Living
Life in the Past Lane
An Erie
Canal Adventure
The
morning sky streaked red. Still in their pjs the grandchildren, rubbed
the sleep from their eyes, rushed out onto the deck, baited their hooks,
dropped their line, and watched the sun greet the day. Patiently they
waited for that slight tug on the line indicating that, indeed, there
are fish in the Erie Canal. Nearby a great blue heron taunts them by making
the first catch of the day.
Houseboating on the Erie Canal is the perfect multi-generation vacation,
It turns a fun vacation into a learning adventure. You don’t need
your own boat to enjoy life in the “past lane.” Rental houseboats
make it possible for all vacationers to relive the old canal days.
Heading
east from Tonawanda, near Buffalo, NY, there are miles of scenic shoreline
providing plenty of time to become accustomed to operating the boat before
“locking through.” If you can drive a car you can drive a
houseboat. It is impossible to get lost on a canal, and at a maximum of
speed of 5 miles an hour boating in the shallow canal means the potential
problems are minimal. Yet the adventure and learning opportunities are
unsurpassed – for all ages.
Locking
through the historic locks in Lockport is a hands-on lesson in canalling
that young and old will always remember. When the massive water gates
open and all hands are ready, the captain eases the boat into the lock
to a cable on the side of the wall. A crewmember, on our trip it was 13-year
old John, leans out the window and hooks the rope around the cable. When
all is secured, the water gate is closed, the water pumped out, and in
five minutes the boat is 25 feet lower. The rope that slides down the
cable as the boat is lowered is unhooked and the captain motors into the
next lock where the process is repeated. The Lockport locks are unique
on the Erie Canal in that there are two together. It was an early 20th
century upgrade replacing the earlier “flight of five,” the
remains of which can be seen next to the working locks.
We celebrate a successful locking through by taking “shore leave”
to tour the Lockport Cave and take a another boat ride, this time on an
underground river! A new history lesson. We’ve all heard of Thomas
Alva Edison but who has heard of Birdsell Holley. We see one of his many
inventions every day - the fire hydrant. The only person in the United
States who held more patents than Birdsell was his close friend, Thomas
Edison.
The tour starts with a brief history of the canal and locks, then visitors
enter the water tunnel in the side of the hill which looks like a place
where no man, woman or child should go. “Cool! Very cool!”
comment the grandchildren. The Lockport Cave is actually a 12 x 20-foot
man-made hydraulic raceway blasted out of solid rock over 140 years ago.
At one time the water that raced through the tunnel provided power to
three factories. The tour includes a ½-mile underground boat ride.
It is historical. It is educational. It is fun. Truly a unique experience!
Before
heading back to the boat, we learn more about the canal following the
signs on Riley’s Way, a canal walking tour, and at the canal museum
located between the remains of the old “flight of five” and
the current locks.
“Low Bridge, Everyone down” is still an appropriate cry as
almost all canal communities between Lockport and Rochester have at least
one lift-bridge. The lift bridges are too low for our boat, the “Green
Heron,” to pass under so 12-year-old Elizabeth contacts the lift-bridge
operator by radio.
“Green Heron calling Middleport Bridge, requesting eastbound passage.”
A railroad-style gate stops road traffic and bridge is raised. After
we pass Elizabeth radios, “Thank you.”
“You are welcome, Captain. Have a good trip.” And on we go
to the next lift-bridge.
Many
of the canal towns have newly-created canal parks that provide free electrical
and water connections. We tie up late afternoon so there is plenty of
time for a bike ride, fishing, or visiting a local attraction before dinner.
Some of the towns have museum or other attractions. In Holley, a newly
created trail winds through the woods to beautiful waterfalls, and nearby
we watch the salmon struggling to get up stream.
The
days past in timeless relaxation. We spend an hour watching a blue heron
play a game of almost-tag with our boat. Regally perched like a centurion
on the rocky shore he waited until our boat was within 20 feet, then spread
his magnificent wings and glided down to his next sentry post. The green
areas along the canal provide perfect habitat for birds and mammals.
Each
day is a new adventure far from the maddening crowd. Each day is a lesson
in history and nature appreciation. It wasn’t until we neared Rochester
and caught sight of Route 390 bridge with vehicles whizzing by at 60 miles
and hour did we truly realize that “life in the fast lane”
was just a short distance away. For a week we felt we were living life
at perfect speed – five miles an hour. We knew the trip was a huge
success with our grandchildren because they never mentioned the absence
of the telephone, the television, or the computer. Living ”life
in the past lane” houseboating on the Erie Canal is the perfect
vacation for all ages
If you
go:
Canal Princess Charters: (716) 693-2752, www.canalprincess.com
Lockport Caves: www.lockportcave.com
General canal information: www.iloveny.com,
www.nycanal.com
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