June 18 Scotia Landing to Amsterdam Locks 8-10

June 18

Awoke to a cooler dreary looking morning with a forecast  for possible light showers in the morning but clearing and warming into the mid to upper 70’s – a veritable heat wave  for us lately.  We managed to depart the docks  at Scotia  without issue despite the  side current and headed up the Mohawk to lock 8.  

Smooth sailing on flat calm waters

The original Erie Canal from the early 1800’s was a completely man made  narrow and shallow cut that followed along the banks of the Mohawk River.   That canal allowed mules to pull the relatively small barges both up and down the canal without worrying about the rapids, shallows or high spring waters of the river.   It wasn’t until the big expansion of the canal in the early 1900’s that technology was available to dam the rivers  and fabricate the big locks that make the river navigable today.   Along  the current route you can still find remnants of the old  canals  such as an old stone wall or remains  of an aquaduct.

Remains of old aqueduct that carried canal across the Mohawk

Todays trip was relatively short.  Just 20 miles and 3 locks taking us to Amsterdam.   They have a great park on the waterfront with a nice dock and wall for overnight mooring.  Six looper boats here tonight.  The town has built pedestrian   walkways that take you from the park across the river to South Amsterdam as well as another pedestrian bridge taking you over the busy railroad tracks and Route 5 to Amsterdam proper.

Statue of mother nature in park

Reproduction of ancient Indian pictographs that were on a wall along the river in 1800's

 Interestingly,  we got another  exhibition tonight by the local water ski club who were practicing for a show they were doing in 2 weeks.  I guess  the locals  take advantage of any sunny day  they get this time of year but it sure looked cold to me.

Amsterdam was a very  industrialized city in the 1800’s.  Partially due to it’s location along the canal and ability to move manufactured goods both east and west.   But that industrialization was actually made possible by the water flowing through town in the Chuctanunda  Creek that was used to power  the hosiery, carpeting and paper mills along it’s route.

Todays locks each  only lifted us about 15’ but it seemed like entering them was a bit trickier as they were all next to dams that were discharging a good amount of water that created swirling water around the entrances.   Thankfully just 2 boats  going through the locks together today so quick and easy passage once we got in and secured. 

Entering lock 8  on the left side with a hellish side current from the right

Mohawk River flow is still significant creating a .5 knot current or more

  We did hit a little drizzly weather   during the trip  but my crew hung tight  to the wet and slippery lines to get us  safe passage. 

The afternoon  turned out quite delightful with sunshine and  those promised 70 degree temperatures.   We had a good walk over to South Amsterdam and another great Italian  dinner.   This is still NY after all and if you can’t get good Italian food here you’ll never find it!!

Amsterdam Castle B&B - former home to the New York Army National Guard Armory. 

Journey for June 18

 

June 17 Waterford to Scotia via the Erie Canal Flight of 5

June 17

Waterford is as accommodating a town to loopers as anywhere we’ve stopped so far.    They have a 1000’ long floating dock and another 600’ of fixed wall for boating visitors to tie up against for free.  Only charge is a flat $10 fee for power regardless of your stay length.  They say it’s a 2 night max but in our case we stayed 3 without issue – along with most boaters who were there – due to a a very rainy and cold Sunday that had us all hunkered down.

Waterford artsy animal - the mules which used to pull the barges

 Waterford is at the junction at the Hudson River, Erie Canal and Champlain Canal so was a once a very prosperous town.  It’s a bit weathered and worn down but still very proud of it’s history as a canal town.  The extra day we spent here gave me time to do some preventive maintenance that was about due.  A full engine oil and filter change and a transmission fluid and filter change both got done along with some new zincs on the aftercooler. Glad to have that out of the way.   The extra day also gave us a chance to go back to Don and Paul’s restaurant for breakfast – home of the 2 eggs and toast breakfast for $2!   We were back for blueberry pancakes.

Looper group breakfast at Don and Paul's Diner

We’ve been traveling for 2 solid months now and have covered over 1200 miles.  Today started a new section of the trip as we head through the Erie canal.  We ascended the “Waterford Flight” sometimes called “The Flight of Five”.  A series of 5 locks that take you up the highest amount in the shortest distance of any locks in the world – 169’ in less than 2 miles.  Basically, it’s a series of 5 locks that each lift you over 30’. 

