Guns and Roses -- well -- daisies

Friday, June 8

We stayed in Ilion last night again; got up early and did visit the Remington Arms factory. We got a guided tour (eat your heart out Tom Peters!) and learned a great deal about the art and science of gun making. We were not aware that Remington was the oldest gun manufacturer in the country or that they had developed the first successful breech loading rifle. They produce a lot of Model 870s, and it is the most owned gun in the US, including ours!

After the museum, we set sail for Utica, NY, arriving at 1:27 in the afternoon. Tom saddled up and rode back to Ilion for the car. We were glad he got back before the cold front hit. They were forcasting severe thunderstorms with winds up to 70 mph. We doubled the lines, had dinner, turned out the lights and on the oil lamp as we watched the lightning. Luckily the storms passed just north and just south of us.

Saturday, June 9

We got a fairly early start; decided to tie up at the lock wall at lock 21. It has been reported as a very nice, quiet spot. It is a run of about 21 miles.

Lock 21 is the first descending lock we have encountered on the Erie.

You can see the canal ahead of the lock at the lower level.

Arriving at lock 21 there was a New York state tug tied up, but plenty of room for us. The lockmaster, however, told us we couldn't stay and would have to go down to lock 22, where there was a nice wall. Lock 22 has a very short wall and not very inviting, so we pressed on another six miles to Sylvan Beach.

No, this is not the old man of the sea; it's just Father Tom "navigating on the Erie Canal."

There are a lot of restaurants right at the free city wall, but it is a sunny Saturday, and there are also a lot of boats, and we are exposed to the brisk winds right off Lake Oneida. There are so many locals tied up at the wall next to the town that we had to tie up across the canal. We may wait until the wind dies down this evening and the locals go home, then move across . Tom will wait until tomorrow morning to ride his bike the 27 or 28 miles back to Utica and retrieve his car.

The canal we traveled today is beautiful. There are a lot of yellow flag growing everywhere and it is so peaceful and quiet.

Gail had a little trouble "hooking" the line in lock 22. We have been locking in and being floated up. Lock 22 was just the opposite! Ah well, experience will help!

We will be headed for Syracuse soon, and today we heard from Carol Sue. We are anxious to visit with her!!

For the fishermen out there, you might like to know that there is a little boy about five fishing next to us and he just caught a large mouth bass and a yellow perch. He and his grandmother didn't know what to do with them or how to take them off hook, so Gail jumped off the boat and gave a quick lesson. He will be hooked for life. He was soooooo excited!!

Here are a few pictures we were unable to upload earlier.

This is the team of mules that took us down to the river boat, and Gail and Tom boarding this reproduction of an Erie Canal packet boat.

And, last but not least, a whole field of daisies. This one's for you, Sheila.