Gemini Loop: Erie Canal

We hung out in Rome for the morning so we could tour Fort Stanwix and look around some before we left.

Before I get into all that, let me make a suggestion. At several points along the Loop there are choices to make as to the route you will take. Steve and I wanted to do what is called the "Lake Champlain route" of the Loop. It is longer than the "Erie Canal route", and Steve was not sure that we would have time to do it and arrive in Chicago at the right time. Our friends on Sweetgrass were game to try the longer route, so we are keeping up with them via their blog. Jerry and Jenny write very well and we thought it might be enjoyable for some of you. Here is a link to their blog if you are interested: sweetgrass

Now back to the Westgate adventure....

We have been on the Mohawk River portion of the Erie up until now. There was a six mile gap between the Mohawk River Basin and the Wood Creek River Basin. In times past, boats and/or cargo would have to be carried across the six miles to continue their journey by water. It was called "Carrying Place", appropriately. This portion of the canal was dug to make transport easier. At each end of the "Carrying Place", a fort was built to protect the waterway. At the Rome end, it was Fort Stanwix.

The original fort was built at least partially during the French and Indian War. The museum at the fort has exhibits that are truly awesome. As you walk up to a large screen, a film immediately begins. It is a dramatization of what happened there, as told by four different people: a rebel colonist, a European woman, a Loyalist trader and an Oneida wisewoman. It is very interesting to hear how this affected each of them. I have to admit that the French and Indian War is not one I had given much thought to, but the undercurrents of revolution were already there. There were six Indian nations in the area, and they had a peaceful alliance with each other. As the war began, they wanted to remain neutral and let the Europeans fight amongst themselves. That became impossible, and each nation had to choose the faction that might give them the best treatment.

The same went for the settlers. Most of them, particularly those who were not English, would have preferred to live their lives and tend their crops. Instead, they were choosing sides as well. The families left on the farm as the men went to fight were often tormented by the other side. Each side viewed the other as traitors.

The fort itself was interesting, because it was a typical wooden fort. It was built originally by the soldiers themselves. They spent long days cutting and dressing trees to create their housing and protection. The current fort is a reproduction, run by the National Park Service. It is set up with representative furniture and fixtures, and has volunteers in period outfits who are happy to tell you about their role at the fort.

We biked around the area, and then went back to the boat to continue on. We had only two locks, and they both went down. Going down is much easier than going up! There are ropes along the sides of the lock, and you grab them as you come in - usually one fore and one aft. I grab the first one, then Steve runs down and grabs the other. When the water comes in to take you up, it can have a strong current to it that will move the boat around - not good when you have other boats around you. You hang on for dear life! (Not all of them are that bad.) Going down, the water doesn't move you around much. You just hold on and gently ride down.

The speed limit from the first lock of the day to Oneida Lake was 5 mph. Agonizingly slow - especially since this part of the canal was basically a "ditch". Things changed rapidly as we neared the lake. Sylvan Beach is where the canal meets the lake, and it was hopping with activity for the holiday weekend. We were just passing through, but we were very careful looking out for other boats.

Out on the lake, the water was full of algae and was "pea soup" green. As we went through the water, it churned up looking like the green slime on Nickelodeon. There were lots of boats on the water, but the lake is about 20 miles long so there was room to spread out. As we got closer to the west side of the lake, the water cleared up and looked normal again. We reached Brewerton, on the western shore, in the afternoon. We will stay here until we pick Rebecca up at the airport Monday. Today Steve plans to wash the boat, and I will put up flags to celebrate Independence Day. Happy 4th, everyone!