Category: Intuition Diaries

Hold: To Maintain a Grasp on Something {Intuition Diaries}

But you are to hold fast to the LORD your God, 
as you have until now. 
(Joshua 23:8 NIV)





Oftentimes on a journey, we don’t know what the next moment holds.

Little plants growing in the lock wall

On this journey, we have been going through several locks and each time we enter, I sit on the front of the boat, while Les drives us slowly next to the wall. I have a long hook that I grab a rope with and then I hold on while Les backs the boat in place to grab his rope. Then we both grip our ropes until the water drains or fills. Most of this trip has been locking down, but a couple time we go up to get to the water level of a lake or connecting river.

A lock being filled up makes this soothing fountain effect.

On Saturday, where our anchor held us securely near the beach, Les took the time to wash off the sides of the boat, while I walked the beach. After that we took the boat around the bend to the canal wall to tie up for a few hours. I wanted to ride the roller coaster at the old amusement park.
Boats moored along the wall for the day at Sylvan Beach


We ate lunch at Pizza King. Pizza for Les, a sub for me, and some hot wings Buffalo style for us to share. At the amusement park, bought tickets for each ride. We eased into the excitement with a ride on a carousel that had been there since 1896. 


Then we found the Himalayan. This ride was supposed to simulate skiing, I guess. We were the only ones on each ride. We laughed so hard on the Himalayan, holding onto the safety bar keeping us in. The ride made me a bit nauseous, so we walked to a shaded area to watch the roller coaster. 

The Himalayan

Self-portrait after riding the Himalayan

I finally got my courage up and we boarded the coaster. It really was a very tame one, with two drops that were probably half of any regular roller coaster. The best part was being up on top looking down at all the boats gathered at the beach. Again Les and I were the only passengers on the ride. We each had our own car. That way I could scream as loud as I wanted, which I did. We ended our afternoon with ice cream, since the fried dough or funnel cake machine wasn’t working. 



We cruised for about five miles and went up two locks. That night we decided to just tie up below the lock on the wall. It was a very quiet uneventful night, except for the light outside our boat that shone in my eyes through the hatch every time I rolled over.

Today, we woke up and decided Les would ride his bike and I would drive the boat again. It was a wonderful morning to enjoy the quiet and beauty of God’s creation. We joined up at Lock 20, got ourselves situated. We ate our lunch (taco salad) while we cruised to Lock 19.

Les’ path took him along the original  Erie Canal

My view from the helm 


When we arrived three or four boats that had passed me during the morning were moored on the wall. We were shortly informed that the lock was having trouble closing the western doors. We chatted with the other boaters, comparing boats and stories of why we each were there and where we were headed. After about 2 hours, they were able to get the doors closed and fill the lock with water to let us through. All five boats fit in the lock.

If you look closely, you can see only
one side of the gate
 was able to open, when we exited.


We each held our place, then one by one emptied from the lock like a mini parade. We had one more lock to get through before 6pm. We got to Lock 18 by 5pm. The lock master told us that the next lock was having problems as well, which we will have to face tomorrow because we were done for the day. We found a spot at the Little Falls wall to spend the night. 

You never know what a day may hold.
Posted on by kelrohlf 2

Experience: The Act of Directly Perceiving Reality {Intuition Diaries}

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
(Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV)



Our anchor still holds.
Experience tells us that we can trust certain things to be true. After the sunset at Sylvan Beach, we decided to stay anchored to the sandy bottom of the lake, while the other boats, one by one left for their home ports. We heard thunder and saw the lightening in the distant sky, yet we decided to weather the storm while anchored out. 

I went to bed uneasy about the anchor. Would it keep us in our spot? Even though experience has proven over and over that being moored to an anchor is safe. (We also have an anchor alarm, if we do start to drift.) But neither experience nor the alarm kept me from waking in the middle of the night wondering if we had drifted out to the middle of the lake or inched toward the shore.
The storm passed us by, leaving a gentle rain pattering on our boat off and on all night. In the morning, we woke up in the spot, which we anchored at the night before. Experience proved true. 

I would think by know I would trust the anchor, but each time I have to experience its security before I praise its abilities.