Leaving Waterford and loading into the Erie lock #2 - the first of the flight up

These are the “modern” locks built in the early 1900’s trying to allow larger and deeper barges to travel and compete against the railroads.  The remains of some of the original Erie and Champlain canals are part of a park that sit right next to the new lock.  

Remnants of original canal - now a spillway

The single new lock at Waterford replaced a series of 5 step locks from the old canal yet all that modernizing still couldn’t make the canal competitive with rail shipments. These lock chambers are 300’ x 45’ and we had a group of 6 boats averaging about 40’ in length passing together through each one.   We were the last boat in so always had a good view looking back down the lock once the chamber completely filled.

At the top of a filled chamber

Looking back down after being raised

   I was actually quite pleased with our locking skills considering a number of past loopers talked about how difficult the Erie locks could be.  We seemed to get into exactly the spot we wanted, were able to quickly grab lines to hold us in place and ride it up.  We watched some of the boats ahead of us with twin engines and extra crew struggling at times which made us even prouder of our skills.  

Martha tending the lines in the lock

After those 5 locks we traveled the scenic and meandering Mohawk River   up to lock 7 and then turned off and headed for the town docks in Scotia.  Arrived about 1:30 which was still a long busy day as we were off the wall in Waterford to catch the first opening at 7AM.  

Scenes along the Mohawk River

There is a pretty good current in Scotia and it took 3 attempts to get the boat tied up. Thanks yet again to our friends Russ and Jax on Cat and Dogs who grabbed our lines and pulled us in.   We’re all still trying to figure out the best ways to dock with these sideways currents pushing hard on the boat as you’re backing in.  We knew it would be a challenge as we watched Jax abandon several attempts before us.

The town docks in Scotia are very nice, newer and even has power and water.  Very nominal fee and an ideal location with woods across the creek and a large town park behind the dock.   We were hungry so grabbed a quick bite at Jumpin Jacks Drive in next door.  That place is a local institution and stays packed.  Pretty good burgers and great shakes and ice cream.  We walked up and down main street Scotia but not much to it.   By this time Russ had done some research and discovered several breweries across the bridge in Schenectady that were actually open on a Monday.  So off we went searching them out.   We sampled from 2 of the breweries but the best part of our trip was getting to walk through the old historic section of Schenectady called the Stockade district. 

The town was actually founded back in 1690 and had a stockade around it for protection.   The Albany “hiway” ended at the stockade.  It was the scene of an Indian uprising that resulted in the loss of a large portion of the citizens. There are some gorgeous old homes in this section of town dating back to the 1700’s and early 1800’s that showcased the wealth available in these new territories.   George Washington got around sleeping in several of the towns homes.  An internet search revealed you can purchase one of these fairly large historical homes at unbelievably low prices.  Property taxes are still outrageous and then there’s that whole 9 months of winter to deal with, but for the right person it seems a great deal.

After getting back to the boat and giving it a quick washdown, I had settled into a chair on the sundeck to relax and finish off the end of a very busy day.  Then I see a ski boat tearing down the river hauling several skiers behind him.   The US Ski Team Show is based here and performs shows on special weekends. They were out practicing doing a 6 person pyramid running not 50' off the back of our boat.  One of the few times I didn't mind getting waked by a passing vessel.    What a way to end our day!!

Journey for June 17

June 14 Shady Harbor Marina to Waterford

June 14

Today was a milestone day.  We finished our 153 mile assault up the Hudson River with a final day run from New Baltimore to Waterford and the entrance to the Erie canal.   We left at 9:30 which was supposed to give us a fair current most of the way to Albany but somehow the timing must have been off on the websites we used  as we fought  a foul tidal flow most of the trip.  Albany is 144 miles from the NYC harbor entrance, yet it still has a tidal range of 5 feet!    It finally stops at Troy, NY due to the dam and lock.  Above Troy lock there’s still current but it’s all downstream.

Leaving Shady Harbor marina the Hudson continued it’s scenic natural wooded shoreline.  We passed by a Riverkeeper boat with a crew doing some water sampling.  This conservation program was started on the Hudson back in the 60’s  and spread to other polluted waterways. They are attributed with helping turn the tide on wanton pollution of the river.   Their wooden boat was built at the Maritime Museum in Kingston we visited.  

