As we traveled south on the C&S we noticed a very gradual increase in the height of the eastern bank. It continues to rise to form the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake, turning into high bluffs about a mile past the lock.
By contrast, the western bank remained low. We were riding along the eastern edge of the Montezuma Swamp.
We slowed our speed as a courtesy to the owners of the boat docks. We hadn’t seen boats at private docks for miles.
The Village of Cayuga is actually a mile and a half farther south, but everyone refers to it when they talk about the junction of the CS Canal and the northern shore of Cayuga Lake. We planned to venture out onto the lake in the next day or two, but for now we needed to get to Seneca Falls, our destination for the night.
The turn onto the Seneca River is populated by a number of red buoys that seemed to be placed at random. As we got closer, we saw that one of them was a green-over-red junction buoy, and a lone green buoy (not seen in this photo) marks the south side of the river channel.
The dredging operation was for channel depth, but weed control is also an ongoing task in this area. Immediately after we made the turn the port prop became fouled on some weeds, causing a nasty vibration. The rudder was probably dragging a bundle as well, but there was no drag on the wheel because No Losses has hydraulic steering. I shifted into reverse and gunned the engine a couple of times to clear the prop and rudder. Fortunately it was successful.
The south bank is lined with cottages and boat docks. I smiled when I saw them. It reminded me of the fun I had as a kid when my family would rent a vacation cottage for a week or two every summer.
The north shore is an uninhabited, natural, incredibly beautiful swamp. I fully expected to see an alligator, but Mia informed me that they don’t live this far north.
It would be at least another hour before we could tie up for the night in Seneca Falls. We were hungry. Fender T. Dog had was itching to get off the boat. For just this once, the destination wasn’t the boat. We couldn’t wait to get to Seneca Falls.
Coming around the bend and seeing the water management structure at the east end of Van Cleef Lake was the light at the end of the tunnel! We were now only minutes from the docks at Seneca Falls!
Fender T. Dog could sense it too. He was dancing! (Or, maybe he was dancing because his bladder was close to bursting!)
Locks CS2 and CS3 are back-to-back with a total rise of 49 feet. The lock operator had it all set for us and was opening the gates as we approached. Still, it was the longest ten minutes of the trip so far.
We arrived to find the docks with power completely full. One boat, a 29-footer from Maryland, had tied her lines to the wall 20 feet fore and aft to ward off any close neighbors. She was consuming 70 feet of prime dock space. We asked them to move, and they refused. We called the Harbormaster, who made them move forward. The woman yelled, as she was tying the lines: “We’re from the Chesapeake. If you pulled that crap on anyone down there you would have been shot!” I smiled and waved at her. It takes all kinds, but this was the first time we’d seen that kind on a boat. Most boaters are extremely nice, helpful, and accommodating. These people seemed to be mad at the world.
With that and a doggy walk behind us, we settled in for the night. Note to self: Call the Lock Operator who told us we’d be in Seneca Falls by 4 p.m. and let him know the trip was nearly four hours longer.
Mia was still sleeping when Fender T. Dog and I got back from his morning constitutional. I stealthed to the galley and had a look at the used coffee grounds in the garbage pail. They were still intact in the coffeemaker’s used filter, and except for a few chunks of uneaten dog food they were mostly uncontaminated. For a few seconds I wondered if they would yield just one more cup. Fortunately common sense won out over the caffeine monkey. I decided to see if there was a store within walking distance.
I met a local on the dock who told me there was a supermarket five miles away, and convenience store about a mile away. However, he said the breakfast joint on the main drag served coffee to go. He pointed to the rear entrance. It was fifty feet away.
When I returned with four large to-go cups ($5 including $1 tip) Mia was up. Interestingly, she was looking in the garbage pail.
The coffee was actually pretty good, which belied the condition of the rear entrance and the convoluted path upstairs to the main (street) level.
I told her about the little restaurant: As I waited at the counter for coffee I noticed a sign on the wall: “Best Breakfast In Town!”. We decided to see if that was true. After four cups of coffee and a military Triple-S (to which Mia finally admitted on behalf of all women), we went to breakfast.
I’ve always loved small-town breakfast joints. The kind of place where you have to wipe the silverware with napkins that rip apart as you pull them from the side of a spring-loaded black metal dispenser. Where you have to scrape the crystallized sugar off the stainless steel top of its glass jar before it will yield a stream of sweetness into a bottomless cup of coffee.
The kind of place that still has a coin-op Wall-O-Matic tableside jukebox at every booth.
It’s not about the food. The food is adequately edible. The real treat is to take in all of the surroundings — The blended aromas of bacon, coffee, and something burning on the griddle. The regulars who meet every morning at 9 a.m. and drink coffee at the counter for two hours while they argue about politics, sports, and the weather forecast. The short-order cook behind the counter who wears the same tee-shirt everyday, and launders it once a week whether it needs it or not.
The joint in Seneca Falls is that place. It’s been there forever under several different owners and several different names. The first time we were there (2011) it was called Jeremy’s, named for the new owner’s 10-year-old son.
We got back aboard No Losses around 11:45, and the decision to cancel our trip to Cayuga Lake was made for us. NOAA Weather Radio had a severe T-storm watch for the entire area, coming from the west and due to hit Seneca Falls at noon.
The skies were ominous, and the winds picked up in a hurry. NOAA reported gusts of 60mph! I added some fenders and dock lines and stowed anything that could blow away.
Around noon a most amazing thing happened: The approaching clouds — which carried hail, lightning, damaging winds, and ear-shattering thunder — split into two cells and passed by to the north and south of Seneca Harbor. Although the winds were heavy at times, we could have caught rays in the narrow band of blue sky that was directly above us. After 20 minutes the storms had moved on and the clouds gave way to clear skies, but the wind was still too strong for a trip to the lake.
We decided to go into town, continue our quest for coffee, and take in some of the local attractions. Seneca Falls is the birthplace of Women’s Rights. It is the model on which the town of Bedford Falls was patterned for the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. The town also has an important place in the history of New York state’s waterways. All three are remembered with separate museums.
We figured the pharmacy had to sell coffee. They had racks of laundry detergent, a rack of snacks, and for some reason, a wall of sporting goods. But no coffee.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing, talking, and just enjoying each others’ company. Tomorrow we planned to set out early for Seneca Lake and spend the night at the Geneva public docks.