10-Jun-2021 Thursday Village Marina on South Bass Island, Put-In-Bay OH to Alcyone’s dock (Todd and Patty), Gross Isle MI (32.6 nautical miles 37.5 statute miles)
High fog – Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial
Canada
Detroit River Lighthouse
Nemesis of the Day
These little bastards bite.
Todd and Patty graciously offered us a place on their wall for the night. We followed them home.
Todd and Patty live in a Wonderland. I wondered if we could make it in and if we did, I wondered if we could make it back out.
channel
Alcyone is almost home
We look good on Alcyone‘s wall
Changing of the colors. Todd and Patty’s Gold Looper Flag was in the mail stack waiting for them at their house. We had the privilege of watching them change their colors.
Congratulations Alcyone
Thanks Todd and Patty for your hospitality. We’ll see you in Florida.
Floccinaucinihilipilification
Centipedes generally avoid water. They can swim for a short while but soon drown due to lack of oxygen. They take in oxygen from the atmosphere thro’ small pores located under their legs.
Drolleries and Yuks
How much room is needed for a fungi to grow? ~As mushroom as possible
09-Jun-2021 Wednesday Mentor Harbor Yacht Club, Mentor-on-the-Lake OH to Village Marina on South Bass Island, Put-In-Bay OH (68.1 nautical miles 78.4 statute miles)
Rather than bounce along the southern shore of Lake Erie past Cleveland and Sandusky we decided to head straight across towards Detroit. The forecast said weather would be good for traveling all day but I didn’t think it looked that way.
Rain. I was was right.
Cleveland
An unexpected guest
The weather did eventually clear up.
The nemesis of the day was the nematocera. I just don’t where all the bugs come from when we are 3 miles or more off shore.
nematocera
We traveled just south of the USA/Canada boundary.
The USA/Canada yellow buoy is missing
down rigger fishing
There’s a small group of islands in Lake Erie just north of Sandusky OH. Some are in the USA and others are in Canada.
Our target is Put-In-Bay.
Canada
USA
There are wineries on some of the USA islands
Entering Put-in-Bay OH on South Bass Island.
Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial
heading in to the marina
Someone somewhere along the line released a couple of koi carp in Put-In-Bay. They interbred with the local carp so it’s not surprising for the locals to see orange carp. It is surprising for the rest of us to see the orange carp.
Carp fishing boat
water snake
We rented a golf cart and toured the island with Todd and Patty from Alcyone. They had been out here several times before and were great tour guides.
us minus me
house made from part of a real boat
Love locks
grapes
what ever
The 352-foot Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial monument is the world’s tallest Doric column. IT was constructed between 1912 to 1915 it stands 47 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.
We needed to stop for one beer before we had to return the golf cart.
Good Night
Good Night
Sweet Dreams
Floccinaucinihilipilification
The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes called the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on 10 September 1813, on Lake Erie during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of the British Royal Navy. This ensured American control of the lake for the rest of the war, which in turn allowed the Americans to recover Detroit and win the Battle of the Thames to break the Indian confederation of Tecumseh. It was one of the biggest naval battles of the War of 1812.
Ponder This
Do song birds get mad at humming birds for not knowing the words?
07-JUN-2021 Monday LaSalle Yacht Club, Niagara Falls NY to Presque Isle State Park, Erie PA (87.7 nautical miles 100.9 statute miles)
42°09’25.1″N 80°07’14.0″W 42.156970, -80.120550 Elevation: 571 feet Rise 9 feet States (2): New York, Pennsylvania
Locks (1): Black Rock Lock
Along the Way
Beautifully still this morning. Looking at the Grand Island North Bridge.
The sand flies were horrid. Tammy had to protect her coffee cup when she got up to tell us goodbye. I ended up with extra protein in mine. YUK.
on our way
A couple of last looks towards Niagara Falls. You can see the mist from the falls.
I got to thinking what DOES Niagara Fall look like on the nautical charts?
I have to admit I was more than a little confused about the geography of Niagara Falls and Buffalo. So I looked it up. Niagara Falls is on Lake Ontario and Buffalo is on Lake Erie. They are connected by the Niagara River which is 36 miles long.
Buffalo NY
Old and huge power plant
good place for a West Marine
We connected up with Looper Alcyone in Black Rock Lock. We had first met them in Everglade City.
Black Rock Lock is a Federal Lock, 650 feet in length and 70 feet wide. There is only one chamber and the total weight of the gate is 480 tons. The lock has been a part of Black Rock since the state of New York built the Erie Canal in 1833.
heading in
looking back
out
Still in business. They still have all their windows.
Ferry Street and Peace Bridge
Wall of Fame. High school sports teams championships are painted on the wall.
Root for the Home Team! Toronto Blue Jays are using the Buffalo Stadium. Yankees will be playing them in Buffalo later this summer. All the seats for the series are are ready sold out. The community is loving it, having MLB in town. It will be crazy when the Yankees are here. New York really likes their baseball.
International Peace Bridge
International Peace Bridge between USA and Canada
(no dove but a seagull)
Buffalo water pumping and filtration station
Erie Basin observation deck (The Erie Basin is shaped like a buffalo)
Looking back
Buffalo skyline
Things got a lot more Erie, Lake Erie.
morning weather
Tech observation station
midday weather
not much to see from out in the lake
The sand fly problem turned into a biting fly problem after we entered Lake Erie.
Again things got a lot more Erie, Erie PA.
Hammermill Three Sister Stacks
Erie Land Lighthouse
Erie Coke Corporation
Entering Presque Isle Bay
There were lots of shoreline fishermen
Combo split channel/midchannel buoy
Erie PA is bigger than I thought it was.
Bicentennial Tower and Bayfront Convention Center
Presque Isle State Park
Entering Presque Isle State Park Bay
Presque Isle State Park
What’s up with the white head?
The biting fly problem turned into a mosquito problem after we entered Presque Isle State Park Bay,
Neighbors
We are anchored at the pin in the state park. This the first time we’ve anchored since leaving the Hudson River. It’s great not to have to worry about tides and currents.
Floccinaucinihilipilification
As of today, yes dear… has traveled on all of the Great Lakes
By surface area, Lake Erie is the fourth-largest of the Great Lakes, with a surface area of 9,910 square miles. It is the eleventh largest lake in the world if measured in terms of surface area.
By volume Lake Erie is the smallest of the Great Lakes with 116 cubic miles of water.
Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes. The lake’s average depth is 62 feet, while the maximum depth is 210 feet.
