Lyons or Lyon? And more Erie Canal Chatter

The Gammel Dansk cruises the Erie Canal near Lyons, New York.  

No, not Lyon, France.  Perhaps next year we will make Lyon, France when the Gammel Dansk travels to Europe.  Stay Tuned. 

Homeless man living under the Geneva Street Bridge in Lyons, NY.   
Isn’t that person called a Troll?

He was eating green beans sautéed in butter and garlic.  He rambled on about how he traveled everywhere he could in a little green tugboat, but would not talk about how he came to living under the bridge.  He said he had a dirt home but had not been there in almost a year.  I would think that would qualify him as a homeless person.  He appeared healthy and kempt -- except for his beard.   

The Gammel Dansk on the Erie Canal headed west
to Buffalo and the Great Lakes.  

Destination:  Cleveland, Ohio -- to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Erie Canal Lock 19

Utica, NY

Erie Canal Lock 12

Just passed this historical marker...

Well, Hello Lady!

Greeting Lady Liberty as we cruise into New York Harbor

Check out the Manhattan skyline from the water.

And the Empire State Building...

And a floating billboard with tribute to the World Champion USA Women’s Soccer team, with skyline of Manhattan New York in the background...

And the next day... St. Ann’s Church in The Bronx, New York. 

Gouvernuer Morris (American statesman, Founding Father and signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the US Constitution) owned property that today is called The Bronx -- the church was established in 1841 by the
Morris family and is now on the site of the Morris family farm and home. Gouvernuer Morris was a penman of the US Constitution. He created and wrote the Preamble:  We the people of these United States
in order to form a more perfect union....

A Break in Belmar

The Gammel Dansk and Crew take a day off in Belmar, New Jersey.  

We traveled 2 days at a rate of 60 miles per day (10-12 hour days)
on the Atlantic Ocean.  

The Ocean Avenue Bridge in Belmar opens for the Gammel Dansk to head back into the Atlantic Ocean... 

...heading to Great Kills Yacht Club on Staten Island, New York
-- a mere 25 miles directly north.

Doing Delaware

The Gammel Dansk goes Atomic as we cruise by Salem/Hope Creek
nuclear power plant in Delaware Bay.

And a close-up of the cooling tower of the
Salem/Hope Creek nuclear power plant. 

According to a reliable source, it is a very well-run facility.

MMM:  Marine mechanic Mary adding fluids, coolant and oil...

...drawing on her nursing skills by using the medical measurements system of cc’s. Do you know how many cc’s in a quart of oil?  Answer: 946

Motoring in Maryland

Coming into Baltimore and cruising under the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the Eagle Harbor Yacht Club Burgee after a long day (13 hours)
of steady cruising up the Chesapeake Bay. 

We left Calvert Marina at 6AM, arriving in Baltimore at 6:58 PM. It was slow going and rough near Annapolis, but all in all a good day of cruising.
We were exhausted -- as was Tori, who rode it out with us. 

Our Buddy boat the M/V Aurora. 

Kevin and Linda Nelson -- and TC the Cat -- travel on this
36-foot Albin trawler.

This is a view of guns at Fort McHenry -- where Francis Scott Key
wrote the Star Spangled Banner.

Dr. Samuel Mudd's house in St. Charles County, MD. 

Dr. Mudd was the physician who was accused and convicted of giving medical aid to John Wilkes Booth, the assassin who killed President Abraham Lincoln.  Booth's house is also in Southern Maryland. 

We have traveled 3700 miles since launching in the
Mississippi River at Red Wing, Minnesota. 

Dan ran the Gammel Dansk aground in Georgia. No harm, no foul. We celebrated the 4th of July on the Chesapeake and Delaware canal.  After the celebrations in the small town of Chesapeake City, Maryland, we head to Cape May, New Jersey. Then to New York City by the middle of July.

Tori the Wonder Dog

Tori learns a new marina everyday and keeps Mr. Dan safe. She is pictured here on the docks of Norton Yachts Marina at Deltaville, Virginia. 

Side Excursion from Deltaville

Not wanting to miss an important life event, we docked the Gammel Dansk
at Norton's Marina in Deltaville, VA, and headed by rental car on an
adventure over roads back home to Minnesota to pick up our car. 

Mary gets the boot back at Red Wing Minnesota home of Red Wing Shoes. (We left Red Wing in September of 2018 on our Great Loop Adventure.)

We then continued westward to Bainbridge Island before flying to our
old home ground in Alaska, to be in attendance at
the wedding of a longtime friend.

Before we left Virginia, we were interviewed by the Southside Sentinel -- check out the article here.

And here are some fun snapshots from Juneau, Alaska...

Some say “The Road goes on Forever."  

In Alaska, the road does NOT go on forever.  The End of the Road is near.  Yes it really ends.

A favorite spot in Juneau.

Welded metal raven sculpture in Juneau.

And finally...

You wouldn't be in Alaska without seeing a bear.

Stingray Point

We pass this area on the boat coming into Deltaville (Virginia) Marina.

American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

A great highlight of Yorktown, Virginia, is the American Revolution Museum.  Enjoy our pictures!

Revolutionary War tent encampment of Patriot soldiers.

Norfolk Harbor and History

Check out the size of these ships in Norfolk's harbor...

You get a good feeling of how enormous the ship above is by the scale of the silos to the right, when compared with the same silos below,
next to LARGE tug boats.

And for some history...

New Things in Norfolk (VA)

Mermaids guarding The Norfolk Harbor greet Dan, Mary
and Tori to Waterside Marina. 

Dan and Mary in Norfolk Waterside Marina at the Great Loop Rendezvous. 

This Great Looper has so far completed 600 miles on his
Personal Water Craft.

He did have to stop for a while due to his feet being constantly wet in the salt water. His feet became very blistered, so he stopped for a few weeks to let them dry and heal. Some people love a challenge. 

 Sliver of a moon on 5/6/19 from Waterside Marina in Norfolk, Virginia.

Waterside Marina feels a little like Las Vegas except for boats and yachts
-- and it is in Norfolk, Virginia.

Oh Look!  Another Mermaid!

Dismal Swamp

We proudly fly our Eagle Harbor Yacht Club burgee as we travel the Great Loop and, in this photo, the Great Dismal Swamp in North Carolina 

headed to Norfolk, Virginia.

The Dismal Swamp gets skinny and shallow -- 5 feet more or less
(mostly less). 

Only one way:  Forward to Virginia. 
I think those were the words of Robert E Lee.

Tori pondering:  First they drive on the rocking ocean with rolling that never stopped; now we are on the middle of a Swamp that is called Dismal.  

What’s next -- a harbor of big ship and being guarded by mermaids?

The Dismal Swamp was once owned by George Washington.  If you want to learn more about it, check out what Wikipedia has to say.

And check out these cool black and white photos
apropos of the Dismal Swamp.

Swamp Fox

Francis Marion -- Revolutionary War bro also know as the “SwampFox” -- active on behalf of the Patriots defeating the British with surprise hits
and then disappearing only to do it again the next day. 

Lots of memorials to the Swamp Fox in South Carolina.

Check out a dramatic portrayal of his contributions made by Uncle Walt.