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Day 213

7/6/2010

Daily stats
Start:              5:00 AM - Sturgeon Point, NY (Sturgeon Pt. Marina)
Finish:             1:00 PM - Lake Erie State Park, NY
Time:              8:00
Daily dist:         25 miles
Total dist:         4000+
Companions:     None
Weather:           Clear, high in low 90‘s, calm very early then breezy, hazy
Notes:               Very, very calm start to the day.

My strategy of early starts to beat the wind worked quite well this morning. Now I’m faced with what to do with the rest of the day when I’m done paddling by 1:00 PM. It wouldn’t be a problem if I was camped somewhere away from civilization but for the next couple of weeks that won’t be the case. State parks and established campgrounds would allow me to set up camp early and laze around for the rest of the day but both cost money. In addition (and more importantly), both private and state campgrounds generally are not worth the trouble involved with securing my kayak and moving my gear up to wherever the camping areas are.

An alternative, which I’m trying today, is to find a comfortable place to hang out during the windiest and hottest part of the day then get back on the water in the early evening to put a few more miles in before “commando” camping on a beach right at dark. When I say “commando” camping I don’t mean I’ll be setting up a tent right in somebody’s back yard. The shore line around here often consists of a cliff with about 100’ of sand and cobble beach below. Most of the homes are perched safely atop the cliff well back from the edge and a tent set up at dark down below would go unnoticed especially if it’s out before dawn which is my plan.

enjoying a mid day break

All that being said, right now I’m hanging out at the Lake Erie State Park after already paddling an eight hour day, cooking lunch/dinner, and reading a book for a half hour. You sure can get a lot done in a day when you get up at 4:00 AM.

Luck was with me this morning after I bid farewell to Phyllis at the marina I was on the water by 5:00 AM. A southeast wind was already up and the predictions called for 10-20 out of the southwest. The offshore breeze lasted for three hours leaving me in relatively calm water as I paddled right next to shore. By 8:00 AM even that little bit of wind died down leaving the water mirror smooth in flat calm winds. By know I’ve been out long enough to know that this kind of good fortune doesn’t last long and that dead calm can mean that the wind is about to shift, which it did. One hour after taking pictures of the flat calm I found myself paddling into a steady, but tolerable, 10mph head wind. Thankfully the early start had me well on my way to my destination and I only had to paddle a few more hours into the wind before calling it a day, at least for now.

a calm start to the day, it pays to get up early

After wrapping up this blog I plan to sneak a shower at the campground and get a bit of a nap before heading back out this afternoon. With luck the wind that’s blowing now will settle down and I’ll be able to make a few more easy miles before dark.

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Day 212

7/5/2010

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Daily Stats
Start: 6:45 AM - Grand Island, NY
Finish: 4:15 PM - Sturgeon Point, NY (Sturgeon Pt. Marina)
Time: 10:30
Daily dist: 26 miles
Total dist: 4000+
Companions: None
Weather: Clear, high inlow 90's windy
Notes: Entered open water of Lake Erie at about 11:39 AM

For the last month as I paddled across the Erie Canal my mind has been on what I would be in for on Lake Erie. Having never paddled any of the great lakes before, I didn’t know quite what to expect beyond the warnings of the few boaters I’d spoken to who had been on the lake. Being fairly shallow and exposed to the prevailing west winds, Lake Erie is famous for getting rough in a hurry. At the same time however, it can calm down almost as fast. It’s calm that I’ve been hoping for but persistent head winds and slower progress that I’ve been mentally preparing for.

After bidding farewell to Jim and Sue this morning I launched back into the Niagara river and paddled upstream about six miles against the fast flowing current and tractor beam pull of the falls downstream. Thankfully, one last lock has been built to help boats around the fastest flowing current in the river. Without that lock raising me the last six feet, it would have been an all day battle fighting my way upstream the last two miles into Lake Erie. The lock had another blessing of depositing me behind the Buffalo breakwater, which gave me another five or six miles of sheltered water to paddle. The sheltered water couldn’t last forever though and at 11:30 I had reached the end of the breakwater and finally headed out into wide open (wind blown and lively… but doable) Lake Erie.

This lighthouse marked the end of sheltered water I'll see on Lake Erie.

Before I committed to the rough water I made a quick phone call to the parents of a gentleman I know (John Jost) through Aqua Adventures out in San Diego. John had told me early last fall that his parents work at a marina about 20 miles SW of Buffalo. If I needed a place to stay in the area he was sure they could help me out. Last night before the fireworks show I had sent a quick e-mail to John asking him if he could alert his parents to me being in their area. Sure enough, by the time I called John’s mom, Phyllis, was pretty much expecting me. We spoke for a moment and laid plans for me to try to reach the marina but if I had to pull off the water early I’d call and let her know.

