A short blog after a long row

Marcy NY – Lock 20, Erie Canal

46 miles

Not much of human interest today, until the end. Up at 5, rowing at 6 to get across 22 miles of open water on Oneida Lake, a shallow lake with a nasty reputation for big waves when the wind blows.

By 7:30, I was in it, big – 4’ rollers, heavy wind and rain … but the wind was from the stern and all I had to do was keep the boat upright, square in to the advancing waves, and surfing straight. The mach meter GPS chimed 8 mph at times … too, too much speed in a guide boat … so my wish yesterday for a following wind today was granted in spades. Completing the crossing in under 4 hours, I collapsed on a dock, ate a bag of Raisinettes, and thanked my lucky stars I was in an Adirondack guide boat.

24 miles of placid canal rowing delivered me to Lock 20 and to the delightful company of Jack Banks, who is 3 months into a circumnavigation of The Great Loop aboard his charmingly salty 21’ Ranger Tug.  He’s blogging too, of course, at travelerswake.blogspot.com, his boat being ‘Traveler.’ Is blogging the new Elvis impersonation?

Jack’s a delightful fellow – worldly wise, widely traveled, and deeply knowledgeable about politics, boats, aircraft, and social justice. We knocked of the better part of a box of wine while we discovered how much we had in common … and while mosquitoes feasted.

    

This afternoon’s 24 miles ‘sprint’ to get to Lock 20 before closing time is a harbinger of the coming week lots of flat, in-line rowing, no open water excitement – just reeling in the miles to Waterford before the run north to Ticonderoga and the final sprint home. My rough calculus suggests 471 miles done, 209 +/- to go. At least I’m getting in shape for the final 100.

Tucking in amid tall grass and high cotton –

Peace, love, and happiness

Dinner at Lock 20

The Erie Canal