Canajoharie to Waterford, Eastern Erie Canal

This week we traveled 60 miles; locked through 12 locks and down 272 feet.

While in Canajoharie we picked up a flyer advertising the Fonda Fair that starts on Tuesday. So we left early Monday afternoon and arrived at the Fonda canal terminal wall two hours later; we walked around the small town and got a preview of the fairgrounds. On the list of events for the week, other than seeing the animals Mark really wanted to see the Tuesday night demolition derby and figure 8 race. Both turned out to be a blast to watch.

Mark at Fonda Fair

Demolition derby

We also got in touch with our friends Leane and John that lived in Fultonville, we had dinner at their house on our way west, so on our return we invited them onboard for dinner.

John and Leane

This part of canal/Mohawk River is wide and scenic, with a lot of locks in short distances. We decided to stop at Guard Gate 2 canal park on Wednesday and just relax.

Mohawk Valley, man and his friend fishing

Lock 8 and Guard Gate 1

We arrived at Waterford early Thursday morning after locking through five locks in only 2.3 miles. Here is where all the boaters gathered, either going west on the Erie Canal or on the Great Loop, or going south in the fall. It has 1000' floating dock with electricity and water. The visitor center is staffed with a team of volunteers ready to provide local knowledge.

Waterford Harbor dock, and a barge passing through

We spent our time in Waterford doing laundry, provisioning and boat maintenance, all to get ready for our trip south on the Hudson River and beyond. We also met several boaters, going for our daily walks and breakfast at Don & Paul's Cafe, a local hang out. Otherwise, we are keeping a watchful eye on Hurricane Gustav and TS Hanna's developments, and praying.

Boats and boaters gather at Waterford for Labor Day weekend