Catching Up: Lockport to Medina

Here we are, stuck next to Lock 35

Me bad. I forgot all about the "oh shit moment #2". As we approached Lockport on Wednesday, our alternator on the our engine decided to give it up. We were no longer able to charge our batteries and it was only a matter of time before we were dead in the water. John, the lock keeper, offered us a slip next to Lock 35 that had electric and water. It is an unpublished dockage but he told us we could stay as long as we needed. Of course the nearest repair facility was RCR Yachts in Buffalo, where we were two days prior. The next morning, Joel the other lock keeper suggested we go to see Doug, the owner of Zimmie's, a tire and battery shop about a block away. Doug is a wizard and by that afternoon, he had rebuilt our alternator and we were ready to go the next morning. And he only charged me $115! Free in boater's terms.

Descending the last 25'

Finally, on Friday, we were ready to depart Lockport for Medina about 20 miles away, We slid into the lock and experienced locking down 50' from the Niagara Escarpment. That was cool. The process is pretty straight forward. You drive the boat up to the wall and run dock lines through cables that run from the top of the chamber to the bottom. This way you steady the boat as you descend. The algae and slime that coated the walls stunk the place up pretty good, but it was still exciting. A right of passage had been attained. More to come.

Our first lift bridge. Another right
of passage

As we exited the locks we were confronted with our next challenge - lift bridges. As you approach the bridge, you call the bridge tender on the VHF radio and advise him or her that you are eastbound and approaching. In turn, he or she advises you to continue on your course and the bridge will be raised by the time you arrive so that you can proceed. That is if the the bridge tender is there. In a number of cases the tender tends to more than one bridge. If he or she is at the other bridge, you get to wait. We were lucky. Of the twelve bridges we have gone under, we did not have to wait for any of them.

A welcoming fresco in Medina. There were a number of
these on buildings throughout town.

Medina is a very interesting town. Typical of rust belt towns that were built on some form of industry, Medina has suffered the same fate as most but the people don't know it. They are resilient, outreaching and friendly. We wound up staying there for two days, not because we had to but because we wanted to. On Saturday was Canal Days, a fun festival featuring bands, and crafts, antique cars, food and tours. Medina is famous for sandstone, some of which is found in Buckingham Palace. It is also where Pullman cars were manufactured during the hey day of train travel. Speaking of train travel, Medina boasts a world class railroad museum. We spent almost three hours walking through the place. Sounds dumb but it was fascinating. Also, Michael Symon would have been thrilled to eat at Zimbistro's, a local dining place that was imaginative, tasty and economical. Probably the best meal we ate on the trip.

 

The Rev. Ben Moss

I mentioned people. Meet the Reverend Ben Moss, vicar of St. John's Episcopal Church in Medina for over 28 years. Retired now, he is world traveled and has the most beautiful outlook on life that I ever experienced. We talked for ever. Having experienced Medina's greatest years, you might have thought that he longed for the prosperity and glory that was. Not Rev. Ben. He saw the prosperity and glory in the people of the town that worked hard and livings with what was left. And what they accomplished. Medina was a lovely town with lovely people and a spirit I wish I saw in my own home town. They took limited resources and invested in a water front that was beautiful and accomplished its goal of attracting boaters transiting the canal. We stayed two days and spent a little more money than I thought I would. It was worth it. At the end of our conversation, Reverend Ben hugged me and told me that he loved people who loved people. Pretty simple philosophy. Something we could all do easily.

Medina's waterfront. We are the boat to the far right

Okay. That's all I have for now. We are off to Brockport on Sunday. Brockport is a college town so I expect it to be much different than what we have seen. Stay tuned for all the news that's fit to print.