We FINALLY Have Internet!

After 6 days we finally have internet!..  Today we called AT&T and they got us internet added to our cell phone for $60 per month...  Formerly we were on the $2 per day plan with no internet, so as long as we are in the US, this works out to be the same, only with some internet....

The last time we checked in we were in Fairhaven NY.  We stayed at the FHYC for 2 days and enjoyed a great 4th of July celebration with those folks...

While we were in Fairhaven, I did my first scuba "job".  A man from the club just lost his most favorite stainless steel boat brush off his dock... I recovered it and he gave Shelley a case of beer... How good is that!

From Fairhaven, we made a short hop to Oswego NY, where Shelley and I got all the sails down and ready for the masts to come down on Monday, July 7th...  That all went well and we were off down the Erie Canal toward the Hudson River.

After we left Oswego around noon, we did 8 locks in the Oswego portion of the Canal and stayed in Phoenix NY just west of Oneida Lake.  That night we listened to an Elvis impersonator giving a free concert in the park...  We needed to Skype our granddaughter so we bought Shelley a beer at a local bar and we were able to catch up with Mackenzie and her family... Our day ended with a triple scoop ice cream...  What a great day!

On July 8th we crossed Oneida Lake and made it to lock 20 near Utica NY. Some firefighters who were having a picnic helped us dock...  then they gave Shelley  FREE BEER! A little while later we met 3 awesome men who were kayaking the canal...  Two at a time Kayaked and the other drove their support vehicle...  What great guys and what a beautiful way to spend time together....

That night there were tornadoes all around us but we were spared...  Originally we tried to stop for the night in Rome NY, but we ran aground trying to get to the dock... we got unstuck and carried on...  it turns out, that Rome got SMACKED by a tornado....  Call it fate... or maybe karma.. but whatever it was, we got lucky...

The next morning we left a little late (08:30) and passed our kayaking friends as we traveled to Lock 15 near Johnsville NY.  The people who look after the Erie Canal System seem to be ALWAYS dredging...  It seems like a battle they just can't win... We have run aground twice and both time the channel was marked over 8 feet.... As we went along I took some time to switch out the incandescent mizzen spreader lights and replaced them with really cool LED lights... Last night we stayed at the lock and walked into the little town and picked up a few groceries...

Today we made it to Lock 7, just outside of Schenectady, NY. We traveled about 45 nm. and had just the greatest weather and scenery you can imagine...  Tonight we will be celebrating life with a couple of steaks, corn on the cob, and a great salad...

Last night where we stopped at lock 15, some locals planted a herb garden for boaters to use...  Shelley picked a few herbs and they will become the garnish for our steaks tonight...

That's all the news for now...  More later and more often now we access to the internet...
Cheers!