Schenectady, NY
Let the locks begin! First day on Erie Canal and through some locks and we did great! Listened to some great advice, saw the locks in action yesterday and we were ready.
Couldn’t miss the turn into the 200-year-old Erie Canal due to the big blue road sign at Waterford, left to the Erie Canal, right to the Champlain Canal. The Waterford Flight of Locks are five locks that raised us 169 feet in about 1 1/2 miles, so it’s very busy for about two hours. We went through with three other boats so the four of us were lined up stern to bow and filled the locks on one side. The view backwards when we were at the top was a little disconcerting seeing us 35 feet above the river below and floating in the lock.
The locks were a challenge and very grimy but hey, a little river sludge never hurt anyone right? It was a really a beautiful area of New York and we are happy to have the experience of that first day of ups and downs (a little lock humor - get it) under our belt. The first lock was a breeze, but the second one was a bear and we had to really work hard to keep our boat lines up against the lock wall.
After seven locks and being covered in dirt and grime, we cruised in to a sparkling new marina (Mohawk River Marina) which was nestled in between two new high rise condo complexes, a bit of a juxtaposition from the waterside bare basics marinas we have been staying in. There was a casino and a nail salon right in the premise - enough said! We went out to dinner at a brewery in one of the condo complexes with our dock neighbors from Clarksville, VA and had a great time listening to each others trials and tribulations. It’s been a learning experience and we used muscles we either didn’t know or forgot we had - so no gym needed for us today- Tomorrow is another lock day - but only three - so we should at least be able to function at days end. Until tomorrow - hoping 9:00 pm is not too early for bed!
We’ve attached a video that shows why there are locks. After we were raised in Lock 7 at Vischer Ferry Dam, we could see and hear the water going over the dam. The dam was built to help control the Mohawk River and for hydroelectric power. The dam is 30 feet high and over 1,900 feet long so it would be pretty tough to get over it going up.
Go here to find the Nebo summary and track for the day.
