Monday, July 8, 2019

We headed to our last stop in New York today. As we left Brewerton at 8:30 AM, we entered our last lock on the Erie Canal, #23, dropping down almost 7 more feet. In about six miles, we reached Three Rivers, NY, where the Oneida, Seneca and Oswego Rivers all meet. Here we turned north on the Oswego Canal on which we spent the rest of the day, dropping down an additional 118.6 ft through 7 locks. (Locks 1-3 and 5-8, there is no lock 4.) Brian, our very observant captain, noticed the small muscles attached to one of the lock walls squirting water! We never realized or noticed this previously, but it was definitely happening. Shortly after getting uncovered by the water, some of the muscles were squirting water up to 6 inches from the wall! May wonders never cease!

By 2:30 pm, just out of the last lock, we were within a half mile of Lake Ontario. As soon as we hit Lake Ontario we were at the Oswego Marina. It was a quiet place on a Monday and we had a quick dinner at the Old City Hall Café (more like a bar & grill) and learned a little more about the area from the owner. It was an interesting conversation about many things including, from his perspective, the Irish Mafia in NY which has been “in charge” of NY since the “war of unification” (the Civil War).

[Note: That is the same war that those in the South called the “war of northern aggression.”]