Hudson River and the Erie Canal

We headed up the Hudson River and were seeing piers and towns and trains for quite a way up the Hudson River.  Then we cruised under the George Washington Bridge and it appears we have left the city behind. 

Westpoint Military Academy - we didn't stop there.

Didn't dare stop.  After the Naval Academy, I didn't want to take a chance on losing my co-captain. 

Houses along the Hudson River - it is so wide, it almost seems like a lake.

Lighthouses are really little houses here on the Hudson River....

A castle of sorts, I say..........

And here we enter the Erie Canal - just beyond Troy, New York.

Tied up for the night along the wall, on the Canal at Amsterdam, NY. for free! (had electricity, too!)

Going through locks - 35 of them, to be exact!  Average about 6 per day.

Canal gates....

Bridges...

Scenery......

And sunsets......

Sylvan Beach, NY - a unique vacation spot where the canal enters Oneida Lake on it's eastern end.  We spent a night tied up there.  It is a pleasant resort village that has a 50's style amusement park with rides arcades, etc. and a nice beach.  Caught another sunset, across the lake. 

The impact the Erie Canal had on making New York City a major world class port is often lost on us who grew up in the Midwest.  In the early 1800's roads were poor or nonexistent.  By building a waterway from Lake Erie to the Hudson River, a transportation system was created that allowed products from the upper Midwest (Ohio, Mich, Ind) to easily be moved to the Atlantic for use on the East Coast or exported to Europe.  Transportation time was reduced from 7 weeks to 7 days. 

We are 2/3 of the way across the Erie Canal and plan to complete travels there in about 3 days. 

 Then we will be on Lake Erie, before arriving near Detroit, MI for another hiatus at the end of June and 4th of July holiday, if all goes as planned...  Hey, we're getting close to finishing this up!