View of the Beech-Nut facility on the south shore of the Mohawk. This picture is for Frank.
We are behind Lock 16 and the Mohawk and the Canal portion of the Erie Canal have gone their separate ways. Here is the top of a dam at the side of the canal that allows surplus water to flow the few feet down to the Mohawk. There are a series of danger markers identifying the hazard such as the one in the picture.
Don and Rosie's "Just Rosie" entering the downstream gate of No. 17. Notice there are no swinging doors here. It uses a guillotine type gate that is hidden by the concrete structure that the Just Rosie is motoring beneath to enter the lock. This lock takes you up 40.5 feet. One of the highest lifts for any lock and the highest on the New York Canal System.
We have the Salt Shaker settled in for the 40.5 foot lift. Pat and Don are discussing the fine points of catching the lines off the lock wall. And notice where we are going to leave out of the upper gate. The bottom of the upstream canal is at the junction of the top of the concrete and the bottom of the swing gates.
Looking back thru the way we came in. Note the guillotine style door. You get water dripped on you if you pass thru the opening just after it was raised. Entering is a sail boat with the mast removed and stored on deck followed by the Woody and Judy aboard the "Osprey"
We are all in, gates closed and water will pour in from the opposite side. That is why we are all on the side you see. We will rise up to the reddish line at the top of the concrete.
Safely moored at Little Falls. Nice facilities there.
Work boats for maintenance of the canal system, property of the NY canal authority. Actually the canal system was sold to the turnpike authority in order to make the state look like the deficit it had was less than it actually was during the period where it was possible for the state of NY to go bankrupt. Sort of money gerrymandering. As told to me by a fellow whose profession had him deep in the recesses of that era.
Guard gates. These are there to be able to regulate water levels in the canal for emergencies, failures or maintenance. The water can actually be drained from the canal for winter if desired. It feels funny motoring beneath them. Like maybe this is not the thing to do?
Pat on her bicycle in front of the admin building for the marina. We did an extensive tour of the area by bicycle. It was very good for the muscles, etc.
Lots of good bike pathways associated with the canal system. This leads off to lock 17 and and to the remains of old lock 36.
These are the remains of lock 36, one of the original 4 that did the work of #17. You can see the difference in sizes. This one looks like a toy.
One more photo of #17. Discharging water, lowering the boats inside. They will emerge once all the water is out and they raise the gate.
Story here. The lady who was registering us into the marina asked me to make sure we visited the General Herkemer house. I asked her which war he was associated with and she expressed "shock" that I did not know who he was. I said I was familiar with General Washington, General Grant, General Lee, General Eisenhower etc. but not General Herkemer. I promised her that when I saw her again I would be more knowledgeable, which I was. We did not get over to see the house.
View of much of the town of Little Falls from the highway bridge that took us from the marina area to the town area over the canal and the railroad tracks.
Same bridge. Looking at some old factory buildings, we wondered what was their future. Once over there and we got a look, we discovered they had been acquired by some upscale art folks who have turned at least one of them into an art center.
Notice the shopping bags on Pat's rear wheel basket. When we were done in town and on our way back to the boat we had so much cargo from our grocery and beer store shopping slung from all handle bars and in the baskets the bicycles were almost to unstable to ride. We walked them much of the way.
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