Erie Canal to Lake Champlain 2024

 After a longer winter at the house than usual we made it back to the boat in late May. The Erie Canal didn't open until May 17 this year so we arrived on the 22nd to prep the boat for our travels this year. We were joined by friends Paul and Melissa for the first part of our trip. We met them while we were in Scottsboro, AL in 2019. They have a boat there and are looking forward to traveling on the water when they retire. They were a great crew and hopefully enjoyed the trip as much as we enjoyed having them along.

 We had a bit of delay in getting started this year. After having some engine work done over the winter we had one engine that wouldn't stay running. After about 10 or 15 minutes it would sputter and stall out. I had changed the fuel filters and found one of the housings had almost no fuel in it. After troubleshooting over the weekend with no success the mechanic came back to look things over. There was obviously an air leak somewhere. He finally decided that the lid to the fuel filter wasn't sealing properly and took it to the shop to clean it up. After cleaning you could see the pitting in the opening that was allowing air to get in. A new $20 lid was installed and we were good to go!

That evening we had a rain shower followed by a rainbow which I felt was a good omen.

The next morning we began the trip eastbound on the Erie and were treated to perfect weather for crossing Lake Onida, NY.

Another nice thing about having guests on board is that Jill has some help with the many locks along the way.

A few days later we were in Schenectady to prep the boat for the next leg of the journey. Our plans were to travel up the Champlain Canal to Lake Champlain and there are several bridges listed at 17' along the way. Chasing 80 is 21' with the arch and top up so they had to come down. After going into low profile mode we took a measurement...16'11"! It was going to be close.

While in the marina here we found that the governor of NY was also traveling the Canal with her husband on their boat. Of course she needs a protection detail and they follow behind in a very nice Parker boat.

 After a day off we resumed travel to the end (beginning) of the Erie and started up the Champlain Canal. We spent the night just below Lock 3 which controls the pool for the lowest bridge on the Canal. It's listed at about 15' but they can lower the pool to get just over 17' which we would need. We were about to find out if this trip would be a big U-turn! The next morning they lowered the pool and we made our way very slowly toward the bridge. We cleared with about 2" to spare, whew!

 With that bridge behind us I was able relax and enjoy the rest of the trip. Several of the small towns along the way offer a free dock so boaters can stop and enjoy the town (and spend some money). One town we stopped at was Ft. Edwards. It's a very nice park with free power also. Being early in the spring things were in full bloom and the Cottonwood trees were spreading their "cotton" all along the route. In Ft. Edwards it looked like it was snowing!

 The rest of the trip we would be on the manmade portion of the canal. It's very straight and narrow in many places and reminds me of the Dismal Swamp.

 

The next stop was Whitehall, NY after the last lock on the canal. Here we were able to put the top back up to give us some needed shade on the flybridge. We were now on Lake Champlain! The bottom portion of the lake is more like a river before widening after about 20 miles. We began to see lots of wildlife along the way like beaver mounds and these 2 eagles.

We also passed Ft. Ticonderoga which you may remember for your history books.

 Next was our first stop in Vermont at the town of Charlotte to drop off our friends for their return to the real world. The next day was a short trip to Burlington where we had planned a long weekend. We were just in time for the Vermont Jazz Festival, part of which is held in the park adjacent to the marina. We had a fun weekend exploring the area and planned on leaving on Tuesday. I say planned because on Monday I walked up to the marina lot where we had locked up our e-bikes and they were gone...as in stolen. Turns out that this charming town is the bike theft capital of New England, wish someone had told us earlier! After walking around the area in the hopes of spotting them I called the PD to file a report. I also decided that we were going to order replacements since we really enjoy using them to explore. We've now been here for 2 weeks and the bikes finally came in yesterday so we'll be moving again in a few days.

Trying to make the best of it we rented a car last weekend to see more of Vermont. We went as far as Stowe and the Von Trapp family brewery. In fact, we found that Vermont has a brewery passport and if you get 10 stamps you can send off for a "major award"...we did and I'll let you know what the prize is.

So other than the theft/homeless/drug problem this is a very lovely area. The following are a few pictures from our adventures. First a view of the lake and marina from up on the hill.

  We also found a park that has the Ethen Allen tower in it. It's a steep hike to the tower and then a climb to the top but the views are worth the work.

You can see miles of the lake....

...all the way to the mountains in the East.

We had the big heat spell this week where it was hotter here than at our house in Florida. It made for some very nice sunset pictures.

 Followed by a strong line of storms ahead of a cold front. Weather radio reported gusts to 50 mph and I believe them!

As I said earlier this is a nice place to visit...in the summer. I want nothing to do with a winter where they have signs like this...

One great thing about this marina is that there is a fine brewery just across the park. Since we've been here so long they were kind enough to help me keep track of all the different beers I've tried!

So that's the report on our first month out. Not a lot of travel but a ton of adventure. We should be in Canada by mid week and Montreal next weekend where there is another Jazz Fest! 

One last pic for our Canadian friends and hockey fans...