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Aug. 18, Sylvan Beach to Rome 14 miles
Charlie Carney is on of TOTO’s reps in New England and New York. He had volunteered to help us when we got to Lake Oneida because he has a boat there. He had also warned me about Lake Oneida and the weather problems that can start up quickly. I had also heard from others along the way that the east end of the lake can have three foot waves. Considering we were already losing a day on the 19th when I would have to take a train to New York for a meeting, I decided that we would not try to row across Lake Oneida’s unprotected waters. I am sure that if we waited long enough we could get a day when it would be safe to do it but we cannot afford to wait. We still need to finish 120 miles of canal ahead of us.
So I called Charley and he met us at the marina where he keeps his boat at the east end of the lake and we launched there. He had driven up from his home in Manlius to greet us and take care of the old fellow who was telling me there would be a fee for launching. Charley suggested that he take the keys to our car and have one of his people follow him to wherever we wanted to take out. This is the best favor anyone can do for us!
It was hot and the canal was perfectly straight from there to Lock 23 which was the first lock to lift us up. We rowed right in as the lockmaster had seen us coming. The gates closed and we started to feel the water boil up from the bottom and start us moving up. I was able to keep us in the middle with some short touch up strokes so there was no need to hold on to the slimy rope hanging down the wall. Other boats with engines have to be held near the walls and boaters bring work gloves along to hold these ropes. Small fish could be seen in the turbulent water swimming upstream the easy way.
Several old men were seen fishing near the lock. Charley said there were northern pike and bass in the canal. Back in Baldwinsville we hear that there was an annual carp fishing tournament that attracted carp fishermen from all over the world. I wondered who would travel anywhere to catch a carp but then remembered that I was told in Japan that some of the colorful fish they have in their landscape ponds were worth thousands of dollars! They especially prized the ones with a rising sun on top of their heads.
Lock 22 was only another mile away and again we were able to row right in. This one lifted us over 20 feet. When one rows into the bottom of such a deep hole and the giant black doors close behind you one feels swallowed. The sounds would make good background sound for some spooky video game.
After another six or seven mile stretch along the perfectly straight and hot ditch we decided to take out in Rome and I called Charley to tell him. As we were unloading the boat we saw our car and trailer drive in followed by his car. I was made well aware of how nice it is to “have people”.
We drove to Utica where we will take out next and checked into a nice Hampton Inn where Heather would need to spend the next day by herself when I went to New York. We fell into bed and slept for an hour or two before going to look for dinner. This took almost an hour of driving around Utica looking for an Outback steak house we never found and we ended up across the street at a loud, garish Italian place which turned out to have very good food.
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