Woke to foggy conditions at Waterford and made ready to go through the Waterford Flight of 5 locks which will raise us 169 feet to the level of the Mohawk River. We have company in the lock of a Canadian couple who purchased a boat in the US and was taking back to Canada.
Was interesting to go through this set of locks again and get a second look at the town of Waterford and the remains of the old canal system along the way. We also had to wait for a guard gate to open for us so we got wet as we went under it. Bill took a video of the gate opening.
Traveled another few miles and pulled into Blaine’s Bay to use the remaining days we paid for earlier.
Will use this time to do laundry and clean the boat and Bill has a few fix-it chores to do before we store the boat for the winter.
Bill is cleaning the hull. I get to clean the windows and hatches. What fun!!
Bill picked some wildflowers for us to have on the boat. And an orange sunset and a orange harvest moon later on.
September 10. Day 146. On to Scotia, NY. 12.9. Nm. Total 2664
Leaving Blaine’s Bay, we head west on the Mohawk River section of the Erie Canal which winds its way through forested hills and rocky cliffs. We still find lots new to see, even though we have traveled this way before.
We locked through Lock 7 that raised us 27 feet. This lock has the biggest dam on the the Eastern Erie.
Along the way we saw an old aqueduct system and the remains of an old trolley line bridge which the gulls and cormorants have commandeered as a resting spot. Some history behind the old aquaduct - built in 1842 to naturally divert the waters of the Mohawk River into the town of Schenectady for drinking water and crop irrigation. It was used until 1916 when the Erie Canal was improved in this area.
We also passed two large crew centers on the river. Had been warned to have caution around this area so we could give way to the teams as they practiced, but we only saw the crew teams on land getting their boats ready. Further west, we pass the City of Schenectady, NY with its condos, business offices and huge railroad yard along the river.
Continuing on we pulled into the town dock of Scotia, NY which is off a beautiful park.
Had heard rave reviews about a local burger joint Bill is itching to try. Well unfortunately the restaurant Bill wanted to go to was closed for the season. We then found the Scotia Diner and enjoyed our lunch and watching the wait staff interact with the locals. Is wonderful to be in a place where everyone knows you.
The town of Scotia was named by Alexander Glen, a Scotsman who purchased the land from the Mohawk Indians in the early 1700’s. The name Scotia is Latin for Scotland. The town was a military outpost in the French and Indian War and the War of 1812. Today it is a suburb of the larger city of Schenectady.
On our walk through town we found lots of large homes dating from 1730 to the early 1900’s and watched the adult league play softball for awhile.