Ponder This
Did the guy who coined ‘one hit wonder’ ever come up with any other popular phrases?
06-JUN-2021 Sunday Free Dock, Middleport NY to LaSalle Yacht Club, Niagra Falls NY (33.1 nautical miles 38.1 statute miles)
43°04’22.1″N 78°59’08.2″W 43.072805, -78.985607 Elevation: 562 feet Rise 50 feet States (1): New York
Locks (2): Lock E34 – Lockport Lock E35 – Lockport (Elevation 564 at top of lock)
Along the Way
Wester Erie Canal is not at all like southern Florida ICW. Everything is shiny new and big in southern Florida. You never see an older boat (unless it’s a Looper boat). Here, you never see a new a new boat.
Erie irrigation
golf course
play structure
I wonder if they hung the right doors. There’s a different color and the down arrows are missing.
Yikes! Wires!
beautiful willow tree
The area too was densely populated by Canadians.
This guy just drove his minivan right down the easement for about 2 mile
big chicken
The weirdest thing of the day award goes to something I didn’t get a picture of. Some guy in his 60’s came roaring down to the canal edge on his four wheeler with his little dog on his lap. He skidded to a stop, lifted up his little dog and pointed to our boat so the dog could see it.
The Erie Canal saved the best for last. Lockport. Sections of the original Erie Canal have been persevered. Other sections are in their original state. (Warning: I’m picture happy)
Not in use. Permanently up.
section of old Erie on left
dry dock
Lock E34 – Lockport (Lock 1) Originally there were two sets of five step locks at Lockport to allow boats to travel both East and West at the same time. These two sets of five step locks have been replaced by two locks with significant lifts (~45 feet each). One set of the original locks have been preserved and are used for overflow.
E35 is ready for us
looking back
At the top of Lock E34 you directly pass into Lock E35 – Lockport, the last lock until the Niagara River.
straight into E35
double gates at the top
looking back
Signs of the original Erie Canal are very evident on the starboard/right/north side of the canal. You can still see the old mule path cut into the rock, forming a ledge. Rocks along the waterline have been worn smooth by the water through the years. The mule path was removed from port/left/south side of the canal when it was widened years ago.
south side
vegetation coverd old mule path ledge
Oopsies. I accidently bumped a button on my camera. The next set of pictures are in some sort of special effects cartoon mode. I thought they were kinda funky so I included more that I should have.
Still ducking
The closer to Niagara River we got the bluer the water got.
Kayak breeding grounds. This place is a zoo.
kayak docks
Love The Mooch!
Give them the horn Dom!
Penn Central Corporation Railroad Bridge opened once and never again.
Starboard side the bridge is much lower than the port. Choose wisely.
Glad we dropped the dinghy boom.
The Erie Canal ends where it enters the Niagara River.
It’s hard to say goodbye. Rather than saying goodbye, Brandi Jo (Dom and Tammy) took us home with them. We headed down the Niagara River towards the falls to their yacht club. The waterway was Florida crazy.
Grand Island on the left. North Tonawanda on the right.
Tonawanda, which means “swift waters,” was the name given to the area by Neuter and Erie Indians, the area’s original inhabitants. It probably refers to the Niagara River current.
Back to reality. I discover my oopsies and reset my camera.
Do the course have to run across the channel?
City of Niagara Falls Canada and City of Niagara Falls New York
Party boat armada. I can smell the pot from here.
North Grand Island Bridge looking at Niagara Falls
Brandi Jo’s home marina is just before the North Grand Island Bridge.
yes dear… and Brandi Jo
The marina was having a buffet party with live music. We participated 🙂
???
Dale and Tom put the boom back on the sun roof. The Mooch was returned to her spot on top.
Then Tom snuck off to Minnesota. It was great having you aboard!
Current Status and Elevation
Floccinaucinihilipilification
The Niagara River is a connecting channel between two Great Lakes, Erie and Ontario. Niagara Falls has moved back seven miles in 12,500 years and is thought to be the fastest moving waterfalls in the world. 700,000 of water travel down Niagara Falls every second.
It is believed that the word Niagara originates from the Iroquoian word ‘Onguiaahra’ meaning ‘Strait’. Making reference to the narrow waterways that flow north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.
Ponder This
If there is an earthquake on a dairy farm, is it called a milkshake?
05-JUN-2021 Saturday Free Wall, Holley NY to Free Dock, Middleport NY (22.8 nautical miles 26.2 statute miles)
43°12’45.3″N 78°28’38.3″W 43.212570, -78.477301 Elevation: 512 feet Rise 0 feet States (1): New York
Locks (0):
Along the Way
We watched another boat head out this morning before we left. The guy on the bow is holding an upright pole. As long as the pole clears, the boat will clear.
Today’s entire run was above grade. Mind blowing. And windy too. 20 mph wind. I’m glad we are not on Lake Erie today.
Now that’s a flag pole
Marshland below the canal level
satellite tv
The lake below the canal
Recently reinforced banks or just power washed the rocks?
breach repair (new stone)
old stone
Albion Mt. Trashmore
Orchards and farmland
We must be getting close to Canada
Border Patrol
Old boat made into a playhouse w/ slide
I’d have loved to stop in Albion for a quick walk about. It’s known for its old churches. Alas, there was no room to tie up with the dredges and barges on the free wall.
Albion
Albion was the home of George Pullman, the guy that invented railroad sleeping cars. He got the idea from watching canal boats.
A roaming operator works both the Ingersoll bridge and the Main Street Bridge in Albion.
operator driving between bridges
operator climbing stairs
Albion Main Street
I somehow messed up my camera. A lot of todays pictures are a blurry. How can you mess up autofocus?? Continuing on.
Albion Correctional Facility
Northernmost point on the Erie Canal
The Erie Canal continues to surprise with beautiful farmland and orchards.
Orchards
Bridge check
another breach repair
An Erie Canal surprise! Near Medina the Erie Canal crosses over Culvert Road on an aqueduct. This is the only place a car can driver under the Erie Canal. It’s not that amazing from above but I bet it is mind blowing to see a boat pass over road on the aqueduct from below.
As Brandi Jo approached the kayakers Dom honked his horn. They scattered like baby Canadian geese being chased.
Back to an area of cement walls. The cement walls are about 3 feet high and have cable mounted for water emergencies (e.g. something to grab on to if you fall out of your boat or have boat trouble). It’s au naturale on the other side.
