Headed east, we spent our first night in a road side rest in Lolo Nat Forest. We were greeted by the sun and a horse group setting out on a trail. Good way to start a boat journey.

Sunrise camped alongside the Mississippi River south of Dubuque, Iowa. River low, fields dieing due to drout.

We love the back roads and stay off the Interstates most of the time.

Finally in the water. The Canal had a leak and they closed just east of Lockport. So we found "Mid Lakes Marina near Masdon, NY. It held 2 C-Dorys in it's 30 boat home goup and the owners group was having a pot luck that night and had us join them. Penny was really glad to get Two Bears in the water. "It ROCKS" she said.

The owner of a steam boat needed to go to the bank in a town about 10 miles away. So, he spent 20 minutes to fired up the boiler, another 20 to launch it (lots of talk with on-lookers). A half hour on the canal. Ten minutes in the bank, 20 minutes getting ice cream cones, and then back to the marina. He knows how to set priorities.

Mid-Lakes marina from Google Earth. Image taken in winter when Eire Canal is "empty" Note the boats shrink wrapped.

Every thing is new to us. Shallow water, warm weather, narrow channels. We love it. After two years of planning we are finally doing it.

Lots of bridges mean a large town. In this case Rochester, NY. We love the design of some of the bridges over the canal, especially the older ones done near turn of the (last) century.

Entering a lock. What we really did not understand was that today's Eire Canal was built as a barge canal near the end of the 1890 & early 1900s.

Guard gate. These close if there is a leak in the canal. It's nice they are there, but you feel you are sticking your neck under a Guillotine as you pass under.

The locks had friendly attendents and lots of signs. No getting lost.

The first two generations of the Eire Canal (1820s & 1850s) were build of hand laid stone and the boats were pulled by horses & mules. This is an abandoned section of the 2nd generation. Note the hand work on the stones still so fine you can't get a card into the cracks.

Lyons, NY. Two Bears is the 2nd boat from the left on the lower floating dock. Many small towns on the western end of the canal provide a low floating dock suitable for small boats. They also often provide power and restroom facilities. In this case we used the fire hall which is the left end of the white building. Being an old volunteer fireman, Chuck had a good time visiting with the volunteers that staff the station.

Newark, NY is probablly most boater's favorite stop. Nice floating dock, power, restrooms w/ shower and laundry, close by resturants. We rode our folding bikes to the state Clock Museum and around town looking at the many painted ladies.

Oswego, NY gave us a mixed package. Here we are about to set out to visit the Fort, the marine museum, do some shopping and some good eats. When we got back the motor would not start. It turned out that a power suppy wire had become disconnected. Chuck found a mechanic at the near by marina who came and found his problem on a Sunday afternoon. Great service at small cost. Sometime we just live right.

Plaque on entrance to Fort Owsego. Pretty good summary of history.

Fairport, NY is quite a tourist town with a lift bridge, a street fair when we were there, and lots of little shops and food places. We spent the night with free power.

Many towns had murals. This one in Lyons, NY.

Lots of water fowl, especially ducks and some were quite insistent that we feed them. We had only been tied up a few minutes when these fellows came for a hand out and were quite indignant when we sent them away. *

"Low bridge, everybody down" is the song we've all learned in grammer school. This is one of the early bridges sold to a farmer when the barge canal was built. A flood damaged it and it was then salvaged by volunteers. It was rebuilt to display the first iron bridge in the world. Note the rocks on the abutment. It was built by heavy equipment by the volunteers. It does not have near the workmanship quality of the old hand done stone work.

Town of Minetto town dock. Power advertised, but not turned on. Orange on bridge behind us is setting sun on under side of bridge.

Many small towns on the western half of the Canal have low docks, restrooms & power either free or a reduced costs.

Town lift bridge in up position. Here, the train tracks were just to the north of the canal, so when a train was going by there was quite a traffic jam. Lots of tourists in town and one of the things to do way take pictures of the boats going under the bridge.

Low bridge - no, we can't get under that. This bridge attendent was having trouble with our name. Is it Too, Two or To Bears?