Bonus Blog #2 from Seneca Falls

 

Seneca Falls

Bonus Blog #2

 

I’m halfway through what will be a sinfully leisurely 10 mile day, sitting in a nice café in Seneca Falls, drying out and sipping my first cup o’ Joe since last Tuesday. Luxury indeed!

Seneca Falls is an exceedingly charming town that nonetheless looks like it’s catching its breath for another run; nine ‘for sale’ signs on the main street hint at some economic struggle here. But the history is rich, and the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Park and murals are powerful and, sadly, still so timely, so germane.

I’ll poke around this afternoon if the rain abates and will settle in at the final lock leading to Seneca Lake, my 25^th. The locks ‘on the lake’ are lovely, and the water – lake water – is getting clearer as I proceed. I had a long talk with a lockkeeper this morning, and he provided a bit of history on canal stewardship (from the purview of the NYS Thruway Authority to, today, the NYS Power Authority) and staffing challenges. The lockkeepers love their jobs – being operators, mechanics, curators, historians and such – but tight budgets have caused labor/staffing/training issues.

I hope NYS doesn’t lose sight of or care for this incredible infrastructure. It’s woefully under-utilized, but it’s so unique, such a testament to slower, simpler, even ‘mechanical’ times … times that duffers like me pine for (over our hot coffee and creature comforts.)

And in my haste to get buttoned down for last night’s storm, I neglected to give proper props to Mitch at Cayuga Seneca Lock #1. Yes, he cooked me a cheeseburger, introduced me to Lindsey, provided advice for positioning the boat before the storm … just a great guy, the kind of person who offers unconditional kindness and infectious enthusiasm for this thing called living. Thanks, Mitch and Lindsey, for making my ‘port in a storm’ seem more like home away from home.

I asked a lockkeeper about the challenges of ‘invasive species’ here. It seemed to me that a lock leading from ‘the rest of the world’ to Cayuga and then to Seneca Lakes sort of invites invasion … and indeed it has. He cited zebra mussels, Asian carp, and milfoil as the issues of the day, the difference here being in expectations. Here, the name of the game is ‘control,’ or ‘defense,’ not eradication.

‘When these lock gates started swinging over 100 years ago, that horse left the barn,’ he said.

A trip to these challenged yet beautiful lakes teaches in full measure the importance of ‘prevention’ at a place like Lake George, a place that has held a line because of the forward-thinking and hard work of the LGA, the Fund, the Nature Conservancy, the LG Park Commission, and environmentally responsible public officials – and hundreds of volunteers. We live in a garden spot. Tending a garden takes a keen eye, vigilance, and persistence, but oh, it’s worth it!

I’ll be on the main body of Seneca Lake tomorrow for 20 miles or so, to Dresden, where I’ll trek 8 miles to the top of Keuka. I look forward to a swim in the clear waters of Seneca!

For now, one more cup o’ Joe while the rain clears!