Medina, another Erie Canal surprise. The north side the canal is an 61 foot embankment. The canal elevation is 512 feet and the land/lake below is 451 feet elevation
lake below through the trees
Medina is known for its Medina Sandstone, a stone used widely in buildings across the region. Some local examples include the “million dollar grand staircase” at the New York State Capitol in Albany, the Richardson Olmsted Complex in Buffalo, and in buildings at the University of Rochester and Cornell University. Sandstone varies in color from light grey to a deep reddish brown. It can also be found at Buckingham Palace and the the streets of Havana.
City Hall
Murals
On occasion I still need to check the bridge height.
Once gate is down. I wonder why?
Middleport
A bridge of a different color
Downtown Middleport is one block long. All the buildings in downtown Middleport, both sides, are owned by one person who is trying to develop it.
Epilogue
Dale read us a bedtime story while we ate our epilogues.
epilogues (apple logs)
P.S. Dale fixed my camera settings so I’m good to go for tomorrow 🙂
04-JUN-2021 Friday Free Wall, Spencerport NY to Free Wall, Holley NY (11 nautical miles 12.7 statute miles)
43°13’39.8″N 78°01’15.3″W 43.227713, -78.020925 Elevation: 512 feet Rise 0 feet States (1): New York
Locks (0):
Along the Way
I’m liking the lift bridges.
Spencerport Union Street Lift Bridge
Some bridge operators run two bridges. The bridge operator at the Spencerport Union Street Lift Bridge also runs the Adams Basin Lift Bridge ~3 miles away.
Adams Basin Lift Bridge – down
up
Large sections of today’s run ran well above the grade of the land. The Erie Canal, probably like most canals, is truly an engineering marvel. Not only did the early designers have to design the canals across peaks, valleys and flats, they had to identify water sources and build aqueducts to feed the canal. It takes a lot of coordination to keep the water flowing, pools at the correct height and not deplete the water sources.
Bridge inspection. Checkout the outrigger pontoon stabilizers.
Continuing on.
Dale has been “little towned” to death. They all have a head shop, a restaurant, a shitnack store, a grocery store, a Dollar Store and maybe a hardware store. I love them. We stopped at Brockport.
Brockport City Flag
The hardware store in Brockport was a time capsule.
I wanted the stickers
We went to find the Fire Department Museum about 5 blocks away on the edge of town.
Apparently some of the drivers around here have a little difficulty judging the height on the bridge. I understand the problem. It’s the same problem we’ve been dealing with on yes dear… But, so far we’ve been able to clear all these bridges.
oopsies
The Fire Department Museum was closed.
Thu the window
Diversity in housing
Kayak and other personal craft launching station. I haven’t seen one of these before.
competitive mule path mowing
elevated canal
spillway
We docked yes dear… on the Holley Canal Park free wall for the night and went off to find the waterfalls.
Canal Park has has this weird thing going on with painted rocks. They are just kinda laying around like Easter Egg or something. A local resident told me I could take one if I wanted. I didn’t.
Holley Canal Falls is one of the more unique and historic waterfalls in New York. It is a man made waterfall and part of the Erie Canal system. When the canal was widened over 100 years old, a water overflow outlet was created in Holley. Water that flows out of the canal plunges off a 35-foot sandstone cliff and makes its way into the East Branch of Sandy Creek.
Holley Canal Falls
East Branch of Sandy Creek
Canal Park, along the canal
Podunks
Ponder This
If dentists make their money off bad teeth… why should I trust the toothpaste that 4 out of 5 dentists recommend?
The western portion of the Erie Canal, for about the next 100 miles to Buffalo, resembles the original Erie Canal, a trench dug through the landscape with a tow path on both sides for the mules.
It will be mostly 15 foot bridges and 15 foot guard gates today. Cringe.
Interstate I490. It looks a little dubious from below.
Continuing on.
Hemlock, is a highly poisonous biennial herbaceous flowering plant in the carrot family
Dale likes to blow the horn
How the bottom of a bridge should look
bachelor pad
Some of these canal boats have tiller steering. I wonder how that works for docking?
I finally got to the point where I’m not cringing under every 15 foot bridge. I still keep a cautious eye though.
Lock E32 – Pittsford. This was crazy. If I understand correctly, the giant stream of mounded of water get diverted to fill the locks when the doors are closed.
The echoing waterfalls, leaks in the doors, dampened as the chamber filled. Lock walls crumbled as I pushed to keep yes dear.. off them. This lock too is in need of repair.
They are making some updates. They’ve recently swapped out the weighted lock lines for cables attached to the bottom and the top of the lock wall. We wrap a line around them old on and has the water depth changes. They are a lot easier and safer than the weighted lock lines.
spillway
Lock E33 – Henrietta also had a giant stream of mounded of water. Scary.
birds nest on top of lock cable
Powerhouse and spillway
The powerhouses house equipment used to generate electricity to power lock gates and valves. Almost all the locks have a powerhouse.
Lock E33 is the last lock for 42 miles. (NO LOCKS TOMORROW!!!!)
At this point the Erie Canal is skirting Rochester along the southwest corner I390 beltline.
The runner is running slightly faster than we are traveling (6.2 kts/7.1 mph). Note the grade. If the canal wall fails it will swap the area.
Monroe Community Hospital – Quite the building
Wow! Bumpers on the bridge bases.
It’s pretty incredible after pretty incredible.
The “Rock Cut”, miles 260-264, required some of the most extensive excavation of the entire Erie Canal. The deep cut was made through solid rock without the aid of modern earthmoving equipment.
Brandi Jo for the pass
Our turn (we are 10 feet longer and 2.5 feet wider)
Canal Relics
We are here.
Junction Lock – The original Erie Canal used to go into downtown Rochester. This was the original canal and lock entrance to downtown Rochester.
Junction Lock Park
I haven’t seen any turtles the entire length of the Erie Canal.
Spencerport
Spencerport
About 10 days ago there was a breach in the the canal walls some where around here. Guard gates were closed and the canal was drained to repair the canal wall. The water is about 1.5 feet low in this section of the canal as they are still trying to raise the pool to normal height.
The canal is much higher than the town
Docked. Time for a walkabout.
Walkabout Tomorrow we will pass under the Union Street Lift Bridge. Pedestrians can cross the bridge when it is in the down position or the raised position. The bridge walkway, on the left, raises with the bridge to the height of the red steps for pedestrians to pass.
Union Street Lift Bridge
side walkway and other end
Looking east from where we came
Triangle shaped building
Good Night
Thanks Tom F for the great picture.
Ponder This
How many times do you have to click “I accept cookies” before they send you the cookies?
