Trip to/from Schenectady

 Because we had paid for transient berthing at Liberty Landing Marina, they allowed us to store the boat and truck in their boatyard for a few days... but the cost of storing there for the duration of our cruise would have been prohibitive...not to mention the fact we'd have to drive back to NYC before proceeding.  So we dedicated the day to "transport", in more ways than one.

We had decided on a marina in Schenectady on the Mohawk River (which connects to the Erie Canal) and which was not too far from a train station and had a launch ramp as a place to store the car and truck for a little while.  Besides being near the train, its not all that far from Vermont... which is one of those states I need to check off.  That way we'll have a car to drive to visit the maple syrup state.

The drive out of the NYC area was hairy.  I don't think my Californian husband will ever get used to toll roads (they have so few in CA).  It's not that they are that difficult, but each section seems to handle the toll collection differently.

Soon, however we were enjoying lovely scenery... along the Hudson, the Catskills.  It is going to be a lovely cruise.  We arrived at the marina and we got a preview of what the Erie will be like.  Very peaceful, wouldn't you agree?

So remember when I said the day would be devoted to transportation?  My dear husband loves trains..as well as boats...oh and he likes planes and cars too.  But trains are his thing.  So off we went to the Amtrak station.

The tracks are next to the Hudson all the way almost to NYC so we enjoyed the river and mountains once again.  We arrived at Penn station and, what did we see when we exited?  The Empire State Building.  Check that off the list!

We walked a few blocks to the PATH station (the subway train to Jersey City).  I was reminded of all those TV shows and movies (Risky Business).  Robbie got to ride 2 trains today!

We shopped at a tiny Chinese market in Jersey City for our provisions and then took a taxi back to the marina.  Ahh!  Its great to be "home".

This evening we giggled as we watched our "neighbors" bathing their 9-month old in a Tupperware container on the dock.  Boy did he enjoy that bath!  Improvision is part of the fun of boat camping.

After dark all of us boaters were thrilled to see a huge fireworks display from Ellis Island, right behind our marina.  We couldn't figure out what was special about a Tuesday evening in July, but apparently NYC has fireworks at random locations throughout the summer.  It was a great show and the whole marina honked their boat horns in appreciation.