Ilion to Little Falls, NY

Our original plan for today was to stay in Ilion, since all-day rain was forecast. When we arose, the weather gods had granted us a decent travel window from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and we decided to go for it. After taking on fuel, we cast off into a modest headwind and an unsettled sky. 

We went through one lock, where a tour boat full of school kids met us going the other way. Also heading the other way were numerous Loopers, steaming west towards the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario, which is the typical Great Loop route. 

The Mohawk River here is subject to shoaling, especially where creeks enter and deposit sediment. The prudent cruiser stays on the far edge of the channel whenever they pass a creek inlet. Not coincidently, this is the first part of the canal where we’ve encountered significant dredging operations. 

We had our shortest day of this second stage, covering only 9 miles, with one lock, to ensure that we were secure before the serious rain hit this afternoon. We are at the town marina/wall in Little Falls, NY, which was crowded, and we got the last power pedestal. Summer Blues, a boat we’ve seen five times now, is here, a nice Looper from Houston helped us tie up, and we also chatted with a young Quebecois couple who are returning home after a year of living on their sailboat. Map Link: Little Falls, NY

After getting Dragonfly settled in our lovely surroundings, we walked across the parking lot to the highly recommended taco truck that was doing a brisk business. We had a delicious lunch at their colorful outdoor tables, then retreated inside our boat for the next several hours, while a steady rain poured down. We ate leftovers onboard, finishing as the skies cleared around 6:30 PM; just enough daylight left to walk the mile into town to stretch our legs and explore. Little Falls is located in a beautiful valley, where the Erie Canal had to bypass the town’s namesake rapids. We were saddened to discover that Little Falls has seen better days, despite its picturesque location. We finished off the evening with blog writing (Tony) and fiddle practice (Kathleen).