Trouble is, it just doesn't get any better than this..

Just when we thought the combination of fabulous weather, current in our favor and some pretty decent scenery added up to the pinnacle/zenith/summit of the trip, something happened. It seems there is always something a boat can do to humble me, like an electrical malfunction that you spend days on and then a dentist, actor, flower arranger, or someone else with no background in electronics will come along and say something like, "didn't you know there was another in-line fuse for that circuit?" Or running into a rock in a spot where no rock should be. Or hiding in safety on the Mississippi to avoid towboats in the fog only to find out (yesterday) that towboats on the Mississippi don't operate in the fog. Or having someone tell you, "have you read the manual?" and then finding the solution. I would like to think I will eventually run out of these types of experiences, but I guess I know better.

So, what do you think might strike the most trepidation in the hearts of your favorite Lewis and Clark type explorers? (As you envision us fighting upstream and dealing with serious adversities like running out of veggie dip, try to do it without thinking about the flatscreen TV that goes up and down in its cabinet. There are two others that don't go up and down, though.) Well, I'll let you skip a few guesses and tell you it would be a strong vibration in the drive train when we tried to go fast. For those fortunate enough not to have ever experienced that kind of rate of rise in your blood pressure, this would mean that the very expensive and time consuming repair we just drove away from was unsuccessful, and that we couldn't go fast any more, that this would all have to be redone in Florida after we arrive and there might be a chance the shaft would break off right in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, which really did happen to a friend of mine on Lake Superior, and his boat almost sunk as the 2" hole opened up by the shaft dropping out let in too much water for all his bilge pumps to keep up with. (That sentence was waaay too long, and this has gotten way too long to keep interest in, so I'll finish it tomorrow.)

Or maybe something better will come along then, so I should probably finish it today before I get lost in another topic.

As it turns out, we apparently picked up a line or something on one of the props and it came off when we stopped and backed up. Believe us when we say it was a real downer when it vibrated and quite the upper when it ran smooth. We shared some anxious looks and wide smiles on each end of our "repair." - Jeff