Morning came early for the Explorers, as much as they tried to sleep in. The original plan was to take three more travel days to get from Fort Ann to Plattsburgh. Over beers last night, the Explorers had discussed splitting the distance between two days and arriving on a Saturday instead of a Sunday, which might better afford the opportunity to see some of the cousins (like Joey), that were coming up for the weekend. The mileage was manageable, but would mean more motoring and less stopping. In the morning, the Captain decided to go with the two-day plan, meaning the Explorers had to be out of the Champlain Canal and partway up Lake Champlain by the end of the day.
The Explorers left their free dock in Fort Ann and immediately passed through Lock #11 which lowered their boat 12’. If you’re counting, you may have noticed this story skips Lock #10, as it turns out there is no Lock #10. The Explorers asked the locktender at Lock #11 (who had been working the locks for 29 years), and it turns out that there were plans for a Lock #10 that never materialized, and apparently the NYS government (in its infinite wisdom) never bothered to rename the others.
Right before Lock #12 (the last one), the Explorers stopped in Whitehall, NY. It’s another small NY town that has built a wonderful Museum and Visitor’s Center to welcome those coming by water and by land. Captain Mark and Sidekick Sue recalled stopping here once before when driving to Saratoga Springs. Whitehall claims the distinction as being the “Birthplace of the U.S. Navy” and they have many historical items on display, as well as an outside display of the remains of the USS Ticonderoga. Sidekick Sue didn’t recall (from the first visit) that it was right on a canal, and probably never imagined that she would be returning there by waterway just a few years later.
The Explorers took advantage of the free electricity on the free wall and made breakfast. Then, they went out and walked a big loop around Whitefield, first exploring one side, and then crossing over to the other side of the canal. Along the way, Sidekick Sue ventured into Carol’s Collectibles and found some turkey salt and pepper shakers to add to the Thanksgiving collection. The store is fabulous for treasure hunters, with 12,000 square feet of items priced to move. It is also home to “CC the Cat”, an adorable stray that found a home at the store. Sidekick Sue talked to Carol herself. When Sidekick Sue mentioned they were walking around town, Carol immediately asked if they “came by boat”, as it appears many of her customers do. When asked if there were more Thanksgiving items around, Sidekick Sue was disappointed to learn that a 2020 flood had destroyed most of Carol’s seasonal inventory that had been in storage. Carol said that she and CC were taken out of the store in a rowboat by the fire department. Thankfully, she was able to rebuild and reopen this adorable business after a tough year of Covid and flooding.
Up on the hill above the canal sits a very distinctive landmark, Skene Manor, a beautifully restored Victorian Gothic -style mansion. The Explorers would like to return to Whitehall again to visit this historic site, but since they had increased their boating mileage for the day, they needed to “hit the waterway”.
Right after the Whitehall Visitor’s Center was Lock #12 (which lowered the boat 15.5’), the LAST lock in the sequence. Sidekick Sue was glad to be through the locks and they were now officially in the tail of Lake Champlain, the last obstacle between the Explorers and the Plattsburgh Boat Basin. The first ten miles of Lake Champlain was very narrow and winding; the shores alternated between swampy and sheer rock cliffs. We passed Fort Ticonderoga, located at the top of one of a hill along the canal. After a while, the Lake slowly widened and Captain Mark was able to resume use of the autopilot, which is much more useful for open water crossings than it is for navigating the narrow canals. After a few more hours of motoring, they reached their anchorage at Button Bay, home to Button Bay State Park in Vermont. After a quick dinner, Captain Mark went to work raising the mast again, because the Explorers needed to be able to display their anchor light for the night, and they are done with the low clearance bridges through the canal. By the time that chore was done, Captain Mark was tired and it was getting too dark to row to shore to explore the park. Unfortunately, the Explorers would be short-changing the Fitbit Gods tonight, but it was a minor trade-off, given that they would arrive in Plattsburgh a day earlier. It was a quiet night, with Captain Mark retiring to read, and Sidekick Sue starting to sort the pieces of another jigsaw.
