Days 6 to 7 Weather delay in Waterford, NY

      We have decided to take the next two days off due to the weather forecast and the rigors of three travel days. This is especially true due to the 11 locks that we transited yesterday. The lock throughs were smooth, but each lock does require work and it also results in nervous energy being consumed. Thus, we were just as happy to have the weather delay, or we would have probably taken one day off anyway...

      To review the first part of this year’s trip I have included a profile from the NYS Canal Corporation that shows the locks that we have transited and their relative lift/drop. We started in Brewerton, NY (far left end of the diagram in the photo above) and ended on Day 5 in Waterford, NY. The first two locks were east of Oneida Lake, and they were up. The canal then crosses a drainage divide between Lake Ontario and the Hudson River. Thus, the remaining locks are down until we reach the Hudson River at Waterford, NY. The diagram also shows the relative spacing between the locks. The last 5 locks on the right end are the Waterford Flight where we rapidly descended 164 feet to the Hudson River at the town of Waterford. Hopefully, this diagram gives you a good overview of this first portion of the trip.

      The photo at the left show Lock E-2, which is the final one of the Waterford Flight of 5 locks. The water level here is the level of the Mohawk River and Erie Canal as they enter the Hudson River just about a half mile east (or to the left) of here. Just off to the right is the location of two of the original locks from the Erie and Champlain Canals. There are pictures of these locks later (below).

      The photo at the right shows Luck Us moored on the Waterford Free Dock. The bridge just ahead of Lucky Us is a former railroad bridge that crosses the Erie Canal/Mohawk River to Peebles Island just to the south. The island has breast works (double mounds) that would have been used to shield cannons that protectanted the island and town during the Revolutionary War. However, no battles were actually fought here.

      Just on the other side of the bridge and ahead of Lucky Us is the Welcome Center and Marina Office. On the exterior wall of the welcome center is a plaque that marks the high water mark for tropical storm Irene, and it is dated August 29, 2011 (photo at left). Irene was the storm that caused so much flooding in this area of New York and New Jersey. The high water mark is about 15 feet above the water level during our visit.

      The next few photos will give you a quick and far too brief look at some of the local architecture. The City Hall and Police Station (photo at right) is on the main street where we viewed the parade last evening. Most of the shopping district along here is also composed of brick buildings, but most appear to be much older than city hall.

 

 

 

 

 

      The main street is parallel to the canal and about 3 short blocks away. This area has many historic houses although none of the ones we saw had received a formal designation as a historic structure. This is unfortunate since many of what look like nicely restored houses have actually been covered with aluminum siding. Thus, although they look fine from a distance, they would violate all kinds of historic preservation guidelines. The house in the photo at the leftt was built in 1880 by the owner of the Waterford Knitting Company. In the rear at the left is a lovely, large carriage house, which likely housed servants on the second floor. It is not at all obvious, but the mansion has been divided up into apartments so that much of the interior has probably been lost.

     The last photo of a house (at right) shows a Greek Revival home with beautiful columns supporting the entry roof with wonderful trim work around the top of the entry and on the roof line. Many of the foundations for the houses were made of native stone.

      The water level in the Erie Canal, Mohawk River and Hudson River at Waterford is down about 2 feet based on the amount of river bank exposed along the channels (photo at left). This is in spite of a late wet Spring with flooding back in the Oswego River just to the west of where we started on Day 1 and well to the north along the St. Lawrence River, especially near Montreal, Quebec where we hope to be in a few weeks. 

      One of the local points of interest is two locks from the original canal system. Just a short walk to the west and uphill from where Lucky Us is docked (photo at right) we can look back down through these two old locks. The original stone work looks to be in very good shape. The stones were carefully fitted together with no cement, and they have remained in position despite the effect of tree roots and ice, which can move the blocks apart. I do not know the lock measurements, but Lucky Us would possible fit inside the lock chamber with little room to spare.

      Above the locks in the previous photo is a small with a channel that runs into the distance toward the top of the photo (at left). This channel lead to the original Erie Canal. The channel also heads back to the right and leads to the original Lake Champlain Canal. Thus, this spot is a very historic point in the history of American transportation where two major transportation route meet.

      The above photos just represent some of the many sights that we saw. We also slept late and ate very well during our stay with two meals out at local restaurants each day. Thus, we are well rested and ready to begin our journey north along the Lake Champlain Canal tomorrow (Day 8).