Amsterdam, Canajaharie, Little Falls Locks 8 thru 17- Betsy

Tonight is our first real internet since Waterford- and that wasn't very good! We have had three wonderful days of cruising... except for the bent prop in Lock 9. Long story short is we were following another boat into the lock (his boat below) and there was a lot of turbulence caused by the currents and wind. Right in front of the lock were a lot of logs and debris. There was absolutely no way to avoid it as we were really being pushed around. Dave put the engines in neutral but had to re-engage them to get me to the wall. When he did a large stick/log was pulled back under the boat and must have gone through our port side prop. We were hoping that the sound was just the lock door closing but no such luck. As soon as we went to pull out of the lock we immediately felt the vibration on our left side. Dave tried different things but to no avail. We have been running about 1300 rpm's and the vibration really isn't too bad. We have made arrangements to go into a yard in Brewerton and have the prop pulled and tune it in a shop 1.5 hours away. We plan on renting a car and taking it to the prop shop as they only pick up from Brewerton on Thursday's. We will probably be on the hard for 4 days. This will be my first experience climbing a ladder and staying up in the air on the boat! Not looking forward to that experience!

On a lighter note, my knee is so much better- oh the Cortisone miracle. Not sure what the cause of the original pain was but suspecting overuse and arthritis. We started walking daily and increasing the distance and time out each time. I need to get my quad strength up! Hoping the cortisone will last until Florida and then have it looked at there- I know there are many orthopedic's who deal with old people knees like mine!

Dave and I have just been loving New York! We explored the town of Canjaharie yesterday and walked the Canal Trail today. It runs through towns parallel to the Erie Canal and when completely finished will be 359 miles long. Yesterday was extremely windy but today was much calmer- except for a few rain showers it was a perfect cruising day! Tonight we are having thunderstorms but even they are enjoyable safely tied to the dock!

It is such a cool experience riding through this part of the canal. There are trains running literally right beside us on our starboard side and New York Throughway on our port side. All that goes through my head is "Trucks to the left of me, trains to the right" (think Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right song!)

These are part of the original Erie Canal that we spotted outside Lock 12- Schoharie Creek.The

aqueducts were built over the rivers that had to be crossed.

We have seen eagles almost every day- mature and immature ones. They are beautiful!

This was one of the calmer locks that we came through but if you look closely you can still see logs and debris floating outside lock exit.

Pierre update.... it has just to to go :-)

This was the Adirondak Power and Light Plant that we saw after coming out of one of the locks. We saw several of these when we vacationed in the Adirondak's in 2002.

This is FRYEDAZE parked at Riverside Park in Amsterdam, NY. Once a vibrant town with Mohawk carpet and other industries, now just another dying town along the canal. We did not leave the marina as the neighboring areas were rather "seedy" looking (not our words but those of another boater).

When leaving Amsterdam, we looked over to the right and there was a volkswagon on top of a smoke stack! It was a former factory but now the site of their local theater group. It definitely turned our heads!

Coming back to the bridge after working the lines in the lock. Dave loves the locks where I wrap a line around a pipe- he doesn't have to come off the bridge. Unfortunately, the last 5 locks we went through only had handing rope lines which require him to hold the stern (back) line and I grab the bow (front) line.

This is an example of some of the various workboats along the Erie Canal. They are very different from the boats we see on the Chesapeake as they must be shorter in statue and not as wide so they can fit in the various locks.

Yesterday, we stayed in Canjaharie which was the former home of the Beech Nut Company. Above was the original sign and below is how it looks today. You can see the last of the "H and NU" on the smoke stack. It really is a wonderful town and we enjoyed walking around and exploring. We went to a beautiful art museum and while Dave and I are not art lovers we certainly appreciated all the beautify and hard work of the paintings and their artists.

This was one of the barges that was pulling off trees and debris off of the locks. We got a notice that due to all the rain that they have received and the debris in the locks- Locks 24-30 are temporarily closed. Fortunately, we only go to Lock 23 in Brewerton before moving off the Erie into the Oswego Canal. Today the debris was not as bad, but yesterday because of the wind and currents Dave felt like he was in a bad game of dodge-ball!

This was one of the most peaceful locks that we went through. The Johnsonville Lock- was one of the only locks that we went through that did not have a dam. When you look further to the right you realize you are now in a man-made canal instead of the Mohawk River. The dam was further to the north on the Mohawk River.

This was the scariest lock that we have ever been through. This is the Little Falls Lock It is the highest lift lock on the Erie Canal and is believed to be one of the only two locks in North America where the entrance gate is lifted above the boater! Dave said this was a true effort in faith hoping that the big guillotine didn't come crashing down on our boat. The clearance under the gate was only 20'. We rose up 37' in the lock. There is a short video below so you can see what happens when the lock starts to fill and we start raising up!

Pierre... I mean Dave line handling in the back. If you look just below his hand you can see that monsters gate is about a foot off the water going shut. We wear "marriage saver" headphones which allows us to talk normally to each other so we are not yelling above the noises of the lock. They are 

one of our best purchases!

Sign when we were leaving lock warning us about the turbulence caused by a power plant 1100 feet after leaving the lock

This was on our walk today after arriving. These gates can be lowered to prevent water from flooding downstream and hurting the lock. So much to see and do!

Tonight we are relaxing and listening to the rain, counting our blessings and enjoying the wonderful wine that our wonderful friends Mike and Janelle Martin made in their home! It is incredible- I really think they should quit their day jobs and be wine-makers! Thanks Janelle!
Tomorrow we are off to Utica and the Saranac Brewing Company. Thanks for reading!