Friday – Day 56 – 9/26/08We did it -----we completed the Erie Canal! This morning we refueled the boat in the rain and didn’t get underway until 1030! It didn’t take long, an hour and forty five minutes to enter the canal and drop the 169 feet through five locks! To date we have passed through 62 locks!
As we entered the port of Waterford there was a line of boats (picture below) on the wall with room for one more which we headed straight for and low and behold - we recognized Mike and Tammi from Seneca Lake State Park 13 days prior! They are the couple that put us into a slip next to theirs when we were running out of places to stay. As before Mike was there to help us get the boat tied up and make us feel welcome! Their on vacation and said they had been looking for us since leaving home a week ago! Tonight were doing cocktails on our boat and staying dry.
From the time we went out side of our boat this morning, we have been cold and wet. Even the inside of our rain gear was wet. While in the locks it poured buckets to the point that we just laughed and passed each other dry towels as we made our way. We are moored to a wall 100 feet from the welcome center in Waterford, NY. Waterford is considered the gateway to the Erie Canal. This is a free marina for the first two days and then a $10 fee is charged per day! We have electricity for all of our needs including heat! We’ve decided to spend a few days here to rest, warm up and dry out!
