2011-09-20 - to Waterford, NY

Well, we finally made it to lock 1 of the Champlain Canal. It has been a very long 'detour' but it was worth seeing the sites that we saw along the way. Our celebrations were short-lived, however. As we arrived, we were greeted by a couple of local boaters who just happened to be walking our way. We landed at the Waterford Visitors Centre. We were here 5 years ago and it was a vibrant little hub, with lots of boats coming and going.  Now, it is deserted. The men on the dock explained that this whole area was under over 20 feet of water during Hurricane Irene. The whole first floor of the vistors building (just at the arched doorways) was submerged. The pics of Hi-5 at dock from a distance shows the height of the arches in comparison to our boat.  Our boat would have been completely engulfed in water.  They continued to explain that several of the houses surrounding the lock and the visitors centre actually floated up and off of their foundations. It was apparent as we went for a walk that there was a lot of moving water carrying debris and mud. Even tonight a small refrigerator floated behind one of the other boats.  Here is a short youtube video that shows the water level on the visitors centre.  Note the top part of the building that is only visable.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O-D5pxXr0Y&feature=related