42°46′58″ N 73°40′22″ W

Aug 10-11 – Waterford Welcome Center

(photo below copied from Waterway Guide – much better than the one I could take 😉).

We arrived at Waterford Welcome Center at 6:30pm on Thursday evening & spent Friday doing boat chores & being tourists.

Waterford’s Welcome Center offers great value. Visitors can tie up on the dock just below the lock for free for up to 48 hours.We tied up near the end of the dock, closest to lithe lock gates.

If you want electrical service that’s only $10 per stay & they also offer access to clean washrooms & showers!

This is a smart strategy for the Town to encourage boaters to stay longer in the town being tourists (& spending money).

We had a great breakfast at Don & Paul’s Cafe, a local restaurant on Waterford’s main street & then we walked along a trail that followed the old canal system to the new lock.

This part of the canal system is no longer in use

but it reminded us a lot of the narrow boat canals that we travelled on in England last fall.

After our brief hike along the trails we walked to a nearby grocery store & picked up some more supplies. Then Catherine did the laundry on board – the old fashioned way – in a wash bucket… (pink job)

and I changed the engine oil… (blue job)

… the glamour & excitement of the boating life is unlimited!

Following our “pink & blue” chores we hit the showers & then BBQ’d hamburgers for supper.

Welcome Center Volunteers put on a movie night in front of the Welcome Center & we watched Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” movie.

We have experienced a lot of great hospitality at marinas & towns during our journey from Jacksonville, however, Waterford, NY is at the top of our list for places to stop, value & community spirit.