Erie Canal Locks

Saturday was our first day on the Erie Canal.  We had some trouble finding our way because there are too many towns, people and roads in New York and the map is confusing (spoken like a small town Midwestern person!).  When we arrived at the Visitor Center at Waterford NY, we met a very nice museum docent volunteer who gave us a much better map to use.  He also told us the best ways to get to two of the sights for which we were searching.  At the visitor center on Peebles Island, we encountered another volunteer who gave us two more maps.  Now, as a happy navigator, I have three maps to cross reference the roads and how to find them.  We could just take the interstate, but that's no fun!

We went to visit the Waterford Flight, a series of five locks that move boat traffic up (or down) 169 feet of elevation.  The goal was to get around the Choes Falls.  I loved the way the locks are marked in bright yellow with blue accents.  When we arrived at lock three, a boat was in the lock and rising.

 Lock Filling

  Boat passing through

It took a surprisingly short time for the lock to fill.  One of the lock keepers told us that each fill and empty sent more than three million gallons of water into the downstream area.  We continued on up the "flight" and stopped at lock five.  Here we saw a boat in the lock going downstream.  We watched and I actually shot a picture of the top of the boat going out of the lock.

 Boat heading downstream

We then drove around to the other side of the canal to Fallsview Park to see Cohoes Falls, the second largest falls in New York state.  We had seen the "solution"  at the flight of locks and now were seeing the "problem."  

To get down to the foot of the falls I walked down a 90-step stairway and then down a steep curving path.  It gave me a really great look at these beautiful falls and even the climb back did not spoil my elation at getting these pictures. What amazes me most when I see something like this is how someone looked at these falls and thought "Aha - I have an idea to get boats around this!"
 

As we travel along the canal, we will see some of the old structures, new structures, and the canal itself - we're planning on a lock cruise.  Sunday will be a touring day to see the highest lock, an old homestead, and an art museum.