Al called as he was having breakfast at a Friendly’s in Lockport. After launching at Tonawanda at the beginning of the canal, he rowed 15 miles to Lockport and had to stop at the first lock since it was closed for the night. He spent the night on the dock at the lock, and except for the cold and a few passing showers, slept fairly well. The row was easy – calm water and a trailing wind – and the great thing about rowing so close to land is the impression it gives you that you’re really moving. The locks are huge for someone used to the Canal du Midi; he’s got two to go through at Lockport, then the next one isn’t for 63 miles near Rochester.
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2 comments:
It’s just like my friend Albert to run away from home with his mother in the car. And then row home.
Albert, I think of you now, romantically rowing the canal; cows mooing you on from the fields, boaters marking your path with beer cans. I imagine that by now, 24 hours into your journey, your tough Germanic hide is pebbled with bugbites, now taking on the texture of an official NFL pigskin ball.
I’ve taken the liberty of researching some of your destinations, just to keep you chasing the light. Ahead is Medina, NY, a place where Gov. George Pataki announced construction of the first ethanol plant in the United States.
If that does not interest you, The Great Wall Chinese restaurant is only a hop and a skip from the canal.
Onward, you will find Fairport, described by some as the “jewel” of the Erie Canal. And if cubic zirconium can be considered a jewel, then too can Fairport.
But by then you will be in need of replenishment, and the China King restaurant is only a few steps away where Main Street crosses the canal. Afterwards you can rebuild some muscle mass, or at least some mass, at the Moonlight Creamery.
Then Macedon and Clyde are ready for exploration. And did you know that during the Great Depression Oriskany Falls was the incest capital of America?
And remember, that wherever public works were built with cheap labor, you will find Chinese restaurants.
Onward stout oarsman! The pleasures of Ft. Plain and Fonda await.
A question - what goes better with Chinese food than cheap beer?
Answer - nothing, so don't forget the FX Matts Brewery in Utica. To hell with that new Saranac stuff they're making - after a Utica Club Pilsner, the pull to Herkimer will be a breeze!
By the way, is that Oriskany Falls characterization verifiable, or is it simply longstanding Colgate lore?
CM
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