Whitehall, NY Sept 29,2011

We left Kingsland Bay right at 0700 into a gloomy, ominous day. Ken activated the Serius weather and saw a black cloud w/yellow in the middle indicating heavy rain sitting over Whitehall. It started drizzling until past the Champlain bridge,a gorgeous feat of construction, this bridge replacing the old bridge, which they demolished. We saw 2 canoes laden with people and supplies heading down the lake (a group of teenagers on a survival course, we imagined--who else would be in those conditions?)

We kept vigilant during this leg (yes, I had to put down my crossword puzzle book and pay attention) and watched the buoys marking the channel, sometimes not much wider than a stream. K&G hailed us to warn of a powerboat overtaking us, which was a 50-60 foot ocean fishing boat from Pulaski, NY, having to go around the St Lawrence and down the Chambly Canal, Lake Champlain, and now the Champlain Canal due to the Erie Canal being closed. We joked that they were probably griping about the extra couple of hours it took them (versus the extra days it'd take a sailboat).

We got to Lock 12, paid $15 for a 2 day pass, and locked through then tied to the wall at Whitehall, making room for the Lois McClure, a canal boat replica, and a canal tug. There's a beautiful little park with a visitors center with bathrooms and showers, all free. Since it was my birthday, we opted to eat at City Steaks and Seafood in a converted bank building. Great food! I had broiled scallops and we all shared a huge piece of cheesecake for dessert! It was a great birthday.