Our Back Yard

Erie Canal, Lock 7
42 48.27 N 073 50.90 W

(Monday Night)
Well, we're in our own former back yard once again. We lived in the Schenectady area for more than 25 years. Today and tomorrow we'll pass under every bridge on the Mohawk River that I used to cross on my daily commute to work. The I87 Twin Bridges, the Rexford Bridge, the Scotia Bridge and the I890 bridge. Come to think of is, the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal have been part of our lives for a very long time.

Tonight we're having dinner with our dear friends John and Mary Ann. We're lucky to find them at home; they travel a lot.

The weather yesterday and today turned really beautiful. We had a very relaxing ride down the Champlain Canal yesterday, a nice night on the wall at Mechanicville, then a grocery store stop at Waterford this morning, and a half day's ride on the Erie Canal.

We're at an altitude of 211 feet above sea level. We haven't been so far above sea level in more than a year. Maybe we'll get nose bleeds. We're not used to such refined altitudes like the sherpas that live around here.

Traveling on the canals is very easy. Whenever you get tired for the day, you just stop at the nearest lock and tie up for the day. Some people think that locking is tedious. But we think it's fun. We especially like talking with the lock masters. Since June we've done 31 locks.