Riverkeeper boat

A fun little tour boat  - we gave the passengers a toot from our air horn 

 We reached the southern end of Albany which is the Port of Albany area and the final destination for ocean going vessels and barges  that run the river.    Very industrial on both sides and then Albany itself appears on the port side of the river.   Surprisingly, you’re through Albany very quickly and back to   wooded landscape again until you see Troy.  In 1609 Henry Hudson  and men  from his ship Half Moon took a  longboat up as far as present day Troy  before they found the water became non navigable and  thus was not the  alternate route to the Orient they had hoped.    It did give  the Dutch an early foothold in establishing trading   posts as time progressed.  

Port of Albany

Albany

Restored old  Delaware and Hudson Railroad  headquarters - now  headquarters for the NY State University System

Troy

We were looking for an easy passage through the Troy lock (also known as Erie lock 1  or The Federal Lock) with just 3 pleasure boats lined up  for entry but as we were passing Troy a  big canal tour boat  pushed off the seawall and into our que.   Since he was 185’ long and just a few feet narrower than the lock he got to enter first and then we filled in behind him.

We made it into the lock successfully despite a current coming at us off the dam and a strong 15-20 breeze.  We only had one pipe to tie a mid ship  line around and it made us nervous as  the stern of the boat wanted to keep swinging off the  wall.  Martha finally figured a better way to wrap 2 lines and got us secured.   From there  a very short trip  to the town of Waterford where we tied up at their free  floating dock right at the entrance to Erie Lock 2.

My high school  friend Dave  who lives in the area  stopped by  tonight for a beverage then took us on a tour of Troy and around the campus of his alma mater Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.   We capped it off with a nice Italian dinner at Verdile's and a bottle of wine. It's one of those family owned restaurants that have been around a few generations.  Waiters still very formal

wearing white  shirts and nicely pressed  black pants and jackets.  It’s been awhile since we’ve gotten together so lots  of  catching up  and reminiscing.  And we even remembered to take a picture!!

Journey for June 14

June 13 Catskill to New Baltimore

June 13

We had visitors yesterday.   Martha’s brother Chris and his girlfriend Leslie  drove up from Connecticut to spend the day with us.  We had walked the mile or so from the marina to Walmart and had loaded up on provisions and thankfully the timing worked out where they were able to pick us up so we didn’t have to lug all our purchases back.   We spent some time showing them the  boat and then took a  trip over the Hudson to  drive by Olana  the home of Frederick Church done in the style of  a Moorish castle. He was one of the original and most renowned of the Hudson River artists.  A visit to the town of Hudson,NY and a late lunch at Legendary BBQ  made for  a fun day.  After the day was done Martha and I realized we had goofed yet again with visitors.  When Leslies’s parents visited us in Cape May we got so involved with the visit we never took a picture of them.  Then dang if we didn’t do the same thing with Chris and Leslie!  Sorry.

We met a celebrity yesterday morning at the marina.  A.J. Hammer is a TV broadcasting personality who has a place in Catskill and keeps his Hatteras motoryacht OLOH at the marina.  He had just brought it up from his annual trip to Florida. Nice guy but quite honestly we had no idea who he was when we were talking to him – just another boater welcoming us to the area.  It wasn’t until we looked at the website listed on the boatcards we exchanged that we learned he wasn’t just any boater.

OLOH is the second boat belonging to A.J. Hammer

 

After a delightful sunny and warm previous day we woke to cool temperatures in the upper 50’s and softly falling rain as we prepared for another travel day.  This would be a relatively short run - just a few hours   to New Baltimore and Shady Harbor Marina. We’ve traveled in the rain before and as long as it’s not a downpour, there’s not a lot of wind and especially no lightening it’s quite peaceful.   Typically the traffic is lighter and with the radar running it gives us a longer range visual of approaching vessels.   We primarily drive from the upper station where there’s better visibility and on days like this having a fully enclosed flybridge keeps us dry. 

Looking back on a dreary Catskill Creek as we depart

The primary items of note we passed today were the Rip Van Winkle bridge and the Hudson Lighthouse. Seems like people up this way really got into Washington Irving’s short stories.  Our visit to Croton was the land of Sleepy Hollow this and Sleepy Hollow that, while up in this area Rip Van Winkle seems to rule with boats and bridges named after this fictional character.  

