Utica, NY, (Little Falls, NY), Sylvan Beach, NY to Brewerton, NY - Erie ON HOLD!!!

From St. Johnsville, NY we transit locks 16, 17, 18 and 19 on a warm, gorgeous day. We have all been wondering what lock 17 will be like with it’s 40 foot rise. It turns out to be no big deal as the lock-master gives us a nice ‘slow fill’ and away we go. Larry was very clever and used his new GoPro to do a fast forward video…please click on the following link to view Erie Canal Lock 17 Time Lapse Video

I am happy we took the time for a quick stop at Little Falls to experience this cute town. We walk around and do some provisioning and return to the boat all in an hour and half. Back on the canal we continue through two more locks and tie-up for the evening at a marina in Utica, NY (25NM). This busy place is either in the process of growing or shrinking, as it definitely feels like it is in flux. After grabbing a beer we head back to the boat to have dinner with new friends, Rev and Sam, at the Aqua Vino Marina Restaurant. Rev and Sam are doing the Great Loop on their Carver boat dubbed ‘Here’s to Us’. We have a great meal with them and look forward to seeing them in the future. The next morning brings quite a bit of rain so we let that slide by and then head out toward lock 20 followed by our first ‘down-water’ locks…lock 21 and 22. The down water lock is just as you would think, instead of the water rising while you are in the lock it falls. This to me, is a nicer and calmer experience for reasons I am not sure. The end of this chilly wet day brings us to Sylvan Beach, NY ((23NM). This little town sits along side Lake Oneida and has a sweet 1950’s feel to it. There is a little amusement park with a tiny roller-coaster and crazy, spinney looking rides. The beach is very pretty and we just wish we were here during nicer weather. The rain continues the next day and the winds are heavy so we end up spending two nights at Sylvan Beach. Today we crossed Oneida Lake and are now at Winter Harbor in Brewerton, NY (19NM). The bad news is that we can’t continue on from here as the Oswego Canal is closed due to an emergency at the Phoenix Dam. This has caused the closure of locks 0-1 and 0-2. So we are stuck here for now…hoping it will only be two or three days…hopefully…

A mini afternoon stop in Little Falls, NY to check out the town and provision

The Erie Canal was very busy today…barge one

These charming and efficient little tugs push big loads

Just an average day on the Erie for the tug Erie, pushing his load upstream (Here’s to Us in the back ground)

Entering Lock 21, our first ‘down-water’ lock

Our friend’s Rev and Sam on their Carver ‘Here’s to Us’ sharing lock 21

Rev and Sam leaving lock 21…so odd to be on the low side exiting instead of the high-side

Harpoon Eddie’s in Sylvan Beach is a great place to have a beer and listen to live music

The wind was blowing at least 18 knots - gusting to 30 so we spent an additional day at Sylvan Beach