First bridge was REALLY low. None of us were paying attention. Good thing we didn’t hit. We were all looking at the street light on the bridge.
streetlight on bridge
narrow canalway
Joseph Smith founded the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints in Palmyra in1830.
Lock E29 – Palmyra. Another lock in rough shape.
missing a T
The aqueduct that feeds the pool between Lock E29 and Lock E30 collapsed about the same time Lock E17 went caput. It’s been stabilized but a lot of rain is needed to fill the aqueduct source. Vessels with a draft of 5 feet or less can plow their way through. Lock E29 provides each vessel locking through with a depth map. It’s a lot worse at the western E30 end than at the eastern E29 end.
see the aqueduct just under channel on right
Exiting Lock E29.
Low water levels
Temporary dam across the aqueduct
Like a dock out of water.
At least we didn’t need to worry about bridge height for 1.3 miles until the next lock.
Corrosion! I wouldn’t drive over the bridge if I saw this
Old Lock 61 from 1862.
Lock E30 – Macedon. Our Lock E17 friend Clyde and his dad got stuck and had to be drug through the shallows. His 5 foot sailboat keel to was too deep and got stuck. A kindly trawler tossed him a line and drug him through. Wonder what his keel looks like now. yes dear… was vertically challenged too. We draft 3’9″. The canal bottom by the wall seemed soft. We didn’t feel any bottom contact but the depth on the depth finder was unsettling.
Free and clear! Whew! This should be just about it for the western Erie Canal challenges. Only four more locks to do until we are out of the Erie Canal.
Long about the Wayneport Road at Wayneport the daymarks are no longer numbered.
I think there were 2 more number signs after these but I didn’t see them.
It’s very different from Florida, but its still “WOW look at that house. WOW look at that house. LOOK at that DOCK”.
water at your front door
un-numbered daymark
bike trail
we can make this
Fairport City Wall
The lift bridge at Fairport is in the Guiness Book of World Records for several reasons. One end is higher than the other, it’s built on a slant and no two angles on the entire bridge are exactly the same. Constructed in 1913 it’s been closed for repair since September 2019. DOT hopes it will be complete in June 2021. Think about it. Some poor dude had to figure that all out in 1913 by manual calculations.
Walk about. Dom and Tammy want to go the the Italian Market in town here. We followed. They haven’t steared us wrong yet.
Italian Market. Baccala (codfish). It sure looks like lutefisk to me. They are both dried and salted cod.
Interesting shops
18 varieties of seeds for sale
grow flowers, not pot
We did a pass through at the Iron Smoke Distillery.
It wasn’t enough to simply have mannequins on the dock…. Dale and Tom had to critique their skin tone and wardrobe.
Private residential waterway
Cross Lake. Exactly what we did. Head straight across the lake heading for the hole in the trees. (Cross Lake is not cross shaped.)
The Bills
Farmland. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen farmland along the waterway.
Bridges…. The bridges on the western side the Erie Canal are lower than the bridges on the eastern side the Erie Canal. We made the decision to run it and see what happens. Today will tell. Some of them look like they have been built by fairies and others look like they have been built by trolls.
Checking out the bridge heights. Just because you’ve made one at 15 feet it doesn’t mean you make another at 15 feet. The pool levels between the lock might flux due to rain or other conditions.
Low bridge. Everybody down.
20 foot bridge
easy peasy
This guy is sitting in the weeds. Bet he’s full of ticks.
missing a fisherman
popup houseboat
It’s looking like we can clear the bridges. It’s the electrical wires I’m starting to worry about.
High density housing. Not everyone can afford the Finger Lakes region.
Everyone has a golf cart. A guy could make a fine living here fixing golf carts.
mannequin
It’s a mixed bag of landscape. Fun to see farms again. I miss the mountains though.
Stepping on out
Cayuga-Seneca(C-S) Canal to the portside. Daymarks are always interesting where channels split.
C-S canal red 2 – Erie Canal green 543
C-S canal green 3 – Erie Canal green 545
Continuing up the Erie Canal
Remains of the Montezuma Aqueduct where the canal of 1862 crossed the Seneca River.
Lock E25 – Mays Point – Fishing bobbers used for trawling 🙂 Interestingly they are painted different colors on each end.
18 foot practice bridge
OK. Cleared.
Lock E26 – Clyde
Water spider about 4 inches across. It crawled up the wall as the water rose.
This train bridge is supposedly the lowest bridge on the Erie Canal. 15 feet. Our moment has come. Take it slow.
three inches???
laying down on sunroof looking up
We just saved ourselves $1,000! We won’t have to hire a captain to take our boat through the Welland Canal in Canada to circumnavigate Niagara Falls. Through history there has been heavy competition between trains and boats for tonnage along the Erie Canal. The sneaky railroads built their bridges as low as possible to impede the boat traffic.
Lyons Lock E27
Clyde River
rental boat
17 feet
This bridge must have been made by trolls.
Lyons Lock E27
weeds on the wall
a regular watering
There was a time in Lyons when you could smell peppermint wherever you went in town. Hundreds and hundreds of acres of surrounding farmland was devoted to growing peppermint plants. Lyons was once a major producer of peppermint. The H.G. Hotchkiss Essential Oil Company exported its product internationally, and in addition to early medicinal uses, it provided the palate-pleasing tingle of Beech-Nut Gum.
Lock E28A – Lyons
doors opening
new lock lines – not the dirty slimy ones
lock dry dock
toys
Tender 1
Railroad bridge 15 feet
Lock E28B – Newark. This lock was in really rough shape. One of the worst so far.
Zebra mussles
I had to tag on top
Welcome to Newark
Good Night
Floccinaucinihilipilification
On the Erie Canal it takes 100,000 gallons of water per foot of lift. AND they do it for free.
Drolleries and Yuks
Why did the cattle rancher buy a dachshund? ~ He heard someone say get a long little doggie.
Remember all those who have sacrificed this Memorial Day.
Greater love has no one but this, Than to lie down their life for a friend. John 15:13
Along the Way
Good Morning Tammy
Woo Woo. They put a sign on the women’s restroom door. It was a little interesting yesterday. I walked into one of the restrooms yesterday turned around and walked out. I figured I was in them men’s because it was painted all blue. As I went to check out the other restroom a guy stepped out of it. He’d checked both of them out and decided to use the one with the urinals. Guess the all blue one must be the women’s.
