May 21, Oswego, NY

Linda handling the lines in our first lock heading west on the Erie Canal

We left Brewerton and Winter Harbor Marina before lunch and start west on the Erie Canal. Weather is still overcast and rainy and the wind is blowing 15-20. Boat feels good as we head through the sparsley populated countryside. We transit 1 lock (and pay a $20 fee for a two day pass) and then, about 10 miles west of Brewerton, we left the Erie Canal and turned north on the Oswego River. Here we transit seven more locks (stepping down each time) in the next 30 miles and end up in downtown Oswego at the Oswego Marina near the entrance to Lake Ontario.

The Erie Canal is pretty rural. Here we leave the canal and turn north toward Oswego

We see some old manufacturing buildings, now abandoned.

The wind blew 15-20 all day and made going through the locks "interesting" as we tried to tie up to the lock walls and the wind tried to move us around. Last two locks we transited, we were joined by two Environmental Police boats and gave them some worries as we were blown around in the locks and came close to their boats several times (but no contact). They were very serious young men (4 in each boat) probably on a training mission. We only saw one other boat all day on the canal. We seem to be early in the boating season. Overnight at the Oswego Marina.

We share the lock with the Environmental Police as we near Oswego.

Cookie and Ted Snyder join us in Oswego and spend the night aboard. They have a car and we are loving it because walking in the cold, wind and rain is not a good idea.

We visit Fort Ontario on the bluff overlooking the Oswego River entrance and check it out from the warmth of our car.

Fort Ontario, protecting the entrance to the Oswego River