A LOOK BACKWARD 

Hyde Park, NY

Sunday, August 14, 2022

We’re tied up at the Hyde Park Marina – almost exactly halfway down the Hudson from Troy, which is where the locks begin.

Our bow is facing south – toward NYC; and our stern, where we hang out, is facing back up the river with the Catskill Mountains in the background. And it’s put us in a mood to reflect on our trip to Lake Champlain…

But first, a trivia question:  

If we traveled through the Federal Lock at Troy, and then Locks #1 through #12 on the Canal, how many locks did we pass through on our round trip?  Beware: it’s a trick question!  Look for the correct answer in our next post.

One of the most surprising things about the Champlain Canal, is that it was begun in 1817.  Not 1917.  1817.  I cannot imagine how they accomplished a task like that with the primitive technology that existed at the time.  What an amazing sense of purpose and destiny it must have taken to carve out those 83 miles – much of it through solid rock.

And right behind the canal came the railroads – following the river to take advantage of the modest incline that railroads require.  At some points, there are tracks on both sides of the river: passenger trains (Amtrak) on one side, and freight on the other.

The marinas are typically right at the water’s edge (duh) with the train tracks maybe ¼ mile inland.  So, to reach the marina by car, you have to cross the railroad tracks. So that means there’s a Grade Crossing.  So that means that every time a train approaches the grade crossing (from either direction), the engineer is required to blow the appropriate signal: LONG LONG…SHORT…LONG.  All you train buffs know that one.

All of which leads to a scene right out of My Cousin Vinnie: the train whistle at 3:15 every morning.  We just laugh and go back to sleep.

Last night we stayed in Albany and met one of Lynn’s old friends.  They graded CFA exams together every year for 20+ years.  Mary is restoring a 19^th century B&B in New Lebanon NY.   Great burgers and great fun!

And yes, the trains run right along the river in Albany.

Yesterday’s trip back down the Canal seemed so much more relaxing.  It’s often that way, isn’t it?  The outbound trip is filled with unknowns, and it seems like you’ll never get there.  The homeward trip is more relaxed.  And though we were moving more slowly, it seemed to pass more quickly.

At lunchtime today, we were pulling into Kingston, NY, on Rondout Creek, for fuel, and we realized that it was a very cute little town.  So we sidled over to the Ole Savannah “dock and dine” for Sunday Brunch Buffet.  YOWZA!

Unfortunately, we could not stay for the Annual Soap Box Derby, but you can check out the videos online! And tomorrow are the cardboard boat races – we have to slow down to enjoy these events!

So here we are at Hyde Park Marina.  Where it took almost two hours to dock the boat.  Why?  Question: How many dockhands does it take to connect a shore power cord.  Answer: Only three.  

We finally just moved out to their fuel dock, where our power cord works perfectly!  (as it has all week).  And we have a great view back up the Hudson to the mountains.

All in all, this has been a very scenic trip.   And the locks force you to SLOW DOWN.  Sure, they are a little boring, but they’re also fun.  And they are necessary:  You have to climb up 140’ and then go down into the wonderful gem that is Lake Champlain.

As Lynn said on the way home: “I loved seeing Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, but I would like to do Lake Champlain again.”  Amen to that!