“Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal . . .”

If I had a soundtrack to this specific post I would be playing a song written in 1905 called “Low Bridge”. 

It’s more commonly known as The Erie Canal Song.  It’s been sung by Pete Seeger, the Kingston Trio, as well as Bruce Springsteen. 

Here’s a link to the lyrics and song, http://youtu.be/HcNJ2RMOd3U          

We stayed 2 nights in Waterford NY. It’s on the Mohawk River. I picked up a 10 day lock pass so I have to get through by Jul 7 or purchase another pass. The Waterford visitor center has 2 live cameras facing their city dock. http://www.town.waterford.ny.us/harbor-visitors-center.html

Waterford holds an annual tugboat festival. It will be Sept 5-7 this year. 

As you can see the water is clear as mud

There is so much debris surrounding the locks, you just have to glide through it. You are dodging logs and fence posts. On account of the dam that is alongside the lock, the current is strong. It hits the dam and comes back at you. Also they are repairing the locks so there are 5 mph construction zones.

I'm waiting for the lock to fill up

We stopped overnight at the Canajoharie riverfront memorial park, situated just before lock 14.  

Here is our caravan of 3 boats traveling the canal together, all docked at the riverfront park.
("And you'll always know your neighbor, you'll always know your pal; If you ever navigated on the Erie Canal . . .")

Elaine took this photo (above) of me under the lock gate but it looks like a guillotine ready to lop off my bow.

We went through 3 locks today (21, 22 and 23), covered 48 miles, crossing Lake Oneida and stopping in Phoenix, NY by lock 1 of the Oswego canal system. Next we’ll be heading north to Lake Ontario.