Day 1 Pre Fish
After getting up at 3am and driving to the boat, we hooked up the boat and off to Don Pedro. We arrived a little after 7 and launched without incident. So I was strolling Yacamata shads and the wife was throwing a drop shot. We caught a bunch of small fish, enough to let us know that fish were in the area. Trying to learn FFS is pretty interesting, yet trying to catch them is a whole different story. Anyway 10:30 am rolls around and it's time to load up and head to the hotel. Well unfortunately my time estimation is slow these days. After loading the boat, stowing the gear and puting on the cover we were off. It was now almost 11:30 and I was heading away from Sonora. By the time I got to Rawhide Road and Highway 49, there was no way I'd amke it to Angels Camp and back to Sonora by 1pm. So I called the dealership to see if parking was available for me to drop the boiat. Well the answer was I don't know as everybody is at lunch.
Well here goes nothing. Luckily for me there was room and we were successful in the oil change. But........"The storm clouds They were a brewing"
as the saying goes. Back at the Hotel we were surprised to find boat parking readily available. Usually the place is packed. After settling in, I usually unplug the TV and steam with Direct TV. Well apparently the hotel internets router is acting up, as we could only watch maybe 2 minutes and get kicked off. This even happened to my phones hot spot. So the rest of the evening the wife and I got to stare at each other. Well you'd think after 50 years of marriage we'd seen it all. Apparently not. 
Day 2 Pre Fish
Wanted to get to the lake early so up at 3:30 am (the wifey is such a trooper, no complaining at all. Off to the lake. ( Did you know Don Pedro has Web Cams set up at Fleming and Moccasin? We could actually wave to ourselves while launching! Pretty funny. Anyway launch the boat and off for a relaxing day of fishing......or so we thought. I decided to go into Graveyard Cove and check it out. Again lots of small 1 lbrs. Along about 10 am the wifey needs to visit the SS Relief. Not a problem I should make a stop too. We head (not a pun) over to the No Ski Buoys in Big Creek where the SS Relief 323 is located. Now this is not the first time we've visited this station, so all is normal...............Until!!!!! I hear the following phrase. "I can't get out" now I know I'm old and sometimes hear things, but I could swear she said I can't get out. Out of what? I thought. In the typical 50 year of marriage response is...........can't get out of What? Thinking it might be my rain bibs (it was very chilly and a cold wife is not something pleasurable to fish with
) I said 'Can't get out of what?" She responds with "the door won't open! The lock won't pop out! 
(there is a slight indication of panic in her voice) In husbandly fashion I said "What do you mean the door won't open?" (So what is it in a mans head that even though he clearly heard the words "The Lock Won't pop out" that he has to repeat the phrase "The Lock won't pop out? What does that mean?" Panic a little heavier in her voice this time as she begins to visualize in her head Fire Boats with sirens flying up the Lake to the rescue of this poor woman in a floating outhouse. I tell her to relax, as I search the boat for a screwdriver. They're all in the truck. I examine the door lock like I think I know what I'm doing with questions galore, yet speaking in a eerily calm voice to keep her from panicking. I take out a pair of needle nose like I'm going to pick the lock (If only I had a bobby pin ) Finally decide on the scissors. I can see the latch, so you know how you can slip a credit card or something in to slide the latch enough past the striker plate to pop the door open? Well the locking mechanism on this door prevents that from happening. (By the way, Who thought it was a good idea to put a lock on a floating porta potty in the middle of a lake? Its like you pull up in your boat and there is another unoccupied boat tied up at the porta potty you'd think etiquette would require a knock or a Hello, instead of a peek a boo I see you. Oh well I digress, back to my damsel in distress. So I'm running out of options. If I leave to get help she's going to panic, There are not a lot of boats zooming by to get help from (more on that later). The hinges are on the outside, maybe I could pop the hinges. Nope that ain't working either. Now the door knob is a little loose. I husbandly fashion I request she jiggle the door handle and try again. Now there is irritability in the voice as she says I am. This means you'd better do something quick or else I'm going to lose it. While rummaging through the few tools I have I break out the breaker bar. Hmm, I say to my self. if I could give the center key area on the knob a few good whacks with the drive head maybe it would pop the lock. Let's give it a try. Now if you've ever driven a nail and bent it you know its not easy to hit the mark. Especially from an angle. Here goes, first whack miss the mark, (wish I woulda spent more time playing whack a mole) second whack a little off target, try it now I say,,,,,,,No it won't come out....panic again setting in. (Here come the Fireboats ) Well, as they say the third times the charm and whack was on target. Try again and pop the lock pin popped and out she came no worse for ware. I'm never locking one of those again, she tells me.( at least she didn't tell me this is the last time she's ever going fishing. 
However just when you think the clouds are parting, they get darker and darker.
Because the post is so long, I'll do part 2 tomorrow. By the way, we reported the lock to the folks at the gate. The lady who took the information said she'd get maintenance right on it. I told her they might find a body in there and she looked at me like I had spiders coming from my ears. I explained
that if someone were alone and got locked in it might be days before they were found.TL
FE
PS Here are the results;
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