WONDERFUL PEOPLE

June 18 ,2011

I said goodbye to Riverlink Marina at Amsterdam NY early this morning and the three of us got on our way.  Today was a busy day for me I went through 7 locks and I was lifted 121 vertical feet.  One lock was a 40.5 foot lift.  That lock was different than any one I had gone through before.  The lower gate opened by lifting vertically.  I drove under the lock door and got wet from the dripping water.  It was an interesting lock to enter and we were so focused that they did not get a picture

When Rich was doing some old property searches in New Jersey, he found that property lines were marked by trees or piles of stones.  I noticed that the New York State Canal System marks the location of buoys by nailing a sign on a tree.  Since the buoys have to be removed over the winter, the signs make it easier to place them in the spring.   Here is an example

 

Carol saw this house and even thought it was homier than the Esopus Lighthouse on the Hudson River.  How could she leave me, there isn’t even enough space to put a dock.  Oh well see how nice I will be to her.  I did like the river waters they were flat and as smooth as glass.  Even when the ocean is flat it is still rolling, a flat river is flat.  Along the flat straight section Rich opened up my throttles and off we went.  I told him he better keep my turbos spinning otherwise they will get gunked up.

Along the way, I showed them this neat little Canal system tug.  Kewl huh?

We stopped at Little Falls, NY today.  What did they do?  They walked to town and left me behind.  Rich did wash the lock mud off of me before they left, I am happier after a bath.  There was a canal built around the “Little Falls” in 1790 so boats could travel along the Mohawk River unimpeded.  The town is old and has some interesting buildings below are two pictures Rich took.  A lady in one of the stores told Rich that the water in the river was almost up to the building with the balcony last month.  Little Falls was once the cheese capital of the United States, those days have long since past. 

 

Yesterday I mentioned how nice the people were here.  There was a graduation party going at the dock property.  A man named Dave came over and invited Rich and Carol to the party ---he didn’t offer me any diesel.  Later while I was writing this, his wife Liz came and offered Rich and Carol cookies and some barbeque and still no diesel for me.  These people are wonderful here---they are real Americans.

I almost forget to mention that Carol and Rich were married on a Saturday 45 years ago today----are they getting old.  But don't tell them I said that.