Day 237 - June 19, 2013: Peebles Island

My list of things to do on the boat is getting whittled down, as this morning I washed and then scrubbed the molded-in non-skid surfaces of the boat. This required getting on my knees with a stiff brush and a strong cleaning solution. Anne was busy with large loads of clothes and bedding at the laundromat.

We got more reports of work getting done on the damaged dams upstream and that is encouraging. However, the Canal Corporation still is reluctant to give us anything more than a general estimate of when the canal will open (one to two weeks).

After lunch we rode over to Peebles Island, which is at the confluence of the Hudson and the Mohawk Rivers. The Mohawk splits and flows around the island on both sides before entering the Hudson. This island, now a park of about 200 acres, contains hiking and cross-country trails with great views of the rivers and surrounding area. We walked a little over two miles around the perimeter, seeing deer and enjoying the tree lined paths and views out over the water.

Waterford City Dock and Visitor Center from Peebles Island

Wild deer on the island

There still is a working paper mill over in Cohoes across the Mohawk. The river has cut through high rocky walls along the shoreline.

High rocky walls along the river

Paper mill in Cohoes

This is a rocky area and the water is still flowing heavily, forming interesting rapids.

Rapids in the Mohawk River

Anne at a lookout point

This man-made dam was built to allow barges to cross the Mohawk at the same elevation as the original Champlain Canal.

Man-made dam as a part of the Champlain Canal