Lock C12 to Ticonderoga, anchor

The last lock was a full one. We added 3 sailboats which were all headed to Canada. No Rush caught up with us at the town wall. The three of us will do a bit of cruising together this summer.

Once through Lock C12, we were on Lake Champlain. 

The convoy up to Ticonderoga

While the views had been lovely all through the locks, they definitely got amped on the lake. About 20 miles of cruising to our stop, which was at the foot of Fort Ticonderoga.

I want to tour the fort but we had other plans for the day. Jamie of No Rush was a big Star Trek fan. Through an weird twist of fate, Ticonderoga is home of a Star Trek museum, complete with clothing, props, and sets. All of us set out in our dinghy's and got into town and did the tour.

Not a lot they let you touch there, since it's all fragile,
but everyone gets to sit in the captain's chair,

Russ at Spock's station

Looking down the warp core

Sick bay. Notice the TV screens by the beds? The tour guide told
us that they only showed light (since the tech really didn't exist
in the day), but if the actors pushed the screens into camera view,
some one had to painstakingly edit the film to put a "movie" in there.

Sick bay, part 2. The bed does flip.

How we fixed the dinghy to a wall to get into town.

Lachute, the waterfalls at Ticonderoga

Quite a lovely ride into and out of town.

Oh look! A turtle!

Our hitchhiker. See the dark blob just above the white
bumper? It's a frog. Or toad... I have no idea which.

That dinghy ride was also lovely, albeit unsettling. The town has made a point of keeping it clutter free so boats can do exactly what we did and visit. But you will traverse lots of logs, skinny water, and seaweed. A number of times we had to stop and reverse just to clear the prop from gunk. Worth it though!

Us, Highwind, and No Rush, all together.

Side story: A man born in Ticonderoga was an avid Star Trek fan. He moved out to LA and got a job building sets for The Next Generation. He also (according to those who know) is an Elvis impersonator -- apparently nationally acclaimed. He moved back to Ticonderoga and started the museum with the funds from his Elvis career.

You can't make this stuff up, people!