The Erie Canal and its locks are very old, dating back to 1817 so it is amazing that the locks even work. It opens each spring in late May. It rises 483 feet through a total of 36 locks as it connects the Hudson River to Lake Erie. Like the intracostal it is not one long man-made ditch but a series of canals connecting rivers and "ponds" as they call them locally. The locks, and getting through them, is different than we have experienced. Instead of tying off to a floating bollard, members of the crew hang on to ropes that hang from the top side of the lock. Sounds easy but winds and swirling water in the lock can make it a little more of a chore, nothing terrible. It is a dirty job too. 200 year old walls with slim and grabbing a rope that hangs in canal water is um... yucky. Most use gloves so not too bad. BTW - "the Bles-sing!" doesn't like it much either as she gets slimmed in the process.
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