Barge Date:  09-10-2018

Last Excursion of the Year

Making this a post for the short trip south of Strasbourg because I was so taken by the look of the canal and I took a good number of pictures.

The canal is referred to as Branch Nord (north) but it runs south from Strasbourg.  Planned to go to the town of Krafft or a bit further and turn around and return the next day.  It was almost a longer trip.

One of the features of many French canals is the line of plane trees along the way (similar to sycamores).  I would guess that 100-200 years ago this was a common sight.  Not so much today, or at least where I have been thus far. But this trip surprised. Leaving Strasbourg, very mature plane trees took their place along both sides of the canal. Because they are old and have been trimmed for maybe 200 years to make the shape of a canopy that covers the canal, on a sunny day you have shade.  Where much sun might result in heavy weed growth, the shaded canal has none.  And for this canal, the water was very clean. I just liked it.  So take a look at what I saw.

This will make a couple of good tables or perhaps turn it.

The Vosges mountains to the west.  We travel through them.

Sauerkraut

Woodpecker - all black with red tuft on head; perhaps white beak. Living in the hole.

Europeans, and the French more so, like to trim trees. Most of these planes have had limbs hacked off more than once and the result is a gnarly location that sprouts new branches and heals itself.

Fishing Derby

I missed the spot where I was going to turn around to head back.  Had GE unlinked with the GPS puck and was looking at the image upside down.  Of course the canal became narrower and I could not see a turn around for about 6k. So I did what I have been wanting to try - use the bow against a side and move the stern around with the bow as the pivot. Finally picked a spot that I thought was wide enough.  I did not want to find myself locked across the canal and stuck.  Just made it. Go slow. Yes, it works.