We were waiting for our neighbors to leamoove. Waiting and waiting and waiting. They are too tall to travel the western side of the Erie Canal and need to use the Oswego Canal. Lock issues on the Oswego Canal are preventing them from continuing on today. They didn’t want to move their boat… At about 11:00am we asked them to move their boat so we could get out. The captain decided to walk the 110 foot boat back rather than start the engine.
We barely squeezed past.
yes dear… is so dirty again we look like nautical Beverly Hill Billies, especially when dragging The Mooch.
The Mooch in tow
Don’t tread on me Irish pirate
Lock E23 – Brewerton (down)
Guard gate and lock
looking back
That’s an odd one
enjoying Memorial Day
remains of an old marina dock
I could live here
This is the Three Rivers section of the Erie Canal. We came in on the Oneida River and exited on the Seneca River. The Oswego Canal/River heads north to Lake Ontario here.
Oswego River/Canal north
We continued west on the Erie Canal following the Seneca River.
He doesn’t have to mow
PARTY like it’s 2021
Just down from there we found a guy having troubles with his ski jet. We dragged the ski jet back to the party for him. His friends picked him up and dragged ski jet back into the marina.
you can tell they sit here a lot
Today’s Rant All the docks have aprons on them. I just don’t get why. Further more, why are the boards nailed on vertically? It seems to me it would be a whole lot easier to nail longer boards horizonally.
Lighthouses are a thing here too.
The thing that puzzles me most are the private marinas and private canals just carved right out of the shoreline. No way could you do that in Minnesota or Wisconsin.
These docks don’t have aprons. It’s interesting how they are cantilevered out from the shore.
Lock E24 – Baldwinsville (up)
local businesses :-}
lock guard gate (I don’t look up when we go under these)
I rarely feel comfortable tossing a line to anyone on a dock. I’d feel comfortable tossing a line to anyone of these four people. Tammy, Mary, Dave and Dom!
We headed out for summer but got stopped up at the bridge to watch the fishermen. The fishermen were fishing the river about 20 feet below. They had a custom fish net, just the right length, to net the fish.
BIG sheeps head
ADHD I had to take a picture.
We ate supper at the B’ville Diner. Great food at a great price!
Neighbors
We told Dave and Mary good bye again. They decided to turn around and go out the Oswego Canal. An aqueduct broke up river on the Erie Canal and they draft too deep to continue on. Superman was their boat Starlight’s original owner. She was custom built for Christopher Reeves before he had his equestrian accident.
Floccinaucinihilipilification
The New York State Canal System (formerly known as the New York State Barge Canal) is a successor to the Erie Canal and other canals within New York. Currently, the 525-mile system is composed of the Erie Canal, the Oswego Canal, the Cayuga–Seneca Canal, and the Champlain Canal. In 2014 the system was listed as a national historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in its entirety, and in 2016 it was designated a National Historic Landmark.
The Erie Canal connects the Hudson River to Lake Erie; the Cayuga–Seneca Canal connects Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake to the Erie Canal; the Oswego Canal connects the Erie Canal to Lake Ontario; and the Champlain Canal connects the Hudson River to Lake Champlain.
30-May-2021 Saturday Free wall, Sylvan Beach NY to Ess-Kay Marina, Brewerton NY (19.2 nautical miles 22.1 statute miles)
43°14’22.8″N 76°09’01.0″W 43.239655, -76.150284 Elevation: 369 feet rise 0 feet States (1): New York
Locks (0) yippee
Along the Way
Heading into Oneida Lake.
Looking back.
Sylvan Beach Amusement Park
Verona Lighthouse
south
Oneida Lake is a great fishing lake. Dale checked out all the fishing boats. He’s trying to decide what kind of fishing boat he’s going to buy when we get back to Minnesota. It WON’T be a center console boat.
We were attacked by hundreds of midges that wanted lift. Dale went crazy and kicked them all off the boat.
Hangman’s island for seagulls.
Heading into Brewerton on the west side of Oneida Lake.
More unusual style buoys
Back into the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal follows the Oneida River on this side of the lake.
Brewerton’s a quaint community.
The big event for the day was dropping the dinghy and removing the dinghy boom. With the boom removed, cross our fingers, we will be low enough to travel the western end of the Erie Canal. We had thought we would have to head out the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario.
I took a nap while the men dropped the boom and nestled it behind the bikes for storage.
Neighbors
penned in
The blue boat needs to leave before we head out tomorrow morning. Hope it leaves by noon.
Floccinaucinihilipilification
Oneida Lake is the largest lake entirely within New York state, with a surface area of 79.8 square miles. It is about 21 miles long and about 5 miles wide with an average depth of 22 feet. While not considered one of the Finger Lakes, Oneida Lake sometimes is referred to as their “thumb”.
29-May-2021 Saturday Lock E17 Erie Canal, Little Falls Rotary Park Marina, Little Falls NY to Free wall, Sylvan Beach NY (43.5 nautical miles 50.1 statute miles)
43°11’39.9″N 75°43’49.1″W 43.194414, -75.730296 Elevation: 369 feet rise 10 feet States (1): New York
We stopped for the night at Sylvan Beach on the west shore of Oneida Lake.
Along the Way
Upside of E17. Our travel mates left at 8:00am. We hung around the marina to do laundry hoping the weather would improve before we took off. Typical Memorial Weekend, cold and wet.
Lock E18. Looks like we are going to following a cat today.
cat
Lock E19 is a starboard tie only; another lock that’s only functional on one side. It’s a small, narrow lock that can usually only fit 3 boats at a time. We had to wait for the next lift.
Canal spillway and feeder.
spillway out
feeder in
Ugh, dangling cable
Lock E20 – small peak at 420 feet
Tom
Lock E20 had a lot of toys.
log remover
business end of dredger
dredger
crew boats
salvage
The Erie Canalway Trail between Albany and Buffalo is 365 miles. 87-percent of it is off road. The bike trail closely follow the Erie Canal in many areas.
This was weird. It a bunch of old barges lashed together, just sitting here. It shows up on the navigation charts as a small island.
This was interesting. The Erie Canal no longer leverages/follows the Mohawk River at this point. Below is a picture of where the Mohawk River crosses the Erie Canal, both a spillway and a feeder.
Continuing on.
looking back
guard gate
this end down
summer snow (cottonwood)
old, no longer used lock
A lot has work has gone into preserving the waters edge. Many miles of it is lined with rock.
Lock E21 – Headed down! The lockmaster works doubly hard. He runs both E21 and E22 a mile away.
Bank beaver crossing the canal. A tail slap and splash.
Canadians taking flight.
