The Erie Canal

We have gone through ½ of the Erie Canal - 22 locks and 130 miles and we are still speaking –barely. These locks are tricky things in that sometimes you need the fenders port, sometimes starboard, in some you caught a rope and hung on, others you caught a pipe and wrapped your rope around and loosely cleated it so you could fed it out as you went up or down. You got filthy—hair, clothes, gloves, fenders and boat. If the Captain has an opinion on how the first mate should adjust her job—it is not always well received. But this is an interesting part of the adventure. We were in bed early every night and slept like the dead but the winding river had pretty scenery and the weather was good for the most part. Along the Canal there are very few places to anchor but there are seawalls and low cost marinas to stay the night. I can tell that I have been north of the Mason Dixon Line for a while—I pronounced starboard –star-burred instead of star-bored today. Tonight we watch the Giants and the Bills play the Hall of Fame Game—football is back—life is good.

The geese have all come to New York

We loved Little Falls--a beautiful town and we had a great dinner at Canal Street Inn

A solar paneled boat

State fair going on beside the canal