Catskill NY to Schenectady NY

Another LONG day on the boat.     A person in Shady Harbor Marina was nice enough to take this picture and send it to us as we rode by ...

We left the shadow of the Rip Van Winkle bridge at 7am.  We cruised up the Hudson for hours against the current...

And eventually traveled through Albany.  Many many bridges today with decreasing height.  
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We also saw more lighthouses.  The Hudson lighthouses are each unique and evidence of a time gone by .. 

Eventually we passed through Troy NY and hit the Federal Lock.     Finally we are out of SALT and TIDES.  

Up we go....   Our first lock of the day ...

This lock is way smaller than the locks of the Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois or Mississippi.  

After we cleared the lock we had 2 miles until we left the Hudson and entered the Erie Canal!


Immediately we hit our first lock of the Erie (lock two).   Don't ask.  I don't know why they didn't start at one ..

And our 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th lock on the Erie.   All in the first mile! 


  It was like a series of elevators on the side of the mountain and cottages existed on most of the levels with side channels cut into the cliff so they could have docks and boats.   It was cool. 

Finally we reached the level of the Mohawk River and had a 20 mile stretch before our final lock of the day.  

Lots of cute houses on the Mohawk and many like you would have seen in Michigan 60 years ago.   It reminded me of old time Gun Lake when everything was a 1900s cottage. 


We even got to see some of the original tunnels and lock walls from the original Erie canal that was trafficked by barges pulled by mules.  Even an old mule stable...
 
After a fuel up at $5.35/gallon for diesel (robbery) we made our way to the Mohawk Harbor Marina.   We chose a marina again tonight so we could run with the bikes and buy a battery (generator working again!)

We also rode to dinner and an improv comedy show in Schenectady.   Funny... The comedy group has played the Bob in GR many times.  Small world...  

I find it amazing people can make up a musical on the fly....  

64 miles today.   Seven locks.   We are tired. 
We did get caught in the rain on the way back to the boat but it was just sprinkling.  Having ebikes on the loop is the best....

Now for the bad news.   There is a bridge that is stuck down on the Oswego canal and they aren't sure when it will be able to open again.   Down it has 10ft clearance.  We can't get under that.  We heard a forecast today of possibly three weeks before it is fixed. That would make us late getting home and be a BIG problem.....  Let's all hope and pray they figure it out and get that bridge moving before we get over there ...






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