Champlain Canal

7/9/13
Today we went through the Troy Federal Lock.  Tying up in this lock is different from any we have gone through thus far.  The goal is to hook your line from your center cleat around a pipe in the wall of the lock.  Everyone locking through had trouble because of the turbulence in this lock.  After the lock, we had an easy ride to Waterford's free dock at the Visitors' Center.  The only charge is $10 for 2 nights of electric hookup.  Some boats here have been waiting 28 days for the Erie to open.  We walked up to lock 2 on the Erie and met some more loopers who were waiting.  The people from town had written a song for them and came to perform it a few nights ago.  All of the locals have been very good to the loopers.  I'm sure they appreciate the additional business that the Erie closing has provided for the town.  We went to dinner at McGrievy's with Kenny and Jeanne (Daybreak).  Great meal with lots of leftovers.

7/10/13
We walked two blocks to breakfast at Paul and Don's.  For $2.00, you get 2 eggs (any style) and toast.  For an additional $1, you get your choice of potatoes.  Great value.  We had planned to leave in the morning, but our shore power inlet plug was fried (could have caused a fire), so we ordered an overnight replacement.

smart plug

  Our printer on board wasn't working, so we ordered a new printer, too.  Lucy and Woody (Oyster) pulled into Waterford today.  They are waiting here until the Erie opens.

7/11/13
  Ron replaced the plug with no difficulties and set up the new printer.  Eddy and Linda (Spiritus) arrived today. We were visiting on the dock when a local couple from a nearby marina joined us. Tom was quite a story teller.  Last summer his boat caught on fire and he jumped in the Hudson to put the fire out.  His skin grafts on both legs had healed nicely, but it was a harrowing experience. 

7/12/13
We left our good friends in Waterford.

Tour de Loop, our neighbors from Safety Harbor FL

Kenny and  Jeanne (Daybreak) and Ron and I headed for the free dock in Ft. Edward, NY.  We had no problems in the six locks today.

 Lines hang down from the lock.  The goal is for someone on the bow and someone on the stern grab a line and hold on.

Zebra mussels on the lock wall, they squirt water at you

When we arrived, there were only two spots left on the dock.  There was a nice open area where Duke was able to run free for the first time in weeks.  He and some other dogs played until they were exhausted.  Two other boats (Go and Five O'Clock) came in late and looked for a place on the dock.  We adjusted our tie-ups to make room for them. 

7/13/13
Five O'Clock and Go left for the dock 15 minutes before us, but Adagio and Daybreak caught up with them and ended up locking through the next 5 locks with them.  We arrived in Whitehall Harbor Marina early in the afternoon. They have great dock help!  This marina is just outside the lock.  We reconnected with Ken and Ann (Charis) after last seeing them one day in Kingston a few weeks ago.  Dinner was at the marina with Kenny, Jeanne, Ken and Ann.  We had a great brisket soaked in whiskey and brown sugar.  Yum!  Whitehall has their 4th of July celebration the weekend after the 4th of July, so we were treated to another fireworks display which we watched from the top deck of our boat. 

7/14/13
0900 We left for Chipman's Point Marina (Vermont) with Kenny and Jeanne.  This is a lovely location on the Champlain.  The building, currently used by the marina, was built in 1824 and constructed of local stone.

  Since they have a loaner car, we borrowed it so that we could visit Fort Ticonderoga.
The marina is on the Vermont side of Champlain, so we took a ferry across to the NY side.

  The four of us toured the Fort and the gardens before driving in to the town of Ticonderoga. Boy was it HOT!

After touring the Fort, we toured the King's Garden

 and then went to the town of Ticonderoga.

 

 

The history of Ticonderoga pencils is an interesting story that begins in 1812. Pencils are used today for a variety of uses and come in various styles and forms, as well.
In 1812, Joseph Dixon made his first pencil and the idea was born. From that point, he went to work establishing his company and in 1827, he started what would later become known as the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company. In addition, this company began selling graphite to people to use as stove polish and later evolved to marketing graphite as a heat-resistant product. He moved his company to Jersey City, New Jersey where he had built his new factory. As popularity for the pencil grew and the demand increased, Dixon invented a machine that was able to produce pencils at a faster rate of 132 pencils per minute.
The Joseph Dixon Crucible Company became incorporated as a public company in 1868. In 1869 Joseph Dixon died, leaving his son-in-law in charge of the company. By 1872, the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company was manufacturing pencils in mass production, making 86,000 pencils per day. In 1873, the company purchased the American Graphite Company, which was based in Ticonderoga, NY. Moreover, in 1873, the Dixon Ticonderoga pencil is released to the public.


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