So Close But So Far
20 May 2019
Allan Gray
The official opening day for the New York State Canal system has come and gone but we're still here in Waterford, waiting. The cause of our delay is the high waters on the Champlain Canal which have prevented the Coast Guard from installing the navigation marks in the Hudson River. Although the Champlain Canal officially starts in Waterford, the first 6 locks are actually in the Hudson River, so until it is open for navigation we will be stuck in Waterford. The water has dropped a foot and a half since we've been here and the general feeling is we should be on our way by Thursday or Friday.
In the meantime we've been keeping busy with various activities as well as making new friends with the crews of the other 21 boats that are tied up here. The town hosted it's annual Canal Fest this weekend with something for everyone. There were free boats ride on a solar powered boat, a fishing derby for kids, tours of the locks, live music all day Saturday as well as numerous food kiosks and craft vendors. The Welcome Center staff has bent over backwards to ensure our stay is as pleasant as possible and numerous local residents have stopped by and offered rides to the stores.
Besides doing odd jobs around the boat Bev and I make sure we get a good walk in daily while exploring the area. Yesterday we walked the old towpath along the canal with Megan, Mark and their kids and then headed off to visit the local museum. Although the displays were limited in scope they were well presented and informative. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of foresight that some of these people had.
Our surprise of the day came when we arrived back at Dagny and received an email from two former co-workers. Catherine follows our blog and as they were driving home to Montreal from a cruise ship holiday out of New Jersey they realized that Waterford was on their route and that they would stop by. As I was composing a reply to them I heard "Bonjour Allan" and much to our delight they had found us. They have been good friends of ours since our ATC days in Winnipeg and it was a great to see them.
Today's picture is of some of the 22 boats patiently waiting at Waterford.