Lock E22 – Down again.
Doug Griggs on Boomerang! Doug is from Madeline Island WI. We haven’t seen him since he surveyed our boat and gave us piloting lessons. It’s a small world full of great people.
Reading the signs. Whatever works.
Just keep heading west.
The town of Sylvan Beach. Oneida is at the end.
We all went out for supper one last time. Craig and Terri Calle II, Mary and Dave Starlight, Dom and Tammy Brandy Jo, Tom, Mary and Dale yes dear…
Good Night
Drolleries and Yuks
How does a lumberjack track how many trees he cuts down? ~He keeps a log.
No longer our worries. Boats have been advised E17 will only be operational through Wednesday, June 2. If they want to be locked through they must there by 4:30pm. The crane is being taken down and returned to its jobsite in PA. It’s unclear how and when E17 will be operational again. They are hoping to get another crane in soon.
The estimate is two months to fabricate a new gear.
28-May-2021 Friday Lock E15 Erie Canal, Fort Plain NY to Lock E17 Erie Canal, Little Falls Rotary Park Marina, Little Falls NY (14.1 nautical miles 16.2 statute miles)
43°02’04.3″N 74°51’56.7″W 43.034536, -74.865749 Elevation: 359 feet States (1): New York
A watched kettle never boils. A watched lock never raises.
Along the Way
The honey wagon is here! ~Mary Sweet! ~Dale Sweet has nothing to do with it. ~Mary Ok awesome. ~Dale
The honey wagon is here!
Which one is the Canadian?
Glad to have gloves :-}
our turn
Like a cat with a clean sandbox I was in there to use it. I strongly prefer the head in yes dear… to the port-a-potty.
The call came! We were given permission to leave Lock E15 and head to E17 at 10:30am.
Boats were still waiting at Johnsonville Marina for their turn at the Johnsonville Marina we passed by.
We could tell they were quite miffed because boats behind them were moving forward FIRST. They stood by their boats and glared at us.
oopsies
nice camper trailer
Walled… Forty-five minutes later we were stopped at Lock E16. The first group of boats had still not locked through Lock E17. We tied off on the wall.
The lock walls were very rough and in need of patching. We fendered well.
tied to ladder so we could get out
We weren’t the only ones stuck at Lock E16. Boats were tied off on the wall above Lock E16 and also tied off waiting inside Lock E16.
The Johnsonville Marina boat were HOT and hot on our tail. Dale got on the radio and schoomzed them telling we had been sent off by the Lock 15 staff letting them know that we didn’t know they were still there or we would have waited. If Mufasa, the light blue boat, would have had torpedos, I’m sure he would have sunk our boat. Dale assured them they could go first and we would wait.
Mufasa has been a jerk all the way up the river. He was asked to move off the fuel dock at Johnsonville Marina about the same time we passed by so another boat could come in for fuel. He wouldn’t. The marina actually called the mayor of Johnsonville to come down and throw him out of the city of Johnsonville. The mayor did.
Johnsonville Marina heading in
Going up
Our turn. We are in
Guard Gate 3. The water was skinny through here. Brandy Jo went first, then followed by yes dear... to survey the water depth for the deeper draft sail boats. Sailboats Starlight and Calle II cautiously picked their way after us.
The infamous Lock E17. We walled-up again to wait our turn.
The GODs conversed. (Guys On Docks). The gate is open in the below picture. You can tell by the height of the crossbar it is hoisting.
gate is closed
Going through Lock E17 was like being in a movie set. Anticipation, exhilaration, anxiousness, drama, cold, rainy, caring, concern, cheerleading…..
120 ton door
the last to enter
rafted in
Through! We are pretty dam lucky.
E17 is now behind us!
Little Falls
Guard Gate 4
Little Falls falls
our marina is around the bend
We rafted up to make sure everyone who wanted to could stay overnight at the marina.
Woo Woo! Hot showers and a club clubhouse!
Canadian Craig on Calle II through a surprised birthday pizza party for his wife Terri. Happy, Happy Birthday Terry!
candles on pizza
Thanks for the pizza and wings Craig!
Good Night
I did the Dale thing when I crawled into bed. I crawled into bed with ALL my clothes on to pre-heat the space before I put my nightie on and crawled in for good. I was tooooo cold. I never got out to put my nightie on. I even wore the hood on my favorite Kawarthas pullover sweatshirt all night long.
Floccinaucinihilipilification
NYS Canal Corporation On Saturday, May 22 the lifting mechanism that hoists the lower gate at Lock E-17 (Little Falls) broke after 64 years of continuous operation. At 40.5 feet, Lock E-17 has the highest lift on the Canal system as the Erie Canal steps up through the Mohawk Valley and the seven-foot diameter gear was custom designed and fabricated by the Philadelphia Steel Company in 1957. It is one of two identical gears that operates the lower lock gate and due to the lift required, these gears are unique to this specific lock. The gears are made in two halves that are bolted onto the side of the sprocket gear that holds the chain for lifting the gate. The broken gear was disassembled and we are now developing a plan to custom fabricate the repair. While this work is underway, the lower lock gate will be temporarily operated by a crane.
27-May-2021 Thursday Lock E15 Erie Canal, Fort Plain NY (0 nautical miles 0 statute miles)
42°56’22.1″N 74°37’21.6″W 42.939473, -74.622678 Elevation: 301 feet States (1): New York
NOTICE TO MARINERS UPDATE ERIE CANAL – LOCK E-17 LITTLE FALLS MAY 27, 2021
The New York State Canal Corporation today announced that boaters’ services are nearing full capacity on the Erie Canal between Lock E-8 (Scotia) and Lock E-17 (Little Falls). Only local vessel traffic will be passed through locks in this area until Lock E-17 reopens for navigation.
The Canal Corporation will soon announce a temporary operating schedule for Lock E-17 with instructions for mariners that will ensure all waiting to transit the eastern Erie Canal can do so in a timely, orderly manner.
Things are looking up… The E-17 lift is the highest lift on the Erie Canal. We’ve heard there are 28 boats ahead of us waiting for the E-17 temporary fix. We have also heard E-17 is in such rough shape boats can only tie off on one side the lock during the lift. IF they can cycle 4 boats through in an hour we should all be able to get through in one day. Maybe tomorrow…
Photos courtesy of MyLittleFalls.com
Along the Way
The log masters came by to pick the lock.
going in for the bite
pick and place
after another
Another lock man was pushing smaller logs over dam.
Heading off to unload logs.
Picture perfect! Nice job trimming trees.
