CANAJOHARIE AND LITTLE FALLS

Wednesday, June 17

We left Scotia around 9AM  after a very pleasant stay. We went through a few more locks, then pulled over and tied up to a concrete wall after Lock #12 to stop at an historic site. Getting there was a bit of a challenge, walking over a two lane bridge with no sidewalk or shoulder. We managed to get across safely then walked another mile or so to a site of 1)an historic Iriquois village, 2) a French - Indian fort and 3) some remains of the original Erie Canal, built in the 1800s.

Elaine, looking at remains of the original Erie Canal

We managed to get back to the boat in one piece and kept on going to Canajoharie where we pulled into a free dock (with electricity), provided by the local Chamber of Commerce. We walked into the very charming town, bought a few groceries and checked out the Arkell Museum hours so we could visit tomorrow.

IMPROV, waiting for us at the wall

Original Erie lock remnant

Thursday, June 18

Well, the docks were nice and the electricity free, but we were sandwiched between a busy Tollway and a very busy train track across the river. Several times during the night it sounded as if the trains were coming right through the boat. We still got a decent night’s sleep then stopped by a cafe for a leisurely  breakfast. We had to wait until 10 AM for the museum to open, so walked around town for a while, looking at the many Victorian houses and old churches. Canajoharie is the site of the old Beech-Nut factory which produced many things, but was best known for their baby food line. The old, abandoned factory still stands between town and the river. The Arkell family owned Beech-Nut and also had an interest in fine art. They had a significant private art collection and sponsored an art museum to allow the public to view many of their pieces. The museum has expanded and now is a very impressive modern building engulfing the old museum and presenting a number of well-known early American artists. The building doubles as a very active community library. While we were touring the exhibits, it started raining quite heavily, so we took advantage of the library for a while until the rain stopped.

Arkell museum

We left Canajoharie early afternoon with the destination Little Falls in mind. There were two options for docking - the first being a wall just east of the town and the second, a municipal dock closer to town, but after a major lock. We took a look at the first wall, and, although not bad, decided to go through the infamous Lock #17 to the municipal dock. Lock #17 is unique in it’s structure and in it’s lift. It is a “guillotine” lock with a massive door which drops down to block the water flow, and the lift is greater than 40 feet high.

Lock #17

We got through the lock OK and found the very nice municipal dock with excellent facilities. The staff was very helpful and informed us that we had arrived for the “Third Thursday” event where the Main Street merchants have special events for the community. We walked into town and were very impressed with everything that was going on. This is a very lively little community, and a very pretty town located in the Mohawk River Valley. A new brew-pub was recommended, so we stopped by for a delicious dinner, and a brew or two…