Low Bridge Everybody Down

Our stay at Saugerties was very pleasant. We were anchored in a wide spot in the creek, surrounded by many nice river homes. Though we were right in their backyards, nobody seemed to mind, and they all waved cheerily.

The forcast called for thunderstorms for the next day, possible in the morning, probable in the afternoon. We arose before dawn, pulled the anchor and got on our way. We are now tieing a line to the head of our anchor with a clorox bottle buoy to help retrieve it if it gets caught on something in one of these creeks or rivers.

We called a marina on Coeymans Creek and made sure they had room for us. The thunderstorms did not develop as we approache Coeymans, so we called Albany Yacht Club and they said they had room for us. That put first lock just 9 miles away, so we proceeded to Albany.

The marina is in downtown Albany. Durelle called and described the post cards that she has that Mum-Mum sent her mother in the years 1910 to 1914. She told us one of them was a picture of the state capitol in Albany. We said, "Durelle, we are looking at that very building as we speak." We snapped a picture of it as we left Albany this morning.

About 9 miles up the Hudson we came to Troy lock in Troy, New York. Shortly after leaving that lock we turned left into the Erie Canal.

We have just watched the sun set at a beautiful park, and gazed in wonder at the confluence of the Hudson River, Mohawk River and the Erie Canal!

As the song says;

Low bridge, everybody down, Low bridge, for we're coming to a town.

And you'll always know your neighbor, you'll always know your pal,

If you've ever navigated the Erie Canal.

Later tonight we are going to read some more from a novel called "Rome Haul." which is about a young man who goes to work on the Erie canal as a driver of the mules that pulled the barges and went on to own his own barge.

We plan to stay several days here in Waterford. You can visit the lock, see some of the original locks and spend some time in a museum with many exhibits on the history of the canal.