Up and down at the speed of --- water;-)

As I already mentioned, most of our stay in NY was pretty laid back except for all the driving to see people, but we had a nice time and actually did one tourist type thing the last week in NY.

My in-laws had asked us before we even got to NY if we would like to do a tour of the Erie Canal and have lunch at a restored "Castle" turned restaurant. We thought it might be a way to give her parents "alone time" with Connie and also be, in general, interesting.

It started out with us meeting them at Wade Tours in Schenectady,NY and taking a bus ride to Herkimer, up the NY Thruway. (did I mention I don't like riding on buses?) :-) Oh yeah, did I also mention that I don't like getting up at 6AM to go on a bus ride. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Anyway, we got to Erie Canal Cruises a little before 10AM and wandered around the gift shop for a little bit before we actually boarded the "Lil Diamond II", our cruise boat for the next 1-1/2hrs. Captain Jerry & Kim Gertz are the owner operators who formerly owned a tour boat company in Florida.

They sold their business in Florida, retired, traveled for a number of years, and decided to come out of retirement to run this tour. They just really enjoy what they do, and think it will become a part of growth for the entire US Canal system.

The Erie Canal used to be used for barges transporting goods into and out of the Great lakes region of the US. It is now used solely to allow private craft from Lake Erie to the Atlantic. It was recently added to the National Park Service as part of the National Heritage Corridor.

The entire Erie Canal/Mohawk River trip went way too fast. What we didn't know before we started this narrated ride, was that the River has too many elevation changes in some parts to install all the locks needed, so where we were going was a man-made section that allowed the construction of just one lock. Lock #18

Where we started was actually both Canal and River, and then we left the river to go through the man-made section and the lock. Just below the lock, the river rejoined the canal for it's continued journey toward the Hudson River and ultimately the Atlantic Ocean.

We rode down the canal a total of about 7 miles and went through lock 18 going downstream where they let the water out to lower us, and then upstream where they filled the lock to raise us.

As we headed down-stream first, we were able to see the Lock operator open the locks for us to enter. For the return trip upstream we (Captain Jerry) used a radio to inform the operator we were arriving.

Folks, if you've never had the opportunity to see a canal lock in operation, or learn about some of the early history of our Country's Canal system, I'd highly recommend you take this boat ride. It's narrated for the entire ride, both live and taped,and it was awesome.

After the Canal Cruise, we continued on the bus to a place called Beardslee Castle for lunch, and then visited Dolgeville Mill, a restored factory turned shopping center. The lunch was great and the Mill was interesting, and I can tell you I was ready to get back to our MH.

Our Tour Boat	Connie and her folks
Canal left and River right	High water mark for recent flood
Gates closing to fill the lock	Water entering causes bubbles
Sailboat headed South	After Lunch at Beardslee Castle

It turned out to be a nice day, and a little long, but definitely worhwhile. We did have a good time with her parents and except for the fact we had to take a bus, would do it again. Hmmm, maybe next time I'll offer to drive. :-)

OK, hope you liked the pics, and ttfn.

Paul

Actual trip took place 9/12/08