Waterford to Amsterdam

Another drizzly day along the Erie Canal and Mohawk River. We left Waterford at 9:00 and traveled through 9 locks to the Riverlink Park in Amsterdam, NY. Here at Lock 7 we waited while the chamber was emptied and the lock doors opened. 

The Canal Corp. is maintaining the locks, as it is early in the season, and we had to dodge various work barges and excavators. At Lock 8 we had to squeeze around a barge by making a very tight "s" turn to enter the lock - "at our own risk" said the Lock Master via radio. At Lock 9 this work barge was in front of the lock, and had to be moved for us to go through.

The locks were wet and muddy, but the upside was that we had almost the entire canal to ourselves.

Riverlink Park is maybe 300 feet from the train line that parallels the Erie Canal. Long freight trains pass about every 20 to 30 minutes blowing their horns several times, making sleeping interesting

Here is one of the infamous flammable oil carrying trains. There were hundreds of tankers on it.

And while we were busy, Ellie was just bored.