Erie Canal: Rome

Our first day going uphill in the locks so that was a bit different. We also went across 30 mile long Lake Oneida which was like a mini ocean. More boats are beginning to appear as we get to Memorial Day weekend. We saw a hand-built boat about 25-28 feet in length with a home port of Wasilla, AK and it was parked at a B&B. I called the number and had a nice chat and learned the history of the boat. It has been around the Great Loop twice and explored thousands of miles of the countries waterways. Very impressive! We finally passed the beer barge we have been hearing about for days. Huge beer storage tanks too big to transport on the highway were being shipped on the Erie! We ended up in Rome, NY and had a well deserved dinner out at a neat place called Coal Charlie's. The Tollhouse Pie with ice cream was "scrump"! We needed to walk off those extra 1000 calories so we made it to Fort Stanwix. We met Major George Bray and learned a lifetime of facts about the French Indian War. It was fascinating and a wonderful experience. We ended up winding our way back to the boat in the dark at 10pm and I was thankful for Google maps and a charged battery on my phone. The dogs were so excited to see us! I was snoring 5 minutes later!








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