Ft. Edwards NY - Whitehall NY - Orwell Vt

June 17

This segment of the trip, heading up to Montreal via Lake Champlain, is taking on a very different character from what we have seen to date.  There are only ~150 - 200 boats (no one knows the count for sure) total doing the adventure.  About 85 - 90% take the Erie Canal route (it is shorter).  Therefore, only ~20 - 30ish boats are following the same path as us.  This has both positives and negatives.  For one thing, there are far fewer "docktails" since there are less people.  On the other hand, you see the same people over and over again so the relationships bloom a richer color.  

Ft. Edwards

We followed Karma (Dave and Steph) and Genna Lou (Scott and Cindy) from Troy to Ft. Edwards.  Our expectations were low for this destination with the the highlight being a free wall with power and water to stay.  In fact, we ended up really enjoying the town and stayed for two nights.  Karma and Genna Lou took off after the first night but we were quickly joined by Jolly Roger Too (Jim and Leslie).  Both nights were out to dinner and lots of fun. 

This is a picture in the AM after Karma and Genna Lou left and before Jolly Roger got there.  The Shorebilly looks lonely.... 


Ft. Edwards is the home of the Army Rangers which was started by a gent named Rogers.  Rogers was convicted of a crime and in order to avoid prison he agreed to form a militia to fight with the English against the French in the French and Indian War (1754-1763).  Apparently, the Rogers' Rangers were fierce but fought unconventionally for the times.  Today, many of Rogers principles are still taught / used for our military.

Hopefully, when you zoom in, you can read this:

There was also a really nice (small) farmer's market.  Very different from what we see in NC, this one had unique items on display including a distillery with a great Rye.  I might have one now onboard! :)


So all in all, not as exciting as some other places so far but in the end we really liked Ft. Edwards.  Now onto Whitehall NY!

Whitehall NY

Like Ft. Edwards, this is an American town that time has forgotten.  It also had a very nice town free wall with electric, water, showers and facilities. This wall was every bit as nice as the last and the town was eerily similar as well.  It was old but well kept.  They were struggling to keep businesses open but the town planners were busy building nice infrastructure like parks and walk ways to attract life back into the community.

Jolly Roger Too followed us there and we spent another evening together.  

Unbeknownst to most, this inland town on a little canal (Champlain Canal) is the home of the mighty US Navy!  Benedict Arnold built a fleet of small vessels to take on the British on Lake Champlain early in the Revolutionary War.  He lost the battle but delayed the British enough that they had to wait another year before attempting to bring their fleet south on the Hudson.  This bought the Continental Army much needed time.  


They also had the raised hulk of the USS Ticonderoga from 1812. It is amazing this thing is stored outside given the rough the winter conditions are in this region.


Here are some other cool pics from the town.  Let's start with .... SASQUACH!


And a castle on the hill:


What about a 12 person bob sled?


Orwell NY

We only stayed in Whitehall one night given it was largely a repeat of Ft. Edwards.  Our next desired stop is Vergennes Vt.  However, that is ~70ish miles from Whitehall and we didn't want to just blast through one of the pretties lakes in the US so we went slow to Orwell and stopped at Chipman's Marina. This leaves ~45miles for tomorrow allowing us to go slow and enjoy.

There is almost nothing to report here other than the Marina house is from 1824 and the first thing the owner did was give Terri the keys to a car for her to use ... free!  There was only a small general store in town but it felt great to drive through the Vermont countryside.   Total stay here is only $50.  The down side is that it not in a "no wake"zone so we are getting rocked.  Hopefully that will settle down as it gets dark.


Well, that's all folks!

Take care and stay safe.

Love Terri and Aubrey

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