Before leaving Phoenix, NY this morning Jorge took advantage of the water dockside to wash down the deck and I took advantage of the electricity to vacuum the inside of the boat. CS'ta Time looks a bit better now.

Phoenix has a wonderful summer program for kids called Bridge House Brats. Youngsters from town volunteer at the dock, taking orders for the nearby restaurant, serving free coffee, watering the plants and I guess doing general clean up of the park. Good way to keep the kids busy during the summer, out of trouble and learning some responsibility.

We left Phoenix at 1030. Three Rivers (the junction with the Erie Canal) was only 3 miles away. I was leading the way and turned right at the junction instead of left, heading towards Syracuse instead. Oops, not paying attention. Diana radioed wanting to know who the drunken helmsperson was! We did our first lock (Lock 23) on the Erie Canal around noon. A few miles later we were at Lake Oneida. The weather had been excellent all morning. As we entered the lake there was a very minute increase in wind and waves but by the time we got to the middle of the 20 mile long lake it was dead calm with not a whisper of wind and the sun was hotter than ever. Good thing for the bimini/dodger. The trip across the lake was about 3-1/2 hours at 5.5 knots. It was a pretty straight run. We engaged auto and had a very relaxed crossing. We tied up at the docks just inside the canal on the east side of Lake Oneida, a very busy spot. A mini Wasaga Beach. Jorge and I got an ice cream then scouted out the town.

When we arrived back at the boat, supper was a plan B. The temp at one store said 91F so pasta was definitely out of the question. Nothing was defrosted so it was raw veggies with hummus, couscous salad and get this, tofu dogs! My saving grace was asparagus wrapped in proscuitto with balsamic vinegar on the bbq.

After dinner, when it was dark, we walked to the beach area and used the outdoor showers (the ones supplied for showering off when coming out of the lake). The water was cold but clean and refreshing. We then walked back to the grocery store which we had located earlier in the day. We only had to buy a few things and Jorge wanted to try some dos equis (Mexican beer). Can you believe it, he got asked for ID. Apparently they ask everybody who buys liquor for ID.

The docks have certainly quieted down since earlier today and the boat traffic is nil making the water quite calm. Appears we will have a peaceful night after all.