After leaving Seneca Falls, we got back onto the main Erie
Canal and stopped at Lyons. We stopped
there mainly because of timing. We had a
late start out of Seneca Falls, and Dan needed to do some work on the internet
at 4:00. We are so glad we stopped
there!
First of all, we tied up at a very high rough wall. It was the highest we’ve every
experienced. To exit the boat, there was
about 3.5 more feet of the wall to step up!
- not something easy for me. I
actually had to sit or get on my knees on a rug, then get to my feet. I’m not as agile as I used to be. In order to reboard the boat, it was easier
for me to step from the wall onto the fly bridge and climb over the settee up
there! I’m so grateful that our boat has
all those levels, something I never thought of when we bought her. We have now used all four levels to get
on/off!
The docking and electricity were free. There is a fire house at the top of the
stairs by the dock – boaters are free to use their bathrooms and showers. Turns out, the city had gotten a grant from
the Erie Canal promoters to redo their bathrooms. All the fire house had to do in return was to
make their facilities available to boaters!
Win-win.
The first night there, we went to a restaurant I had found on
Google, the Maitre D at Trombinos.
Delicious meal, delightful staff.
The restaurant has only been there for two years and occupies a former
opera house. The décor is rich wood with
opulent fittings.
We wandered through the town after dinner – some beautiful old
architecturally interesting buildings, including a county courthouse with a
dome that looked silver but is actually wood.
There is a Central Park with a band stand decorated in red, white, and
blue bunting – how American! A man was
working on restoring a building next door to the old County building. He bought it for $10,000 just before it got
torn down! He is a master woodworker,
and is restoring the entire building – not sure to what purpose the building
will be put – some combination of commercial and residential.
Scenes from downtown:
 |
| bandstand in the park |
 |
| the very rough wall - tough to get on/off! |
 |
view of the wall - to get back on, just climb onto the fly bridge!
|
One delightful feature in this town is the variety and placement of large
murals. In Lyons there are quite a few
and they are located all around town.
 |
| Mural and park |
 |
| more cool murals! |
We were met the next morning by Bob Stopper, who is the
volunteer greeter for the town and the town’s unofficial historian. He told us about the town – until about 10-15
years ago, the town was doing well.
Then, within the space of 5 years, two large employers left and took
almost 4,000 jobs…this, in a town of only 3,500! Now, Lyons is like many of the towns along
the Canal, economically depressed, but trying hard to promote the town and
improve the situation. One way is to
make boaters feel welcome and appreciated.
They are doing that for sure.
That morning, Saturday, there was a farmer’s market in the
Central Park. We purchased some homemade jams and bread, and enjoyed the organ
music of old songs.
After the market, Bob offered to take us to some sites that
are important historical places on the canal.
Lyons may be the only spot on the canal where all three versions of the
Erie Canal can still be found. The
first, called Clinton’s Ditch, after the New York City mayor who managed to
fund and get the first Erie Canal built.
It was an engineering marvel, 524 miles of canal linking New York’s
rivers and lakes. It was started in 1817
and finished in 1825. We saw portions of
the original ditch and remains of the original lock. Alongside of the ditch is the mule track,
where the mules pulled the canal barges up and down. The ditch was very narrow, having only a few
spots where two boats could pass.
The next version, called the Improved Erie, rerouted and
enlarged the original ditch. That
version, started in 1862, deepened, widened and rerouted the original
canal. Now the canal was 7 feet deep and
70 feet wide (from the original 4 feet deep and 40 feet wide). Now, two boats could pass all along the way.
The new modern canal, finished in 1918 (100 years ago) is what
is being celebrated this year. It was so
interesting to actually see all three versions here in Lyons, with Bob’s vast
knowledge freely given to us. We would
never have known all that was here without his carting us all around in his
car!
We are so happy we stopped in Lyons – it hadn’t gotten rave
reviews from some people we talked to nor from Waterway Guides.
