Brewerton to Canajoharie, Eastern Erie Canal

This week we traveled 90 miles; locked through 9 locks, up 50 feet on two and down 133 feet on 7 locks.

We left Brewerton early Monday morning on August 18th and had a smooth crossing of Oneida Lake to Sylvan Beach (20 miles). We stop here mainly for the beach but also we get a kick out of the amusement park, the bikers night activities, etc. We also enjoy talking to the locals who stop by, and this time we met Patty and Sig who live here in the summer and cruise south on their sailboat in the winter. Patty took Joyce to get our LP gas tank filled and blueberrie picking. They also drove us around the area to see their home and their sailboat. Meeting them really enriched our stay at Sylvan Beach.

U-pick blueberries from a farm near Sylvan Beach

On Thursday we arrived at Lock 20 canal park dock in the early afternoon. Soon we learned that they are having a concert that evening and on Friday too. So we ended up staying two nights and enjoyed the music by Abby Road the premier Beatle tribute and the No Name Ragtime Dixieland Swing Band.

Abby Road playing at Lock 20 canal park

When you spent the summer on the New York canal systems, soon you learn which towns are the most convenient places to provision. So on our trek east on Saturday we stopped at Frankfort to shop for meats and cheeses at Melrose Family Supermarket, then on to Herkimer to shop at super Wal-mart for canned goods and condiments, etc., from here on most of the town docks are noisy from nearby highway and train traffic. We decided to stay because we had good tv reception here to watch the Saturday night Olympic games.
Joyce loaded down with groceries

On Sunday, we traveled through the town of Little Falls, we spent two days here on our way west, it's a beautiful town with nice hiking trails and the impressive Lock 17, it's the highest lift lock(40') on the Erie Canal; what makes it different from other locks is that the entrance gate is lifted above the boaters instead of swinging open as the vessel enters.

Locking through Lock 17

We arrived at Canajoharie early enough to spend the afternoon at the Canajoharie gorge. It's a little over a mile walk from the town dock and one of few places that we enjoyed swimming along the Erie Canal. We also visited the new Arkell Museum's remarkable collection of paintings.

Canajoharie river gorge "pot that washes itself", named by the Indians as Canajoharie

Canajoharie town dock and sail boat travel the canal with mast down