Eastern Erie Canal

It was a beautiful morning when we left Albany Yacht Club . . . .

. . . . and approached the Troy Lock with growing anticipation.

Spiritus waited for this barge to depart the Troy Lock chamber before she entered.

We arrived at Waterford, the Gateway to the New York State Canal System!

Spiritus was fortunate to secure the very last spot in front of the Welcome Center.

This popular place is where many Loopers stop to prepare for their journey through the Erie Canal.

Our arrival coincided with the weekly Waterford Farmer's Market! 

It didn't take long for us to find the Chicago dogs and rhubarb pie in honor of Father's Day!

Sing along with us:

"I've got a mule and her name is Sal, fifteen years on the Erie Canal;

She's a good old worker and a good old pal, fifteen years on the Erie Canal..."

The mast and radar on Spiritus had to be lowered in order to get under all the fixed bridges on the Erie Canal.

Spiritus is ready to enter the first of the Waterford Flight Locks.

This flight of five locks lifts or lowers vessels the greatest height in the shortest distance of any canal in the world!

What a special treat to share this part of our adventure with our sis and bro-in-law.

It was Mary's birthday and fellow boaters sang "Happy Birthday" to her in the lock!! 

Captain Eddy shows Second Mate Mary how to catch the lock line as she keeps Spiritus steady on the lock wall.

Admiral Fraser already caught his lock line!  The First Mate instructed him well!

Before entering Lock #5, the sisters take time out for a hug!

Spiritus looks quite proud as she exits Lock #6!

After locking through #8, we called it a day and tied up for the night.

  We slept like babies!

The next day we saw this pile of debris stacked beside a lock.  It reminded us of the reason the Erie Canal was closed for a month due to flooding in 2013 when we did our first Loop. 

It just keeps getting more beautiful as we travel west!

  The Canadian Geese joined us for our overnight stop at Lock #16.

Spiritus is tied securely to the wall outside the lock chamber, and the Captain scopes out the park where we will have our picnic dinner.

Sip, Sip, Hooray! 

A picnic table is conveniently located adjacent Spiritus and we're ready for Happy Hour!

The CanalWay Trail is an awesome way to get exercise, either on foot or on bikes.

The Captain tried to catch the flying pollens that have been raising cane with his allergies!!

The sunset over the Erie Canal this night was absolutely breathtaking!

Fog hovered over the canal water the next morning!

Lock #17  is not only the highest lift lock on the Erie Canal, it is believed to be one of only two locks in North America where the entrance gate is lifted above the boater.  Yes, the crew got wet when we entered this lock!

The vegetation is lush, the hills spectacular, and the journey magical!

It's a change of scenery to see the colorful flowers and awnings on the canal cafes.

We went to Rome!

  This is where the first shovel was turned in 1817 to start the digging of the Erie Canal.

The Captain is ultra interested in exploring the rebuilt Fort Stanwix,

a British-built fort that pre-dates the Revolutionary War.

Where there are cannons there is history!

The austere barracks made us appreciate the sacrifices our soldiers made.

Locals dressed in period costume and enthusiastically shared the Revolutionary War stories.

This was the fur trading post.

When in Rome, you eat at Savoy's Italian Restaurant and have the best meal ever!

A memorable highlight was finding an Auburn pennant in the restaurant.  War Eagle!

We cruised by Sylvan Beach and relived memories of eating here and participating in their 2013 Pirate Fest!

  We didn't stop on this Loop because we had perfect winds and seas to cross Lake Oneida.

We made it to Winter Harbor Marina in Brewerton, NY and tied up with many other Looper boats.

We are all waiting for the weather to improve before continuing our journeys.

We do plan to depart Winter Harbor Marina WAY BEFORE we see this snowplow being used!!

Up the Hudson River

The rural scenery as we cruised up the Hudson River was an extreme change from busy New York City.

After nearly 12 hours of cruising, we dropped anchor in beautiful Haverstraw Bay.

It's time for the Captain to grill a yummy dinner!

