Day 247 - June 29, 2013: Escape up the Champlain Canal

This morning the Erie Canal chief came over and briefed us on the situation. Basically, the 5 inches of rain that hit the Utica and Herkima areas yesterday, and flooded so many homes, pushed a quarter of a mile of debris into lock 12. A dam road washed out, and a damage assessment of all the dams is needed. The best guess was that an additional one-week delay was very optimistic and two weeks is more likely. Plus, there is another week of additional rain in the forecast which could cause more havoc. When I told Anne, we both said simultaneously, "Let's go up the Champlain."

Within 30 minutes we were locking down and turning north, happy to be out cruising and anticipating where we would be by the end of the day. Fortunately for us, Great Laker has a low draft and a height that enables her to make it under the many 17 foot bridges despite the elevated water levels. We were sad to leave all of our new friends whose boat heights exceed 17 feet, and hope they'll get good news that sends them along the Erie Canal soon.

By 5:00 pm, we were through six locks and in Fort Edward on the free city dock, where they were having their annual Heritage Festival, with rock bands, a carnival, food vendors, and fireworks.

Cruising again on the Champlain Canal!

Here is our farewell to Waterford, a place we enjoyed but should have left 11 days ago when the Champlain Canal first reopened. These are our favorites:

Favorite Laundromat

Favorite Bar with Celtic music

Favorite Chinese take-out

Favorite fine dining

Favorite hair salon

Favorite barbershop

Favorite city for delay

Day 246 - June 28, 2013: Back up above Lock 2 for protection

It rained heavily overnight, and we got news of massive flooding in the Erie Canal around Herkimer and Utica (locks 18 - 20). The water level was over the lock walls and sweeping through many homes in those areas. Debris, including whole trees, took out channel markers and ran into boats and docks. More rain is forecast today and throughout next week. This is now the 4th wettest June on record in this area, and soon to be the most?

We went to breakfast at Don & Paul's and discovered that Great Laker is on the cover of the Troy Record again, along with some interview comments from Anne!

Great Laker on the front cover of The Troy Record, June 28, 2013

Mid-morning, the lockmaster informed us we must move up above Lock 2, as we did during the first flooding, to get us in more protected waters (a controlled pool). Mid-afternoon, all the boats on the Waterford dock moved up the lock, and we returned to our old spot with no electricity or water and heavy rain. After dinner we got permission to move onto the lock wall, where I got 20 amp power but a temperamental breaker. I could power the lights but no heavy loads like the microwave or air conditioning, or it would shut off. All in all, we feel very fortunate that we are safe and not trapped somewhere upstream in the chaos.

Great Laker safely on the wall above Lock 2 on the Erie Canal

Day 245 - June 27, 2013: Erie Canal will not open as planned today

The canal workers have completed the repairs to the dams, and this is good news. However, with heavy rain coming across the Mohawk River basin tonight and all through next week, they are opening the dams to keep the Erie Canal from flooding again. This means the canal is remaining closed. We are quite discouraged, as we had stocked up today and done laundry preparing for a fast run up the canal. If the rain tonight is light, optimists say we might still get away late tomorrow.

This morning one of the loopers organized a yoga class which Anne attended. I picked the most pleasing pictures, leaving out the "downward dog."

Sue, Anne, Grace and Vicki

One legged stand

Our group of loopers continues to bond, strategize, share information and commiserate together. Tonight we got together for a barbecue and potluck that was supposed to have celebrated our departure tomorrow. Still, we had great food and a pleasant, relaxing atmosphere.

Looper barbecue and potluck at the Waterford dock

Day 244 - June 26, 2013: Possible Erie Canal opening?

Today, we got a NY Canal System alert that the Erie Canal will open at 8:00 AM on Friday, weather conditions permitting. But our excitement for this announcement, that we have awaited for so long, is tempered by the fact that there is a severe weather forecast, including heavy rain, lightning, and possible hail, starting Thursday afternoon and over the next week. A lift and a punch all at the same time.

This morning we looked again at all our options, including going north up the Champlain Canal, and either around the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers, or up the Saint Lawrence River, or possibly storing the boat in Brewerton over the winter and finishing next year. Our conclusion is we wished we had gone north two weeks ago, but of course that is water over the dam (hahaha).

