Erie locks, swimming....and a citation

This morning we went through the Waterford Flight of five locks! So exciting for me! We'd been looking at those imposing gates for two days, only 150 yards in front of us at our dock. We'd watched other boats do it. Finally it was our turn. We cast off and I called the dockmaster on the marine radio to let him know we wanted to enter the lock, and he said "ok, wait about 15 minutes." So, I immediately docked again about six boat lengths up from where I'd been and shut the engine off. My dock mates teased me about wanting to be closer to the showers.

Soon we shoved off again, and there was the huge chamber inviting us in, with the gates wide open. We were the only boat, and I crept in at idle speed and nudged up against the wall, putting it in reverse to come to a complete stop. Bruce wrapped his line around the vertical cable, and I stepped out the side door and grabbed a rope hanging from the top. The gates slowly closed, and then the water started churning in. For the first few feet of rise, the boat kept lunging back and forth, and the bow or stern would swing out. I needed to put the throttle in forward or reverse for just a split second to keep Bruce's position in the middle of the boat as he held his rope to keep us against the wall. I returned to holding the rope to keep the bow from swinging out. Then I decided I could shut down the engine so Bruce wouldn't have to breathe in all that diesel exhaust. We were learning as we went along!

We continued to rise slowly for the 33 feet, and pretty soon we were at the top. The lockmaster came by to see my permit, then he returned to his post and opened the front gates. I started up and slowly departed, waving at the man and his two kids who watched the process and shouted their approvals. We had barely left when the gates of the next lock stood before us. Everything was the same, except we both got better at keeping the boat in position, turning off the engine early, and doing everything right. Then the third, the fourth, and the fifth all came in succession, with only 200 yards separating the narrowest gap, and 900 yds separating the largest. We were the only boat through all five locks. In a way it's amazing to think all that "effort" occurs for just one lousy boat, but the water filling and lowering is simply gravity flow from an abundant river above. The energy needed to open the gates isn't much since there's no pressure against the gates on either end. In fact, when we get to Canada, many of the lock gates will be opened using human energy turning a crank! So, paying the lockmaster's salary is the biggest "burden" when you think about what goes into having a single boat lock through.

The final lockmaster told us that as soon as he opened the gates for us to leave, he'd need to drive up about a half mile to the "2nd guard gate" to open it for us. As we soon learned, in the narrow cut we still needed to traverse to reach the Mohawk River, there were two huge "blockades" that could close off water flow into the locks. The 1st was already open, but the 2nd was closed. One of the photos shows the closed gate ahead of us. Suddenly it began to rise, and we could pass under and out into the lake.

The Erie Canal is now a series of lakes on rivers, the one here being the Mohawk River. The original 1825 canal was dug the entire 360-mi distance, 40 feet wide and only 4 ft deep. It was widened and deepened in 1862, but was still a true dug canal. In 1918 they opened the modern canal, which makes use of low dams on the rivers to create lakes, and locks allow boats to get past the dams. So, other than those first five locks this morning which are needed to get past the Cohoes waterfall near the Hudson River (see photo), the canal is wide and we get to navigate through beautiful lakes.

The lake we are on now is so beautiful! Homes with manicured lawns sloping down to the water, old and new homes with "character" and their own docks, and tall green everywhere. Tonight we are anchored out behind an island, just across the river from the marina where we'll be tied up for a week. Just now I was on the phone with Janet, and I kept exclaiming about the light show the boat club must have set up on the island for their viewing pleasure. But then I realized they were...fireflies!!! I didn't realize they could get so bright. I swear they seemed like a man-made electric performance.

Bruce and I decided to go for a long dinghy ride to explore this lake, and it was fabulous and everything until we passed the NY State Trooper boat. They did a quick U-turn and came alongside and asked us to approach them. We had forgotten our life preservers, and I got a ticket! I don't know the cost yet; a judge will send the fine to the Simi Valley address and I'll need to pay it later. Boo.

But after a couple of beers to help the pain (haha), we decided to go into the water since it's so warm and clean. I actually dove in, forgetting about my neck. It was all fine, but I had never dived since my broken neck thinking it would not be a good idea. Oh well, another milestone in my recovery! We got scrub sponges and washed the sides of the boat at water level where it gets the green scrunge line. I even scraped off the little barnacles that had gotten started on the metal trim tabs at the boat's stern. Felt so good to be in the water!

Yesterday's stories were about the bike. I took my first loop ride, rather than the usual out-and-back route. I came to a highway I had ridden on my ride across the country three yrs ago, and that was such a thrill! I decided to turn west on it, knowing it would lead back to the Hudson River, and I could return to Watertown in a big 25-mile loop. I took a photo from the middle of the bridge over the river to compare it to the identical photo I took in 2007. With only four miles to go, I got my first flat. I patched the tube and was going again in about 10 minutes, and passed the boat that had been right in front of me back at the dock. I waved, but I don't know if they saw me. Later, Bruce and I toured around by bike, and then I took another tour ride around the area to see sights, like the Cohoes Falls.

This trip has been amazing!