Palmyra Depot

Today we pulled into the Port of Palmyra and wow is it hot here today. We walked up the wooden dock and grabbed something to eat at the Muddy Waters cafe. 

Melissa and I went to see five museums today, I’m good on the museum trail for a few days now. 

You can never have too many clamps!

These are the boxes that held the letters for the printing presses. 

The items in this photo were from 1940, when the store closed everything just started collecting dust. Many of the products in the original containers still remain in the same containers today. Those eggs are the very same eggs from when the store closed in 1940, omelettes anyone?

I see a woodworking project in this thread spool holder. 

We finished the museums and had to go to Mark’s pizzeria to get something to eat. Melissa had a thimble sized Cobb salad for lunch that was not as sustaining as it should have been. So we ordered a few garlic and parm chicken wings and two of the biggest bottles of water they had. Did I mention it was hot today? We had to wait for fifteen minutes for the wings. It wasn’t a terrible wait, it was blessedly frosty in the pizzaria. Yay! 🥶 Then we had to go back outside! 🥵 

Melissa wanted to go see a house that once was used as a station on the Underground Railroad, so we walked some more. Whew, it’s hot outside! 

This flagpole is awesome, for two reasons. One, it’s really tall and just plain cool. Second, it’s holding up a symbol known around the world for freedom, a chance to build a better life for yourself and your family. It’s our flag, the United States of America, freedom. Isn’t that what everybody really wants, and deserves? I think so. 

We finished the day with a bike ride to the “Crossover Bridge” near lock 29. This is a bridge that was used by the mule drivers and mule tenders to cross over the canal to the tow path on the other side. 

This was the site of the “old Erie Canal” before it was enlarged and moved. 

The original aqueduct. 

These canal boats are available to rent. Wouldn’t it be fun to cruise the Erie Canal by boat? We think so!

Did mention it was hot today? My knee hurts so I’m going down below and turning on the ac. 

Word of the day: Eagle

 Today was one one for the record books. We spotted FIVE, yes five bald eagles on the way to Lyons today. SPECTACULAR!!

We left Baldwinsville this morning bright and early and were treated to a a front row seat at the Erie Canal’s version of the Bald Eagle Exhibit. Those are some truly magnificent birds! We enjoyed their flights along the Seneca River. 

Something doesn’t seem quite fair in this photo. I’m at the helm and she’s in her bathing suit getting some sun. To be honest, she did ask if I wanted to go up there for a turn. Nope, I’d rather drive and watch her get some sun! 😉

We passed a work crew removing a huge tree from the middle of the canal. Yikes, that thing was huge!

We pulled in the the dock at Lyons and enjoyed a nice ride in this little town. We were met by volunteer “greeters” that welcomed us to the town. Bob came by later in the evening and gave us a little bit of  town history. Did you know this sleepy little village was once known as “Mint City” and was a major supplier of peppermint in the US? Very cool indeed! 

After we tied up along the wall and got settled in we took a short ride on the bikes and brought Sophie along for the ride. She loved riding up front with Melissa. Well, at least we think she liked it, she settled into her bag, stuck out her tongue, and watched everything go by while Melissa did all the work. 

We were told about a small trail called “The Trail of Hope” and went to visit. A peaceful place where volunteers take mobility impaired veterans to get them outside. It really looks like a giant garden with wide pathways, to get a wheelchair into. There are vegetable plants everywhere. We started at a place called the Apple Dome. It’s a cluster of apple trees in a large circle with a small path cut through the branches and a bench has been placed in the center of the group. Oh yeah, we picked a couple of the ripe looking apples and they were delicious. Yum!

We went for a walk the next morning and discovered the building where this “essential oil” was extracted and purified.

BOAT is not a word, it’s an acronym

 We left Sylvan Beach at 0535 this morning for the run back to Brewerton to get the vacuum tank (pump) repaired. Melissa had to get on the cabin top to remove some condensation from the windows, Norwex to the rescue! We left early so we could get back and let the engine cool down for a few hours before the mechanic had to crawl back down there. He came back to the boat around 1200 and by 1230 we were fixed and ready to go. I went in to pay the bill and get a couple fittings for another project for the boat. That’s a story for another time. 

So, you may be wondering what this little vacuum pump problem costs. Well, let me just say that the word boat is not really a word, it’s an acronym. You see, BOAT really means Break Out Another Thousand. You think I’m kidding? Imagine the cost of a plumber coming to your house. Got the number in your head?Good, now double it and add a zero. That number puts you in the ballpark for marine toilet repairs. C’est la vie.

Goodbye Brewerton! Hello Baldwinsville!

The Ride here was very cool  check out the bald eagle we saw on the way. Awesome!

The free wall in B’ville has its very own library.

After we settled in we jumped on our bikes and rode about the town looking for crumbs. We settled on a Mexican restaurant on the Seneca River. Yes I know, we live on the water, are vacationing on the water, and we still go to a restaurant on the water. Hey, I grew up in Arizona and they have NO WATER THERE!!!! I like water. Water is good.

Have I mentioned they we really love our new bikes, they’ve really opened up exploring new towns we visit. 😊🚴

Searching for Lemonade

This is where we store “the receptical”. Getting access is kind of like playing Twister with tools and kneeling inches away from a 180 degree engine block the size of a small Volkswagen. Great fun!

The mechanic was knocking on the hull at 0900 sharp, thats promising. Looks like a sunny day today. 😎

We spent the morning working on the vacuum pump and tank and discovered the pump is not pulling down  a vacuum. That’s not good. Parts for our particular vacuum pump were not on hand, it is a 21 year old system after all. They did have what seemed to be around 15 other pumps in stock, just not the one we needed. Go figure. Instead of hovering over the guys shoulder, and I hate it when that happens to me, we played Yahtzee on the lawn with some giant wooden dice our daughter gave to us.

Around 1:00 we got a maintenance update and parts were ordered, that’s good. They’re not coming until tomorrow, that’s bad. So, what’s a feisty young couple to do? We fired up the engine, skipped town, and went to Sylvan Beach on the other side of Oneida Lake in search of lemonade. 🤗🍋

Guess what we discovered? Yup, a sandy beach and we made full use of it! We also suspect that it’s bike week in Sylvan Beach. They were parked along the road and a live band was playing some good ol’ classic rock. 

We grilled some burgers on the boat then went into town to enjoy some music. We stopped by Harpoon Eddie’s for a sunset drink before heading back to the boat. 

It was a great afternoon at a place we’ve never been before. I could do this all the time, yeah, all the time.

Trouble with the head. 🥴

 Why is it that everything works well on a boat all season long until you go on vacation? We started the day in the engine compartment, because that’s where the vacuum tank is for the head (our toilet) and the pump for the domestic water system is located. 

The screen is the filter for our water pump, it just needed a little love, and some cleaning, to get back to normal operation. We’re good to go for the domestic water, now to the address the head issues.

I tried changing a couple of valves and lubricating a seal to no avail. I’ll spare you the rest of the details but it’s still not working the way it is supposed to. So we made a little detour, we went east instead of west at Three Rivers Junction. 

We are in Brewerton at Ess Kay Yards Marina. They were voted the Sponsor of the Year for the Great Loop Cruisers Association last year. We figured they would have the parts we need and we got a bonus, it turns out they have a guy to do the work too. YAY!! 

So, we’re tied up for the night and going to get the work done tomorrow. 

There is a silver lining to terrible toilet troubles, we found a waterfront tavern and tiki bar that’s open on a Monday night and Sonja and Takeya  joined us for dinner. They certainly are a bright light wherever they go. I love those girls!