Holley, NY

We left Albion Wednesday morning and made our way to Holley. The cruising was great and saw some interesting sights along the way.

Up close of the green swamp.

We had stayed in Holley last year while we were on the canal and really liked the area and the docking facilities.  It didn’t disappoint.  We arrived a little after noon and where greeted by a couple we had actually seen earlier in the week while they were cruising by the Lady J.  They complimented us on our docking skills.  Which I must admit helped our confidence a little since the day before in Albion was a teeth clincher in all that wind.  We stopped to talk with them and found out they had only stopped for lunch and would be on their way.  Once again meeting wonderful people along the way. 

We also met a gentleman by the name of Tom Diamond.  I have to start off saying this man blew us away!  I will expound on that a bit.  Tom was not there on a boat, but on his bicycle and he was spending the night in his tent.  So let’s review, 1 man, 1 bicycle, 1 tent, 1 chair, 1 sleeping bag, some food and personal items oh yes and a recorder (the instrument).  And oh yes let’s not forget the important factor in all of this Tom is in his mid 70’s yes I said mid 70’s.  The man was taking a bike trip from Buffalo to Albany ,NY by way of the Erie Canal.  That my folks is approximately 340 miles.  We invited him to join us for dinner that evening.  We enjoyed grilled chicken, greek salad, I then forced him and Mike to eat some strawberry shortcake. Oh darn.  What an amazing man he was.  After spending several hours enjoying his company we came to find out he was from San Diego, had lost his wife 3 years before.  I guess she wasn’t much of an outdoor kind of person.  So when she passed away he decided to just get out and enjoy all the things he could.  He cruised Chesapeake Bay for 30 days, cruised the whole canal here with some other friends, and was now on this bike journey averaging about 40 miles a day.  We were in awe of this man.  He was kind, intelligent,  and well spoken and just a delight to be with.  And on top of that he played the recorder, beautifully I might add.  He normally plays the clarinet or saxophone, but they were a bit bulky to bring along so he settled on the recorder.  I will never forget this man for as long as I live.  

We decided to spend two days in Holley, just relaxing and getting the shade cover completed.  Besides they had a beautiful waterfall we wanted to see, again.  We also found a wonderful bakery in town that had the BEST cheese cannoli.  We treated ourselves to those after we had taken the bike ride to the waterfall and had completed the HUGE hill.  Holley is a wonderful place to stop along the canal.  Tomorrow we are off to Brockport where we hope to spend the weekend.

The pond next to the canal

Down at the falls in Holley

You could hear the falls from our boat

Mike helping with dinner.

There really is such a place

Anthony's Bakery in Holley

Enjoying coffee and cannoli in Holley 

Putting the final pieces on the sunshade.

Mike working in the grommets 

Sunshade 2.1 version.  Kind of makes the Lady J look like a conestoga wagon