I spent three weeks paddling the Erie Canal in a solo boat with a double-bladed paddle. The last week of the journey I paddled north to my home up near Lake Champlain. I kept a 1000-page journal for this trip, which I thought I would turn into an adult book, too. But so far, I have not had the time, and there have been other trips to plan. What I loved about the Erie were all the tug captains and canal people who told me stories along the way. That canal, in its various versions, has been in continuous operation since 1825.