Lake Erie: The First Days

There is a fairly strong current flowing in the Niagara River, as one might imagine. I made it to Beaver Island Marina after a fairly long day of negotiating the last locks, the last few miles of the Erie Canal and the current of the Niagara. A nice enough place, I spent a quiet night.
I planned a short day to get to First Buffalo Marina. I was hoping to find a mechanic to help me with changing the coolant in the engine. I made it to the marina, but there was no mechanic available. I did score a jug of coolant and some distilled water.
I headed out the next day for Holiday Harbor. I did manage to get some shopping done, but no luck on a mechanic. Next up was Erie, PA. Nice marina, inexpensive, and nice staff. I wound up getting weathered in there for 3 days. There was no mechanic available, again, but I did manage to get a Sirius/SM radio installed. Excited! I also got some shopping done and got a haircut and a beard trim. I hate losing cruising days, but at least I got a few things done.
Next up was Ashtabula, OH. No marina available, so I anchored out for the night. I was behind a breakwater, so it was a fairly comfortable night. BTW, if you've ever ridden a single speed bike with coaster brakes, you've used an Ashtabula crank. Go ahead, look it up.
From Ashtabula on to Grand River and finally a mechanic. A very expensive mechanic, but a mechanic (and a helper) nonetheless. I was getting really worried about the cooling system. Now, that the coolant has been changed, I'm a little less worried.
And then... there was Cleveland. And... the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I pulled into the Rock and Dock Marina (apparently not related) and tied up for two nights. It had been a push to get here, so I just relaxed for the night. I did buy my Senior Discount ticket for the next day.

It's here to stay!

I slept late, got up, and had a shower. It's just a short walk to the front door. I figured I'd be good for 2 or 3 hours. So, from 10a to about 1p, I toured the exhibits. I went to the gift shop and bought myself a T-shirt and a stack of postcards. Then I had lunch and walked around for another hour. I went back to the boat and wrote out the postcards and stamped them.
Back to the Hall, I found a theater that plays the 25th anniversary concerts. I sat there and watched, enthralled, for about 2 hours. Then I decided to have dinner at the hall and re-visit the first floor, the early days.
It was amazing. I'm really glad that I decided to stop.