I'm a few days late with my blog as we have had no internet for several days. Sorry for the delay! We found a library so I'm playing catch up.
And
we’re off!!
Well
– that’s obviously not us but they were sure cute! After a discussion with the other boaters in
the morning, we decided to start up the Erie Canal. Our
friends, the Wilson’s up at Lock 8 said the lock masters were still planning on
opening at 1:00. We hoped to see them at
the Lock so tried to time our trip up river accordingly. We missed them by 4 miles (30 min).
We
were the first of the morning to go through Lock #2 and we were all by
ourselves. Everyone else wanted to wait
and see how we did I think!
Erie Canal colors are blue and gold and all their work boats sport these
colors. Very colorful!
The
colors on our Burgie, on the other hand, has started to fade!
It seems there is a park at each set of locks. They say this is a popular spectator sport
but we haven’t had a lot of looky-loos so far.
Well maybe the wild life likes to watch. I really think they are more interested in the fish we stir up tho.
These are called Guard Gates to help protect in case of flooding. They are usually open so we don’t have to
stop at each one. The water level is so high that we can just squeeze under.
We don’t see a lot of houses and those we do see are smaller than a lot of previous waterfront homes
This stretch not only has homes but docks that are well secured on this beautiful
rock cliff.
and there are the occasional large homes with an even larger one next door –
gotta keep up with the Jones’!
Ummmm what was I saying about smaller homes? – they had to outshine everyone!
As we get closer to the locks that were closed for several days, we see
evidence of the high water making its way down stream. This is the first of many dams we saw this
wild.
On the top side the dams are well marked so no boats will go over
“accidentally”.
The
scenery is spectacular along here. There are incredible rock walls along here and several pretty waterfalls. Yes, that’s a duck sitting at the top of the
falls.
These ingenious stairs down to the dock are popular along here.
There is a rowing club nearby. He
didn’t break stride when we gently went by him.
-NO WAKE!!
The further upstream we go the more debris we see. Some of this appears to
have been here from previous flooding.
It is a regular occurrence and the maintenance teams have their hands
full trying to keep the waterways clear.
Lock # 8 - the lock that closed first is now open J. We encountered our first real turbulence and
large trees to dodge getting into the lock, but Captain Bob was a pro!
Our first night tied up on “the wall” just past the dam and lock. This barge has been collecting some of the
debris.
We
spent a pleasant evening with friends from our stay in Waterford and new
friends on a sailboat “Echo Beach” that we just met. We had leftovers from the potluck in
Waterford and a great visit on “Drift Away”.
Echo Beach left very early in the morning but we left around 7:30.
Bob getting our lines ready
We're off and Drift Away followed.
Such a beautiful morning. It was one of
those picturesque mornings with smooth water that invited fun with a camera.
This one is pretty both directions but my favorite is the kitty cat queen at the top of
the column. Turn the picture over for more fun
faces.
Another dual visual treat – this tree becomes an arrow!
Our
air draft was not an issue when we were planning this part of the trip but
because of the high water we are a little closer to the bridge than
comfortable!
These are called “nun” buoys that mark the safe area of travel.
The
Erie Canal has well marked channels, sometimes they look like an obstacle
course, but well marked!
A boating camp ground!
I was very angry at this little guy in the lock. A mile back he passed us at a high speed and
left a wake that knocked me silly in the cabin.
I saw him go by so braced myself (I was in the cabin fixing lunch) only
the little wake I expected was huge!
Things flew off the table, my counter in the galley and the V-berth. And here he is waiting for us in the lock. Lucky for him we tied up on the other side or
he would have gotten a lesson in boating courtesy!!
A sign of past years of prosperity.
Many abandon factories along the way and towns that are nearly gone.
The
worst lock of the day got no pictures as we had our hands full. We were traveling with Drift Away – we were
in the lead and approached the lock first.
The current was extremely strong and several large logs at the entrance
requiring us to go slow to dodge around them.
Going slow is not a good idea as you lose steerage. The current caught us and spun us sideways
into the beginning of the wall to the lock.
Blessedly there was no damage.
Bob circled back around and the second try worked. Drift Away fared no better and also slammed
the wall. They said they had a minor
boo-boo on their stern. We were all
pretty shook up. The next lock was very
similar and the lock master advised us to come in fast to overcome the current.
So “damn the torpedoes – full speed ahead”
Bob managed to not hit the logs and successfully entered the lock. Drift Away entered first this time.
We
did manage to go through 2 more locks with no drama before tying up for the
night at the top of Lock 15. We thought
we would be the only ones there as Drift Away went on up river, but a Grand Banks came up the Locks right
before closing (5:00) and tied up behind us.
They had just bought the boat a few weeks earlier and were taking her
home to Michigan. We had docktails with
them and they gave us many places to stop and see in Michigan.
Docked at Lock 15 Free Wall - Erie Canal, NY June 9 & 10, 2017
Stay tuned for more adventures tomorrow!
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