains of Abraham

We walked two blocks off the park to the Grand Allee' to find a restaurant for lunch. Walking past lots of sidewalk cafe's, we couldn't find a menu to suit us, too many choices! We decided to walk back into the old walled part of the city and return to the creperie where we ate two years ago. The Rue St. Jean is a street lined with shops and cafes. The creperie is very popular, especially with the cruise ship crowd, so we had to wait awhile. When the hostess took us in to the adjoining dining room, we saw that the table we had before was open. Then she showed us to a small table squeezed in between two others. I told her we had been there two years before and sat at the window, and could we have that table again? She said it need to be cleaned up, but she said we could have it. Then I asked her if we could open the window again, too. The big three paneled window swings in and open, and you find yourself sitting along the sidewalk with all the air, sounds, and colorful parade of Quebec's residents and tourists striding by. It was a great place to people watch!

Sidewalk cafes on the Grande Alle

Gate to the Old City

Rue de Ste. Jean

We had wonderful crepes, beer and cider, and thoroughly enjoyed our respite. After lunch we went on a search for a replacement French press for Greg's coffee making. We had no luck until we walked back down the stairs into the Old Port and found a store specializing in kitchenware. Not only did we find what we wanted, we had a young woman who spoke great English and went out of her way to find the press and a new cutting board that I needed. We visited a chocolate shop and then decided to go back to the ferry. The sun was gone, the overcast was back, and it looked like rain was moving in.

Yummy crepes!

Artists set up in an alley

New open top tour buses

Artisan shop chocolate molds

Looking all the way up the cliff from the Old Port to the Chateau Frontenac

Looking back from the ferry

We walked right back on the ferry again and made the quick trip back across the river to Levis. Then we needed to find the #21 bus. The signage was confusing, but finally, as it started to sprinkle, a bus displaying #21 showed up. I wanted to be sure we were on the right bus, so I engaged the driver and showed him the brochure from the campground. No English. I wasn't getting through, so I got out a map of Levis that had the campground marked on it. He recognized the bus stop, since it was at the farthest reach of the line, and I walked my fingers across the map from there to the campground, to show him where we walked. The lightbulb went on. “Yes sir! Yes sir! Yes sir!” We put our money in the till and sat down.


As we drove to the outskirts of the city, everyone got off the bus and we were the only ones left. We finally saw the parking lot where got on in the morning. Good. The driver didn't turn in, and we hadn't pulled the cord because we thought it was the end of the line and he had to turn around. Instead he turned onto another road. I went up front, and when he saw me he said, “Oh, no!” He said something in French, went a little further down the road, turned around in an industrial area and then drove on past the parking lot again. This time he pulled off on the side of the road a little closer to the campground, and let us out before he made a U-turn and headed back to town. He shouted “Merci! Au revoir! Bon soiree'!” We thanked him back and walked back to the campground in a light rain.

This morning, Saturday, it rained during the night, but was clearing a bit at breakfast. We took our time before heading out. Greg took a wrong turn and wound up by Tim Horton's (Greg – not such a “wrong” turn, eh?), so he decided to have his last Tim Horton's coffee before we leave Canada. We drove south towards the US. This part of Quebec is rural and has lots of farms. It was peaceful and green, and dotted with little villages dominated by huge Catholic churches. We decided to stay at the campground a short distance from the border with Vermont. On our way we drove past Bishop's University. It was a pretty campus with a wedding party being photographed on the green lawn near the chapel. We drove to the edge of campus and were greeted on both sides of the road by masses of college students dressed in purple outfits and looking rather inebriated. I guess they were celebrating being back in school.

Heading south along the Chaudier River valley

We found the campground and checked in. We were trying to use up all our Canadian currency. Greg had put $30 of diesel in the rig, and we added $2 American to the Canadian to pay for the site. All gone! We were informed that we could pay to come to the cookout, but we declined, and retreated to the rig.


It is now 12:35 AM and the musician that started singing at 8 PM is still going. He is still amplified and hasn't taken a break. If we had known this music was going to go on so late, we wouldn't have stayed here! We should have been told and given a choice. Obviously, everyone else here came for the food and entertainment.


Tomorrow we cross back to the States! Vermont here we come!