Lake Erie

It was a rough go in the beginning but after a while the shore line curved enough to allow points of land along the way to block some of the wind and keep the waves down to a tolerable level. After several hours of hugging the shore line and working against the wind I reached the Sturgeon Point Marina. Working the night shift, Phyllis wasn’t due at work until 9:30 PM but after I called her to check in she came right down with a heaping plate of food. After dining on pork chops, corn, and macaroni and cheese, I bid a short term good by to Phyllis when she drove home to catch a nap before she returns later tonight for work.

As though the words didn't say it all.

After spending the balance of the afternoon organizing my maps, I am now sitting on a picnic table watching my first sunset over Lake Erie. What a feeling.

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Day 211 (4th of July)

7/4/2010

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It's already way past my bed time so I have to make this post quick, as tmorrow will bring the beginning of Lake Erie and the Great Lakes leg of this journey.

Today my host Jim graciously took me down to see Niagara Falls which was an experience I shall not soon forget. Seeing the waters of the great lakes squeezing through a comparatively narrow river then cascading over a ledge hundreds of feet high is incredible. Absolutely incredible.

Even the rapids above the falls were impressive.

Although seeing the falls from the observation decks above was a memoriable experience, it pales in comparison to the thrill of riding the Maid of the Mist boat right up to the base of the falls. The thundering noise and "mist"... more like a heavy shower blowing off of the giant wall of falls was worth every dime of the boat ticket (which was actually very cheap) and all the effort it took to get here. What an amazing experience, I highly recommend it.

The Niagara Gorge looking up toward the falls

After touring the falls themselves, Jim and I made our way out for lunch of authentic Buffalo Wings in the very bar/restaurant where they were invented. After lunch we returned to the Niagara River Gorge to investigate the impressive rapids that exist within it's deep walls.

Then later in the evening, after all our running around was done, we drove down to the shore to watch the local firew works show.

It was certainly on of the more memorable 4th of July's I've ever had.

birthplace of Buffalo Wings - pretty darn good

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Day 210 (end of the Erie Canal)

7/3/2010

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Daily stats
Start: 7:15 AM - Lockport, NY (1 mile east)
Finish: 1:30 PM - Grand Island, NY
Time: 6:15
Daily dist: 20 miles
Total dist: 4000+
Companions: Jim Hooper (escorted me the last three miles)
Weather: Clear, high 80‘s, windy
Notes: Reached the end of the Erie Canal at about 12:45
Sorry about the lack luster pics, my camera was acting up again today.

Last night I ended up one mile behind the double lock number 34/35 so there was no going anywhere this morning until the lock opened at 7:00. This gave me a chance to sleep in a bit and plenty of time to get my boat back over the rocky bank of the canal. A couple big arm loads of tree branches that I picked up from where a trimmer had gone through did just the thing to pad the Ikkuma so I could slide it safely back into the water. Once floating I paddled an easy mile to the double lock which shares a door in the middle. The first chamber raises you over 25’ then the middle door opens and you move into the second chamber which raises you almost the same for a total rise of nearly 50’. The locks are the last on the canal and raise boats over the Niagara Escarpment which is the very ridge of rock that creates Niagara Falls. Locking through took a bit longer than normal when the lockmaster discovered that overnight some kids had stolen the light bulbs from an indicator on a gate control valve. A few minutes and a box of light bulbs later the lock raised me up to what is essentially Lake Erie elevation. One more lock is waiting for me on the edge of the Niagara River in Buffalo that will raise me about 6 more feet to bypass some very fast flowing water on the Niagara River.

Ikkuma on a bed of greens - branches to pad it over the rocky bank.

Interestingly at the top of the lock is one of the world’s widest bridges. Spanning the Erie Canal carrying no less than three roads and two parking lots the 399 foot long bridge felt more like a tunnel as I passed beneath it.

This 399' wide bridge seemed more like a tunnel than a bridge.

After paddling on solo for a couple more hours, I met up with Jim Hooper paddling the wooden boat he had described to me on the phone the night before. Jim had offered up some hospitality in the Buffalo area a few weeks back and I was happy to take him up on the offer. Not only does it give me a chance to take one last break before entering the Great Lakes, more importantly it gives me a chance to see Niagara Falls which I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time. Jim and I paddled together along the last mile of the Erie Canal and into the Niagara River and after two days of wondering where all the boat traffic went I found it there. It being a beautiful Saturday of a holiday weekend, the pleasure boaters were out in force. The chaos of all that traffic was quite a switch from the serene calm I’ve seen for the last two weeks on the canal. Despite the lively traffic, it did feel good to finish the canal and be back out on more open water. The enclosed tree lined banks of the canal can start to make a person feel a bit claustrophobic after a while.

The end of the Erie Canal - ask Olympus why the picture looks green.

