Canajoharie Boat People

The day began with overcast skies and ground fog that floating past us. We had to keep a sharp lookout for logs and debris to avoid making contact. The canal runs parallel to the New York tollway, I90. It feels like we are running in the slow lane.

Marker with debris

We're starting to see farms along the canal

Approaching Lock 8 with a fog drape

Snag boat along the canal

Shack on shore

New York I90 alongside us

Canal alligator! 

We arrived at Canajoharie, NY on July 18th at the exact moment that the Erie canal Locks 2-18 closed due to high water. One by one, five boats slipped into the creek off the Mohawk River and sidled up to the cement wall. Each boat was sent to this spot by the Lock Master of Erie Canal Lock 14. The town park is nice but lacks water and electricity. We were stuck; unable to go back east, nor to move forward west. 

Lock 14 right beside us

Mystic arrived first

Osimo slipped in next

Take-Two Heading back to Canada

Five boats at the Canajoharie city park

We checked in with each other to ensure everyone was settled and secured before venturing out of the park. Laundry, bowling, and Jim's Irish Pub were in town to the south. The Palatine bridge took us north for ice cream, Subway, groceries, Big Lots and the pharmacy. Everything was only a short walk away. We were able to move about as we wished on land, but without access to water and electricity our situation could become dire pretty quickly.

Canajoharie Canal Park

Dave in the park at sunset

Osimo sharing generator power

Jim's Irish Harbor Pub

Dave visited this bar in 1982
It looks exactly the same today.

Van Alstyne Homestead Est. 1749

Palatine Bridge over the canal

We had beautiful sunsets at Canajoharie

View of our fleet from the Palatine Bridge

Veterans Memorial

It was steamy hot during our stay

Palatine Bridge Stone Gazebo

The "Dummy" light, sitting in the middle
of the road in Canajoharie

Dummy light

Cool Historic Canal Sign

Arkell Museum

Lee's Christmas Corner

Historic Canajoharie High School
designed by Archimedes Russell
Built 1891-1893

Royal Purple Smoke Tree

Gold Loopers, Tom and Julie Hoffman off of the powercat Next Adventure rode their bikes from Lock 15 back to our little commune at Lock 14. They told us to come visit them and to make sure to stop off at the Amish Store nearby. We made two trips to Lock 15 and the Dutch Country Market. If felt like stepping into the past as we walked among shelves filled with every kind of flour you could imagine. The market was stocked with an odd collection of staples and there was a wonderful deli where you could buy meats, cheese and sandwiches. The bakery was amazing. A sign indicated they only bake on Friday. Every other day, the baked goods were marked down. We bought moon pies for fifty cents that were huge and so sweet that our teeth hurt! The Amish were gracious and friendly to us.

Fort Plain Trading Post on our bike route

'On your honor' farmer's market

Beautiful Garden Mural

Old Factory Antique Store

Antique Store Fort Plain, NY

Next Adventure at Lock 15

Lock 15, high water rushing toward us in Canajoharie

After three days on the wall, we were running our of fresh water. The Fire Department stopped by to fill our tanks and told us to call them if we got low again. The locals adopted us and checked on us each day. There were twelve of us at the wall in the park along the river. We were The Boat People of Canajoharie. 

Water delivery photos by Crystal Brown

M/V Take Two

Mystic taking on a few gallons

Our  Canajoharie Family

The teens on vacation 
with Heath and Joy from NY State

Joy - it's really not all bad here!

Crystal from Canada

TJ from Canada
making the best of things
Joy from NY State in the background

Heath, from NY State and Dave

Scott off Mona Gee and Beth
in front of a debris pile at Lock 14

Bob and Sue - Osimo

Canajoharie is a Native American word meaning Boiling Pot. We walked up river to the magnificent rushing creek and visited the Boiling Pots which are circles worn into the rocks by the rushing water. 'The Pot That Cleans Itself', a section of the creek that flows and churns and swirls and flushes a whole lot of water is nearby.

Hiking to the Boiling Pots

Dave at the Boiling Pot

Boiling Pot

The Mohawk Creek Dam

Scott and Shelly from M/V Mona Gee

Mohawk Creek Dam

Boiling pots flowing toward the canal

Boiling Pot Video

The canal park was quiet but the trains barreled past north of us and the semis zoomed by to the south, making our wall a noisy spot in a quiet river town. The three Looper boats, a Canadian boat heading home and a power boat on vacation are all trying to get somewhere. Together we were making the best of our situation. As we lament our misfortune we quickly agree...this is going to make a great story!

On day four, we got the news that the Locks would reopen. Mona Gee, Take-Two, and the power boat on vacation prepared to depart. We waved them off with safe travel sentiments, happy to know we'd escape Canajoharie but a little bittersweet about saying goodbye. 

Osimo and Mystic would wait one more day to let the churning water and debris subside. Later in the day our friend Brian on Serenity came around the corner and made his way onto the Canajoharie park wall. We last saw him in Waterford. Our fleet became three. We would move west together until Brian slipped into the Oswego Canal to head home and cross his America's Great Loop wake.

Osimo and Mystic, after the other boats went west

Brian arriving at Canajoharie

Bob and Brian talking Locks

Bob, Brian and Dave early morning pow wow