Mr. Frei in the FINGER LAKE TIMES on July 2

Hello, We had no computer access yesterday, and it is quite late tonight, but we thought you'd enjoy seeing this article that just came out in the FINGER LAKE TIMES.

Also, I continue to add photos to the photoset on flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktylerconk/sets/72157605887017822/

Mr. Frei is at Lock 19 tonight, sleeping in his little pup tent. He did about 34 miles today.

More tomorrow!

Kathy


WEDNESDAY JULY 2, 2008 Last modified: Tuesday, July 1, 2008 6:08 PM CDT

‘All about the journey’

By MIKE MASLANIK/Finger Lakes Times

He doesn’t have a mule named Sal, but Al Freihofer is seeing the Erie Canal the old-fashioned way, by row-boat.

“I’ve always wanted to see the Erie Canal, and what better way to do it than from a boat,” Freihofer, 56, of Baltimore, Md., said, speaking on a cell phone from near Cross Lake, west of Syracuse.

On June 22, Freihofer set out from Buffalo in his 15-foot Adirondack Guide Boat, determined to paddle roughly 360 miles to the Hudson River, near Whitehall in Washington County.

Along the way, he has enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Finger Lakes region from a unique perspective.

“This whole canal system is such a special resource,” he said. “It’s great to be able to see it in slow motion.”

Freihofer’s boat never leaves the water. He spends his nights sleeping in a tent under the stars.

He is especially struck by the friendliness of the lock operators, who happily operate the mechanisms for his small boat and send workers at the next one word of his approach, he said.

This past weekend, Freihofer’s cruise took him to Cayuga Lake State Park in Seneca Falls, where he spent some time at the Morehouse Boat Reunion, a gathering of folks who own vessels built by the now-defunct company.

The trip is mostly for pleasure, he said, a way to clear his mind after another year of teaching eighth-grade English at the Boys’ Latin School of Maryland, a private school in Baltimore. But he’s also raising money to bolster the school’s scholarship fund. Before he left, Freihofer took pledges for the miles that he travels.

This is Freihofer’s second major canoe trip.

Two years ago, he paddled down the Hudson River from his native Troy, Rensselaer County, to Baltimore — about 460 miles — raising about $18,000 for the Boys’ Latin School.

By Freihofer’s estimates, he should make it to his destination by early next week, but he’s in no hurry.

“This is definitely one of those trips that’s all about the journey,” he said.





http://fltimes.com/articles/2008/07/02/news/doc486aade6529bf976758535.txt