On the 26th we continued our eastward journey to Herkimer where we took a cruise on the Erie Canal and through one of the modern locks.
From Herkimer we stopped in Little Falls. Little Falls, according to the book Wedding of the Waters (which I read before the trip), was the critical component of the Erie Canal’s existence because it is the location of a natural cut, caused by glacial activity, through the Appalachian mountain chain. Without it any canal route would have to manage an extremely challenging (possibly impossible at the time) elevation change over the ridge of the mountains.
Jess had found information suggesting there was a little boutique shopping area in the town. What we found appeared to be a deserted and dying little commercial district next to the canal. During the heyday of the canal it was a critical resupply and stabling area, but its time has passed.
From Little Falls our adventure continued north into the mountains to the Royal Mountain Campground. I managed to find a campground with a cabin that provided linens. We ate dinner at a sketchy little diner down the road and then returned to our cabin for a fire and s’mores. We settled in for the night and listened to a rainstorm come through and plip plop on the roof into the morning.
The next day was north again to North Creek.