This is just below the locks. I had to snap a photo of the Fallen Rocks Crew, who were snapping photos of us. Apparently the sign marks an observation stop on the walking tour.
This drydock is just past the fallen rocks. It’s used for servicing the barges, tugs, dredges and other working boats that maintain the canal system. The green wall is actually a gate that opens when the drydock is flooded, allowing the equipment to enter and leave.
Eastbound boaters will immediately arrive at the Exchange Street lift bridge. Lift bridge operators monitor VHF Channel 13, but generally they know exactly when you’re coming. They get updates from other operators and can monitor any boat’s progress on their computers. The Adam Street lift bridge is only a hundred yards away. It has been locked in the permanent-up position for at least ten years now.
The Lake Ave. bridge. Also known as “Matt Murphy Way”. Now, being a guitar player for nearly all of my life I immediately thought of one of my earliest influences, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, who is probably best known to the masses as one of the guitarists (along with Steve Cropper) in the original Blues Brothers band and movie. I thought, “Hey, that’s really nice of the City of Lockport to recognize a musical legend!” But it wasn’t so. This bridge pays tribute to a former State Assemblyman.
Okay. It’s bad enough that some people put pink flamingoes on their lawns. Or plywood cutouts like Man Leaning Against Tree Smoking Pipe. Or how ’bout the Little Jockey Holding a Lantern? Heck, Rednecks use broken toilets and old sofas for planters on their lawns. But I really have to question the thought process of these homeowners. In case you can’t guess, it’s a 20-foot sheet-metal chicken. Mia said, “Cappy Rick, that’s a rooster.” How the heck can she tell?
Here’s another very strange lawn ornament.
At least this one has a purpose. Or had a purpose. I’m told the “kids” who live here are now in their late 30s.
Like the landlocked ship, they are experiencing a “Failure to Launch”.
Gasport is just a nice little park where the surrounding grounds are well maintained. At the wall there are now several 20-amp power connections and a shared water spigot. A lady out for a stroll struck up a conversation and told us the Canalside Inn, the little tavern across the street from the bridge operator’s tower, has the best roast beef sammiches in the area. Boy, was she right! The Lift Bridge Operator asked us how far we’d be going so he could pass it along to the operators further up the waterway. I told him we planned to overnight at Medina. Lockport notwithstanding, this is really the first of the small-town “port” stops on the canal eastbound, and it’s where we first discovered that people along this waterway are incredibly friendly.
Gasport Marina is just east of the bridge, but don’t expect anything. It’s been off-and-on opened-and-closed over the years, and last we heard they don’t have a permit to sell gasoline.
The skies were now overcast, the wind was starting to stir, and it felt like Mother Nature was about to cut loose, so I cranked up the VHF’s NOAA Weather Radio. Storms are a-comin’. Hope we can make it to Medina before they hit. Fender T. Dog even decided to head into the cabin, abandoning his usual digs on the aft deck.
Eastbounders have to pass the bridge to get to the wall. There is no decent docking or wall space on the west side of the bridge.
There is a free, self-service pumpout station just east of the bridge on the south side (not pictured).
We had just enough time for a doggie walk before we battened down for the storm. It was as if Mother Nature waited to make sure we were in safe harbor. But that Mother hit hard with torrential rain, lightning, thunder, and wind gusts that had to be 40 mph or more. I called my brother Scott, who said the weather was beautiful in Tie-One-Onda. It must have been a highly localized storm cell.
The Train Museum is a must-see. It’s a ten-minute hike. There are some really nice restaurants and a couple of small shops in the Village, and stores for provisioning are located about a mile away on Route 31. The facilities (rest rooms and showers) were old, but well-maintained. There is no harbormaster. Ask the bridge operator on VHF 13 for the facility lock codes.
Although this wall has ample power (5 towers, each with three 30-amp Hubbells) and water (three spigots), there is an annoyance here: The harbor is bounded by concrete walls that don’t allow boat wakes to dissipate. Passing boats that don’t comply with the No Wake signs create a rockin’ time! Deploy as many fenders as you can. You will need them. Give the lines some slack so the boat won’t stress them. We came in at dead slow speed and were still bounced around by our own tiny wake for nearly five full minutes!