February 3, 2007

I am still in Moore Haven tonight. I explored some more of the town today. This morning they had set a big sugarcane field afire north of here and there was smoke everywhere. I walked and took pictures but the problem is my data link takes so long to publish them including the blog that I am going to have to wait until I have more than two bars in the signal or make real little pictures which I dont want to do.

True to their word, today was chili-cookoff day behind the City Hall that I am docked in front of. When I went over and got a couple of cups of chili they also gave me another helping of ribs. I guess they don't understand a part of this trip is to lose weight not gain it.

If I move tomorrow I would miss the Super Bowl and my satellite radio would not be on because when the boat is going I don't have time to both chew gum and spit because being new I still feel I have too many things to watch. Notice I did not say satellite TV like the other boats around me have tonite.

I don't know if I mentioned before that I was having a problem with my head which is another reason for staying put or be forced to use the bucket and baggy system of waste disposal because you cannot have any type of overboard discharge here or anywhere. But last night when it turned colder and was sprinkling on me as I ran across the yard in front of city hall to the restrooms I deemed that today had to be the day to solve this problem. The reason was the fear that if you take out one part of the boat to fix another part you could then screw something up on the part you removed that is working. I stared at the refrigerator for an hour as Kenny said I would have to remove it to get to the electric switch connection to the head. See I am just like one of these big guys around me tonite push a button and there she goes to the holding tank. Got the refrigerator out and found out the switch was connected solidly and appeared to be all right. So I sat down and traced the wires as far as I could and all looked okay. So where to now, well thats right, back to the fuse box. This time I got my bright flashlight because with Kenny's help I had been there before and saw nothing wrong. I went up the first line of fuses and none out.
Aha, the first one in the second row which I had looked at before was just barely burned through. Walla, put in a new fuse went back pressed the button and guess what went straight to the holding tank. That's not bad but now comes putting back the refrigerator without screwing things up behind it when I reeinstall it. I finally got it in and everything is still working as near as I can tell, it sounds right and so far all's well that ends well. Now I was so excited that I called Mike at Three Rivers and told him it was okay by me to sell electric heads again cause I wasn't so sure for a few days there because we had tried every thing we could think of.

I looked at the next leg of the trip today and found there are two routes across Lake Okeechobee, straight across or the rim route. I had thought I wanted to go the rim route and see some things but someone tonight on the big boys thought the rim route was plugged with weeds. Well that dosen't sound to good so will check it tomorrow locally. It is also the route with the alligator's according to my friends. Well I had a dream about alligators coming up the swim ladder of the boat once, so now I am really going to check thoroughly.

Also today I met another couple who winter here from Drummond Island, MI so now I want to definitely stop there on my way around and that involves going into Canada so I will be needing my passport which I did not bring with me. The Canadian route I have been told is really a beautiful route and not as rough as going through Lake Erie, St. Clair River, Lake Huron and then around to Lake Michigan. So I guess it will be, Canada here I come. The couple I met today did the Loop in a boat a couple feet smaller than mine but made in Denmark. He would like to do a couple legs but his wife I think said no, onc time should be enough.