Equipment
We carried a small ice chest on board for milk, fruit, and jam. Al had fabricated a steam double boiler. Steam from the boat’s boiler heated the bottom of the double boiler. In less than a minute, water would boil in the bottom of the double boiler. We also brought along a small backpacking stove.

Breakfast

Usually we would eat on the boat after we had gotten the boiler fired up and were moving on the canal. I frequently would steer standing up. My ancient kitchen chair became the "table" upon which breakfast was served. Our standard breakfast consisted of Cheerios and milk.

Al appreciating Ginny's homemade apple bread.

Sometimes for breakfast we would go to a local restaurant in a canal town, usually ordering pancakes and French toast.

Lunch

Lunch almost invariably consisted of jam sandwiches, plus fruit for dessert. We also had a little beef jerky. On a cold day, pea soup (just add boilig water!) was a welcome alternative. In mid-afternoon, we had cookies for a snack.

Dinner
At the beginning of our adventure, Betsy and Gary brought us a picnic dinner.

Betsy cutting cheese.

Gary, Betsy, and Lynn enjoying the picnic dinner.

Along the way, we frequently enjoyed going to restaurants in the canal towns. We found the meals to be delicious and inexpensive.

The Coal Tower in Pittsford.

The Green Tavern in Fairport.

We cooked dinner in the steamboat as we were traveling across Oneida Lake in the evening. We had corn chowder for an appetizer and then macaroni and cheese as the main course.

Al making macaroni in the double boiler heated by steam from the steamboat's boiler.

We also had dinner in the steamboat at the Lock 8 Canal Park. The nearest restaurant was two and a half miles away and a mall was a mile and a half away. We had traveled a long ways and were tired, so we decided to make spaghetti instead. This was a two-pot meal. Al heated the sauce in the top of the double boiler. We used the backpacking stove to heat the water for the spaghetti.

Pouring the spaghetti sauce.

See it steam?

Yum!

When you’ve got the firebox of a boiler….

why not have toasted marshmallows?

Steamboat trip index