We departed Amsterdam after spending a night tied to the wall where the water was as smooth as glass all night long – a promise made to us by lively Dan the restauranteur/ dockmaster of Riverlink Park. We worried about Salty as she always assumes tides, waves and current – but in this part of the world things move a bit more slowly on the water. The Amsterdam dock was full of Loopers – and by the time we were up and ready to go this morning, there was only one other boat left – and that was 9 am!
We made our way through Erie Canal Locks 11, 12 and 13 to Canajoharie to bring us to an elevation of 286 feet. And here are today’s terrific three:
Erie Canal Lock 11
Erie Canal Lock 12
Erie Canal Lock 13
One reason to be sure to have good fenders is the gnarly wall on Lock 11 - this will chew up your hull if you don't!!
Eroded lock wall in Erie Canal Lock 11
After passing the town of Fonda NY (between Locks 12 and 13), home of the ancestors of Henry, Peter and Jane, we headed towards Canajoharie.
Fonda NY Fairgrounds
The reviews in Active Captain and other sites about docking at the Canajoharie waterfront were somewhat critical and some even indicated that the location had frequent police activity. Although when we arrived, the floating docks were all occupied (all 3 spots), there was space to dock on the wall (rings and bollards). As we had docked on the wall in Amsterdam and some fellow Loopers greeted us as we approached, we had confidence to dock not only on a wall, but a wall without power and water!
Canajoharie means “the pot that cleans itself” in the Mohawk language referring to the Canajoharie creek running through the town that has a bubbling roiling set of rock formations in Wintergreen Park. We got out the bikes – and after a near vertical 2.2 mile climb, we were rewarded with a trail in the Park that overlooked the creek – and saw what the Mohawks saw.
Canajoharie Creek
The town of Canajoharie is an old town founded by Dutch settlers as a trading post along the Mohawk Valley, but was previously an important village of the Mohawk Nation known as the Upper Castle. We passed and couldn’t resist a historical house tour of the Van Alstyn House built in 1749, one of the first buildings in this town. Very accommodating volunteers gave us an overview of the house and its transformation through the centuries – seems that we and another set of boaters were their only visitors today.
Van Alstyne House
Opposite the Van Alstyne house is a quarry where a lot of the stone was quarried to build not only the Van Alstyn house but the majority of the buildings in the picture perfect downtown of Canajoharie.
Downtown Canajoharie with buildings made of local stone
Downtown Canajoharie
Downtown Canajoharie
Downtown Canajoharie
Canajoharie seems to have been a fortunate choice to stop off at and enjoy the pleasure of a small town on the river. Even without shore power tonight, I can still write this blog.
Painting of Canajoharie