June 17, 2019
Another 7 locks today. One of the locks didn't have their lines dropped so we had to jockey until the lock master came around to kick them over the wall. Yesterdays rain raised the water level. When we lifted to the top of lock 12 we rose within about a foot of the top of the wall, This meant our fenders rose above the wall. We had to use boat hooks to keep the side of the boat from scraping. Lock 17, the final lock before Little Falls is unique. It is the largest single step lock on the Erie with a 41 foot lift. The entry gate lifts up and you drive under it into the lock. It is one of only two locks in North America that the gate lifts up. We had heard that if windy, the winds will funnel into the lock making it difficult to secure a line. Luckily it was a pretty calm day. It took the lock master about 20 minutes to ready the lock so we tied up to the wall outside the lock to wait. We had little trouble grabbing lines but it was a slow fill making a very slow ride to the top. All and all an uneventful day of locking. Uneventful is good!
We traveled past several little towns which we may have an opportunity to stop at when we come back through next summer. Fonda New York, home of the Fonda family and Conajoharie, home of the boiling pots, located near some falls, and known for being the most original intact Erie Canal commercial district found on the Erie Canal.
We docked at Little Falls Canal Harbor taking one of the two spots left on the dock. There were about six Loopers already here making for a lively evening of conversation. The grounds were very nice but because it was already early evening and the town required a bike ride we just visited and relaxed after a long day on the water.
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