Erie Canal -- Newark to Lock 25

Wednesday, July 19 -- Newark to Lock 25 (near the north edge of the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge) -- 23 miles (and 4 locks)

We got a very late start today. We slept in late, then did some grocery shopping, and after stowing things away decided to have lunch in town at a nice bar & grill that had WiFi so we could work on the blog a bit. We finally got underway at two, which we knew might limit our progress for the day as the locks all shut down at 6 pm. It turned out that we were delayed at lock 27 in Lyons, and the usual 15 minute passage turned into an hour. The delay was partly waiting for westbound traffic to come through and partly waiting for a canal work boat (barge and tug) that locked through with us to get out of the way. The delay meant that we couldn't get through lock 25 before the 6 pm closing time, but that turned out fine, as the lockmaster said we could tie up at the lock wall for the night. It turned out to be a lovely spot, quiet and scenic. We had no power or facilities, so it was like anchoring out, only tied to a wall with a big, freshly mowed, front yard. 

Lock 25 is located near the northern end of the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, which is bisected by the New York State Throughway (aka I-90). 

The dam south of Lock 25 had quite a collection of debris that has been pulled from the canal. We didn't encounter much debris during our time on the canal, but every once in a while we did see the end of a submerged branch or log, so you need to keep watch. The flybridge is handy for that, of course. 

We had a nice dinner of leftovers from the night before at the Main Street Restaurant and we turned the TV on for the first time since we anchored off Grand Island in Lake Superior almost a month ago. It made for a cozy, quiet evening.