From the end of the canal, we ran the gauntlet of speed boats across the river to Grand Island where his wife Sue drove down to pick us up. From there we went to their home and, as Jim had warned me, Sue loves to feed people and as soon as we arrived she set about dong just that, which is always OK with me. Before settling in for the evening Jim and I went for a ride to pick up the last of the maps I’ll need to get home and showed me around Buffalo a bit including the very nice waterfront and end of the old Erie Canal.

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Day 209

7/2/2010

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Daily stats
Start: 6:15 AM - Clarkson, NY (between Brockport and Holley)
Finish: 7:00 PM - Lockport, NY (1 mile east)
Time: 12:45
Daily dist: 30 miles
Total dist: 4000+
Companions: None
Weather: Clear, high 80‘s, calm
Notes: Took a nice hour and a half lunch break in Medina.

It was once again a very quiet day on the Erie canal. Even after spending eleven hours on the water, I only saw one other west-bound boat and only a few headed east. A person would have to be crazy to complain about a lack of boat traffic, and I’m not, I’m just beginning to wonder where everybody is. Being the start of a holiday weekend I half expected to see more boats on the water. Just the same the peace and quiet on the canal today was fantastic.

Rooftops at water level

The canal, from Rochester to Lockport runs largely atop embankments piled up to 60 feet above the surrounding countryside. Rather than build dozens more locks to take boats up and down over the hills in the area, the engineers decided to simply elevate the canal to bridge from high spot to high spot. As you paddle along you often can look out at roof tops and the upper branches of trees level to the water you’re paddling. A very interesting spot I found on the map and explored today is where a road actually goes under the canal through a small tunnel. After tying the Ikkuma to the rocks on shore and scrambling down the grassy sides of the embankment I walked through the tunnel and back up the other side… just because you can. About a mile or two further on I stopped in a town called Medina at one of the few low floating docks to be found on the western half of the canal. I had hoped to get a look at a spot where a river actually flows under the canal but the trees that line the river itself blocked the view. The stop was not a total loss, I took the opportunity to have a real lunch at a canal side restaurant which was way better than my usual trail mix and candy bar.

Culvert Road goes under the Erie Canal via this small tunnel

With a belly full of clam chowder and a “monster” burger, I was feeling strong, and when I reached my planned take out for the day I decided to continue on a couple more hours to what I thought would be a good take out just east of Lockport. The marina/boat ramp area I had seen on the map was actually crawling with people (at least now I know where everybody was) so I paddled a bit further on and pulled out at a wide grassy spot along the old tow path (now running/biking path) and set up camp. This will be my last night on the Erie Canal tomorrow (Saturday) I’m meeting up with a local paddler who will be escorting me into the Buffalo area. Sunday will be a day off to tour the town and celebrate the 4th of July.

Last night on the Erie Canal. I'm going to miss the lush green lawns to camp on

3 Comments

Day 208

7/1/2010

4 Comments

Daily stats
Start: 9:00 AM - Pittsford, NY (one mile east of Monday’s take out to use dock)
Finish: 5:30 PM - Clarkson, NY (between Brockport and Holley)
Time: 8:30
Daily dist: 27 miles
Total dist: 4000+
Companions: None
Weather: Clear, high mid 70‘s, a bit windy NNW 10+
Notes: Cathy dropped me off at a park with a nice floating dock about a mile east of where we took out the other day. The overlap was worth it for the dock.

It was another beautiful and strangely quiet day on the canal. In over eight hours of paddling I didn’t see one motor boat heading west, a bunch heading east, but none to the west. Perhaps with the west winds blowing people decided it wasn't worth moving today.

Cathy found a nice dock to drop me off at today.

After getting dropped off by Cathy (who graciously let me borrow her car the last two days) I turned my boat into the canal and into what turned out to be a persistent head wind all day long. Even though the canal was mostly straight all day, it still gave me enough places to hid from the wind and I made pretty good time all day. Just the same, by 5:30 I was plenty ready to end the day and was very happy to make it to the state boat ramp I had seen on the maps. After landing a quick look around revealed yet another great place to camp. At the boat ramp where I landed was a father and his two kids. When they discovered what I was up to they could hardly contain their excitement. Of course I asked them to sign my boat and we posed for a couple quick pictures.

Dylan and Marina took a break from fishing to pose for a picture with their dad.

I didn't even have to get out of the boat to pick raspberries today, they were growing thick right to the waters edge.

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Forward>>

Day 213

Day 212

Day 211 (4th of July)

Day 210 (end of the Erie Canal)

Day 209

Day 208

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Archives

SPONSORS

Aqua Adventures

Seda Kayak

Kokatat

Werner

North Face

Snap Dragon

Nigel Foster Designs

Seal Line

MSR

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