Great Loop: Erie Canal E8-E11 – Amsterdam Castle

Days 150: June 16, 2023

Locking to Amsterdam – Locks E8-E11

The crews of Coda, Saga, and Legacy heading out with us to the next set of locks.

The day’s trip took us to Amsterdam, NY, which required us to traverse through four locks. The theme for the day was Hawaiian. However, we didn’t get good pictures of the outfits though you can see Steve sporting his Hawaiian shirt.

After arriving Steve wanted to bike up with me to the Home Depot and Walmart. Many loopers told us it was not a bikeable journey because of the hill and recommended Uber. Being the stubborn people we are, we biked up and made it. It was very uphill so took a while. Steve had a huge advantage of using an electric bike.

On the way back the trip was crazy fast as it was all downhill. We stopped by G’s Famous Lemon Cookies to grab some goodies.

While we were out, the others checked out the park near the mooring wall and walked over to the castle. The park with bridge over the canal had some great artwork and a 9/11 memorial as well.

The Amsterdam Castle

The group decided we’d head out for dinner. Mayli had packed a tiara so where else would you go to dinner but a castle. Built in 1894, the original purpose of the Amsterdam Castle was as an armory for the National Guard. It was decommissioned in 1995, and of New York’s original 100 armories, it is the only armory converted into a private residence. It now also includes the restaurant and hotel.