The Erie Canal

Last weekend, Jason and I joined my dad in Syracuse, New York to do the Erie Canal leg of his boat trip back to Charleston. What an amazing trip! Neither of us really had any idea of what to expect... Jason had never been to that part of the country, and I had been to Syracuse once when I was in high school (to visit the university, not the canal). I think the whole experience was incredible and a great way for the two of us to just get away from things for awhile.
We met Dad at the Brewerton Boatyard, just outside of Syracuse, on Friday night. After some yummy New York pizza, we went to bed early to rest up for a long day. The first task of the trip was to cross Oneida Lake before heading into the Erie Canal. It was a pretty lake, and we were able to see the beginnings of fall in the trees.
Leaving Brewerton on Saturday morning.
Oneida Lake... you can just barely see the mountains through the haze.
It was so nice to get away and be "Jason and Amanda" again, and not "Daddy and Mommy". We haven't had anything longer than a night away together since before Jackson was born, almost 4 years ago. It was desperately needed!!

The "dug" canal... this is one of my favorite pictures from the trip.

It was a short trip before we made it to the canal. The canal consists of two parts: approaching from the west, the first is the actual "dug" canal, and the second is the Mohawk River. The dug canal is narrow and has a speed limit of 10mph, and you get a sense of being far away from any sort of civilization. The original towpaths where the mules pulled the barges are still visible, as are old dams and lock structres. The Mohawk River is a bit wider with no speed limit, but it seems just as isolated.
Mohawk River
You can probably tell that we had a variety of weather while we were there. The first day was pretty chilly, gray, and damp. The second day started clear, clouded over and rained, then warmed up and cleared again. Our last day, thankfully, was almost warm and sunny... we got to see typical northern fall days.
We traveled through 21 locks in 2 1/2 days to get to the Hudson River on Monday. We stopped the first night in Little Falls, the second night outside of Schenectady, and on Monday, we were in Troy, right outside of Albany. We flew out of Albany that afternoon. It was like nothing I have ever done before, and I would love to do it again. I know that I have a ton of pictures posted, and I might bore you to death, but humor me... it really was beautiful up there!

The Locks

This is Dad at the top of Lock 17. As we pulled into a lock, one person on the bow and one on the stern grabbed a line hanging from the wall to stabilize the boat as we descended (or ascended, in some cases). Soon, the gates would close, and the water would start to drain from (or enter) the lock. Lock 17 was a descent for us.
A view from the ride down. The walls were extremely slimy and mucky. On some of the locks closer to the Hudson, there were zebra mussels attached to the walls. As the water started to drain, the mussels began "spitting" at us. Thousands of them... it made the wall look something like a fountain!
At the bottom, waiting for the gate to raise. Most of the locks had two gates that swung open, but this particular lock had one that would rise and fall.
The gate is going up, and we are on our way out!
Looking back... Leaving Lock 17 and on to Lock 16!

More Lock Pictures

The original towpath, where the mules pulled the barges through the canal.
Sailboats have to remove their masts before they enter the canal, as there are tons of bridges. Some of them carry the mast with them, some ship them to a destination outside of the canal.

Making it look easy...
Each lock was treated like a museum... things were all freshly painted, lots of flowers planted, brass polished... the lock operators take pride in their locks and keep them looking as picturesque as possible.
This is one of the locks that had incredible damage done during the flood in June. It took 6 weeks before this lock could reopen. The lock itself is fixed now, but the surrounding area has a long way to go.
Doesn't it look like the gates are going to bust open at any time and swamp us??

Driving

Dad, I don't have any of you driving!! Were we boat hogs???

Little Falls

Little Falls was a quaint town that we stayed in on Saturday night. It was an old town that was built into the side of the mountain and along the canal. It is a town, though, that was forgotten about once the railroad came along and took business away from the canal. I'm not sure that there is much left other than what the canal supports with its tourists.

Fall Colors

The leaves had just started to change up there, and within a week, I am sure that there will be incredible colors along the canal. These are just a few trees that decided to put on an early show for us!

Take a Bow

Our favorite place to sit on the trip was on the bow... there was no better place to see the amazing scenery around us! It got a little chilly at some times, though, so we would head back down for some yummy hot chocolate!

Signs Along the Way

"No Dumping of Snow Allowed"
The Beech Nut Babyfood plant

The Remington Factory
Crossroads

A brewery by the marina in Troy (near Albany)

The Skies

Sunset at Blaine's Bay Marina, where we stayed Sunday night.
This is a front that passed in front of us... it was amazing to watch the sky as we traveled. We have so many pictures that show the coolest clouds and weather changes!
There was a front that came up behind us... the clouds got so dark and scary.
Leaving Little Falls was just a little hazy. This is another one of my favorite pictures.

Thanks, Dad!

Dad,

Thank you so much for having us along. We saw some amazing things, and we had an incredible time. It really was such a great chance to relax, get away, and spend some QT together and with you. Thank you for sharing it with us, and we look forward to many more trips to come!

Love,
Amanda & Jason