Sailboats at Tower Marine in Douglas, Michigan.
Very challenging driving in Ohio on I-90. Very heavy rain. High winds. Limited visibility.
On family vacations I still use technology, but as much as possible I try to put the Internet in “write-only” mode. I’ve done a pretty good job of it this trip. Having Feedbin mark all new items as read has been great to keep diversions away.
Vermont Road Trip Log: Day 12, Wednesday
Weather: 89 °F, feels like 103 °F. 🥵
- Mad Hatter for breakfast.
- Rochester Museum & Science Center.
- Iced Maple Latte with extra shot at Ugly Duck Coffee.
- Shopping stop at Millenium Games
- Pittsford Farms Dairy for Ice Cream.
- Boat tour down the Erie Canal on the Sam Patch.
- Delicious Good Luck Burger for dinner.
- Prep for an early departure tomorrow!
Jump to day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 of Vermont Road Trip.
Good Luck Burger
One of the things we wanted to do in Rochester was to return to Good Luck to share a Good Luck Burger. “1 lb. house-ground, grass-fed local beef on brioche with cuba cheddar, vegetable slaw & fries.” You split this four ways. We had to return here after our visit in 2018, 3 years and 1 day ago.
I may need to learn how to make this.
Sam Patch on the Erie Canal
We took a 90-minute river Erie Canal cruise today on the Sam Patch. We got to go to Lock 32 and experience that and then went back the other way to see where the canal is actaully 70’ higher than the houses in the area.
Some fun stats:
- There is a 568 foot elevation change as the canal goes from Lake Erie to New York Harbor.
- The original canal was 4’ deep, 40’ wide and 363 miles long. The canal has been lengthened and widened three times.
- Doors to the locks weigh 40 tons!
Enjoy some photos.
Sam Patch at dock before we take off.
Family selfie inside the Sam Patch.
Approaching Lock 32 in preparation to go up.
Lock doors closing behind us.
Lock doors closed and the water going up. It takes 9 minutes for the lock to fill on the way up.
Lock is at height and we are released.
Coming back the other way with the lock doors open.
Preparing for the lock to go down. Watch my time-lapse video of the lock lowering.
Cruising along the Erie Canal and this sailboat wants to pass.
One of many maintenance stations along the canal. Each section is maintaied from a station like this.
Boats docked in the canal in Pittsford.
Canal shoreline in Pittsford. I also got this same view from shore.
Canal approaching an emergency damn location where the canal is higher than the neighborhoods around it.
Family selfie on the canal.
Bridge over the Erie Canal.
Time-lapse video going through Lock 32 on the Erie Canal.
Erie Canal at Pittsford, NY.
Hot day! Ice cream stop at Pittsford Farms Dairy. 🍦 We stopped here in 2018 and wanted to return. Great place.
Arrays of knobs and dials are mesmerizing. Even old ones. At Rochester Museum & Science Center.
POAP 735405 at Micro Camp 2021.
The kids are sleeping on an actual air mattress tonight, fulfilling the origin story of Airbnb! 😊
Updated COVID-19 graphs from today’s New York Times. The case count in Florida is pretty stunning. Minnesota is doing well. The best news is the continued low death rate.
Vermont Road Trip Log: Day 11, Tuesday
Weather: Good weather, pretty hot. Started raining after we got settled in Rochester. Hot and humid in the evening.
- 7:45a: Depart Treehouse.
- 8:00a: Dunkin’ Donuts! 🍩
- Drive to Rochester, NY.
- 10:31a: Enter New York. Goodbye Vermont. 👋
- 11:45a: Lunch at DomAdi’s Deli in Amsterdam, NY.
- 3:40: Arrive in Rochester, NY. Get settled in Downtown Rochester Retreat.
- Walk to Vern’s for an amazing Italian dinner and drinks outside.
Jump to day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 of Vermont Road Trip.
Vermont Road Trip Log: Day 10, Monday
Weather: Nice, clear day. A bit hot in the afternoon with temps nearly 90 °F.
- 9:09a: Depart Treehouse.
- 9:22a: Enter New Hampshire!
- 9:45a: 1h 15m wait for table at Polly’s Pancake Parlor. Switch up plans.
- 9:50a: Worst coffee ever at REDACTED. 😤
- 10:40a: Flume Gorge hike. Amazing! Wow! 🤩
- 12:00p: Return to Polly’s Pancake Parlor after calling ahead this time!
- 12:30p: Seated at Polly’s.
- 1:00p: Pancakes!
- Check out downtown Littleton, NH and shopping.
- Found ourselves a bit without a plan in the late afternoon. Mazie suggested we park along the River and Tyler and her could jump around the rocks. Tammy suggested I get a coffee so I get an iced coffee, sparkling water, and a bottle of water. Dehydrated! We had a nice hour or so with our feet in the water and the kids playing.
- At the end of our tranquil River cool down time the kids were getting out and Mazie fell into a bit of water. Nothing huge, but it happened to have a pocket of baby leeches! When she stood up we though she had algae on her legs, but they were actually baby leeches and she justifiably FREAKED OUT! We spent the next bunch of time clearing centimeter long baby leeches off her legs and calming her down. Whew!
- Delightful dinner at Schilling Beer Co.
Jump to day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 of Vermont Road Trip.
Delicious “short pours” at Schilling Beer Co. tonight. Combover, Hopfenweisse, and Moonship on Blackberry. 🍺
Serious about the canning, and an incredibly precise display. 👏
Polly’s Pancake Parlor was delicious and the busiest place we’ve eaten at on our trip, by a long shot. 🥞
- Tyler: 3 OREO Pancakes.
- Mazie: Buckwheat chocolate chip, Oatmeal buttermilk blueberry, Gingerbread walnut.
- Tammy: OREO Pancake, Corn and Coconut, Oatmeal buttermilk chocolate chip.
- Jamie: Buckwheat blueberry, Corn with coconut, Gingerbread with walnuts
