Fri June 16 Waterford to Fort Edwards

Friday June 16  Waterford to Fort Edwards  Said a fond farewell to Bev and Bruce as their head west into the Erie Canal.  We pulled away and made a turn to head up the Champlain Canal. Many boaters head west into the Erie Canal but we till head north on the Champlain Canal.   At Lock 1, the rain started and continues for 4 long hours.  This means at every lock we put on our rain gear, pants and jacket for Colletta, head to the bow of the boat, grab lines and wait for the lock to raise our boat up as much as 19 feet.  Finally at Lock 5,the rain lets up and the skies become lighter.  Going thru locks, once you learned the skill, stays with you although there is always a little anxiety.  We want to be careful not to damage our boat, be aware of the other boaters in the locks, their skills or lack thereof, and always the safety of all.  Very often the lock master will speak to us, sometimes recording boat documentation information, sometimes talking about the weather and sometimes just smile and wave.  The canal is well marked, has homes with docks and pontoon boats moored, as well as farms and forest areas - very lush and green.  We finished lock 6 after 7 1/2 hours and head for a free town wall.  The wall has 30 amp power and a public bathroom and the best of all it is free - we like free.   We tie securely not concern with tides or currents on this canal and the only movement on the water is the small ripples made by the ducks and geese. We enjoy dinner with John and Pam aboard Greeks Folly and all sleep well.

These two boats, Greek's Folly and Short Vacation go north to the
Champlain

Our friends, Bruce and Bev head up the Erie Canal, see you on the
waterways

We are in the Champlain Canal the other body of water is the
Hudson River. They dug the canal to get around the dam

This was some kind of gate on the canal whose purpose
escapes us

We were actually getting ready to pass this boat. I think that
it might be a first in some 6000 miles

The lovely crew at the free dock in Fort Edward

I told you some of the bridges were low.

Simple enough. Great stay unfortunately the town
was really in bad shape. I did have breakfast at the
Ye Old Diner. A real throw back but the food was good
and cheap. 75 cent coffee and $1.00 toast. I had a
Big Johns Breakfast (3eggs, any kind of meat, American fried
potatoes, toast and  coffee) $5.50 I took Colletta a
short stack of pancakes and sausage and the bill was
$11.00