Thursday night car show at the grocery store.
Drolleries and Yuks
Why should you stand in the corner when you are cold? ~Because it’s usually around 90°!
25-May-2021 Tuesday Lock E15 Erie Canal, Fort Plain NY (0 nautical miles 0 statute miles)
42°56’22.1″N 74°37’21.6″W 42.939473, -74.622678 Elevation: 301 feet States (1): New York
We are all feeling fernweh. Fernweh, is a German word that describes a feeling stronger than wanderlust. Basically, the opposite of homesickness. We’ve to to get away. We’ve completely exhausted things to do at this lock and little town.
On the bright side we are not paying marina fees.
Along the Way
Dale just finished a moustache trim on a 45 foot boat.
The river stained moustache is gone.
The highlight of the day was a guy pumping out the port-a-potty and dropping off a second one for boaters only.
Status update
The crane has been delivered to Lock E17 and set-up. A couple of high-powered engineers are trying to identify a pick point for lifting the door. It seems there is more than just a pin that needs to be replaced. One gears is broke and a new one needs to be made. It will take about two months to do that. People are still optimistic about getting through E17. There is discussion about using the crane to operate the door until the gear is ready.
Impromptu pot luck again tonight.
Little Beers
Good Night
Ponder This
Waffles are just pancakes with abs.
I won’t be blogging again until we are on the move again.
24-May-2021 Monday Lock E15 Erie Canal, Fort Plain NY (0 nautical miles 0 statute miles)
42°56’22.1″N 74°37’21.6″W 42.939473, -74.622678 Elevation: 301 feet States (1): New York
Good Morning
Along the Way
A young Amish couple came down to the lock today for a picnic and watch boats pass through. They were a little disappointed the lock wasn’t open, but they stayed and enjoyed their picnic.
‘Craig the Canadian’ and I went up to look at the horse. ‘Craig the Canadian’ in his prior life raised and raced Standardbred horses. A lot of Amish and Mennonite people buy] Standardbred racehorses because they are so well trained.
registration brand
A barge came through the lock and it wasn’t happy with the boats on the wall. In fact, he was down right mad. Clearance was pretty tight. He told us we need to MOVE.
Before he came back we worked all the boats up the wall as far and as tightly as we safely could.
Incoming barge. When he returned, the guys were either going to smooze the captain over or really piss him off.
Schmoozed. The captain was happy that we were able to give him about 15 more feet clearance.
Outgoing barge. Dang that captain is good. (I’m glad we weren’t the last boat on lock wall.)
Every lock has a powerhouse to operate the locks. The windows were so high off the ground I had to stand on my tippy toes and hold the camera as high as I could to take the pictures. I got lucky with a couple shots.
Impromptu pot luck picnic in progress.
But of course we all needed to go to Stewart’s for dessert.
ice cream line
self serve toppings
satisfied customers
Ponder this
Who ever said out of sight out of mind never had a spider disappear on the bedroom.
23-May-2021 Sunday Lock E15 Erie Canal, Fort Plain NY (0 nautical miles 0 statute miles)
42°56’22.1″N 74°37’21.6″W 42.939473, -74.622678 Elevation: 301 feet States (1): New York
Waiting on a pin
Lock E17 has a guillotine style gate, a massive guillotine gate. A pin on the gate was sheared/broken and needs to be replaced. The gate, because of it’s weight, needs a super crane to lift it so they can replace the pin and adjust the door. It could be fixed in a 2 days or 2 weeks. It all depends on how soon they can get a crane up to the lock.
We’ve been told boats are backed up all the way down the canal. Lock E2 at Waterford has closed until the system is up and running. All marinas prior to lock are full. There is no more room on the lock wall. Boats are triple rafted with others. For the most part there no or very limited services (e.g. no pump outs, no electricity, no potable water). One marina has a pump but it is not working.
So, after everything’s fixed who first?
At least we have a town nearby and bicycles.
Along the Way
Tammy from Brandy Jo scrubbed the entire lock walkway to remove the goose poop. Bless you! You deserve a medal!
Dale elicited help from a local to fix my bike breaks.
We were off to Canajoharie. Dale and Tom on bikes. Me on the scooter. I get to see the Art Museum after all!
Downtown Canajoharie
Arkell Museum Bartlett Arkell, the first president of the Beech-Nut Packing Company (1899), founded the Canajoharie Library for the people of the village of Canajoharie. When it opened, gracing its walls were a dozen paintings from Arkell’s personal collection. It now holds 350 painting from the Arkell family collection.
The floor of the museum lobby was a map of the Erie Canal. (We are on the lock wall at Fort Plain)
I found the collection of ‘Beach-Nut’ paintings the most fascinating. The Beach-Nut Company/Arkell would acquire famous pieces of artwork then incorporate them into their marketing and gift box designs.
There were panting from many famous painters.
George Inness (1825-1894) Summer Woods
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) On the Beach
Walter Launt Palmer (1854-1932) Morning Light
James Whistler (1834-1903) On the Thames (up close and from across the room)
I took my time scooting back to the boat.
Spring flowers were abundant
It’s crazy how many trains pass by here.
mid-train pusher engine
Amtrack
Neighbors
Drolleries and Yuks
How do you stop Canadian bacon from curling in your pan? ~You take away their little brooms.
There are eight movable dams between Schenectady (Lock E8) and Fort Plain (Lock E15) that regulate water flow on the Mohawk River. Dam gates are lowered into the river to form navigable pools during the summer but are completely pulled out of the water in winter to clear the way for ice and debris-filled floodwaters. We locked past the first movable dam E8 yesterday. The rest we locked through today.
There was lots of debris around Lock E9 – Rotterdam.
Logs in front of and in lock
dam gate numbering
Humm. There’s also painted markings on the trees?
Figured it out! The buoys are pulled for winter. The painted markers markers aid in resting them after the ice is out.
183A (186 is on the starboard side the river)
188
Lock E10 – Crainsville is a portside only tie-off for upriver bound vessels. Only the valves on the riverside of the lock are working. When the valves were open it felt like we were hit by a tidal wave. The whole lock is in pretty rough shape. The steel lock wall are severely rusted and blistering. The rest of the lock doesn’t look so good either. A chunk fell off gate and cut a dockworkers wrist, requiring stitches, a couple of days ago.
STONG current from the valves
looking back over the dam
log remover boat
now defunct electrical plant
Defunct Mohawk Carpet Mill. It was destroyed by fires in 1992 and 1994.
