Aug. 2nd- Are we having fun yet!

Well here we go again...Grand-daughter Megan's 13th Birthday..we love you Meg.
5:15 AM- both of us are awake and checking out the situation in daylight..
Straight ahead is a red marker...I would have run over it if I had kept
going...dang..then there was a small barge like thing in front of us
that if we had hit it, it sure would have ended our trip...so I'm
thinking...God works in mysterious ways..he just saved us from some
real damage and possible injury...

7:00 AM- I called Marcy Marina, just a little ways ahead to see if they could
help..got answer machine...left a message for them to call me...

7:30 AM- called them again..still answer machine....we never threw an anchor out
or anything last night...we were that sure we were not going anywhere.

I check the chart...I should have done this first....we were on top of a
submerged pile according to the chart...dang!

8:30 AM- we are sitting on the boat when I say...just start the boat up and see
if you can back off...the boat seemed to move just a little when we were
sitting there, so Ken started the boat up, put it in reverse and I'll be
dad-gummed..it backed right up...Oh, Yes I thanked God over and over and
over...He stopped me from real harm, then didn't get me any help so that
saved us $$$...then He taught me to check the stupid charts out as we go
not after...duh! He was telling me, that if I was going to play in the
Big Water, I better be more alert and pay ATTENTION..so now I am doing
a much better job at navigating...
8:35 AM- Boat US called to see about getting us some help...told her, we just got
unstuck...so there you go...
8:45 AM- Locked thru Lock #20- called Bob Houle to go to the house and get some
of Ken's meds he forgot...what would we do without him!
10:00 AM- Bob drops off the medicine and we head towards Ilion, NY

11:32 AM- Lock #19- very breezy, but not bad..we locked thru ok
2:26 PM- Lock #18- whoa nellie, very windy...going towards the lock, spillway on
the left of the lock...short distance to the gate, not open so we had to
wait for the gate to open and the wind is nasty...Ken trys to turn the
boat around to go back out into the canal to circle until we can get
thru when a gust of wind blows the boat towards the spillway several ft.
drop off with lots of large rocks under the water...eeek! I yelled -
Ken popped it in reverse and backed up almost to the wall and the wind
is having too much fun with us...time to call on God again...and our
guardian angels....man I am a mess..at the wall was a NYS thruway barge
and tugboat, right at the entrance so we couldn't tie up and we couldn't
get out without turning around like a k turn in a car...just no room...I
have to say, Ken did a fantastic job handling the boat and the situation
- even so as we finally got inside the lock, the lock master had to help
us get the boat and lines situated so we could lock thru...If you have
never locked thru a lock, it can be an adventure in itself...
Lock #17- another nasty windy & wet lock..water pouring in on us from
the walls inside the lock.
4:35 PM- Lock #16 -no problems, nice lock thru
4:55 PM- Docked at St. Johnsville Municipal Marina for the night..very trying
couple of days..Ken says " Are we having fun yet?!!" I said sure, as
soon as you make me another drink!!!!!!