On the Erie Canal!

A Word about the Erie Canal

 

In the early 1800's, what few improved "roads" our nation had were inside the cities.  Travel between towns & villages was conducted on old Indian paths or rutted, rocky wagon trails.  The ability to conduct commerce in an efficient & timely manner was non-existent.

 

The Erie Canal, opened in October 1825, changed all that.  The waterway, running from Lake Erie to the Hudson River, opened up what was then called "the west".  Crops grown in the fertile valleys of the western lands could be transported to New York City & beyond.

 

Settlers flocked westward, forests gave way to sawmills and hamlets and these grew into villages.  As a result, prosperous towns were established on the Great Lakes and a splendid chain of cities sprang up along the line of the Erie Canal.

 

Today, at a time when we have ceased to wonder at great engineering feats, we lose sight of the tremendous difficulties overcome and the strenuous efforts exerted by the men of the past to improve and expand this nation we are so blessed to live in.

 

 

 

 

The much anticipated day has finally arrived.....on July 17th, the Erie Canal re-opened!

Spiritus enters Lock 5 with a flotilla of boats that have waited patiently.

 

 

 

 

Spiritus feels quite tiny as the lock doors close behind her in the chamber.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The locks are a marvel!  The boats are lifted as much as 40 feet or as little as 7 feet. 

The crew either hangs on to a fixed rope or attaches their boat's line to a steel cable or pipe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cruising the Erie, we enjoy lush, green, mountainous terrain at a peaceful, tranquil pace.

 

 

 

 

 

Our first overnight stop was the beautiful Riverlink Park in Amsterdam, New York, which is the hometown of actor Kirk Douglas.

Along the canal, Spiritus is tied on a facedock with Oyster, our boating buddy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During our 8 hour cruise, the Captain thought he had felt a significant vibration. 

He and Woody went diving to check the running gear and look what they found wrapped around the propeller!!

 

We couldn't help but wonder if the proud owner of this fishing tournament vest fell overboard as well!

 

 

 

 

Although each of the twenty-two Erie Canal locks that we went through were special in their own way, this one was a favorite.  A spectacular view!

The lock is on the left and the spillway dam is on the right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oyster approaches a beautiful bridge with the Adirondack mountains in the background.

 

 

 

 

 

Just as highway construction zones slow traffic down, waterway construction zones do the same!

We had to slowly manuever around a barge that was dredging a portion of the canal channel.

 

 

 

 

 

State canal barges such as these perform many types of duties along the canal system:

debris removal, lock maintenance, dredge towing, channel marker placement, and occasionally helping stranded pleasure boats.

 

 

 

 

 

Never forget to look back over your shoulder to see where you've been!

Each of the locks have extremely well-maintained grounds and provide wonderful settings for picnics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This lock looks more like a fortress than a passageway to the canal.

It is one of only two very unique locks . . . . . . .

  

. . . . . . . which has a single door, instead of two . . . . . . .

 

 . . . . . . . that opens vertically . . . . . . .

 

. . . . . . . instead of horizontally!

 

 

 

 

 

 All the towns & villages along the canals work hard to make their waterfront parks a special place for visitors and locals to enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Falls, New York is nestled in a dramatic natural setting among steep hills that descend to the Mohawk River and Erie Canal.

 

And it's a great place to stop and refresh!

 

 

 

 

 

 As we approach locks, we always enjoy discussions of what we'll see after we are lifted through.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To our delight, we discovered beautiful Sylvan Beach on the southern shore of Lake Oneida . . . . . .

 

 

. . . . . . featuring an amusement park filled with thrilling rides!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lucky for us that it was Priate's Weekend when we stayed at the lovely Mariner's Landing in Sylvan Beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We imbibed and embraced the local spirit discovering that pirate grog makes you crazy . . . . . .

 

 

. . . . . . crazy in love . . . . . .

 

. . . . . . and crazy about our very blessed life!!

 

  

 

 

 

 

The sun is barely rising as we leave the south shore of Lake Oneida on July 21st.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lock 23 is our last lock before we depart the Erie Canal and turn north to join the Oswego Canal.

Thirty-three more Erie locks allow you to continue west to Buffalo, New York, making the trip from the Hudson River to Lake Erie over 340 miles long.

That's a long way for a team of mules to tow a barge!