You can put buoy numbers on just about everything that doesn’t move.
Amsterdam NY
Modern ancient hieroglyphics
Mohawk River Gateway Trail
Lock E11 – Amsterdam’s gates were open and waiting. The cement lock walls are crumbing. It too is in need of TLC.
leaky dam
VW must have better traction than I knew. Wonder how it got up there.
Remains of two original locks in Pullman Park.
Lock E12 – Tribes Hill had a lot of debris too. Their log picker-up boat is not working at the moment.
debris at top of dam
Original Erie Canal aqueduct at Schoharie Crossing park.
Holy Mountain Budha Land and Our Lady of Martyrs Coliseum Church.
Fonda The village of Fonda is named after Douw Fonda. He was a Dutch-American settler who was killed and scalped in 1780, during a Mohawk raid in the Revolutionary War, when the tribe was allied with the British.
Contrary to Dale, Peter Fonda was NOT born in Fonda NY. However, the Henry Fonda clan is from Fonda.
Fonda NY crossroads of America
Wonder how he loaded his car?
The Adirondacks extend southward from the St. Lawrence River valley and Lake Champlain to the Mohawk River valley.
baby Adirondacks
Lock E13 – Randall. One of the lock gates has been partially removed. The piece of equipment that lifts the gates is called a mule.
E13
Lock E14 – Canajoharie I had hoped we could anchor here but the water in the pool was too low as the Lock E13 had a gate partially open. Canajoharie is another extra credit town name if you can pronounce it. It has a small art gallery with some 350 paintings by American artists.
We needed a new plan. We decided to head up river several locks to a small marina.
E14 open and ready
Lock E15 – Fort Plain
E15 ahead
‘Moose’ working the lock valves
At Lock 15 we discovered we needed another new plan. One advantage of traveling with people very familiar with the Erie is that they are connected. Brandy Jo found out Lock E17, the guillotine lock, was not in operation. All the up river boats were jamming up with no place to tie off or anchor. We quickly decided to tie off at E15. They had room for us. We knew this was open but didn’t know if St Johnsville Marina had room. (Good call because we later found out St Johnsville Marina didn’t).
poopy locals
settled in
The lock was is a pretty primitive site. Limited electricity, port-a-potties and no water. Brandy Jo has solar power. They lent us their power cables so we could cobble together a line to run one of the two power banks on yes dear… The lock boss man told his staff to do everything they could to make things good for the boaters. The locked opened up their showers so we could all take showers.
Once settled in we were off to Fort Plain, but not to see the fort.
Guns attract men like flies to honey
look at the size of this calzone!
Neighbors
Callie II slid in behind us while we were at supper.
our flag – Callie II’s mast
We had traveled with them earlier but they had sped up and were further up river at the Lock E17 mess. They had called to see where we were at. We said come on back. Worst case you could raft with us.
Callie II figure head made by the owner Craig using melted down pop cans.
The line up for the 7AM opening started before 6AM.
lining up for first lift
photo journalists in place
here they come
first boat in Whiskey Charlie
here they come
locked and loaded
westbound door open
and they are off
11AM WE ARE OFF!
The Eastern Erie Canal follows the Mohawk River most of the way. The Mohawk River is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. It’s pretty much canals and small waterway on the Western Erie Canal to the Niagara River at Tonawanda/North Tonawanda, just north of Buffalo.
The first set of locks on the Eastern Erie Canal (E2, E3, E4, E5 and E6) are collectively called the “Waterford Five”. The “Waterford Five”, is one of the highest set of lift locks in the world.
We’ve partnered up with another Looper for the run, Dom and Tammy on Brandy Jo. They aren’t actively Looping now but they have been running the Erie Canal for 20+ years.
Brandy Jo in the lead
Brandi Jo is in Lock E2
Tip for the Lockmaster
out of E2
Old Champlain Canal
Erie edges
At 1:20pm, 2 hours 20 minutes of travel time, we had traveled exactly 1 nautical mile and traverse 3 locks.
It was like Ground Hog Day
The Lock Master at Lock E2 told us they were short staffed. The sad truth is that no one wants to work. The guy on Lock E3 was also running Lock E5 and we were waiting for him to come back to open the lock.
I’m sure it didn’t improve the situation that one of the other boaters was working hard at trying to piss off the lock master. Every 20 minutes or so he would crankily get on VHS and demand to know what was going on and how much longer it was going to be. He had NEVER had to wait so long and he wasn’t about to this TIME!
After about 2 hours the Lock Master from Lock E2 came up and opened Lock E3. THANK YOU! (His advice was never again travel on opening day.)
When the lock opened it was like a Disneyland line, the Mohawk River kept curving until we could see the Lock E3.
Continuing up the “Waterford Five”.
E3
E3 look back
E4
E5 from E4
E5
Tagging locks
leaving E5
into E6
Lock 6 ended the “Flight of Five”. We had climbed ~170 feet in 1.6 miles.
Lift Dam Guard Gate 1
Lift dam guard gates help to isolate sections of the canal in case of emergency, such as a break in the canal wall, accident, or extreme high water. They are also used when a section of the canal needs to be drained for maintenance or winter freeze protection.
Guard Gate 2 opening
Dump – Expanding the Catskills Mountains
Property of NY Erie Canal System
The Lock E7 – Niskayuna NY was huge. I thought we were at Niagara Falls at first glance.
45 MPH? We can’t go that fast
Leaving E7
At Schenectady we encountered speed bumps. (Schenectady is one of those towns you get extra credit for being able to pronounce.)
Nemesis on the Mohawk. Crew boats. It was good for them till the Erie Canal opened
crew boat
taking a drink
Schenectady marina
Lock E8 – Scotia is a movable dam. The dam gates are pulled completely out of the water for winter to prevent ice build up. It was the end of the line for us today. We tied off on the west side the lock.
E8 looking east
Good Night
Floccinaucinihilipilification
Erie Canal start of construction: 1817 in Rome, NY
Canal dimensions, 1825 Original Erie: 4 ft deep x 40 ft wide; locks 90 ft long Canal dimensions, 1862 Enlarged Erie: 7 ft deep x 70 ft wide; lock 110 ft long Canal dimensions, 1918- present Erie Barge Canal: 12-23 ft deep x 120-200 ft wide; locks 310 ft long
Cost to build:$7,143,789 Return on Investment:10 years
Number of aqueducts to bypass rivers and streams: 18
Travel time from Albany to Buffalo, 1825: 5 days Travel time from Albany to Buffalo by Stagecoach: 2 weeks
