Panama Canal: Path Between the Seas

It wouldn't have been a Panama vacation without a trip on the Panama Canal.  On Saturday, Chase, Heather, Shelly and David did a partial transit of the Canal, going from the Pacific Ocean entrance at Panama City through the Miraflores Locks, the Pedro Miguel Locks, and the Culebra Cut to the entrance of Gatun Lake.  We learned much about this engineering marvel, and how it changed world commerce.  We also saw the construction for the Panama Canal expansion which will once again positively impact world trade when it is completed next year.  A great day in an amazing place!

Container ships too wide for the Canal
are unloaded and containers taken by train on "dry land transit"

Reading up on the history of the Canal

Architect Frank Gehry's Biodiversity Museum on the Canal

Tankers making the Panama Canal transit

Pilot boats help all ships

Gates closing on the Miraflores Locks

PanaMA and Daughter

Following the tanker into the locks

Centennial Bridge crosses the Canal

Happy Travelers Shelly, Heather and Chase

Container Ships making the transit

Panama City's skyline from the Canal

See the levels of the locks: we went up over 85 feet in 3 locks

Going from the Pacific to the East