This afternoon we got another canal alert announcing that they might have to open two of the dams pending high rains, which in effect keeps the canal closed. Here is what it looks like when the dams gates are open, and under these circumstances, the river drains quickly and is not navigable.

Dam gates in the fully opened position with water draining the upstream pool

Our highlight for the evening is Chinese takeout and another episode of Downton Abbey!

Day 243 - June 25, 2013: Our 16th day in Waterford

With this heat and humidity, we ran the air conditioning all night again, and the weather reports were for more of the same today. A couple of boats gave up this morning and headed up the Champlain Canal, but we are resisting because it adds over 300 miles to our journey. The city dock here remains completely full, and some boats have gone up above lock 6 (the furthest you can go) even though they might not find any services. By noon, the canal personnel were signaling that we stand a good chance of the canal opening by Thursday, and this is very encouraging. We continue to read and tonight started the Downton Abbey Season 1 on DVD that we have heard so much about.

Crowded dock at Waterford

Young woman fishing at dusk on the Hudson River

Sunset seen through the Peebles Island Bridge struts

Day 242 - June 24, 2013: A reading day on Great Laker

Today, Anne posted the following on her Facebook page to commemorate our 15th day on the Erie Canal:

"I've a boat, her name's not Sal
Fifteen days on the Erie Canal
I've met some good old workers with my good old pal
But we're ready to be gone from the Erie Canal."

And she expressed her apologies to Thomas S. Allen who wrote the original in 1905!

This morning, I stopped at the hardware store for some cleaners for the hull on my way to return the rental car. We will miss the mobility of the last three days.

Muriatic acid in highly diluted form is effective in removing wood tannins present in rivers that leave a mustache-shaped stain on the bow and scum that collects along the boot stripe. Acetone can be used as a cleaner that is effective in removing the small rubber burns on the hull left from dock fenders. I finished touching up the starboard side which is facing the dock and will do the port side next time it is facing the dock.

The day was hot, humid and rainy, and not good news for the dam workers' progress. We shut the doors, turned on the air conditioning and read most of the day. Anne also spent time in her office communicating with family and friends and handling some business.

Anne in her office

Everyone is curious about how we are doing. There is some good news that the two locks above lock 11 should be open by Wednesday. That leaves locks 9 and 10 still under repair. Each day we look forward to news of when we can depart.

Day 241 - June 23, 2013: Exploring the flood damage to the Erie Canal

For our automobile excursion today, we drove up the Erie Canal to explore the damage and status of the nearby locks. We have heard so many conflicting stories about what has happened, that we wanted to see for ourselves.

Locks 2 through 6 were undamaged, since excess water coming down the Mohawk River flows around them, over the Cohoes Falls, and into the Hudson River. Locks 7 and 8 were also undamaged as both of their dam gates were opened in time for any excess water to flow through.

The lock 9 dam was heavily damaged when, during the rapidly rising waters, the lock 10 dam was opened and high water and debris piled into the closed lock 9 dam, seriously bending some of its gates. These gates hang down on two massive hinges from overhead bridges to form a dam. On the face of each gate is a large steel panel, which can be raised and lowered as necessary to control the flow. The entire structure can be swung up under the bridge to allow debris to pass through. Two of the many gates on lock 9 were bent and needed to be removed and repaired, and this required an out-of-state contractor to fabricate and ship needed parts. Today we saw barges and cranes in place ready to mount one of the repaired gates.

Workers repairing the gates

A barge and crane in place ready to hang a gate

The lock 10 dam, and area around it, has collected a serious amount of debris which will need to be cleared. Some was clearly visible trapped on one of the gates.

Lock 10 with gates up with visible debris

Lock 11 and its dam were undamaged; however, four boats were below that dam when the flooding hit, and the lock master moved them into this lock to provide protection. For the first day, the lock was unfilled, and they had no visibility, power or water. One of the boats had a large active puppy that had to be carried up the lock wall ladder to do his business. On the second day, the boats were raised and generators were brought in. Unfortunately, a train goes by within a hundred feet with its whistle blowing many times a day! This group has had a much more difficult situation to deal with than our group at Waterford, and remarkably they have remained calm.

