One of the interesting things about Kingston was the number of churches. They have 3 Lutheran churches and many others. The United Methodist Church has a very unique spire and weathervane. Here is a picture. The weathervane is a tugboat. Click on the picture and then zoom in to see it better.
We left Kingston for Waterford around 0930. It was a very easy run with a stop for lunch below Albany. We arrived to find Betsy’s friend from kindergarten, Louise, waiting for us. She came from New Hampshire, a 4 hour drive, to see us. We, of course, will take advantage of her and her car by getting her to take us to the grocery store and to West Marine. 
This is Louise, a childhood friend of Betsy. They have kept in touch. She drove from Hanover NH to visit with us.
Albany, NY from the Hudson River.Waterford Visitors Center is great for boaters. Power, showers, pump out, electricity, Wi-Fi, and the magic word, it is FREE. Yes, that is correct, Free. The town is quaint. We will leave tomorrow for the Erie Canal. We can see the first lock from our docking space. We went through our second lock, the Troy Federal Lock. Tomorrow, we will do at least 5 and maybe 7 locks, taking us up about 210 feet. We are out of the salt water, and due to the locks, there is no tide and no current. So, it should be easy going for a while. We blew up our lock fenders today and deployed them. They are exercise balls, enclosed in laundry bags and tied to the sides of the boat. We will leave them out, on both sides, until we hit a stretch with few locks. They should protect the boat and keep us off the lock walls. Look for the balls in future pictures of the boat.
Rick - I lived in upstate NY for 25 years so I know the territory. I was amazed to hear you are in Watertown. The Watertown I know is a small city near the eastern end of Lake Erie, about 250 miles from Kingston, and way north of the eastern start of the Erie canal at Albany. What am I missing?
ReplyDeleteWhen you are on the Erie you will pass some motorized, historic like barges rented by the Mid-Lakes Navigation Company, headquartered in Skaneateles a town at the head of the easternmost Finger Lake. A real entrepreneurial venture started by a guy named Peter Wiles, and now run by his children. In the winter they used to truck the barges to Lake Okeechobee in Florida for rental there. They also run tour boats on Skaneateles Lake, Onondaga Lake (near Syracuse), and a big double deck one on the Erie canal. It goes from east to west, then back, stopping at motels for the night. Food is served on board for the 40 or so passangers. Crewing provided great summer job for collgege kids, including ours.
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteLooks like we are a couple of days behind you guys. We are in Haverstraw now (at 1/2 moon bay marina).
We have been following your blog and taking notes.
We will be heading north to Lake Champlain, so we won't see you on the Erie. Are you planning on attending the rendezvous at Wheeler? If so,we will see you there.
Gerry & Linda Etzold
Monk's Vineyard
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