Waterford Canal Welcome Center Dock
Waterford
has a farmers market right on the dock every Sunday morning...very convenient. It
was fun having so much activity right outside our door. Stan went to a local
diner (Don & Paul's) for breakfast. They're known for their $1.75
breakfast...it was full of local characters and boaters.
It
was great just hanging around the dock visiting with people. One boat on the
wall left this morning so we rode our bikes to the top of the first lock and
enjoyed seeing them lock through. There was actually quite a crowd watching the
show...hopefully that was a weekend thing and we won't be the entertainment
when we leave! The first lock raises you up 34'. We also picked up our seasonal
lock pass while we were there. There is a fee for using the locks in New York, but
it is very nominal. The pass also lets you take advantage of free docking. You
can actually spend most of the season moving through the Erie Canal and the
canals in the Lake Champlain area without ever paying for dockage. Most towns
have a free wall, some with electricity/water and some without. From the locals
we talked to today there are a lot of cute, boater friendly places to visit
along the way.
After
lunch we spent a few hours exploring the area on our bikes. There are bike
trails that run along the canals. Part of the original Champlain Canal runs
through town, so we rode a few miles along the path to look at one of the old locks.
The ride was nice, mostly through wooded areas, then we rode up the Erie Canal
and looked at a few of the other locks we will be going through. The bike paths
along the canals in New York use the old mule paths that were used to pull boats
through the canal in the early days.
We
had happy hour on Gallivant and then
grilled steaks on our boat for dinner. We really enjoyed visiting with the
people walking along the dock. We've gotten a lot of good ideas of places to
explore from other boaters and locals in the area.
Eric Canal Facts:
- It took 8 years to build the Erie Canal. The
original Erie Canal was constructed between 1817 and 1825.
- The Erie Canal is 363 miles long.
- The Erie Canal spans from Albany to Buffalo.
- There are 83 locks to solve the difference in
elevation from near seal level on the Hudson River to 565 feet at Lake
Erie.
- More than 300 bridges crossed the canal along its
route.
- Mules and horses pulled the canal boats at 4 mph.
- Costs to transport goods across the state on the
canal vs by road were reduced by 80% to 90%.
- Toll receipts paid back the $7.5 million
construction cost within ten years.
- The canal was enlarged due to increased traffic
demands with construction occurring from 1836 to 1862.
- Tolls were abolished in 1882 because of
increasing competition from railroads. Tolls have been reintroduced.
Looking from the dock to Lock E2 - first lock on the Erie Canal
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