Not unlike my trust relationship with God. I know He is good, faithful, loving, just and holy—but I have to experience His goodness, faithfulness, love, etc to affirm my faith over and over again. And each time that I trust and acknowledge Him, my faith deepens and His character remains trustworthy.

Experience secures my heart to the LORD, whom I trust.
Posted on by kelrohlf 1

Surprise: A Taking Unawares {Intuition Diaries}


Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV)

We were surprised to see this airplane moored along the Erie Canal.


We had a nice respite in Ithaca. We woke up to fog, but it lifted early enough so that we made our way back across Cayuga Lake and to the canal. You may not be aware that the Erie Canal has changed it’s route over the years. The original canal way used to go through Syracuse, NY. Now it uses existing rivers and lakes to connect the western half of the canal to where it intersects with the Cayuga-Seneca Canal. 

After leaving Ithaca, we worked our way through the Cayuga-Seneca Lock 1 to  the Seneca River. We passed an old part of the canal that used to go over the Seneca river.
The abandoned aqueduct that used to
carry the canal over Seneca River.
We made it to Baldwinsville, where it would be our last night with electricity for a couple nights, so we charged up all our electronics. Les caught up on our laundry and I cooked. I made turkey burgers with celery and apple in them, with a side of some spicy baked beans with green chilies, fresh pineapple and pure maple syrup, instead of brown sugar. Then I cooked the rest of the ground turkey into taco filling for later in the week. My big surprise of the evening was homemade chocolate mousse that actually chilled and set in the cooler. 
Yumilicious!

This morning, I woke up with the sun. We wanted to get an early start, in order to visit the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse. Our plan was to cross Onondaga lake and work our way into the inner harbor, then ride bikes to the museum. 
Lock 24 at Baldwinsville

We made it to the entrance of the little canal that takes you into the harbor, and the area was cordoned off with ropes. Big equipment blocked our way and the water was shallow. None of our guide books prepared us for this obstacle. We went back to a little marina, and they were unaware of any reason for the entrance to be closed, but also didn’t offer us any solution for getting in either. 

We regrouped and had lunch in the nearby town of Liverpool at The Retreat, a nice dinner club type restaurant. After lunch I walked around the town, while Les got a haircut. Then we stocked up on some more ice and supplies at a local IGA. We got back to the boat a bit disappointed about missing out on the museum, but determined to enjoy the rest of the day. (As you can guess, I was the most disappointed.)

It was the one thing that I specifically asked to plan the trip around, besides going to Sylvan Beach Amusement Park, which is on the itinerary for Saturday. We hope to find a museum later down the canal that gives us an overview of the history of the canal.

Lock 23

We had a nice cruise to our next destination. We passed through Lock 23, and then we noticed the Hold Fast II moored along the canal. We stopped to say hi to George and Jane, and decided to get gas at the marina. They invited us to consider staying there, but I wanted to get to the lake to possibly swim. (The canal water hasn’t been very enticing for swimming.) 

So we pushed off from the dock to find a mooring for the night in Brewerton. We drove by the docks around 4:30pm, which looked out on lake Oneida. The free docks were near rowdy restaurants, so we passed them by. Once on the lake, we both had the same idea of anchoring out on the lake somewhere. 
In fact, we decided to push forward the throttle and make our way to Sylvan Beach (25 miles ahead) for the night. We anchored out by 6:00pm. We had nachos for dinner and watched the sun set. What a nice surprise. Most likely we wouldn’t have gone this far, if we had been able to get into Syracuse.



And now we can spend more time on the beach and at the amusement park tomorrow. I may surprise myself and even ride the 1950s era roller coaster.

Posted on by kelrohlf 1

Comfort: To Give Strength and Hope To {Intuition Diaries}

Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me. 
(Psalm 86:17 NIV)
First day of classes at Cornell University
This morning we rode our bikes into town to visit the campus of Cornell University, eat lunch and buy groceries. 

You may find it strange that I am combining the word comfort and the above Scripture with today’s post. Bear with me. We all have these little enemies that reside in our heads. The ones who tell us we won’t amount to much or the what ifs…kinda like George in It’s a Wonderful Life. 

