Milkweed pods

All aboard for the Erie express.

Another great day on the Erie Canal.Left the dock at 7:15 with three goals. 1) get fuel, 2) reach lock 24 before dark, and GET FUEL (in case we forgot item 1). The last time I fueled up was in Erie, Pa.

We got fuel at Millers Marina, just before lock 27. The owner asked how much I wanted and I said "all you got". Well he had 129 gallons and sold us 121 of it because he said he didn't want to have to prime his pump. Dave was paranoid about running out of fuel, I assured him by saying "C'mon Dave when has anything ever gone wrong on an adventure with me". Dad was able to talk Dave into staying on board.

The days get pretty long when traveling down a canal at 9.2 MPH. Dad started reminiscing about when he was a kid. "Dick, I remember during the war we used to gather milkweed pods for the military to fill life jackets for our soldiers."

  I researched it on the Internet tonight and sure enough the 2nd paragraph in described how Midwest children gathered milkweed pods for that purpose. The fluff inside the milkweed has a higher insulation than goose down. Spend three days with your Dad on a slow boat and no telling what you might learn.

The only lift bridge that lifted from one side only, all others lifted straight up.



Our Canal Pass, good for 10 days, $50.00.



Dave's paper. Tucker fell asleep reading about the Indians.

Upstate New York Yacht Club.

Dad at work.



Me at work.



Dave pretending to work.

Viaducts from the 1800s.

Cross lake.

One of the nicer homes on the Canal.

The nicer homes' boat dock.

A perfect place to spend the night.

Tucker staring at his supper dish.