Day 26
Begin: Scotia
End: Lock E12, Tribes Hill
I made breakfast while Leila ran and got a coffee. We decided not to have a plan today, rather end up where we end up.
Today was very uneventful. We went through a few locks and decided by Lock E12 that we just needed some time to relax, and not really any amenities. Therefore we stopped early in the day and moored atop Lock E12.
The Schenectady Gateway Landing on the southern side of the canal near the route 5 bridge. Next time through we plan on stopping here.
This is a nice little area with picnic tables and a large yard. We decided to play some croquet that we had brought, and have yet to use. It was a great time and after about 45 minutes we decided to get ready for the evening. We went to the lockmaster to see what was nearby, and he said there is a store atop the hill and not much else.
We decided to go for the walk and see what the store had. They sold subs, which we decided sounded alot better than cooking. We got subs and chips and headed back to the boat. Unfortunately the hill made us a bit sweaty, and we were offered the shower at the lock house, so we used it. After cleaning up we had dinner. The subs were surprisingly good and hit the spot.
While finishing eating, a large trawler heading east came in and decided to spend the night next to us. We helped them tie up and noticed they had a unique name for their boat. The boat was named Hollyken, after Holly and Ken, its owners. I thought this name was very clever and had a nice ring to it. Unfortunately Leilagreg doesn’t sound nearly as nice.
After talking to Holly and Ken for a bit, they realized Leila was Lebanese, and offered us some Lebanese desert that they were having. We said great, and that we were going to finish our dinner and be back. This also gave them time to eat dinner.
After eating and playing cards for a bit, we ventured over to Hollyken where they were just cleaning up from dinner. They welcomed us aboard and we ate desert and talked for awhile. They, like most people who have seen us along the our trip, commented about our age. At 23 we were less than half the age of most other boaters, if not 3x younger. Being Ph.D. graduate students, we were luck enough to have a few months off at the same time to take an extended trip.
Holly and Ken, from the south, were another great couple that we meet while on the canal. I have to say, the people are one of the best parts of the canal.
After heading back to our boat it was dark and time for bed. No movie tonight, just bed.