When you're lock rookies like us, it's best to make your way through the Federal Lock in Troy in bad weather...Not a lot of boat traffic (just kidding).
Truth is, it was a very satisfying moment as we made our way through, soaked to the bone, smiling from ear to ear...it wasn't as tough as people said it would be and I am totally looking forward to this leg of our adventure! (click on inset photo to read sign)
We bid farewell to Catskill, cruised under the Rip Van Winkle bridge, past the Athens-Hudson lighthouse, past sleepy towns and lovely homes along the way, past the state capital - Albany; onward to the single most important reason why New York IS the Empire State, The Erie Canal! The most successful engineering marvel of the 19th century, it was built between 1817 & 1825, is 363 miles long and connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Seaboard. When governer DeWitt Clinton proposed the idea of connecting the waterways he was scoffed by his opponents...but, he was vindicated when opening the canal opened commerce, encouraged national unity, created economic power and sealed the deal making New York City the nation's prime seaport and the seat of world trade! for more info log onto: http://www.epodunk.com/routes/erie-canal/index.html
We bid farewell to Catskill, cruised under the Rip Van Winkle bridge, past the Athens-Hudson lighthouse, past sleepy towns and lovely homes along the way, past the state capital - Albany; onward to the single most important reason why New York IS the Empire State, The Erie Canal! The most successful engineering marvel of the 19th century, it was built between 1817 & 1825, is 363 miles long and connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Seaboard. When governer DeWitt Clinton proposed the idea of connecting the waterways he was scoffed by his opponents...but, he was vindicated when opening the canal opened commerce, encouraged national unity, created economic power and sealed the deal making New York City the nation's prime seaport and the seat of world trade! for more info log onto: http://www.epodunk.com/routes/erie-canal/index.html
Today we are in Waterford...the dockmasters are the friendliest we've met along our journey. We snugged in overnight at the pump-out station because there wasn't any other "room at the inn". By 6 AM we heard an engine start up so I jumped off the boat and waited down the dock while Chip turned Ithaka around and pulled into the best spot on the city's free floating docks!
A neat little side story: When we were in Savannah last month, returning to the boat the night before we left, there was a note left on Ithaka's door (someone had recognized us as "loopers" because of our burgee). We never met, but we've been emailing back and forth ever since..."Did you catch up yet"? Imagine our surprise when we pulled into Waterford and saw what we thought was their boat! Chip yelled over, "Are you James and Rennie?" and they said, "Yes" and Chip said, "hi, we're Ithaka"! We haven't met many other loopers along the way, so it's always fun to hook up with another crazy couple and share stories...We went down to their boat, The Arundel, and had a beer and I'm sure we'll see more of them along the canal.
We'll be staying here a few days (the slip rent is the right price) and begin our exploration of this fascinating area as we begin to "unlock" the legends of the Erie Canal.
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