Tues June 14: Oswego to Sackets Harbor, NY

Ok-new rule.  I am NOT WASHING ANYTHING BOAT RELATED until AFTER I have my first cup of tea.  Even calling Lock 8 was taxing prior to tea. In fact, in my fantasy world, I don’t even have to talk before 11am.

Rick’s response to the above was to tell me that Tina, on the boat ahead of us on the wall, just spent six days cleaning and waxing the boat, and that ‘it looks amazing’….

Me: 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡 ..............  ‘maybe you will have better luck with your second wife’

Five minutes later ---

Me: happily driving in peace and quiet, alone on the bridge with my cup of tea

Rick: cleaning

Hee-Hee

 

Leaving Oswego Harbor

Aside from cleaning, the goal for today was to cross Lake Ontario (our first Great Lake!!) and tuck up into Sackets Harbor, NY.  Looking back, are you amazed at the amount of time we have spent in NY?! We are. If Rick were to choose one state for which to buy a fishing license NY should be the one.  But he is showing the same interest in fishing that I am in playing the ukulele-and our gear for both has come out exactly ONCE.

Lake Ontario has a reputation for being a highly variable big body of water-but Mr Weather has been looking at the situation for a LONG time (basically since the Reagan Administration) and picked the most beautiful days to take us across.  It was like glass, with just the occasional floating mylar balloon. Oh - and geese.  Why are there geese just everywhere nowadays???  I think Biden needs to get on that.  Back in the good ol days we didn't have to watch where we were walking to avoid goose poop every time we were near a body of water.  Talk about a replacement conspiracy...

 

Halfway to Sackets I nearly had a heart attack when a loud voice from nowhere said "Blue Horizon - this is Egret".  As far as I knew we were alone on Lake Ontario.  But Rick had our antenna 'amped up' over the winter and it turned out we can be hailed from quite a distance now.  Egret saw us on Nebo and wanted to chat about our shared destination.  Whew - for a moment there I thought it was God...

The tiny free wall/harbor area was very calm and, literally, welcoming.  We had no sooner tied up then the Harbor Host was there to welcome us, and Egret.  We had no 'egrets' (that will never not be hilarious - and in Montreal we can do it in French, as the famous song goes, ... je ne Egret rien) about meeting Chrissy, Roger and Millie (their furry mate).  We had docktails with them in the evening.  They were really fun company (I like people who think I am funny) and we hope to see them later on. 

 Sackets Harbor is a complete cutie-pea village.

Lunch (cheese curds, baby!) overlooking the boat.

 

How cool is this window reflection!!

We walked around looking at the ye olde buildings, and spent some time at Sackets Harbor Battlefield.  Many MANY forts - in fact WTF now equals What The Fort.  If you need to kill some time, please ask Rick about the War of 1812.  Oh wait - here he is:

Rick here - it turns out Sackets Harbor was the site of a major battle in 1813 with the British attacking from Canada in an attempt to put the fledgling US Navy, being built in the harbor, out of commission. The Americans held out and the British went back to Canada after being defeated on the battlefield here. 

Our view as dusk falls - it was like having a park in our living room, as people strolled by/through.

 

Replies to  comments - thank you our 5 loyal readers:

McDougall - your comments ARE our gift!!!  Also - see upcoming post about the itinerary. And I promise we will soon have a very respectable farmers tan!

Duffys - can't wait to see you!!  I'm afraid it will be HOT...brace yourselves.