Today came early. I was awakened at 6:30 a.m. by an announcement from the Captain that we were entering the Welland Canal! For the better part of the day we traversed the seven lift locks and one guard lock that lifted the Clelia II up more than 325 feet from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. I had never been through the locks so it was a special treat. At 10:30 a.m. I delivered my first lecture, focusing on Great Lakes hydrology, including the St. Lawrence, Welland and Soo Locks that make the lakes fully navigable. I felt a bit like Madonna in my cordless microphone headgear! The talk went smoothly though and, as I was expecting, there were a few questions that I couldn’t answer! It’s such a pleasure to be around people who are so informed and eager to learn more. After a light buffet lunch, we traversed the seventh lock and then boarded buses to Niagara Falls. The Maid of the Mist trip was as fun (and wet!) as I remembered. You can see from the photos that we were all decked out in blue plastic ponchos but still managed to get pretty soggy from the neck up!! It was a warm day though (temps in the 80s) so drying out was quick. We also stopped at the brink of the horseshoe falls for more photo ops. The Clelia II had traversed the final lock while we were at the falls so upon returning to the ship, we headed directly into Lake Erie at about 6 p.m. We met the captain of the Clelia II, Uli Demel from Germany/Bavaria, at a reception followed by a late dinner. The 290-ft. Clelia II was built in Greece but flies until the flag of Malta. I hosted a Smithsonian table this evening. The photo shows me and guests Bob Prickett from New Mexico and Gail and Alan Keim from Pennsylvania. Dinner was delicious. My selections were French Onion Soup, spinach salad and prime rib, with vanilla ice cream for dessert. As I write this, I peek out and see white caps on Lake Erie but I only feel slight motion in my cabin. The Clelia II directory says that the ship has two retractable fins, one on each side of the ship. As the ship starts to roll, a sensitive gyromechanism extends and angles the fins to counteract the motion. Who knew?
No comments:
Post a Comment