Amsterdam, NY to Canajoharie, NY

Day 7
Travel Time: ~ 4 hours
NM Today: 19
NM Total: 209
Locks Today: 3
Total Locks: 13

Sleeping at Riverlink Park was a challenge.  Tracks used by freight trains run alongside the park, and trains run all night long.  They have a habit of blowing their horns as they pass through the area. Somehow I managed to not be bothered by the whole train thing, I slept soundly in between trains.  I would wake and acknowledge that I heard a train and then listen to the clackety-clack of the train going by and be lulled back to sleep.  Clark was not so lucky.  He said he hardly slept at all during the night.

We woke up to gloomy weather with worse weather predicted.  We were undecided about whether to stay or go with thunder storms predicted.  By 10:00 it was clear weather and our phone app "Rainy Days" showed no storms in our vicinity.  We decided to make the break and head for Canajoharie with no docking fees and free electric. We passed by Guy Park at Lock 11.  I swear we have an angel watching out for us because we were forced to stay at Riverlink due to the lateness of the day, and it turned out the Guy Park is a construction site predicted to be beautiful in 3-years time.  Waiting for the site to be finished wasn't an option.  We were fortunate indeed to have been "forced" into Riverlink.

We saw a few logs and large pieces of wood floating in the canal - obstacles to be avoided for sure. With high waters, anything can be washing down the river, so we are on constant look out.  It becomes more interesting when the drifting wood decides to lock through with us.    Our first lock of the day, Lock 11, was a calm, slow ride up as they only had one working valve and there was no wind.  By our third lock, Lock 13, we were back to high winds and a fun time of controlling the boat. It seems the earlier in the day, the calmer the air.

We arrived in Canajoharie in plenty of time to stroll around town.  The weather was still 'iffy' so we brought rain gear.  Clark said the weather was bi-modal, which it was, either sweltering in the sun or very cool when the clouds moved in - nothing in between.

We managed to see a few interesting sites in this historic town - the Canajoharie Academy (now closed), the Beechnut Factory (now closed), and the site of an historic inn where George Washington once stayed  (the inn was demolished in 1860).  We must have stood out because a boy of about 10 or so asked us if we had just moved to town.  We told him we were just visiting.  Small town like this everyone knows everyone, I guess.

Historic Canajorharie Academy where Susan B Anthony Once Taught 

Canajoharie Academy

Beechnut Plant, now closed.

Beechnut once had a plant here in Canajoharie.  It closed and moved to Amsterdam.  The town library was on the site of the plant when it was first built.  The library was moved brick-by-brick to build a new library in another part of town to make room at the factory.

On our way out of town, we stopped into the visitor center and asked if laundry facilities were available in town and were surprised when the proprietor told us we were welcome to use the washer and dryer in the visitor center building to do our laundry.  We rushed back to the boat to collect laptops for the free WiFi and laundry to be washed.  I figured I needed to pass the time waiting for the laundry and what better way than working on my blog!

There is a great restaurant in town with delicious homemade pies (or at least there was last time we visited).  We walked past the restaurant in our wanderings.  We'll have to see if that pie beckons us to come in for a taste.