lockport locks

after 10 years of living a mere 20 minutes away from the Lockport locks on the erie canal

we finally took an evening to cruise the canal and locks.

it was fun and interesting and educational.

 we boarded "lady of the locks" to cruise the canal.

just kidding.

I don't think the boat had a name.

 these green gates hold back a lot of water

 we are sitting in the lock

waiting for the water to rise to the top of this cement wall

 they just let in (what looks like) a little bit of water at a time.

it takes about 10-15 minutes for the water to rise

 getting closer to the top!

once the water rises to the top, they open the gates and we float along down the canal.

we went through 2 sets of locks.

apparently you could float all the way to nyc if you wanted.

 so fun to have grandpa and grandma with us!

we liked going under the bridge that uses hydraulics to lift it up to make room for a boat to go under.

we also went under the widest bridge in the united states.

it's called "the big bridge"

ryan loved the upside down train bridge.

 best sisters!

beautiful girls!