Erie Canal Part 3: Expect the Unexpected

Next day. The rain threatened forward progress due to high water as the river continued to rise. 

The guard gate west of us was closed to protect the lock from flooding. The added water would have caused overflow of the lock doors and walls. We had wanted to lock through #17 and tie up in Little Falls for the night ...

...but were stopped short below Lock 16. A notice to mariners advised closure of locks 8-20 at 1 PM.

Note the color of the water.

Everything stopped! (Even the rain, but the high water would take days to subside.)

And we waited and commiserated with anyone in a red jacket. Fortunately, an old Land Rover friend Fred Monsees and friend Valerie live nearby and paid us a visit. (Unfortunately, no one thought to snap a picture.) Fred was a welcome sight laden with pockets full of beer.

At capacity! We were lucky to be allowed through.

Late in the afternoon the lock master advised us that the water level had dropped just enough to allow us to lock through. But continuing to lock 17 would be impossible due to guard gate closure.

So we tied up with five other crafts and spent the night wondering what the next day would bring.

Bright skies, but a dismal forecast for boaters stating that it would be a minimum of 48 hours before westbound traffic could proceed. 

In true boating style, everyone made friends. And invented ways to pass the time.

Bob and Allan lubricated the pesky handles on the Bomar hatches.

At midday, Lock 16 opened for eastbounders and this westbounder chose to turn around and take refuge at the St. Johnsville Marina, two miles downriver. These two are professional captains delivering this boat to the owner in Lake St. Clair, east of Detroit. She, with her 500-ton license, is actually driving the boat with a tiny remote the size of a cell phone.

Note the pollen in the water from cottonwood and locust trees.

Ever the optimists, we chose to wait it out.

MOXIE MOMENT 

And Moxie decided to take a nap. She discovered that the headset storage bag doubled as a comfy throne to improve line-of-sight out the windows when underway.

Night #2 Above Lock 16

Toughing it out was getting long in the tooth. The guard gate west was still closed preventing forward progress. But the water level had subsided enough to allow operation of "our" lock. Word had it that the St. Johnsville Marina two miles back east had dock space for refugees and we decided to make the move.

This tiny burgh was very welcoming. With still no word from the canal authorities on reopening, we spent the rest of the day patronizing the bakery and ice cream shoppe.