August 13, Abby Park in Lyons to Mays Point 17.7
We decided to check out the next potential landing site on our way back to Lyons to put in. We drove off the highway on a small gravel road to Oak Orchard Campground where we indeed found a boat ramp. It was going to be our next stop.
We then drove to Abby Park, (used the nice rest room!) and set up the boat to launch into the muddy water of the river that entered the canal at that point. We have seen some pretty bad looking water on this trip! I don’t know why any of the many fishermen we see would want to catch anything that could live in this water. But then I have learned that one does not fish to catch anything. Fishing is an escape activity. Men know what I mean. Boys still dream of catching Moby Dick.
Soon after launching we came to Lock 25. Again we went through solo and feeling pretty good did a two hour stretch without stopping through the Montezuma Wildlife sanctuary. There are lots of ducks and geese and Blue Herons along the canal. Heather has good pictures of them. The canal’s ecosystem seems to have become linear and varies little even when passing through a large marsh. Even in the middle of Rochester what was along the canal was similar to most everywhere else. One can only hear what is beyond the bank of the canal most of the time. Once in a while there is an opening and a train will roar by in view. We keep hoping to be beneath one of the many railroad bridges when they come by but have not timed it right so far.
Miles piled up between rest stops tied to overhanging branches on the shady side of the canal. These rests have become very peaceful interludes in our rowing and give us a quiet close up view of where we are. I have seen huge carp, a fish with a less than aristocratic status; jump at whatever they saw as edible in the muddy water right next to the boat while resting in these special places. The boat has collected many leaves and berries that fall off the branches we have tied to.
We found the muddy river coming in from the port side which signaled the entrance to the Oak Orchard Campground’s harbor. Turning in past several fishermen we slid in to the calm protected place where our row ended.
I called Melissa again since she said she would be glad to drive me back to Lyons. She agreed and we started to pack up. Shortly, however, she called back to say that something had come up and she was sorry but she was not going to be able to do it. We seemed to be stuck! I walked up to the campground’s little store where I laid out my predicament to the fellow behind the counter. He then pointed to another man suggesting he might be free to do it. I negotiated a fee with a fill up of Mr. Renner’s gas tank for him to drive me back to Lyons. I was in luck because we were far away from anywhere. We left Heather to do the rest of the packing and I didn’t return for a long time it seemed. The canal route is much shorter than the land route!
By the time we got back to Waterloo and did our laundry while eating pizza next door to the Laundromat, I was ready to sleep. It had been a very good day on the canal.
