Saturday and Sunday at Priest Lake

My three pretty passengers who helped me navigate, solve clues and puzzles, and just made for a very fun Poker Run that netted us the fastest time.

For the full story go here.   http://woodyboater.com/category/classic-boat-shows/  It's the second one down.

Priest Lake, ID

Ahhhhhh

Another Boat Show

In the morning, I am driving to Northern Idaho to another boat show.  On Friday I will enter the Priest Lake Boat Show, and I will spend 4 days there. 

I have to leave my faithful tow car home.  (It became unfaithful in Iowa).  There my be internal damage to the engine.

So if you get a chance, join me for the next few days.

Retrieving my Oldsmobile

I started out Sunday evening to return to Iowa to get my broken down tow car.  Now the tow car is being towed by the tow pick-up.

I took a few pictures of the flooding on the Missouri River south of Omaha, NE.  It is flooding for several miles east of the river.  All Montana  snow.

This has been going on since about June 15th.  Interstate 29 is closed a few miles south of this point.

So now, repair my tow car, and get ready for the Priest Lake boat show on Labor Day weekend.

More pictures of Alganoc, by other people

Chad Durren took these pictures.  He is the man on my right.

And Jacob Glick took these.  Chad's boat is the first one with his father,  Randy and Karen Reed are with me in the second boat.

The last three of each group were going to or at the Sunday bruch.

The Story of My Return Trip.

I have always been worried about my old tow car breaking down on one of these boat show trips.  Especially on the way there.  I have now towed this boat about 11,000 miles with this car.  I have AAA, but that will only haul me 200 miles.

My old car is 32 years old, bought it new, owned it almost half my life.  It has 265,000 miles on it with 120,000 on the last engine.  I love the car, and I get many comments on it.

So on this trip to Michigan, I thought once more, "What would I do".  Well, on the way home at about 10 AM on Monday morning, driving on US highway 34  thru southeastern Iowa, the engine suddenly quit running.  I was just south of a town called Eddyville.  I steered it into the driveway of a farm house!  Larry VanGenderen is his name, and I am so grateful to him and his wife. 

Then I got out and proceeded with diagnosing the problem.  After about 15 minutes, I had determined that the injector pump had failed.  Larry came down with a small tractor and pulled my rig out of harms way further up his drive way.  Then I called AAA.  They could send two tow trucks and take me to Des Moines, Iowa, about 60 miles Northwest.  But no one now days understands these old diesels.  And the cost could be several thousand dollars.  Larry, the farmer, suggested a salvage yard for a pump.  And I carry tools to do the job.  These solutions just didn't feel right.

Thank goodness for cell phones.

I called rental places.  No rental trucks had hitches.  Then I thought of my  thoughts of what I would do on the way to Michigan.   I called used car dealers.  I found a 2004 Chevy pickup truck in a town about 40 miles south in Bloomfield.

I asked Larry if I could hire him to take me there.  He did and we had a good visit on the way.  The truck was a good solid used truck with 109,000 miles on it, very clean and tight, gold in color.

It had new tires, a bed liner, running boards, most of the bells and whistles.  They wanted $12,995, I offered $11,000, and ended up paying $11,225.  My credit card had a 20k limit.  I drove out of town with a new used pickup truck.
After I got hooked up to my boat, we put the Olds in a better place to await my return.  I asked Larry what I could give him for his help.  "I need nothing, but bring me some IDAHO spuds,"

I am returning to Iowa on Monday morning with a tow bar an a hundred pounds of spuds.  I will not leave my baby in Iowa!  This trip will cost about $700 in gas.  Less than a repair bill in Iowa.

Google GEARED GREEN and watch Larry's JOHN DEERE tractor pull.  He and his family farm 4,000 acres and compete in the pulling circuits in the summer.  They are good people, good neighbors, and I thank you, Larry and Cindy VanGenderen!

Promised Pictures,

I showed you I wrapped the boat in saran wrap.  Then it blew off.  This was in Laramie, WY.

And here is my boat in the water at Alganoc, MI

The boat on the left of mine is Chad Durren's.  I met him on line about four years ago.  His boat won second place in this class.

And we had a fine time, he and his father.  Thanks, Chad, for coming.

Another online friend and his wife came to see "The Other Woman" also.  Mike and Stephanie Sindel from Defience. Ohio.  He found my blog  about two years ago, and we have been chatting since.  He owns a Chris-Craft Riviera, which they take out every evening for a ride from their dock on the river where they live.  I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of them.  Thanks, Mike and Stef.  Here is their blog http://woodie.ppworks.com/cruise/  Then click on CRUISE LOG.

Day three at Algonac

Well, no pictures yet.  The chip I bought for my camera is 4 gig.  I new a 16 gig would not be recognized by my computer, so I thought surely a 4 gig would.  Not so.  I'll have to wait until I get home to down load thru a cord.

Two more cyber friends came to see me.  A couple from Defiance,  OH, and a local guy I bought parts for my boat who has a shop here.  Thanks Mike and Stef Sindel, and Mike Murrley.

Friday at the boat show.

This is the get ready day.  Launched the boat this morning, with the help of my neighbors Randy and Karen Reed, who flew in late Thursday night to join me here. When it came time for the boat parade, we went out, but the water was so rough from the wind, we came back in. Sorry, no pictures yet.


The main part of the show is tomorrow.  Judging and the people come to oooooo and ahhhhh.

A friend from the boat forum, Chad Durren, brought his boat Lily from Illinois, and he is tied off right beside me.  We have been chatting on the forum and by e-mail for nearly 5 years now, it is fun to meet him and his father.

Arrived at Algonac, Michigan!

I80 thru south Chicago was VERY stressful!  I'll go home a different way, drop south toward Cincinnati, then west on a US highway.  That way I will see more country.

I will launch the boat in the morning, and at 4PM we go on a boat parade up the St Clair River.  Pictures tomorrow.

Second day on the road.

No pictures yet, I had to buy a new chip so I could take pictures of the boat show.  Wal-Mart had a four gig for $10.

Drove 590 miles to Iowa City, Iowa.  Tomorrow, on thru Illinois to the show area in eastern Michgan.

I'm in Big Springs, NE

But I made a major boo-boo.  I left home without the chip for my camera.  So the photos are on the internal chip, and I have no way of getting them off, until I buy a cord.

I  wanted to show what happened to my saran wrap.  It didn't work.  It was partly shredded in just 35 miles at Pocatello, and at Laramie, WY, I had to remove the rest.  So I hope it doesn't rain too much.  Here in Nebraska there were tornado warnings for yesterday, but so far it is nice and sunny.  And I had a TAIL wind all day long.  Eighteen miles per gallon.

I drove 685 miles, left at 6:45 AM, arrived at 7:30 PM.  Two fuel stops and three saran wrap stops.  Now to find something to eat.

I leave in the morning.

So about six AM I will pull out of here for Michigan.  I'll spend the first night some where in Nebraska.  I hope the tornadoes are gone by the time I get there!

I quit using the canvas tarp when pulling the boat.  It caused too much damage.  (See older post)  I now use "saran wrap".

Michigan Boat Show

Tuesday morning I will leave for a 9 day 3600 mile trip to Michign.

"Where It All Began" Algonac, Michigan

I have just registered for this boat show. I'm taking my beautiful lady on another long trip.

This is in the 4th week of June. After that there are two more planned to Tahoe again in August and Priest Lake, Idaho in September. Who wants to come with me?