Waterford, NY - Day Two.

Morning thunderstorms finally passed. We have had our share of rain and servere thunderstorms this trip, but for now the sun is trying to break through, at least for a while.

Summer Sundays are the time for the Waterford Farmer's Market, which sets up at the visitor's center across from the boat docks.

There were several vegetable vendors along with baked goods, local honey, maple syrup, flowers and plants and some jewelry. Maryann bought fresh corn-on-the-cob, and other vegetables for our last run down the Hudson.

 

Waterford Harbor visitor's center is just south of Lock 2, the official first lock of the Erie Canal. It is home of several antique boats and an annual "tug rendezvous".

And, there are several tour boats that will take folks for a trip to experience the locks.

Captain's Supplement:

Waterford, NY like many of the towns we have visited along the Erie Canal are almost museum-like in their faded glory. Old main streets, factories, and residences provide a glimpse into what life was like 50 to 100 years ago.

 

 

Now, passed their prime, they lack the resources to modernize and live in a state of either dead or dying.

 

Amsterdam to Waterford

We traveled along the Mohawk River from Amsterdam to Waterford, NY., transiting the last nine locks on the Erie Canal. This part of the Erie Canal is beautiful and interesting and not at all "ditch-like" as the river winds it's way to the Hudson River.

Schenectady is the largest of the cities on this part of the river and home to General Electric. Opposite GE we passed this magnificent house peeking above the trees.

I couldn't resist trying to find out what it was. A Google search showed it to be a private residence. 15,118 sq. ft., 5 bedrooms, 8.5 baths on 12.5 acres.

The wall at the Waterford Harbor Visitors Center was very crowded, and while we found a spot, we had to use all 100 ft. of  cable to reach a shore power stanchion. Once settled in ,Maryann proved once again that good food is possible without a gourmet kitchen. Baked potatoes in an electric skillet and steak on the grill. Nice.

Little Falls to Amsterdam, NY

Determined to make it through the Erie before the next set of storms arrives, we went from Brewerton to Little Falls in one day, a distance a little over 60 nautical miles.  Big difference from when we were going west in June.  Then, there were many Loopers and Snowbirds with us.  Going back east, we practically have the canal to ourselves.  Mostly we lock through alone, but occasionally have a boat with us.

Sometimes they are big, like this Canal cruiser that tied on just a little bit too tight to the lock wall and struggled to get loose.

Sometimes they are quite small, as was this fellow following us like a duckling.  We offered him a tow, but he said "I have to paddle."  Turns out he only does a little bit each day, and has taken several years to complete his journey.

 

 

We stopped for lunch at Canajoharie, a lovely little town boasting a free municipal dock in a park.  There is a gem of an art museum there, the Arkell Museum, donated by the founder of the Beech-Nut Packing Company.  Canajoharie was the Beech-Nut company town, and the owners had a sense of pride in their company, its products, and the people and town in which they were located. 

After lunch in the Village Diner, we decided to press on to Amsterdam, which puts us a day away from Waterford, NY and the end of the Erie Canal.

Brewerton, NY

We made our third crossing of Lake Ontario uneventfully, landing in Oswego, NY. Here we met Katie and Jessie, two 20 some-things who have been living aboard their 27 foot sailboat for the last 3 years with pooch Reggie.  Now doing the Great Loop, they detoured last year to the Bahamas, and are now dawdling their way back to Michigan.

 

You can follow their adventures at katieandjessieonaboat.com



Kingston, ON

We've returned to Kingston Ontario for the second time since 2012 to revisit the city and to stage the crossing of Lake Ontario.

We spent a good amount of time walking the center city during our last visit, but knew there was much more to see requiring transportation. We settled on a step-on, step-off trolley tour, which would allow us to circumnavigate the city stopping at those places that interested us, yet still getting to parts of the city to far to walk.

One of the first stops was the Canadian Military College, Canada's equivalent of West Point. While we didn't get off there, it was interesting to see.

The first time we left the trolley was at Fort Henry. This 1800s fortification, built on the highest point in Kingston, was never attacked by the US.  It served it's purpose as a significant deterrent and protected Kingston, the military college and Navy Bay, the heart of military ship building. Today it is mostly a museum. We toured the fort and watch re-enactments of daily life of the soldiers around 1860.

Next we stopped at the "Steam Pump House". Water supply for firefighting was taken from the river. Steam engines, similar to locomotives, pressurized the system. Today a newer system uses electricity, but is fundamentally the same.

Interestingly, Kingston as the first capital of Canada also housed the first penitentiary. And, even today there are several located around the area. Seen here from the water, it has recently been purchased by Queen's University. New dorms?

Queen's University is enormous and has about 25,000 students. The campus is beautiful, a mixture of old and new architecture. Very impressive.

In all, the trolley was the perfect way to see Kingston without a car and a great addition to all we saw wandering the inner city in 2012 (see Mini-loop)