We left Elizabeth City with the intention of anchoring on the river before the canal, but to kill time and charge our battery bank we cruised all the way to the lock. I called teh Welcome Center to see if we could tie up if we could get through the canal, and they said yes, so we hailed the lockmaster to see if he’d let us though. He did (although he was a bit worked up about it, so we were the first boat through the canal this year, a day before the official opening. The canal is as stunning as advertised. The water is so still, making it super reflective, and it’s narrow with beautiful overhanging trees. There was some debris but not bad, and we didn’t bump at all; not too much duck weed either. The staff at the Welcome Center (which is the nicest roadside rest stop I’ve ever seen) were so happy to see us. :) We rode bikes on the very nice three-mile trail from the center, and enjoyed a very quiet night tied up to the dock alone.