06/21 to 06/28 Back to Hickory Ridge RV Resort-Part 2

06/21 to 06/28

Hickory Ridge RV Resort

Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, here I come!

With the arrival of Dan/Melanie, I guess the "official" start of my 9-State adventure begins. We'll travel together until Grand Forks, ND and then part company.

Happily, good Karma was at work and all mishaps described in my last post are taken care of. You may be aware of the quote: "Karma's just sharpening her nails and finishing her drink. She'll be with you shortly." The lug nuts torqued sufficiently, the propane is flowing again, CO detector replaced and tested and the cabinet door securely rehung.  After contacting and purchasing a replacement "Skylight/Window Dome" from Winnebago ($,$$$), I had it shipped ($$.$$) to North Dakota for installation. Guess I should share a quote about the financial Karma: "Save your pennies; Karma's got an expensive taste." The Larimore Dam Recreation Area campground is where I'll be situated for the duration (4 days) of my in ND. Here Wes, from Northern Roots mobile RV repair, will deliver and install it. Meanwhile, Jordan came by and replaced a broken portion of the skylight, retaped and sealed every nook and cranny to prevent wind or rain from entering the RV. Thank you, Jordan.

Here, Melanie wanted to check out the roof vent....

And offered to climb up and take a few photos.

Thank you, Mel. So glad the wind wasn't blowing today.

An inaugural toast begins my journey west. Some of us enjoyed a gift from son-in-law, Carlo. Wine tasters notes describe this  wine: "The wine has a ruby red color with garnet reflections, a broad and intense bouquet with hints of ripe fruit. It is soft and velvety in the mouth, very harmonious with a dense body, rightly tannic with a black cherry aftertaste."

These turned to ashes tonight.

Ray and Kathy stopped by to say hello.

Thanks to Kathy, our remaining days at Hickory Ridge were filled with two highlights shared here. That evening the five of us toured Holley to catch some history. The neighboring Erie Canal is loaded with history. In town we stopped at a small town park and the falls at Farwells Mills. also referred to as the Falls at Clarendon. 

The falls were discovered in 1810 by Eldridge Farwell, while looking for his brother's stray horse. The material is copyrighted so check out the history HERE. The Clarendon Falls is 25' high and has two main tiers that cascade down the bedrock. Visitors can choose to simply walk to the waterfall and back to parking or walk the entire park in a short 0.2-mile loop. There's a bench that sits just below the waterfall so you can relax and enjoy the cascading water.

The nearby historic marker located in the Memorial Park

Another stop on Ray's tour of Holley, were the falls at Canal Park, one of the park's most notable attractions. Officially known as Holley Canal Falls, this picturesque waterfall is a popular spot for visitors to enjoy the natural beauty and tranquility of the area. 

The cascading waterfall is actually the overflow of Canal water. We then drove to Podunk, a small rural area within Holley and walked along the canal where you can see the spillway leading down to the falls from the top.

That evening the five of us traveled to Brockport, NY and dined at upscale Cappellettis across from the entrance to SUNY Brockport. Check out their menu and guess what I had.

Hand made gnocchi tossed in a choice of red sauce, Alfred or pesto. My go-to pesto was once again the right choice. What a difference when the phrase, "hand made" is used to describe how they're made. These were delicate, soft and no need to chew; really a 'melt in your mouth' taste treat. One of the best I've had, right up there with what I enjoy at Al Forno on the Boardwalk in Disney.

The second treat, thanks to Ray and Kathy was a 32 mile trip west to Lockport, NY. There, Kathy arranged for us to enjoy the Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises. This was my second tour of the Erie Canal. Rather than reiterate the facts and history, I'll suggest you read about the first one from my blog HERE in 2021, when I stayed at another nearby campground with other members of the Hudson Islanders. At that time we traveled through Lock 32. The Canal originally had 83 locks when it was first completed in 1825. However, after various upgrades and modifications, the number of locks currently has 35 locks. The Canal itself is approximately 363 miles long and stretches from Albany on the Hudson River to Buffalo at Lake Erie, crossing the state of New York. It's an engineering feat that is difficult to comprehend but thanks to immigrants recently arriving in the States, particularly the Irish, German and Italian immigrants as well as local American laborers the project was completed in eight years.

Today's trip was piloted by Capt. Nick and crewmembers, Tom and T.J. Capt. Nick was very informative and shared interesting facts and figures about the two main locks we traveled, Locks 34  and 35.

L. to R. Capt. Nick, Tom, TJ

L. to R. Dan, Melanie, Kathy, Ray

Off we went. Just a few of the sights on this 90-minute tour are shared here.

The Upside Down Bridge is so named because its truss structure appears to be inverted compared to conventional truss bridges. The trusses are located below the deck rather than above it. The bridge was built in 1902. Its unique design was intentional to allow the passage of tall-masted boats along the canal without needing a movable or drawbridge.

This simplified graphic by Tim Philips illustrate the workings of locks

Entering one of the locks.

Ahead the gates are closed holding back the higher level of water.

Behind us, the gates at the lower level close.

Three valves are opened one at a time to allow the water level to rise and bring us up to the higher level. Each process takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

Buffer locks on the Erie Canal are a specific type of lock designed to manage water levels and aid in the safe navigation of vessels. They regulate water flow and control the water level between different sections of the canal. This is particularly important in areas where there is a significant change in elevation or where water levels need to be carefully managed.

What is significant about Locks 34 & 35 is that they replaced the original "Flight of Five." In 1825, five locks allowed boats to ascend or descend a steep 60-foot elevation change over a relatively short distance.

The Lockport Cave and Underground Boat Ride, now closed, had been a popular tourist attraction in the area.

The attraction even sported a zip line over the Canal.

After the ride on the canal, we stopped at the Penalty Box, a sports-themed pub for lunch.

In front of the pub was Norm the Bison: Norm is a real bison that lives in a pen adjacent to The Penalty Box. This unusual and memorable attraction draws many visitors to the pub.

My choice was the day's special: turkey, crisp bacon, melted cheese on sourdough toast and homemade chips. Coupled with a 20-oz draft, it took care of the day's meals.

And that concludes our stay at Hickory Ridge RV Resort in Holley, NY. We shall return. I can't wait to see Ray/Kathy's finished product. Next, Dan/Mel and I will travel 5-hours west to Streetsboro / Cleveland KOA to spend two nights. Join us and do share your comments below. See you in Ohio.

“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”

– Anonymous