Four boats still trapped in lock 11

Day 240 - June 22, 2013: Fort Ticonderoga and Lake George

With the car giving us mobility, we headed back up to see Fort Ticonderoga, which is at the southern end of Lake Champlain and near the northern end of Lake George. This fort has a rich history of being critically involved in five battles during two wars and of changing hands five times. I have tried to create a simple version of key events below.

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During the French & Indian War, this location was considered a strategic defensive position by the French to control any movements by the British towards the Saint Lawrence or Great Lakes. Therefore in 1755, the French built Fort Carillon here and used it as a base to attack British camps to the south. However, in 1759, British General Amherst came up from the colonies, attacked, took over the fort and renamed it Fort Ticonderoga.

In 1775, Americans Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold realized that Fort Ticonderoga could be taken, and a small band of Green Mountain Boys captured the fort from the British making it the American's first victory in the Revolutionary War. Shortly thereafter, Colonel Henry Knox transported over 50 tons of captured military supplies including 59 artillery pieces to Boston where the threat of these weapons forced the British to evacuate.

In 1777, General Burgoyne led a very large army of British and German troops south to take Albany, and on the way forced the Americans to abandon Fort Ticonderoga. Two months later, the Americans retook Fort Ticonderoga at the same time that they defeated General Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga.

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Since 1930, this site has been reconstructed and managed by a non-profit organization which appears to have done an excellent job. We took a morning tour of the King's Garden, where soldiers grew their food, ate lunch at the visitor center, and took an afternoon tour of the reconstructed buildings of Fort Ticonderoga.

The King's Garden Tour

Examples of food grown by the soldiers

View from the fort out over Lake Champlain

Musket firing demonstration

Soldiers' barracks

After already having experienced a 12-day delay, tonight we are looking seriously into giving up on the Erie and going north on the Champlain Canal. 

Day 239 - June 21, 2013: Vermont again!

We enjoyed Vermont so much last weekend, we rented a car again and went back today. After driving up through the Green Mountains, Anne planned a stop in Arlington where we had lunch and visited outlet stores. It worked out well as both of us got a few things at greatly reduced prices.

This is Norman Rockwell country, and after being raised in New York, Rockwell lived in Vermont for 14 years from 1939 to 1953. During this time he painted hundreds of images using over 200 local people as models. We stopped at the Sugar Shack where there is a Norman Rockwell exhibition and gift shop and spent time looking at their extensive collection. While there, Anne picked up some locally made maple syrup and date and red chili chutney.

The Sugar Shack

Anne with owner Kim whose husband made the maple syrup

The covered bridges we saw last week were fascinating, and we decided to take a driving tour through an area where we could see more of them. These bridges are covered because they are made entirely of wood, and the cover protects them from moisture which will deteriorate the wood more rapidly. Even so, all of these bridges have been rebuilt one or more times over the years to match their original design. Each has it's unique features: side windows, entrance shape and roof line pitch.

The Paper Mill Bridge

The Henry Bridge

The Silk Bridge

This is the summer solstice, and back at Great Laker, while attending a looper organized campfire, we watched the larger and brighter moon rise over the Hudson River. Matt, the lock chief, reports that Lock 9 should be repaired Sunday and Lock 10 should be a fairly straightforward fix. The uncertainty is with Lock 13. Let's hope it goes well.

Day 238 - June 20, 2013: the Waterford Historic Museum and Cultural Center

This morning was similar to yesterday, with me continuing to clean and wax the boat, and Anne finishing the rest of the laundry. After lunch, we took the bikes along the Old Champlain Canal bike trail over to the Waterford Historic Museum and Cultural Center which is located in one of the historic homes of the area.

Waterford Historic Museum and Cultural Center

There were interesting exhibits on the history of the area, the many floods and some fires which occurred here over the years, and the evolution of the Erie and Champlain Canals. Plus, there was a working scale model of Lock 4 from the Old Champlain Canal and a scale model of the landscape around Waterford before the Erie Canal was built. The map shows the Hudson River in the upper left, Peebles Island at center top, the Mohawk River coming in from the upper right, and the Old Champlain Canal heading north at the bottom. The exhibits were all very well done and worth seeing.

