Day 17: Buffalo to Erie

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August 26, 2021: Our first day on Lake Erie.

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I had one more pre-dawn walk to the restrooms along the sea wall and back along the marina before it was time to move on. We left just after dawn.

On Lake Erie

I’ll admit it right here: I had been dreading my time on the Great Lakes. These lakes are huge and can be rough. Year and years ago, I’d seen huge breakers on the shore of Lake Michigan and I never forgot it. It was like the ocean.

What bummed me a bit was that we’d gone through the Erie Canal quickly, with very few stops, but had a lot of stops along the Great Lakes. We’d be spending more than a month of travel time there. And did I mention how much I’d been dreading it?

The first day pretty much lived up to my expectations. Although the water wasn’t super rough, it was very choppy. The boat bounced through the waves at its cruise speed of 10 or so knots. Each time it went down, it hit hard, sending a huge splash of water up over the bow and onto the windscreen. It reminded me of boating as a kid, when our small motorboat bounced along in choppy water on the Hudson River and we’d get all wet.

Worse yet, I started feeling queasy. It had been a while since I was on rough water and I don’t think I had my sea legs yet. I had neglected to put on my Sea Bands — a pressure point remedy for nausea that usually works for me — and although I’d seen Dramamine in West Marine the day before, I had stupidly not bought any.

Could I live through a month of this kind of travel nearly every day? I guess I’d find out.

In any case, the trip from Buffalo to Erie was long and boring. We took a direct route that had us at least ten miles out into the lake. At one point, we were in Canadian waters. But eventually the entrance to the channel at Erie was ahead of us and we motored in.

This lighthouse sits at the opening of the channel to Erie.

A Chat with the Coast Guard

We were halfway to the marina from the channel opening when a coast guard boat with three fully equipped guys drove up to us. They caught Capt Paul’s attention — he was at the helm — and he slowed down to idle. They proceeded to ask us questions about where we’d come from, what we had on board, and whether we were all U.S. citizens. We had to admit that one of us was Canadian.

They talked to Dianne about how she’d come into the country and a few other things. For a few moments, they seemed to be at a loss. I think she was the first Canadian they’d found. There was some discussion on the boat. Then they seemed satisfied and let us go.

I was very startled to see that a Border Patrol boat had pulled up on the other side of us as we moved on.

Fuel and Park

Our first order of business in Erie was to get fuel. That meant a trip to Perry’s Landing Marina, which was a bit beyond the marina we’d planned to stay at, Wolverine.

The entrance to the marina was narrow, but we squeezed in and landed at the fuel dock. The guy on the dock there was very helpful and friendly, but I admit I was completely turned off by the far right wing radio station blaring from his little dock office. The radio “personality” dripped hate and anger and all of it was directed at the president and democrats. Is it any wonder that this country is so damn divided when half of us are told what to think by vile hatemongers?

We fueled up and got on our way, backtracking to Wolverine. It was tricky to find — we had to slip into a narrow channel between a hotel and convention center, with a high, enclosed pedestian walkway overhead. Once past that, we were in a tiny cove with two small marinas. A dock guy met us at the floating dock and guided us to a spot near the office and restrooms.

To get to Wolverine Marina, you need to pass under this overhead walkway.

We had arrived.

Here’s our Nebo log for Day 17. For some reason, Nebo stopped recording a track for a while near the end of the trip — maybe it was as bored as we were?

Computer Woes in Erie

My first order of business once we’d settled in was to work on blog posts. It was August 26 and the last day I’d posted about was August 21. That meant I was four days behind. I needed to catch up — I knew from experience that the further behind I got, the harder it would be to catch up. In addition, the longer I waited to write about a day, the more I’d forget about it.

So while Paul and Dianne went off to do their thing — I know Paul was off to buy groceries — I settled down at the table, pulled out my computer, and turned it on.

Or at least I tried to. The power button wouldn’t work.

I did all the usual troubleshooting things. I checked and swapped out the cable and power supply and outlet. No joy. I held the power button down. I gently rapped the top of the computer. And the bottom. Nothing.

I called Apple Support. The computer was only two years old and had AppleCare protection. They’d already replaced a keyboard for me. The woman I got on the phone was very friendly and chatty, but not particularly helpful. She had me do all the things I’d already done. Then she suggested that I take it in to an Apple store.

Of course, there was no Apple store anywhere near Erie, PA.

I tried to get an appointment with the local Best Buy. I figured I’d take an Uber. For some reason, their appointment system kept switching me to another store very far away.

And then it was after 4 PM and I knew nothing would be done anyway.

Day’s End

I went for a short walk down to Bicentennial Tower at the end of the marina area. There weren’t many people around and the tower’s stairs were locked. I watched a pirate themed tour boat come in and passed the outside lounge area for the hotel attached to the conference center. I considered going in for a drink, saw the “We are shorthanded — have patience!” sign and decided to skip it.

Back at the boat, Paul had returned. He’d walked over a mile and a half to get bananas, which he consumes at an amazing rate, and crackers and Dramamine for me. He reported that we were in a real food desert.

We went out to dinner at the seafood place on the pier. We arrived just before the crowd came and got seats right away. Paul and I had the walleye and were disappointed. Very bland. (I wound up taking half back to Nano with me and ate it later in the week with some of my own seasoning on it. It was much better.)

Dianne started a fight with me at the table. It didn’t surprise me; it was long overdue. Conflicting personalities. Capt Paul managed to ignore it.

Sunset from the Pier near the restaurant. It got surprisingly busy later in the day; I think it’s because of the sunset tour that went out around then.

Afterwards, we went back to Nano. I spent a bunch of time reading an ebook on my iPad before going to bed.

It had not been a good day. Queasy stomach after a day on the water, dead computer with no idea on how I’d get it repaired, and a roommate I didn’t get along with. I started thinking hard about whether continuing the trip was worth it for me.