We left Scotia early as we are traveling over 30 miles with 8 locks today. It is supposed to be rainy all day on Tuesday, so we are doing two short day trips in one day to compensate for the weather.
Our day saw forested shore and hills beyond just beginning to be tinged with color, freight and Amtrak train whistles and rumbles, winding river and a series of small towns.
The locks started just past Scotia- Lock 8 lifted us 14 feet; Lock 9 at Rotterdam lifted us 15 feet; Lock 10 lifted us 15 feet at Cranesville; Lock 11 lifted us 12 feet at Amsterdam; Lock 12 lifted us 11 feet at Tribes Hill; Lock 13 lifted us 8 feet at Randall; Lock 14 lifted us 8 feet at Canajoharie( boiling water in Mohawk tongue) and Lock 15 lifted us 8 feet at Fort Plain. That comes to a total rise of 91 feet today.
And at each lock, we encountered : the green/red light to signal boats to enter the lock; the creaks and groans of the lock gates as they open and close; wrestling a line in the locks with a boat hook to secure the boat in the lock; the rush of the water through the flood gates raising the water level; the tug of the lines as the boat lifts; the splashing flow of the river water spilling over the dams that accompany each lock; the clang of the lock gate as it opens; the releasing of the lock lines and the wave and thank you to the lock master as we leave. We have 7 more locks to go for a total of 128 totals locks we traversed this cruising season. I guess we are now lock experts.
At Lock 14 we had the privilege of another Bald eagle encounter.
A bit on the weary side, we pull up to Lock 15 wall and got secured for the night. Made it just in time to beat the rain. Will sleep well tonight.
September 12. Day 148. On to Little Falls. 12.5. Nm. Total. 2715
Leaving Ft Plain, we entered the narrow section of the Mohawk River Valley- the forests and hills loom up close to the canal. At this point the railroad line, canal and highway are all within 1/2 to 3/4 miles. Further west the valley widens enough for corn fields to be between the hills and the canal.
Along the way we were lucky enough to site another bald eagle and also a red shouldered hawk sitting in the treetops. Also got to see several freight trains pass by on their way to or from Buffalo, NY.
We passed through Lock 16 and rose 20 feet, negotiated between the canal staff dredging a section of the canal, passed under an open guard gate and pulled up to the lock wall just before Lock 17.
Little Falls was originally settled by Germans given a land grant in 1723. At the time it was the western most settlement in New York. The town became a trading center with its location on the Mohawk River right at the rapids where goods needed to be portaged. The town was known for its textile/ wool mills and its cheese production. The Burrell family was instrumental in developing and marketing the cheese business which is still active today. Their old home and a large commercial building still bear there name.
Sadly the mills and warehouses along the old Erie Canal are abandoned. Was interesting to see the rapids and old canal structures.
We explored Moss Island which is an undeveloped island near Lock 17. We had fun climbing all over the rock formations formed by glaciers so many years before. Bill never found a rock he did not want to climb.
Also we walked past a rocky cliff which is used by the local rock climbers. Believe they have classes for beginners for those interested. We thought the first picture was a great face profile.
Afterwards we watched a large catamaran go through Lock 17 which is one of the largest lift gate locks in the world, lifting boats 40 feet.
Here is the lock lit up at night.
Bill took a video of the lift gate coming down and I added a few shots of the town.
