Frankfort Harbor Part 1 to Lock E17

Woke up to a foggy morning this morning. I believe temps last night got down to mid 50’s, but bounced back up to the 80’s today. Most of the bicyclists, and their tents, were gone by 8:30a. We were off the dock by about 8:45a. When we came east bound, I had uploaded a photo of a boat that looked like it was sinking in the stern with its bow on shore. Saw the same boat today, but appears to be half on a trailer. This is just west of lock E15. A short ways past lock E15, we passed Enlarged Erie Canal lock 33. There was no dock available for us to pull up to, but we could see the top part of the lock from our position on the water. The lock, with a six-foot lift, was built in the late 1830’s. The south chamber was lengthened in 1888. The lock was abandoned around 1917 when the Barge Canal was completed in this section of Mohawk Valley. The St. Johnsonville Marina has a nice lighthouse at its entrance. Locked up in lock E16 without issue. Just beyond lock E16, was Enlarged Erie Canal lock 34. This is on our current waterway, so I docked alongside it to take some photos. The wall here is the only remaining piece of the Enlarged Erie Canal Lock 34. The chamber had a lift of 8.2 feet. It was enlarged again in the late 1880s to allow larger vessels to pass. Continuing on, passed under an old bridge (E28 River Road), and guard gate E3. Bridge E29 had an inspection going on. The “lift barge” used is rather interesting to watch operate. The operator continuously maneuvers the boats throttles and steering to keep the bucket in place. As I passed it I noticed both outboards pointing inwards towards each other. Approaching lock E17 there was some kind of abandoned building on the hill. E17 has the 40.5 foot lift. As Erie Canal locks go, it’s pretty massive to pull a small boat into. Boaters are required to position on the south wall (port side when locking up), as the valves that fill the lock are on the north side. The water flow filling is rather impressive, and would be hard to keep the boat on the north wall. Just after departing lock E17, we saw a guy getting ready to repel down one of the rock faces on Moss Island.Leer más