Day 35 - Monday, July 29 - Errands and Rain

Last nights low was a HUMID 68 degrees. In hind sight I would have slept better if we had shut the windows and turned on the AC. Today's high was 84 with a "feels like" temperature of 88. There was a nice breeze, sitting outside, in the shade, was quite comfortable. The inside of the coach heated up to the point of being uncomfortable so during one of the rains, when we had to close the windows, I turned on one of the AC units, and left it on. At 12:10AM Tuesday the outside temperature is only 72 degrees but the humidity is 94%. The overnight low is supposed to be 71. The AC is staying on all night.

We had a fairly heavy burst of rain around noon and then it sprinkled a couple times in the afternoon and evening. 

Mid-morning I ran errands. I went to a marine supply house and two auto parts stores trying to find a replacement bulb for our refrigerator, no success. While at the Autozone store I asked it they would "read" the code that was being displayed in the Flex, so that I could determine if it was serious. The Code said, "ECM/PCM Power Relay De-Energized Performance - Too Early", whatever that mean. The lady who did the checking seemed knowledgeable but she wasn't sure what it meant. We went back inside and she tried to find out more about the code but still didn't understand what it meant. I asked her if I could clear the code by removing the negative battery cable, she told me yes. As I was headed back out the door she told me that she would clear the code for me, using the code reader. I think part of the reason was to save me a little work but the other part was that she wondered if the code would come back as soon as I started the engine. It did not, and after driving 20 miles around town, and shutting the car off and later starting it at least four times, it still has not come back. PTL!

Kathy needs to get an expired prescription refilled and is having a problem getting her Doctor to get a new script to Walgreens. We went to the local Walgreens and then she called her Doctor. Hopefully we will be able to pick up the  prescription tomorrow.

We had lunch at a Chinese buffet, one where we had eaten during past trips. It was good. After lunch we drove up and down Portage Ave, the main East/West street, just to check things out. Looking up and down Portage Ave.

Then I took Kathy back to the coach and I went to the Lock Viewing Area, in hopes of being able to see some construction activity at the new lock that is under construction. I didn't see much. Virtually all of the current construction work is at, or below, grade.

It is always interesting to see the bridge to Canada.

I blew the photo up a little so that you could see the RV and the Semi that were crossing the bridge. They look like matchbox toy vehicles. I hope someday I'm around to see them lower the rail bridge for a train.

As we travel around we see a fair number of Trump signs. We virtually never see a sign showing support for Biden. I guess if the people won't put up signs showing support for him he thinks its okay to use taxpayer dollars to pat himself on the back.

There is a fair amount of information around talking about how grand the new lock is going to be, it's the same size as the Poe Lock which was enlarged over 50 years ago, 1,200' long by 110' wide by 32' deep. It is more difficult to find information on how the cost and schedule is doing. Congress approved the project in 2018 based on a 2017 "certified" Corps of Engineers cost estimate of $922 million. In January of 2022 the Corps revised its estimated cost upward to $1.3-1.5 billion. The current estimated cost is $3.2 billion. 

Does anyone in government have a brain or are they just so wrapped up in feathering their own nests that they could care less our nation. Anyone who work in construction must find it difficult to understand how the Corps could put together the band of incompetents who are in charge of this project. 

Great job Joe! Under your fine leadership the project cost has more than doubled, in slightly over a year. Perhaps this fall when we go back to south Texas for the winter we will see signs you have put up patting yourself on the back for the great job you are doing at the border.

It is good to know that God has a plan because obviously the bozos we elect to run our nation sure don't.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.

PS. If you are interested in our previous trips to Sault Ste Marie page back to the latter part of July 2022, late September 2021, late August 2018, etc. Our first trip up there in an RV was in July 2011 but I've lost access to those blog posts.