The Hudson Lighthouse marks   a shoal   called the Middle Grounds where a fiery wreck occurred in 1845 killing 50 of the 300 passengers on the steamship Swallow.  It’s the last lighthouse on the Hudson we’ll see going northbound.

Tomorrow we'll finish our trip up the Hudson and pass through the first lock entering the Erie Canal.

Journey for June 13

June 11 Kingston NY to Catskill, NY

June 11

We’re just taking our time exploring the Hudson River area and moving from one small river town to the next.   So today we took another short trip just 20 miles upriver from Kingston to Catskill.  We woke to rain, but the radar was showing the last of it moving out in time for our 8AM departure. What we weren't expecting  once we got out on the river was stronger NE winds than was forecast  the previous day.  We were expecting 7-10 knots but were getting gusts up to 20 knots.  It was generating some choppy waves and small whitecaps, but we were taking them easily on the bow.  

We passed by the Saugerties Lighthouse on the western shore warning mariners away from the Saugerties Creek mudflats. The Livingston family mansion was on the eastern shore.   It’s one of the original Hudson River mansions and has now been in their family through 7 generations.  We arrived at the marina with a howling wind pushing on our side as we tried docking stern in.  Took a second attempt and judicious use of the bow thruster but we got it in.   There’s a huge cottonwood tree just on shore and our boat is covered in leaves and the fluff from the tree!!.  

We arrived before noon so had time to walk up to town and explore the main street.  Despite the sun coming out and temperatures approaching 70 it was still cool enough with the winds that long sleeve shirts were in order.  Just delightful for walking.  It’s another town with plenty of history and a good collection of architecturally interesting homes and businesses.  Much of it intact and in pretty good shape.   A lot of businesses are closed Mon.-Wed. as it seems it’s geared towards weekend folks from the city.

  We took advantage of Village Pizza’s “Pick 2” lunch.  Your choice of homemade soup with crackers and bread, 2 slices of pizza, ½ a sub of your choice,  2 meatballs or 2 italian sausages, and one other item I can’t recall.   We got the 2 slices and ½  sub (which was an 8” sub) for an unbelievable deal at  $7.95 total !!  After I ordered the guy at the counter looked at Martha and seriously asked “And what can I get for you?”.  We split our single meal and were set for the day!  Some skinny guy came in after us and ordered the 2 slices and 2 meatballs.  The meatballs were quite literally each the size of a softball.   He ate it all!!

Catskill like many towns up here have a program where some symbol of the town are placed around strategic locations and various artists do them up in different styles.   We saw this in Norfolk where they embrace mermaids and Solomons where it’s crabs. Here it’s cats (makes sense).  They have a large collection down both sides of main street and some of them were quite unique. Martha – aka the cat lady – really enjoyed them. 

Finished the day chillin on the boat.  Martha doing some laundry and me some boat chores.  The day finished with one of those odd summer days when a  refreshing  cold front with clear blue skies passes through making it almost feel like the start of fall.  

View down Catskill Creek as the sun starts to set from behind

Journey for June 11

June 10 It's all about the CRUMBCAKE

June 10

EXTRA , EXTRA …. Bringing back some family memories. 

All I got to say is … Crumbcake!!    We bought a couple pieces at the bagel shop in Croton and have been slowly  munching our way through it.  Well, actually it’s all gone now – finished the last of it with some coffee for breakfast.   Authentic NY crumbcake.   You remember the kind.   Nice moist yellow cake on the bottom   with the requisite twice as much crumbs to cake ratio.   Enough butter to coat the inside of your mouth and enough sugar to make your teeth ache!!  YUM!!

Walking up the street in Kingston yesterday and on the corner was a building they are working to turn into a museum telling the story of immigrant families who came to this area and helped settle it.  The store was a family bakery run by the Reher’s - Eastern European Jewish immigrants.  The story board on the front window talked of the generations of the family who ran it until it closed in the 70’s as a result of urban renewal which wiped out  most everything across  the street on the eastern side of  town.  There was a photo of a hand written list showing the family names in town and their orders for hard rolls and pastries to be picked up on Sunday after church.   

It sure brought back memories  of our family doing the same thing when we lived in Bayside, NY where the standard practice for us on Sunday morning after church was a trip to Hertloins (sp) Bakery for bagels, hard rolls , pastries and crumbcake.  Enjoy.