Nanseann: Day 306 August 16 19 mi Village of Ilion Marina Ilion NY

Foggy this morning.....water has dropped......3.8 feet of water under the Nanseann. Never know what the Locks do in the middle of the night.... One thing we have found we are stopping at villages....not towns.....and everyone of them has railroad tracks close by.......lots of RR noise all night....

Wall too high....had to go to the floating dock

Late morning departure.....wash the boat....lock ropes are nasty...wear your gloves

I'll just enjoy the sunshine

Mohawk River turns to starboard while the lock 16 is straight ahead

Lock 16 71.2 miles 20 feet lift

Quiet, scenic and rural.....Lock Tender rides an Ultra-Classic

I've got a mule, her name is Sal,
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal.
She's a good old worker and a good old pal,
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal.
We've hauled some barges in our day,
Filled with lumber, coal, and hay,
And every inch of the way I know,
From Albany to Buffalo.

Guard Gate 3 with lots of work going on

Nowadaga River runs in here.....lots of damage....shoaling

Look what they have collected.....I'm glad

Water is cleaner

Herkimer Home State Historical Site

Lock 17 requires westbound vessels to tie up to the south wall while traversing the lock

City of Little Falls

The Mohawk River descends more than 40 feet as it passes through a narrow gorge, less than 3 miles, creating the "rapids" that run through Little Falls

This is the largest single step lock on the Erie Canal. The east gate of Lock 17 is pulled up over the canal and you enter by taking your boat under this gate. (It drips dirty water on you)

Lock 17 is impressive. It is believed to be one of only two locks in North America where the entrance gate is lifted above the boater. (The other is on the Ottawa River in Canada)

Frequently you hear people refer to this as the "highest lift lock". This is not true. There are many lift locks. The Wilson Lock and Dam on the Tennessee River has a lift of 97 lift. But, all of these locks have doors that swing open as the vessel enters. Only Lock 17 and the one in Canada, lift the gates above the boater, permitting vessels to enter with a clearance of about 20 feet.

Lock 17 77.7 miles 40 foot lift

Low bridge, everybody down,
Low bridge, we must be getting near a town
You can always tell your neighbor,
You can always tell your pal,
If he's ever navigated on the Erie Canal.