We left early this Saturday morning in hopes of beating the weather. It almost worked. Just a little rain and then a lot when it came time to tie up. I always feel like a pioneer woman when I need to “brave” the storm, i.e., get wet in the rain when it is 75 degrees or more.

We are tied up at the free dock in Whitehall. It is just before the last lock. There is electricity and water. We waited for the rain to subside and then went for a great walk through the town. It is a dying place. It makes me sad to see so many buildings that in their day were beautiful and are now falling apart or are empty. Huge homes are now apartments. I must say that some of the homes have beautiful small gardens. The peonies here are beautiful. Going through one of the locks I wanted to jump off the boat (not allowed) and take a couple. The lock master agreed that they were beautiful, but he said that their season was already over.

The gentlemen on Last Fling, Don and Bruce, joined us for cocktails. They have been friends since high school. We first met them in Troy and we have gone up the river with them the last few days. They are so funny. I like meeting people who are having a good time. I like people who make me laugh.

Tomorrow bad weather is predicted – 70% chance of T-storms. We will probably hang another day here. We have overstayed our permit, so when we exit we will need to buy another 2 day pass. Let’s see, a 2 day pass is $20; we will have spent $40 total. We will have gone through 11 locks, spent 3 nights on two different city walls, both with electricity and water. What a deal! It is a good thing that there is a 48 hour limit here. I can see people staying longer.

What a great day on the Hudson  River! Rain and thunderstorms were predicted, but we only had a little rain. We left Troy this morning, thinking we would run until the storm(s) caught us, but here we are tied up in Fort Edward and only had a little rain.

So we are here. The city provides dockage with water and electric. So, what is a sailor to do? Spend money in the city…town…village. Kelley and I were walking and wondering where we were going to eat tonight. A mother and her two teenage daughters stop their car and asked if we are lost…well, where is the best place for dinner? with cocktails? yes. They sent us to the Anvil Inn. We looked over the menu and came back and told the other boaters here that it looked like a great spot.

Dinner was delicious. Kelley had steak and I had their prime rib that is a special on Friday through Sunday. And dessert, the cranberry pudding was to die for. We boaters need to support the towns that give FREE dockage by spending money in their towns. This is a must for anyone on the Champlain Canal. I might add, that one of the other boaters came by and said how great their dinner was also.

Tomorrow we leave for Whitehall. The weather should be fine in the morning, but, ugh, the afternoon… thunderstorms. Surprise, more weather!

We cruised up the river. It has been calm and beautiful. I think that I like the terrain here better that farther south. I like the forest, the hills. But, we look up and there are tall buildings – Albany, the capital of New York. We are not stopping in Albany.

Above is Troy. Once again it is a little more rural. The City docks are floating and against this huge wall. The dockmaster is friendly. Turns out there is a “party in the park” tonight. Every Wednesday in the summer there is a group that comes and plays and there are food vendors. I know where dinner is coming from!

The group is good, but in comes the rain and thunder. The 5 to 8 party lasts from 5 to 7. The residents rush to the local restaurants or to their cars to leave. We go into the boat and play cards…I won!

It is so beautiful on this part of the Hudson. The shores are dotted with homes, some old, some new, some large, and some small. Parts of this area apear to be summer homes and parts look year round. It is forested and lush. I like it a lot. The river is calm. There are hardly any boats out. I also like that.

We are spending the night at the marina here that sits in front of a restaurant. We hopped on our bikes and rode into town. This is a town that is dying a slow death. There was a small restaurant that was recommened to us but it was closed as of a week ago because taxes hadn’t been paid.

There are so many old homes here and they are falling apart. The young man that has just bought the marina is so nice; I hope that he can make it.

Tomorrow we shove off for Troy. The locks to Lake Champlain await.