After a couple days in Albany it was time to move forward to the beginning of the Erie canal and stay a few nights at the wall before Lock E2 which is the first lock on the Erie Canal in Waterford, NY. Heading north we passed Albany, through Troy and transited our 2nd lock on the loop, the Troy Federal Lock and Dam. Just a mile further we made it to the wall in Waterford. The wall was just opening up from the Erie Canal boats heading to the lock giving us a spot right in front of the office. The power was minimal and I had to stretch a hose down the wall for water. The area of Waterford around the wall was quiet with a couple cyclists staying in tents under the trees. There is a cycling path that runs all the way to Buffalo, NY.
Above is a picture of the original canal located in Waterford next the current E2 lock where mules would have pulled boats along the canal.
After a quiet day we were joined by Tony and Shirley on Puffin on day two. Tony and I took a long bike ride to West Marine for needed anchoring supplies. Shirley and Maria joined us for bike rides to Cohoes falls and the Overlook Park. Along N. Mohawk Street you can see the remanence of the original Erie Canal that ran through the mills that have now been renovated into apartments and condo’s. We then rode through downtown Cohoes. It was just our luck that none of the bakeries were open. There is a great bike path that runs through and around Peebles Island along the Mohawk River.
We had a quiet dinner on Puffin then rested for our real start on the Erie Canal in the morning.