Alexandria Bay, NY to Burlington, VT (Hwy 37 to US 11, US 2 to Burlington)
The North Country runs along the St Lawrence River before spreading east to Lake Champlain and Vermont. This is a slightly rolling land, heavily wooded where the forests haven’t been cleared for farms. It appears that this might be dairy country, as I don’t see much growing except corn and grass.
A major driving force of the local economy is the St. Lawrence Seaway. The St. Lawrence was first explored by Jacques Cartier in 1535 and as early as 1680 settlers were building small canals to aid in navigating the river. The natural waterway formed by the St. Lawrence and the connected Great Lakes stretches for more from 2,300 miles from Duluth, Minnesota (visited last fall in “Plains to Pines”) and the Atlantic Ocean. Between Lake Ontario and Montreal, Canada, the river drops 266 feet. The Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Authority operates seven locks in the stretch, the United States St. Lawrence Seaway Corporation operates two of those. Massena, NY, is the site of one of those, the Eisenhower Lock. I am lucky enough to visit during a time when a ship is actually in the locks and a large ocean-going tanker is waiting to transit the locks so we get to see the process from beginning to end.
As I approach the viewing platform the Jacqueline C is already in the locks. This picture is a bit confusing but the long gray band in the center of the picture is actually the viewing platform on top of the three story visitor platform, the ship is behind that. The yellow structures are actually on the ship.
To my left (west) is the upper river, with a tanker waiting to head downriver through the lock.
To my right is the lower river, flowing east.
The lock was built in 1959 and note how today’s ships take full advantage of the width of the lock. It’s a tight squeeze! The viewing platform is walled off by a tall chain link fence. I get this pictures (and many of the others) by sticking the lens of the camera through the chain link.
As the Jacqueline C heads up river, the Maria DesGagnes enters the lock. The Maria DesGagnes is a fuel tanker and, even though empty, regulations require that tourists clear the top viewing platform and cluster on the platform below. Not a problem, the view is still good!
The Maria DesGagnes is roughly as tall as a 10-story building. It’s empty so the ship is riding high on the water.
Once in the lock, the huge gray gates close behind the ship.
After the rear gate is closed, water is let out of the lock through small tunnels and the gigantic ship begins to lower. I am stunned at just how low the ship drops sitting in place, to the point where we are nearly level with the navigation windows on top of the ship.
Remember, my position hasn’t changed, it’s the ship that is settling in the lock as the water level lowers. As the ship passes by, we can look down on the deck and see how the it is kept centered in the lock. Large ropes tied to the yellow divots above the wall of the dock are constantly adjusted by the man in the center. These guys clearly know what they are doing, not once did the ship hit the lock wall…
Once the gates are fully open, the Maria DesGagnes glides out onto the lower river where another ship is waiting to enter the locks to be raised to the level of the upper river before heading west.
The pictures don’t begin to tell how fascinating this process was, taking about 45 minutes in total.
Leaving Massena I strike east across northern New York, headed towards Vermont. The plain along the St. Lawrence is relatively flat but, after nearly 2,000 miles, I finally see something on the horizon that might, just might, resemble a mountain! The Adirondack Mountains of New York peek above the forest on the southern horizon.
Farms along this stretch seem to be those supporting dairy production, with corn and feed pastures dominating the landscape between the ever-present dense forests.
The highway begins to weave around hills as I approach Lake Champlain, the dividing line between New York and Vermont. Roughly 163 miles long and varying in width up to 45 miles wide, there are bridges across the northern end and at the very southern end, otherwise people cross on ferries. I’m crossing east of Champlain, New York, where US 2 crosses the lake by jumping across a series of large islands.
It’s a hazy day but the Adirondacks can be faintly seen in the background as I look west from Vermont across an arm of the lake towards New York.
Farther south on Grand Isle, the views open up to the southwest.
The final bridge leads to the mainland of Vermont with the Green Mountains rising in front of me.
Next Up: Northern Vermont and the Northeast Kingdom
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