A Full Day

Day 64  |  Frankford to Healey Falls  |  5.2 Hours  |  25 Miles

We stayed on the lock wall last night just beyond Lock No. 6 in Frankford. We had a 6.5 mile run this morning before reaching our first lock of the day, so aptly referred to as No. 7. Somewhere along this stretch we passed the 1,000 mile mark of our journey. The scenery along the way was predictable with sightings of blooming water lilies and blue herons, right up to the point where you see the absurd. Our friends on Misty Pearl had captured a photo of a floating recliner. I think we may have topped them when we spied a Flofa (floating sofa). The pictures will have to be worth 1000 words as all we said was, "What??"

All the locks today kind of run together in my mind, which is good. That means our passage was uneventful, except for the switching back and forth from starboard to port tie ups. The boat garden at Lock No. 13 was interesting and has given me ideas for the use of our spare dinghy when we return home. Our major diversion today was killing flies. Barry was in charge of extermination in the pilot house and I amassed a little carcass collection in the stern while tending lock lines.

Towards the end of our day Barry noticed a visitor in one of the lock chambers. This little turtle seemed happy just swimming around as it locked through with us. Our final locks of the day (Nos. 16 and 17) were a flight, meaning we went right out of one into the next. They shared a common chamber door. The wall was massive and a bit intimidating as we pulled in. Healey Falls locks raised us a combined 54 feet. The photo on the right shows three eddies swirling in the final chamber. This turbulent water can snatch your boat and move it around in ways you don't expect. Today, there were no issues.

We exited the top of the lock, our 11th of the day. Although the engine only ran 5.2 hours, we were underway for close to eight. (Our engine must be turned off while we're in the lock chamber.) By this time the charge in our headsets was exhausted and so were we. Following naps and showers we walked back down to the lock entrance pictured above for another look. For size reference, Barry is on the stairway to the left of the door. I stopped and checked out all the flowers on the way back to Crossroads. Every lock station has a beautiful flower garden -- probably to help soften the appearance of all the concrete.

As night falls, it begins to rain. Tomorrow's forecast is fewer locks, more open water, and more showers. We hope to cover 50 miles and end up in Peterborough.