One of the forgotten feats of early American engineering was the building of the Erie Canal in the early part of the 19th century. Built as a barge canal it opened up the fertile fields and agriculture of the upper western part of New York state and provided an easy cheap means of bringing the bounty of the agricultural harvests to the large cities and marketplaces to New York City and the eastern seaboard.

The canal winds its way for several hundred miles through farmlands and towns. It is a navigable waterway and during the summer many pleasure boats will cruise its entire length. Along its route there are many places to dock overnight with facilities available and it is easy to stop along the way to refuel and resupply at hundreds of small charming towns and villages along the way.

There are a number of bridges that must be raised for travelers in larger boats. A quick call to the bridge operator is all it takes and often when there are a series of bridges the same operator will raise and lower one and then you will see this same person drive down a connecting road ahead of you to raise and lower the next one.

In the town of Lockport, NY one must pass through a series of locks (hence the town name) in the same manner as you would passing through the more famous Panama Canal. It's quite a thrill to be in your boat as it is raised (or lowered) the eighty-feet or so in the lock.

One thing most people aren't aware of is that the Erie Canal is drained during the winter time usually around the end of November and is refilled with water from Lake Ontario sometime the following April.