The Three Rivers North paddle, where Oswego, Seneca, and Oneida Rivers meet,
attracted 12 paddlers: Debbie and David, Roger, Roxanne, Greg, Ann, David, Kim,
Aneta and Robert, and Remo with a guest. Capricious Mother Nature once again was
gracious to us, and we enjoyed sunny and warm weather for the entire paddle.
We decided to try a new route suggested by Roger. Rather than paddling around the
Horseshoe Island, we set out to Phoenix where we hoped to take a break and walk
downtown. It was a pleasant scenic course where we admired some nice houses and
flocks of water birds, mainly adolescent ducks. Roxanne brought some bread to feed
them, but they turned their fatty bottoms at her and refused to consider. Later on
the seagulls were less fussy. Birds these days!
It was about 3.5 miles to Phoenix. There was a dam on the left, and a lock on the far
right. We proceeded to the lock, which was in the heart of the town’s business
district. The Lockmaster was a tad obsessive-compulsive and checked merely half a
dozen times that everyone was holding onto a slimy rope. We finally made it through
and took out around the corner from the lock. Some paddlers relaxed on the shore,
while the rest of us walked towards downtown.
At this time of year you might expect Phoenix to be a cheerful, bustling tourist town.
Instead, it was a ghost town. Throughout the walk we only saw four people. The
streets were deserted and everything was closed. Luckily, on the way back, we
spotted an open ice-cream place where we stopped for a cold treat. Content, we
walked back to rejoin the group.
We launched our kayaks and approached the lock, but there was no one to open the
gates. We waited and waited, blew our whistles and yelled for attention but nothing
happened. Wherever the Lockmaster was, he didn’t see or hear us. Finally Roxanne
took matters in her own hands, parked her kayak by a ladder on the wall and
climbed out to notify the Lockmaster personally. That did it. We went through the
lock and paddled back against the current while chatting pleasantly.
After the paddle David Grant invited everybody to his house for a cookout. While
some had to leave, the rest of us joined David and his lovely wife Nancy for a
wonderful outdoor picnic. We had a great time. Many thanks to David and Nancy for their hospitality. Don’t you wish you were there?
