On the way flowing up/ flowing down

Signage at each lock   

The Champlain Canal which runs from the Hudson River to Lake Champlain, flows south towards New York City from Ft. Edwards, the high point (Lock 8). Then flows  north to Lake Champlain through the last 3 locks. It climbs 139 ft. over the 42 miles between Troy lock and lock 8, then drops 44 feet to Lake Champlain. The upper Hudson is very narrow with falls and rapids so locks are needed to adjust the water levels for navigation. Fort. Edwards is the end of the navigable Hudson, which splits off and heads west while the canal continues north.

After spending several days and nights at Chipman Point Marina over the July 4th Holiday weekend, we are finally on our way through Champlain Canal and down river to Albany,  NYC and beyond.www.canals.ny.gov
As mentioned, we tried to go through Lock 12 at the Lake Champlain end of the canal on Sunday, July 2, to no avail. By end of day on July 2, most of the 3 Canals-Erie, Oswego, Champlain, were closed due to heavy rains, rising water and flooding. We have pictures going down the Canal where rising waters left muddy sludge on the shrubbery along the banks up to 5 feet above normal water level.
So---Tuesday, July 4th, 3 boats started from the Marina to begin navigating the 12 Locks of the Champlain Canal. Along the Canal in small towns, there are town docks, some with facilities, some not, where you can tie up at the dock for no charge. Several town docks had pretty parks and nice facilities.
Our first stop was Whitehall town dock, just beyond Lock 12.  A relatively new town dock with free water and electricity provided for transient boats.  Police station and fire department are just up beyond the dock, so very secure. We headed first to Historic Grounds, an awesome breakfast and lunch restaurant in an old bank building dating back to early 1900's, a short walk across the green.   Dean had eaten there in his way up to Lake Champlain and wanted to return.  We were able to shower at a restroom facility, built by the state of New York and taken care of by the town. We visited the Skenesborough Museum (Skenesborough was the original name of Whitehall) and wandered the town a bit waiting for lower locks to open. Across the Saunders St. bridge was a quaint shop in the old newspaper office - The Times Emporium. Both Historic Grounds and Times Emporium owners chatted with us about the town history and refurbishing being done to revitalize the town. We walked several blocks away to get some groceries and discovered a gas station there selling diesel fuel for a good price so I made three bicycle trips (for the exercise of course and something to do while waiting lock openings) to fill my single 5 gallon fuel can and the boat tanks - the jerry can fit neatly into a large backpack so was easy to carry on the bike.

As soon as the locks were open below 8 we were on our way to Fort Edward, below Lock 8.  Again to tie up at their town wall to wait for the lower locks to open. Here we enjoyed a wholesome, inexpensive meal at Ye Old Fort Diner, making it the third meal I (Dean) had here. Down on the dock we met other Canal travelers either going north or south that were held up for Lock openings. Next stop- Mechanicville and below now that locks 1-7 were opened heading us to  Troy Federal Lock and down past Albany.


Reason for the Locks seen
from inside the lock 

Mechanicville also had free hookups for water and electric, new bathrooms and showers. These features certainly help make the transit more economically feasible for many boaters. Here we walked to a Price Chopper nearby to replenish food supplies.
The following morning we were heading south again.


Mount Travers ahead 

At Albany, we were approaching a large ship, the Mount Travers, just pulling out of an Albany Commercial terminal maneuvered by 2 tug boats pushing and pulling the huge freighter. The captain radioed us that he would be moving slowly at first through the terminal area then gathering speed and asked at what speed we traveled. We radioed back that we traveled at 7 knots so he would be passing us at some point and would keep an eye out to give way.

Puffin at Coeyman's Marina  

Just below Albany we docked at Coeyman's Marina so 1) I could jump off and travel home by land as the Hudson River down and around NYC gets a little rough and 2) so a friend from the Albany area could visit.
As we were on the way home from the trip- Dean being on the boat for 45 days, at this point, and I for 30, I was ready to be on land for a while, not sure if Dean was and it would take him another week to reach south coast Massachusetts,

Locking Through  

Suzan and Puffin in Whitehall