We say goodbye to the Amsterdam River Link Park, their ski jump and their ski boats, and head to Little Falls.
We will pass through 7 locks today and one guard gate. Each lock works the same and given the number we have gone through, they all start to blur together. Contrary to how it looks, the water in the locks are not pumped into or out of the lock, but are gravity fed. When filling the lock, the water will rise to the elevation pool and when emptying, the water will drain to the elevation of the lower pool.
Most lock gates open like regular doors. Once in, you tie to a poll or cable, or, you may need to just hold a weighted line. They keep you in suspense until you arrive inside the chamber and then you figure it out. Usually you can have a port or a starboard tie, but sometimes it is only one or the other. Best to be prepared for all scenarios when locking through.
Once the water has equalized with the outgoing pool of water, the gates open, the green light comes on, and out we go on our merry way to the next lock and repeat the process…again and again.
On the outskirts of the locks, you can usually find a debris field of fallen trees, stumps, branches, etc. that have been collected out of the locks or near the spillway dams. We are always on the lookout for similar finds in the water as serious damage can be done by any of these “dead heads” as we call them.
The Mohawk River today is calm, not hardly a ripple. A vast change from our ocean runs!
As we approach Little Falls, we come upon our last lock of the day, Lock 17. It is the biggest lock in the canal system and will lift us up 41 feet.
We arrive to Little Falls and head into town for a Friday Evening Dinner.
We walk about a mile to Canal Side Inn for dinner. What a surprise to find this upscale restaurant in this very small town!
To top the evening off, Executive Chef John Luciano drives us home! Small town hospitality!
We arrive safe and sound, with our meals still in our belly, to our home for the night…
with a very welcoming sign!
17 locks down, another 17 to go!
This is fun to see…. Ted was born and grew up in Utica, just a little further along. I was born and lived my early life farther north on the St Lawrence in Massena, New York. Does the Erie Canal connect to the Mohawk River at any point? That is such a pretty area at dusk. This is a terrific website–thanks for keeping it up.
Thanks Mary Ann! The Erie Canal is basically the Mohawk River when it starts off the Hudson River at Waterford. The Canal will jump to and from the Mohawk until it reaches North Frankfort. The Mohawk and the canal continue west independently from there. Kind of confusing!
We have been fortunate with pretty good weather days and the scenery has been wonderful!