And the Adventure Begins!

I ‘m writing this blog as we are harbored up in Atlantic Highlands N.J. for a few days until the winds die down and it is safe to “Light the fires and kick the tires” (for those of you “Captain Ron” fans)and hit the open ocean. We have been here for two days and plan to leave three days from now.

Atlantic Highlands Mooring field



So while in this cute little safe harbor, with not much to do, I have been picking my brain about how I am to go about telling the tale of my adventure on this blog site. It’s come down to collaborating all the bits of information about all the port towns we have stopped at, and in good humor, and sharing them with you in order by date. And I have collected numerous pamphlets, newspapers, books, personal interviews with locals and checked out historical markers and libraries, so it will be interesting to see what I can come up if.
So sit back, grab your favorite drink and enjoy!




(I’m also writing a paper for a directed study course and have collected bibliography information if you wish to seek further information.)

8/25/09
Oswego NY
Oswego is located on the south shores Lake Ontario and is located in the north-central part of New York . Oswego is promoted as the “The Port City of Central New York". The city was incorporated in 1848.
I went for a 2 mile run in the morning and found the fort (Fort Ontario) and historic sings explaining that Oswego was home to almost 1,000 Jewish refugees during World War II. The only attempt by the United States to guard the Jewish refugees was to build a safe haven at Fort Ontario. I did not have time to check it out but Oswego also has the Safe Haven Museum to honor the stories of the refugees.
So then later on in the evening before dinner, I went in search of fish/bait/ tackle shop to get the low down on fishing the Erie Canal. And I ran into store owner Chris Misciagna of St. Peters Outfitter, who after getting to know each other said that Oswego is located in the center of the regions Snowbelt, and that they often sees extraordinary lake effect snow accumulations. And also told me Oswego the snowiest town in America, with some winters totaling over 300 inches, and for all those of you in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I told him to check his facts. Though I thought I was interesting to learn.
Notably things about the time spent in Oswego we met a really cool Canadian couple who are on a 5-6 year adventure I would like to add, we are so spoiled with Lake Superior, the water here does not look healthy at all!





From Oswego the Captain and I began our Erie Canal Journey, and our journey to the US and British Virgin Islands.
The Erie Canal
Construction of the Erie Canal began in 1817 and it became operational in 1823. It is 338 miles long, and rises up and lowers 420 ft.
And following in order heading south on the Erie Canal, are a few of the towns and villages that we made port in. Really neat towns!