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Their Actions Affect Me Three Centuries Later

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Spent two nights at Lock 22...just downstream from Rome, NY.  Lots of great historical events occurred along the Mohawk...Ft Stanwix and Oriskany Battlefields.  These were not numerically large battles but the outcome drove a stake in the Brits plans to split the colonies along the Hudson...leading to his defeat at Saratogo.   Brits tried to capture the fort by starving it into surrender.  Continental forces accompanied by Oenieda Indian came to the rescue and were met by Brit and other native Indian allies. The Continentals were ambushed and decimated in a narrow ravine near a village of Oriskany.  Though a tragic loss for the continentals, the native tribes supporting the British were demoralized and abandoned the Brits when they discovered their camp ravished by militia from the fort.  The brit allied natives withdrew forcing the British to abandon their efforts to capture the fort and retreat. Couldn't help but ponder the significance of thi...
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History by Happenstance

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We anchor where it works for us.  Ended up past two night adjacent to Revolutionary war sites.  Stony Point St Pk were continental's defeated British to drive them off the Hudson.  Last night we were off an island where Brits staged an attack on Kingston...then the capital of NY.  But mostly it was a place for Brian to stretch his ever growing legs. Passed West Point yesterday.  Massive fort from river.  Great location for defense.  The wind was might brisky yesterday 25 to 35 knots.  Speeds up due to narrow openings in the river gorge.   A warship passing was at a clear disadvantage. View from River is quite different from Google maps. We mostly see trees, hills and mountains.  Wonderful river.
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Cheerios and Clevis Pins

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What do cheerios and clevis pins have in common?  They are part of our current experience of stepping the mast.  We are in Buffalo, NY getting our mast, which we carried all thru the Erie Canal, reinstalled.  It's scary watching the mast hanging on a crane with a muscleman holding on for dear life.  With all this large and very heavy  equipment, success depends on a simple clevis pin.  Just enough to keep a massive peice of metal in place.  I find this fascinating. Conjures up the poem..For Want Of A Nail. Whilst all this is happening, whafting through the air is the slightly distinct odor of toasting grain with a hint of vanilla. Turns out immediately opposite us in the channel is the General Mills/Gold Medal Plant.  We are smelling toasting cheerios. We may, or may not, get underway into Lake Erie today, if we (that would be John) are able to get the boat ship shape for more open water.  Lake Erie is for all practical purpo...
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