Saturday is blazing hot with full sun. So glad we have a tent over the cockpit. Even so, the reflection off the water plus the heat radiating off the tent is strong.
We call on the marine radio to Tom the Lockmaster at Lock #2, and he opens the big doors for us. The walls tower over us. I loop a rope around a vertical cable to keep us in place on the wall as we rise 33 feet. The upper doors open and we're off!
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| Leaving Lock two - Waving goodbye to lockmaster Tom on the right |
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| Approaching Lock Three |
Tom says they are short staffed today, so he drives to the next lock while we motor along slowly. First Tom opens the valves to dump the water in the lock until it matches the level where we are. Then the doors open and we enter as before. The doors close, and the upper valves open to fill the lock until the level matches the upper pool. He then opens the upper doors and lets us out. All very simple in theory and in practice, but seeing the machinery yesterday that does it all was impressive. Especially the 1901 mechanical computer that sequences each step. Much like a mechanical music box.
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All these locks has Kristen climbing the walls.
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Once through lock 6, we join many speedboats as we progress toward Lock 7 and Schenectady/Scotia. Scotia has a public dock where for $20 we can spend the night. It's right by a large park and 1950s style drive-in restaurant where we get ice cream.
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| The remains of an old aqueduct from 1841 crosses the Erie Canal in the town of Rexford. |
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| Amazing how high we have climbed above sea level in such a short distance. |
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| Lock to the left...Damn to the right... which way should we go to get upstream? |
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| Sedimentary Rocks (shale and limestone?) appear along the river banks in Halfmoon |
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| Kristen makes grape leaves stuffed with hot Italian sausage, onioin and pepper |
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