"...I'll get it out of your way, Captain." September, 9, 2012

Since being on the Erie Canal, we have passed dozens of lift bridges. The bridges are all of the same design, with the exception of the one in Fairport, where we spent our last two nights. This bridge was built on a hill, so it slants noticeably. According to the guide book, it is in the Guinness Book of Records because of it's design and it is said that no two angles of the bridge are the same.




Most of the bridges are handled by a "roving operator," which means one person is responsible for two, or sometimes three bridges. After they raise the bridge for a boat, they lower it and hop in their car and drive to the next one and open that one. It seems like a pretty good system. Often they will ask us how far we are going, then call the bridge down the line to let that operator know we are coming. Each time we call on the radio to the bridge when we are approaching and the response is always the same. "Keep coming and I"ll have it out of your way, Captain."

In Fairport, we stocked up on fresh produce at a large farmer's market. We also went to a local bar where the bartender was kind enough to put the Michigan and Michigan State games on for us (in addition to Syracuse which was already playing on the big screen.) The locals were very friendly to us.


Tonight we are tied to the wall in Lyons, NY. The dock is free and it seems like a nice town. When we got here, we walked up the hill and registered at the Fire Station, which is also where the bathrooms and showers are.

So far we have travelled 122 miles on the Erie Canal. We have managed to get through ten locks with a drop in elevation of nearly 200 feet.



We are much more relaxed about the locks and are enjoying rides as the lower us.
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Location:Lyons, NY