Circumstances kept him from his big dream of traveling the world, but in the end he realizes his true treasure is family and community.

Circumstances kept me from going to Cornell University. So when we had the chance to visit the campus, I was sort of excited and nervous at the same time. What little voices might whisper to me, like what if I had been able to attend college here right out of high school? What would my life had been like? 

Once we got to the main road leading up the hill to the campus, we had to walk our bikes about eight steep blocks. When we got back on our bikes near the sign welcoming us to the university, I was overwhelmed by emotion. I held it in. We parked our bikes after  navigating through the students milling around the bookstore.

We went to an overlook to take photos of Cayuga Lake beyond the campus. Down where our boat was sitting in the state park marina.
At the campus overlooking Cayuga Lake

I started to talk to Les and I melted into sobs. I admitted to God that I was quite upset with Him for thwarting the opportunity for me to go to this school. Les listened, and I blubbered that I wouldn’t change my life for anything, but I needed to grieve this apparent loss. As well as other losses that have accumulated over the years. I actually told Les that I was angry with God. And he said for how long? And I said, since I was born. Such crazy, but true thoughts.

The life we desire can’t be attained here. It is post Eden disappointment that was driving my tears today. It was comforting to admit my grief. And to move on to more comforting thoughts, such as how thankful I am for the family that I have today: my mom, my sisters, Les, the boys and all the nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, and cousins. And other blessings too long to account for here, right now.

The life we have is wonderful. To celebrate we got back on our bikes, descended the hill with much more ease and delight and found the The State Diner, where we ate comfort food to our heart’s content.


Back at the boat, after we stowed our groceries, we sat in the shade. And then, it occurred to me that thirty years ago today, I could have been going to my first classes at Cornell. But God had a better plan, thirty years ago about this time I joined the Air Force and eventually met the love of my life, Les Rohlf. One of the many signs of goodness in our lives, being together.

Look ma, I’m at Cornell University

Posted on by kelrohlf 3

Rescue: To Free From Danger {Intuition Diaries}

,

He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me. 
(Psalm 18:19 NIV)

Seneca Falls, NY 

I have been sending home postcards to myself for some memorabilia and diary of our trip. I sent a postcard with Elizabeth Cady Stanton on the front, with these words on the back: “Our boat was liberated from its dock…and then a man rescued our Intuition.” 

Seneca Falls is not only known for being the birthplace of Women’s Rights, but also the possible setting that inspired Frank Capra’s, It’s a Wonderful Life film. I took a morning run over the bridge that sort of looks like the one George Bailey considered jumping off into the icy river. I found a path along the canal to run on and also some interesting sculptures. 
That’s the bridge in the background.

After my run, we got ready to head back up the Cayuga-Seneca canal through Locks 3 and 2 again to enter Cayuga lake. We were looking forward to getting to the south point of the lake to visit Ithaca, NY and the campus of Cornell University.

Here’s a sequence of photos capturing the locking down process.
Another boat entering the second lock connected
to the first one,
 we are coming in behind them.

Both of us waiting for the lockmaster
to let the water out.

Almost done!

Leaving the second lock;
see the lockmaster up on the bridge way above us.

Good-bye Seneca Falls!


We sailed smoothly though the process of locking down the double lock. And were headed out when we saw, Hold Fast II, George and Jane’s boat and our rescuers of the night before stopped a few hundred feet from the lock. It looked like they were visiting with the boat that was locking through with us. They waved us up, and when we got to them, we found out it was our turn to rescue them. 

Their engine was overheating. Their boat is 37 feet to our 25 feet, and roughly four times as heavy as our boat. We were like the little tugboat that could. We tied up side to side, stern to stern and bow to bow. We carefully got them back to the wall outside the lock, so they could troubleshoot their problem. We exchanged contact info and then we left them secured to the wall, and wonder how they fared. 

Most likely we will see them again before the trip is over. They summer here around the lake and canal area, and were headed east, where we intend to be later this week.

For now we are taking a double night stay here in Ithaca. At the midpoint of the trip, it is always nice to have a whole day in port to recharge both the boat batteries and ourselves. Even though we love the water, it feels nice to be ashore for more than a few hours.
Posted on by kelrohlf 4