St. Johnsville to Canajoharie
 |
| Kayaking at Lock 15 on the Erie Canal |
July 5, 2012. On the
third day of our trip we launched right from our campground. The paddle to Canajoharie included locks 15
and 14. I know I’ve said it before, but
“locking through” never gets old. It
continues to be one of the most interesting components of our Erie Canal trips
and it is the part that most of the paddlers get excited about. It truly separates canal paddling from other
destinations.
 |
| Keeping cool - Note the soccer & basketball |
After lock 15, we ran into a bit of snag when we tried to
stop for lunch. The only reliable
navigation guide for the Erie Canal is the Cruising Guide to the New York State
Canal System, which is published by the New York State Canal Corp. (The
organization responsible for running the canal system). Unfortunately, the Guide was last updated in
2006. Take my word for it, a lot has
changed on the in the past 6 years. When
we completed our 2011 trip, fully half of the put-ins did not exist just 4
years earlier. In fact, the take out
spot for this day wasn’t on the map. We
found it by visiting Canajoharie and snooping around. On the map, there is a fishing access listed
just after lock 15. In reality, the
fishing access—our lunch spot—was no longer there. So we had to improvise and pull off under a
highway overpass. After lunch, we
paddled another mile only to find the new and improved fishing access with a
beautiful new ramp!
 |
| Kayaking with my pumpkin on the Erie Canal |
Around this time, we also found some entertainment floating
in the canal. We scooped up a soccer
ball and a plastic pumpkin. The soccer
ball was used for a game of on-water polo, while the pumpkin made for a nice
adornment to my kayak. After a bit of
splashing about, we arrived in Canajoharie at our newly found take out
spot. Then it was off to the Parkside
for ice cream.
 |
| Canajoharie has a great pavilion for boaters |
No comments:
Post a Comment