Happy Anniversary

(Monday Aug 8 - Dist: 40.2 mi; Locks: 4; TTT: 5:50 hrs)

No Linda has not left me for a pirate but we have achieved a milestone of sorts, one year on board Q's End.  Unlike many Loopers we have not gone home for any reason.  We left Windsor on August 8 and have travelled more than 6,000 miles together, very closely together and.... we are still lovin' it and each other.

The day was pleasant enough although cloudy with a threat of rain.  At Lock 21 we were at the summit so to speak; this was the first lock were we dropped down 25 feet to the next pool level.  This was a little more challenging for us because the top edge of the lock wall was 5 or 6 feet below our deck.  Linda had to go out onto the swim platform to grab a line and steady the boat and then I went forward with a long boat hook and pulled up a line for me to hang onto.  It worked well and we are again comfortable with the proceedings.

This section of the canal went through both Rome and Utica, two larger cities.  We had no desire to visit either one so we pushed on to Sylvan Beach where we spent the night on the town wall with no services or facilities.  Sylvan Beach did have 3 restaurants along the pier where we were docked and then more along the beach.  We checked out several of the bars, probably 2 too many, and enjoyed the afternoon.  For our anniversary dinner we ate prime rib and Brazilian cold lobster at Captain John's.  No wine but rather the margarita special.. oh my.  We wandered back to the boat and relaxed (snoozed) for awhile.  Linda was in bed by eighth and I was only an hour or two behind her.  Amazingly neither one of us woke up with a hangover.  It was not us, the tables really are on a slope.

This town reminds me of Grand Bend on Lake Huron; a nice beach, plenty of bars and so-so restaurants and tacky shops.  Sylvan Beach however has a permanent, part time amusement park on site.  It only operates on Thursdays through Sundays.

All in all a good stop, probably would have been better without the threat of rain.

Here are a few random shots from the day's journey.