8/25/17: After crossing Oneida Lake, we were now officially in the eastern section of the Erie Canal. Here, the towns become fewer and farther between, and many of those don’t have adequate depth at the walls for us to stop at. We would now have to plan the remainder of our journey a little more carefully.

After the lake, there weren’t any towns we could stop at until Little Falls, 70 miles and 5 locks away. It was too far for one day. Instead, we chose to stop at Lock 20 for the night, only 45 miles and 2 locks down the canal. Still a long day, but doable. Along the canal, you can tie up at the entrance or exit off most locks, and many of them have been developed into nice park-like settings. What’s more, all of the lock walls have sufficient depth for our boat. Most don’t have electric or water, and none have showers. You also have to use the large, commercial bollards to tie to, which require long lines, but they are free, and a place to rest if nothing else is close by or available.

We arrived at the lock, tied off to the bollards, then helped Brian and Jeanne do the same. The four of us have been travelling together since Newark, just after we lost Peter and Kathy, and Bob and Phyllis. It’s been great travelling with other boats, and we’ve really enjoyed the company.

Pics of Lock 20