Monday, June 29:
Wes's alarm went off at 0300. He got up right away and I was shortly after him. The boat was covered in bugs, but we got the anchor pulled (with a lot of sea grass on it) and started our way to Olcott. We had a 90 mile plus day so we wanted to get an early start so we could arrive at a decent time. I went back to bed and rested some. I got up around 0700 and started working. Wes went and laid down and rested for a little bit while I kept an eye on things. Lake Ontario was smooth as glass and no other boats around. It was beautiful!! It was another great day on the water. We arrived at Hedley Boatyard around 1500 and got secured. Wes got computer work done while I finished work. We had a nice quiet evening on the boat then went to bed.
Tuesday, June 30:
We both got up and did our respective bible studies. I then worked all day while Wes did computer work and boat work. We both packed bags to leave the boat for the week. John picked us up around 1830 and took us to their marina. We settled into their neighbors houseboat, then we sat up and visited a bit before heading to bed.
Wednesday, July 1:
We got up and had breakfast on John and Jackie's boat. Then Wes and I used John's car and drove to Niagara Falls. We arrived, parked the car and we were both hungry and thirsty, so we grabbed something from their cafe. Then we walked down to the American side falls and the Horseshoe Falls. Both were amazing and beautiful!! We got lots of pictures! It was a very hot day, so we got back in the car and headed back to John and Jackie's boat. We enjoyed dinner on the boat and visiting with them and all their dockmates and camper friends. It was a great day and evening.
Thursday, July 2:
John had a funeral to attend so he was gone first thing in the morning. Wes and I joined Jackie with her mom, John's mom, and several other friends and family for breakfast. It was nice meeting them all and it was a good time. Then Jackie drove us around a bit and showed us some of the places they grew up and lived. We went back to the boat and Wes did some route planning while I read. John returned in the afternoon with fish for dinner. We had a fish fry with Harlan and Jen. We visited until dark then went inside and called it a night. Another great day!
Friday, July 3:
We were going out on John and Jackie's boat, so we loaded up all our stuff from their neighbor's boat and put it on John and Jackie's boat. Then we got everything else ready to head out. We pulled away from the dock around 1400 and headed to Stateline Bay nearby. There were already several of their friends there. We beached the boat and hung out in the sun and enjoyed the water, beverages and conversation. We stayed out until the bugs came out, then we went inside and called it a night. Earlier in the day, John presented us with an awesome gift, cups and coasters celebrating our passing of the Statue of Liberty a couple weeks ago!
Saturday, July 4:
We left the bay we stayed at around 1000 with Harlan and Jen's boat on our hip. We cruised down the river to a bay where a band was playing. It was a beautiful 2 hour cruise along the Allegheny River to the bay. There were a lot of boats there and it was a little crazy getting in, but we found a nice spot and beached the boat. We had some additional shade from the trees as well which was nice as it was another scorcher! The band started to play at 1400. They played one song, then the skies opened up and rained for about an hour or so. We just hung out and continued to enjoy beverages and the company of everyone! The band started playing again once the rain stopped. The sound was off for the vocals but otherwise they were great! We enjoyed tacos with Harlan and Jen and all their crew they had with them. Spent some time in the water and had a great time. Once the band was done, we headed back to the marina. We arrived around dusk and were secured before dark. We visited some more then called it a night.
Sunday, July 5:
We got up and had breakfast. It was supposed to be a rainy day, so we decided to go to Drake Oil Museum, site of the first ever oil well. It was a very nice and interesting stop! From there we stopped by Jackie's brothers house to get the pork we got. Then back to the marina, where we packed up our stuff and loaded it into John's truck. John took us to their camp and showed us the progress he's made. Then back to the marina for dinner. After dinner, John drove us back to our boat with a stop at Walmart to provision. We got back to the boat as it was getting dark. We got all our stuff loaded on the boat and the pork in the freezer, then we said our goodbyes as John had another 2 hour drive back. We unpack and got the fridge and freezer running and everything back to normal. Wes looked at the weather and decided we would wait a day before leaving as it was calling for wind and could be a lumpy ride. We finally called it a night around 2300.
