JACKIE B III Going Loopy

In the morning most of the loopers had moved on except for us. This is what the beach looks like.  They have a a casino that we did not check out. There was also an amusement park that we also did not check out.  But we did go to the beach bar with live music and and a volleyball competition. Mike was able to go kiteboarding.  We also took some dingy rides out to a sandbar and we went paddle boarding up Fish creek, 6 miles+. It was a fun place to hang out. “The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest.”” Exodus 33: 14  

The early morning hours saw 4 boats leaving Little Falls bound for Sylvan Beach. We began the day following the vessel Stardust.  But they took a port tie up while we went starboard.  Suddenly we’re in the lead.   We were the first vessel in and the first vessel out for 8 locks. Here are some shots of the crew following us. It was another beautiful day.  This is some remains of the old Erie Canal and another waterfowl over a dam. The water was so calm when we noticed something swimming across the canal.  It was a fawn! The Erie Canal is truly and engineering marvel .  This section was the straight and narrow I had pictured in my head, views fore and aft of our boat. We arrived in Sylvan Beach.  We had 14 Loopers on our boat for docktails .  Guess who forgot to take a photo. Our Journey  “Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.” ‭‭Titus‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  This is a “Guard Gate” on the Erie Canal.  They protect the locks in the event of a catastrophic failure of one of the dams. Our new friend Carmine travelled with us through 8 locks on this day. I was very impressed that he could do this all by himself. He is only 5 years younger than my Mom. The most intimidating lock so far was lock 17. This is a sluice gate.  It comes down like a guillotine and we went up an impressive 45 feet.  This guard gate protects lock 17.  This was the last lock before Little Falls NY. The Geology here is amazing. This is Moss Island popular with rock climbers. The town is below the level of the canal. It’s almost as if we are coasting along an aqueduct. The photo on the left is the view from where we are tied up for the night.  The rocks below is what we are avoiding by using the canal. there also used to be a 40 foot falls closer to lock 17. Our Journey “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” ‭...

  We got a late start today so Mike could change the oil in the new generator.  We are only making a short trip today. Someone sent us this photo in Nebo.  It’s an app for staying connected with Loopers.  I love going into a lock and waving at the people who wave to us. There was another looper at the dock in Canajahare. Carmine from the vessel Calm Seas. He told us all the restaurants in town were closed because it was Tuesday so we had hike over for dinner.  I love collecting new friends.   After dinner we tried to find some ice cream.  Mike ended up walking to McDonalds.  The fire boat show was amazing. Our Journey “We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.” ‭‭3 John‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is the day we had to say goodby to our friends and the best crew to learn how to lock through with. So this is the first day I am handling lines all by myself.  My confidence level has gone way up.   I must say, Mike handles the boat like a pro.  He can use the remote control bow and stern thrusters to help me out tremendously. We loved the wall in Amsterdam.  There is a waterski school that puts on a show on Wednesdays during the summer months.  We weren’t there on a Wednesday but we got to enjoy the practice.   After dinner we took a walk on a  lovely, trail across the river with beautiful artwork along the way. It was a beautiful day!! Our Journey  For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.   John 1:16  

In case you didn’t read yesterday’s blog, today is Waterford Flight day.  There are 5 locks in the  Waterford flight  which raise the boats up 169 feet in 1.5 miles. I got up early and went up to the lock to watch the first 3 boats lock through. We decided to hang out for the farmers market since we were only going to Schenectady. This was strangely reassuring for me to watch what was actually going to happen when we got into the locks. I returned to the boat and the much smaller farmers market here.  But they did have live music.  We were able to enjoy it for several hours as Lock 4 gates got stuck and they delayed us until it was repaired. This is the boat behind us; PiVOT, as we finally went through the locks.   I was pretty busy with the locks and did not get many photos, but Mike had the GoPro running and made this video: The day was really beautiful…and HOT. This is a waterfall from the dam next to one of the locks. I had no idea how beautiful th...

  Another peaceful day on the water. These two swans caught our eye as we set out.   We continued to pass ships and barges as commerce on the river appears to be doing well. We made an impromptu stop in Troy, New York after hearing about an incredible farmers market from fellow loopers on “Liberty Call.” There were more than 150 vendors set up going down the streets from this architecturally interesting town square.  We’ll worth the stop! This was our first lock on the Erie Canal System. We really didn’t know what we were getting into and it turns out there was only one “hold” in this lock. I was exhausted afterwards.  I had a lot of “encouragement.” Waterford is the entry to the “real” Erie Canal, as in we would be leaving the Hudson River.  The Jackie B III is way in the back. Once we arrived at Waterford, Donna and I explored the first lock to get a sense of what we were getting into. First we came to the spillway. Then we looked down into the lock. There are...