Bellingham Walks

We decided to take a short day and walk only 12 miles from Rome to Lock 21 where there are designated hiker/biker campsites. Interestingly, Rome is where the building of the Erie Canal began. The flat land gave the builders a place to begin that was relatively straightforward before tackling the more complex engineering through the mountains. Temps were in the nineties and humid as we set out. There is no potable water at the locks available to hikers so we carried 3 liters each, which is heavy! It was a lovely walk to the lock and we arrived there at about 2pm looking forward to resting, reading, and just enjoying the area.

Packet Boat…

On the way to the trail, we were helped by a man who was cooking ribs at a road side food truck to find a shortcut to the trail. The shortcut took us past an old heritage site named Erie Canal Village. It is no longer open but must have been a place where life on the Erie Canal was recreated and reenacted. I have asked various people along the way if there are any ‘packet’ boats to see or even a replica of one and everyone has said no. WELL, we found one at this abandoned place. I’m sure it’s a replica, but gives one a sense of how they looked. They could seat between 40-100 passengers traveling between New York City and Buffalo. They are said to have been quite luxurious. Passengers could ride on the top and had to duck when passing under a low bridge. As the song goes, “Low bridge, everybody down! Low Bridge, for we’re comin’ to a town…”

Banjo Frogs…

We also heard this chorus of what we believe are frogs. This was a new frog sound for us.

Rain…

Once at the lock, we rested in the shade to cool off. We played a few hands of cribbage and watched the geese squabble with each other. The thunderheads had been building all day. I think we were enjoying the shade they provided rather than assessing their growth. Well, once they broke, we had about 3 minutes to set up out tent and get all the gear secured. We managed it but not without a few bumps such as totally forgetting how to set up a tent we are fairly familiar with. This first storm was the short one. We were forced into our tent again for a very long and intense and beautiful thunderstorm. Anytime I got nervous, as the wind tried to tear our tent from its stakes, I would just peek out across the lock at the geese who hadn’t a care in world. They soothed my anxiety. This is a short video of light rain.

After the storms, the sun came out and we saw this boat come by, another highlight in a day of highlights.

Finally, by the end of the day, the sky cleared, the geese took one last swim on the calm water and all was well.

One of my favorite poets, Wendall Berry, wrote an amazing poem called The Peace of Wild Things that is a balm for the soul. I would encourage anyone to look it up.

Sweet Dreams…

~Ann