Lake Erie to Lake Ontario

After the one of the worst airline ordeals of my life, I made it NY, albeit substantially sleep-deprived and one day late. Unfortunately, what was to come required a full "battery-charge."

We left Buffalo, NY around 1pm. Strong storms had been dancing around the region all day, and water conditions on Lake Erie were sounded less than ideal. They turned out to be less-than-less-than-ideal. White caps, five-foot waves and the occasional downpour knocked us around all afternoon. We were all soaked thoroughly, and I was on the verge of hypothermia. When we finally docked in Port Colbourne, ON at 8 pm, dry clothes, bathroom breaks and food were heavenly for all of us.

The next morning we made our way to the check-in dock for the Welland Canal. They couldn't take us in for a few hours, so we strolled through the charming Canadian port town of Port Colbourne in search of breakfast. A restaurant called The Galley provided us with delicious perch, eggs and potatoes.

The Welland Canal is a passage from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario (the other option is going over Niagara Falls.) We were going down it because Chris' dad wants his boat to "live" in Northern Lake Ontario. The canal is used primarily for shipping traffic, so our "pleasure craft," as they called it, was last priority. This picture is Chris and I enjoying the beautiful, calm day on Sunday. Our day (and night) included a lot of waiting. The canals include 8 locks, which are a cool piece of engineering to experience.

After the 12 hours in the canal, we motored over and docked in Youngstown at 1:30am. After switching cars and going through customs, we didn't leave Buffalo until 3:30am. No time for Niagara Falls :-( What I forgot to mention is the 5 hour drive that Chris and I had to Saratoga Springs (plus picking up my delayed luggage, plus picking up our dog.) We made it to Saratoga at 9am, and then Chris went to work.

We're both rested up now, and the week is very pleasant. Long day in the park with Eli yesterday, and saw Bruno last night :-D This afternoon and evening will include going down to Troy and Albany to visit USCRI, art exhibits, and an Irish-Mexican bar. We're very excited for this weekend; we'll be canoeing to our campsite on an island in Indian Lake. Indian Lake is said to be gorgeous, it is right in the middle of the Adirondacks, after all!