Today we are making our trek back to home over traveled terrain on the Erie Canal. We will pass many a town that we have stayed at or want to stay at in the future. We set our sights on a small town that we saw that had a cute harbour called Palmyra. We locked through 8 locks with 3 on the Cayuga/Seneca Canal and 5 on the Erie Canal. Aiden is a pro now having taken the crew position at the stern of the boat.
Arriving at Palmyra we are greeted by a volunteer with info on the town. A much larger town than we expected with lots to see and do. The old bridge beside the harbour is now decommissioned as a roadway and offers cyclists and pedestrians with their dogs a path to cross the canal to the towpath on the other side. Therefore the road noise is no longer. It is quite beautiful a spot. We have electric, showers, restrooms, wifi, shops, restaurants, water and a coffee shop within steps of the small harbour. The locals were swimming in the silty water. Apparently, the local kids do swim here. It may look muddy but in reality it is only that, a bit of silt. Besides you eat a bucket of dirt before you die anyway so swimming here could become reality if you are so inclined.
The town experienced a devastating fire on the main downtown closing 5 shops and apartments above. The town has stated that a local entrepreneur is buying the land, making his pizza place larger and offering a small park with an open air atmosphere. Currently the insurance companies involved are working it all out but “Mark” has his approval for his plan which will offer the boater a great space just in town along with the locals.
Tomorrow we have a short day of travel because we want to stop in Pittsford, NY.
