Day 42- May 28 Troy City Marina, NY to Waterford, NY

 

Our longest day yet.  A whopping 2.5 miles!  We could see the lock from the dock and were tied up at the Waterford Canal Welcome Center by 9:30AM.  The downside:  The Welcome Center is undergoing upgrades and there is no power, no water, no pump out and only half of the usual amount of dock space.  Nonetheless, here we are.

This is technically the first lock of the Erie canal, but it is on the Hudson River and owned by the Federal Govmint. (Paul talk)

Gates are half open.

Gates are now open.

These are easy for the crew.  One line wrapped around the pipe and up we go.

We are at the new height and heading out of the lock.

Looking back at the closed gates.
We are now still on the Hudson, but no longer in the tidal effects of the Atlantic.

Decisions, decisions... 
How do you like the curly, super clamp, tripod I used for my action camera?

We chose to go to the left!


An homage to the motive power of the original canal, this mule refuses to move.

Another boat tied up to the Waterford's free dock.

A fellow boater volunteered to take a snap of our inaugural bike ride.  
Allegedly, he was sober.

Some sights along the bike ride.




The brickwork at the welcome center actually has a map of the entire canal.

We will be going through Lock #2 through #7 tomorrow.



This canal mule has the blues because he was put out to pasture.

The Mohawk River.  This is why there is a flight of locks here.

When the labor-intensive construction finished in 1825, the canal enabled settlers to sail west, while grain moved east on slender, shallow-draft wooden vessels. It transformed New York City into America’s largest port and turned outposts like Cleveland and Chicago into mercantile hubs. The Erie’s learn-as-you-go engineering created technological advances that made later canals at Suez and Panama possible. For more history of the Erie Canal, Paul suggests reading-
Wedding of the Waters: The Erie Canal and the Making of a Great Nation
by Peter L. Bernstein

Part of the original canal right next to Lock 2.

The old locks with flowing waters.



The new canal, Lock 2

Another view of Lock 2

This video shows the entire Lock 2.

The lock gate mechanism.

Oh boy!  They let Cheryl into the place where it all happens!
I promised not to touch.

Large labels, easy to read, easy to turn... I think.
 
It's a looong way down.  And we'll be going in here tomorrow!

There is constant leakage through the gates from the high side.

This is the view of the water against the gate on the high side. Lots of cotton from the local cottonwood trees. Rather nasty looking.

All fendered up on both sides for the next day! The flight of 5 locks will be the first thing.

Saw a partial rainbow and start of a second one before sunset.

Calm waters at sunset. 
Another fantastic day on the water.

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Comments

  1. Mary AliceMay 30, 2024 at 11:25 AM

    Wow you guys. What an incredibly interesting part of your trip. Love all the history.

    ReplyDelete

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