Rome NY to Brewerton NY
We left Rome this morning headed West toward Lake Oneida. The plan was to cross the lake and stay in Brewerton at Winter Harbor Marina where we could get access to a courtesy car and do a Walmart run.
The park in Rome on the waterfront is beautiful.
Including a waterfall where the Mohawk River switches from free flowing to Erie Canal. It joins and leaves the canal over and over again until it reaches the Hudson River.
Today we hit our first lock (Lock 21 on the Erie) only a few miles from Rome. Rome is the town where the construction of the Erie canal was started and the idea was hatched. The Erie was a great boom to commerce in middle New York for a long time because it was a shortcut to ship from the ocean to the great lakes and included New York City in the route (making New York critical for transit again at a time things were migrating away).
Dropping in this lock was going down from the highest level of the Erie Canal. Everything is downhill from here to Lake Ontario.
Lock 22 was our 2nd and final lock of the day. Immediately as we left this lock a barge was blocking the channel.
We had to shimmy around it to the right. I like that they picked Maize and Blue for the colors of everything canal related. I'm not sure why, but it was obviously a good choice. Someone with great wisdom was in charge of color palette.
Once we got through the 2nd lock the world changed. No longer did we feel remote and secluded. We entered Lake Oneida at Sylvan Beach. This is a small resort town with a tiny amusement park and lots of beach. The weather wasn't conducive (high 50s, low 60s and windy) so we ventured on. This would be a nice stop .... In July.
Lake Oneida is big. 20 miles across with shoals in it so you have to know where you are. No straight paths.
The waves started out decent (2ft) from the bow so no big deal for our boat. As we crossed the lake (about two hours) the waves diminished because we approached the shore and there was less fetch to build the waves.
This lake feels a lot like Burt Lake or Mullett Lake when you cross it.
Brewerton is a marina town. We made the run south to Cicero to Walmart with the free loaner car they have here. The marina is beautiful and the place is friendly but I've never been in a marina with so many rules.
The courtesy car can't haul oil (new or used). No service of boats on docks that requires placing any parts on the dock. $8 per tank for pump out (often free in marinas). The car can only drive on two roads. Showers $8 for people buying fuel. No disposal of used oil unless you buy the oil from them (and then you have to pay to dispose of it). No doing laundry naked.
Ok that last one is probably a joke but it was on the door (well, I paraphrase. It infered if you don't do laundry you will be naked tomorrow because you will have run out of clothes)
I'm sure the rules exist because they've had issues and want the place kept nice. I thought it silly we couldn't go to the closest Walmart because we had to stay on one road with the courtesy car. Their car though, their rules... We were supposed to fill it up before returning it. We did. It took $2.08. Apparently it was full when we left.... Really full...
We wanted to stay in a marina because it's time to change oil again. I did it, but the used oil is still in the boat. I'll try to drop it at NAPA in Oswego tomorrow night if we can. Napa typically takes used oil for free recycling. There is one very close to one of the free walls in Oswego. Otherwise we will find a place that will take it eventually. (Our marina at home heats the facility with the used oil we pour into their container).
Things are starting to feel more like home...
36 miles today... Mostly straight.
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