Back on the Chartplotter

Back on the chartplotter

I may not have mentioned that shortly after we passed Lyons, NY a 100 miles back the chart plotter went blank since government navigation charts do not exist for the western portion of the canal. We could see our boat traveling on land and, fortunately, the depth gauge still functioned. As we approached Tonawanda and the end of the Erie Canal, we returned to navigation on water – according to the chart. The Tonawandas consist of two sister cities on either side of the canal as it joins the Niagara River.  We stopped here at the western terminus of the canal to visit Niagara Fall State Park. As it happened we parked in front of the city of Tonawanda dock master’s office only to discover our stay would include a free concert – fortunately blasted from the northern bank in the town of North Tonawanda.  This event was quite entertaining as boats began lining the docks the night before the concert – they take these dock parties serious here in the Tonawandas.  The actual event saw the spectators both on water and land swell to crowds of multi-generational and multi-legged fans. I can’t say that either band played my kind of music, but the spectacle was entertaining and blessedly wound down at a decent hour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our trip to the falls was cool and damp – but gladly all the water came from the river and not the clouds.  If you have visited one of the Disneylands you can imagine the “style” of this scenic wonderland. It is rather disconcerting to see the people-mover lines for one of nature’s wonders – it is a tribute to the masses of people that daily visit these natural treasures. While the Maid of the Mist boat trip sprinkled us with a refreshing blast of the falls, our trip down to the Cave of the Winds was the ultimate drenching experience.  The souvenir rain ponchos only kept about a third of our bodies dry so we took advantage of the souvenir sandals to preserve our footwear. Coming from Florida we were in no doubt as to why the top platform is called the Hurricane deck. Sadly the photos do not give you the damp and breezy feel of the experience – crazy, but well worth the wait and free shower. In spite of the people pusher feeling, nature’s beauty won out – probably helped by the sunshine and absence of rain!