Working scale model of Lock 4 of the Old Champlain Canal

Scale model of the area

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

Day 236 - June 18, 2013: The Angry Penguin

We both spent this morning quietly reading, never surfacing into the outside world. The pace of our trip has slowed significantly as we adjust to the reality that we may be delayed here at least two weeks. Today is the 9th day and everyone along the dock is feeling anxious. We are hearing reports of damage to upstream dams and much debris in the water that would impede cruising.

With no canal traffic, two geese showed up across the canal with several goslings and spent the morning sunning and pecking insects out of the grass. For them life goes on as usual.

Geese and goslings feeding in the grass

After lunch I biked over and picked up some groceries, while Anne cleaned the inside of the boat.  Later we joined six other looping couples for dinner at The Angry Penguin. Each Tuesday, a local group of 20 or so musicians, that appeared mostly retired, shows up here and plays Celtic music for fun. There were fiddles, guitars, mandolins, flutes, recorders, an accordion and a drum top. We talked them into playing "Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal" while we sang along. It was great fun, and they were kind enough to wish us luck in not having to see them again next week!

Celtic music at The Angry Penguin

Day 235 - June 17, 2013: Back to the Waterford Docks

Today we were excited to learn that we could move back through Lock #2 onto the Waterford city dock, but disheartened to learn that it might be 10 more days before the Erie Canal would be opened. It was a little like sweet and sour chicken. All of us were anxious about whether there would be enough room for our boats on the floating docks with power and water, or whether some boats would end up on the sea wall with no services. This is the only creature I saw that surely didn't give a hoot either way.

What's all the fuss?

In getting ready to lock down, we saw the Lois McClure, a full-scale, all wooden replica of an 1862 class sailing canal boat that was hand-built and is operated by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. These barges were owned by families that lived aboard and hauled up to 110 tons of cargo throughout the canal system. These barges had no engines, and they weren't necessary in the canals because they were towed by mules. However, they were unusual in that when they got into Lake Champlain, they could hoist sails and lower a centerboard to sail across. You can see the masts stowed on top.

The tug next to her is the C. L. Churchill which is a 1964, 34-foot, all wooden tug, originally powered by steam and later a Ford Lehman 120 diesel. It was recently hauled and the hull re-planked, and now tows the Lois McClure throughout the canal system educating the public and giving tours.

I believe this style tug was the inspiration for the American Tug boats built today. Similar hull lines, pilot house with doors, a smoke stack, rectangular rear cabin windows, and an open cockpit.

Lois McClure

Wooden hull 34, C. L. Churchill

American Tug 34, Great Laker

This evening, all the boaters and the canal workers got together for a potluck-style dinner after which the museum agreed to open the Lois McLure and the C. L. Churchill for us to tour.

Loopers barbecue for the canal workers

Day 234 - June 16, 2013: A day in Albany, NY

Albany sits on the Hudson River 140 miles north of New York City and 10 miles south of Waterford. Founded as a Dutch trading post in 1614, it became the capital of New York in 1797 and is the longest continuously chartered city in the U.S.  Albany was the original eastern entry to the Erie Canal and prospered as a center of transportation, exporting beer, lumber, and ironworks. It was one of the first cities in the world to have publicly installed water and sewer mains, natural gas lines and electricity.

Our first stop was the Visitors Center where we viewed exhibits of the history of Albany. Then we drove down into the heart of the city and parked in front of the State Capitol building. Being Sunday and Father's Day and with the sky threatening rain, there were very few people around. The current capitol building, finished in 1899, took 32 years to complete and was the most expensive capitol ever constructed at that time.

NY State Capitol Building, front view

NY State Capitol Building, side view

The Albany Institute of History & Art is nearby, and we saw several excellent art exhibits, including The Making of the Hudson River School and The Legacy of Currier & Ives.

Next to the capitol is the Empire State Plaza, dedicated in 1973 under the leadership of Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. It looks out over the city towards the Hudson, is centered on a long reflecting pool, and is surrounded by government offices and The Performing Arts Center, affectionately named "The Egg" for its shape. Surprisingly, The Egg contains both 450 and 952 seat amphitheaters.

Empire State Plaza reflecting pool

The Performing Arts Center, called "The Egg"

At the south end of the plaza is the New York State Museum where we spent much of our time viewing elaborate and well done exhibits related to New York City and the Adirondack wilderness. We drove back to Great Laker anxiously awaiting further news on the reopening of the canal.