This beautiful sunset view from Spiritus was our dessert!

The next morning the crew of Spiritus joined several Loopers in Half Moon Bay Marina for a couple days.

Half Moon Bay Marina is located in the beautiful Catskill Mountains

It offers many biking and hiking trails and is an convenient place to catch a train into NYC.

The Captain discovered a scenic route out of the marina . . . .

. . . . which led to the First Mate's happy place.  She took the message board seriously!

That moment when you realize your 44th anniversary is only 2 days away so you practice that first kiss you shared in 1969.

The mountainous terrain after departing Half Moon Bay and traveling up the Hudson River is captivating. 

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is even more impressive from the water's edge.

The Army cadets are always hopeful that they can beat the Air Force cadets.

And if they don't, at least writing it on their field house roof makes them feel better!

We can usually hear the trains running along the tracks before we actually see them.

The current Esopus Lighthouse was built in 1871, replacing the original 1839 lighthouse.  

It is the southernmost of several old lighthouses built along the Hudson River.

When we spotted the Kingston Lighthouse, we knew we were approaching Rondout Creek.

As we  approached the Hudson Maritime Marina, we felt like we were coming home.

In 2013 we stayed here an entire month while waiting for the Erie Canal to open!  

Ron, a local resident and volunteer at the Museum whom we met in 2013, was waiting on the dock to greet us.

We carried our special Looper friends, Mike and Cindy, with us as we revisited all the special places we had explored together in 2013 while waiting for the Erie Canal to open.

The museum is filled with interesting displays, models, pictures, videos, and facts about the Hudson River.

The Lighthouse display is a favorite!  Our friend Ron built the replicas of the lighthouses and wired the lights to be operational.

Ron invited us to his lovely home and we sat in his garden talking non-stop.

We had LOTS of reminiscing and catching up to do!!

  Linda, the Maritime Museum Director in 2013, was super good to all the stranded Loopers!!

Spiritus is moored behind the wall.  This is the wall where we often gathered with fellow Loopers to plan our potlucks, brunches, outings, laundry runs, and always "docktails"!

When we take our hike across the bridge, this is our breathtaking view.

The beautiful countryside is unforgettable but the friends we made here left the most lasting memory.

This year we did NOT stay in Kingston an entire month!

Cruising up river to our next destination, we enjoyed seeing locals using riverside parks . . . .

. . . . and admired the colorful homes that lined the river's edge.

The 30 mile per hour gusts and swift current forced the Captain to dock Spiritus bow-in to her slip at Shady Harbor Marina.

We did not stop here on our 2013 Loop, but we now understand why everyone who did loved it!

The marina's "Boathouse Restaurant" is just one reason we were glad we stopped for the night!

We had to try the famous "little beer". . . and a calorie-overloaded flourless chocolate cake.

We will be back for both!!!!

It was a perfect weather day to continue up the Hudson River to Albany.

The tall buildings of Albany, the capitol of New York, are a dramatic change of scenery.

After getting settled at the Albany Yacht Club we were pleasantly surprised by our sis and bro-in-law . . . .

. . . . who delivered balloons and hugs for us on our 44th Anniversary!

We celebrated with dinner at the Albany Yacht Club, a beautiful sunset, and a game of euchre

. . . . a family tradition!

The New York state capitol building was an architectural treat!

"The Egg" is a bowl shaped structure that is an acoustically superb auditorium.

 

The South Mall is home to one of the country's great modern museums.

We spent most of the afternoon in the Museum of New York History and still didn't see it all!

The museum was divided into several sections.

  This section featured the early days of building the New York canal systems.

This section featured the wildlife found in New York.

  Eddy made friends with this elk although he didn't share his chocolate! 

The discovery of skeletal remains proved that prehistoric mastodons once roamed this state.

These two former teachers appreciate the sparseness of the classroom that their mother taught in many years ago!

Siblings who play together stay together!

  Riding an antique carousel was the perfect way to end our fun time together in Albany, NY.