We awoke to another beautiful sunrise over Chicago Harbor and were excited about taking the scenic route right through downtown. Chicago is something like Ottawa in that the waterway runs right through the middle of downtown. Nowhere else on the loop (in the US) do you go under so many bridges (40 in 5 miles) or go so close to pedestrians and tall buildings.
Coming out of the Chicago Harbor lock.
The lock was built in 1938 to prevent the Chicago River
and Sanitary Canal from flowing into Lake Michigan.
In order to take this route, we had to lower the radar arch to meet the 17' height restrictions of the bridges. We once again used our redneck-engineered PVC measuring stick mounted in the burgee pole holder. It served us well coming up the Champlain, and we kept it knowing that this challenge awaited us in Chicago.
Squeaking beneath the first bridge.
Its quite thrilling getting hugged by this big city.
We planned to be downtown before the sightseeing boats started operating, and it was somewhat surreal being on the water by ourselves beneath all the chaos of pedestrian and subway traffic - everyone oblivious to us as they made their way to the office.
Subway traffic
Pedestrian traffic - I don't believe a single soul noticed us passing right beneath them.
Downtown Chicago in our wake.
Bascule Bridge.
Railroad Lift Bridge.
Even the southside has its own style of beauty - graffiti on water tanks,
bridges,
and silos.
There were lots of old structures in the process of becoming work lofts.
Then the area became more industrial,
and after that we found ourselves alone in the
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) - even it was quite beautiful.
Just after this water treatment plant the CSSC
joins the Calumet Sag Channel and the "12 Miles of Hell" begins.
The name comes from all the tow and barge traffic in the area and the narrow channel that everyone has to share. We just got past this juncture when we were met by this tow. You can see how little room there is to spare on either side of him.
Right away our old buddy boat, Pazza Bella, hailed us on the VHF.
They were coming down the Cal-Sag Channel and had us in their sights.
Together we traversed the 12 Miles of Hell,
pulling into any available space to let the tows pass -
sometimes even hiding behind parked barges.
As if that wasn't exciting enough, next up was traversing through an electrical fish barrier designed to prevent Asian Carp from entering Lake Michigan. Once beneath the arch (below) you were within the electrified area - no contact with the water allowed... Needless to say, we kept our eyes on Amos!
Then it was an industrial area with lots of quarries.
Once through the Lockport Lock we joined the Des Plaines River and went on into Joliet.
The Joliet bridges all opened in sequence as we passed through - one bridge calling the next so that it would open upon our arrival - their synchronicity was quite impressive...
Our last lock of the day... Brandon Road...
Then a few more trains,
sunken barges,
and duck blinds
and finally we were at Harborside Marina.
What a long day of unexpected surprises (both good and bad) - we were exhausted!
Inside Dresden Lock.
We learned that in a couple of weeks the waterway would be filled with tows and barges moving this year's harvests. As it were, we saw lots of sand and gravel being loaded and traveling through the waterways.
We passed lots of waterside campsites,
even seeing a caboose camper...
Then we were through Marseilles Lock and pulled into Heritage Harbor Marina - our home for the next few days as we planned to relax and take advantage of one of the few swimming pools on the loop while waiting for some buddy boats to catch up with us.
Heritage Harbor Marina
Pulling out of Heritage Harbor the topography began to change to rolling hills and cliffs. As a result, we were treated to bald eagles, white pelicans, and even Asian Carp hunters...
Lots of bald eagles,
white pelicans,
and Asian Carp hunters armed with bow and arrows.
The carp are drawn to the vibrations of boat motors (some boats more than others)
and folks actually make money taking folks out on carp hunting expeditions.
As the fish fly out of the water they take aim and shoot!
Who would have known that Illinois has just as many "good ole boys" as Georgia!
Evidence of the spring's high water - funny how things change
as we're now battling low water conditions in many areas.
as we're now battling low water conditions in many areas.
We met lots of tows in route
and a few riverboat casinos.
The next stop was Peoria where we were greeted with the shallowest water thus far on the entire trip! We told the marina about our 4.5' draft and were told that they had plenty of water - "at least 5.5' in the entire marina" - wrong... In fact, we felt as though we dredged out the channel for them getting into the place. By the time we arrived, the staff was long gone, but a buddy boat and some locals tried pulling us in - a hard job as they were pulling us through mud. We saw 2.9' on the depth finder before it blanked out, and we were on the bottom. Needless to say we got out of there first thing in the morning - my wonderful captain somehow trudging us through the mud and back into open water.
Some Peoria sites.
On this entire trip I have so enjoyed watching the tow captains. They are truly talented at what they do. I thought this was a great shot of how this Captain maneuvered these barges through a bridge span. And watching them maneuver through curves and into locks is just as impressive. I keep hoping Jeff will one day want to be a tow captain... You know, maybe a second career choice. So far, he's not jumping on board with the idea though...
Once outside Peoria we were back in the countryside
listening to cicadas and enjoying the views.
A lone white pelican somehow lost from his flock.
Our buddy boat, Barefoot'n, pulled into a marina with a very small, shallow looking entrance. Not wanting a repeat of the previous night's experience, we chose to go on to the small town of Beardstown, Illinois - what a treat!
So many small towns were built along waterways, and now they have been left in the dust as our super highways pass them by. We're missing out on so much as we rush through our Walmart haze to get to our McDonald's craze - we're truly missing out! So many of our small towns are dying a slow death and so much of our history is going with them. Beardstown is one such town, and its populated with incredibly friendly folks willing to share anything they have with you.
There is no marina here, but the local tug service will gladly let you tie up to a working barge for a nominal fee. Upon arrival we were told that Annie Sazarac's (the local restaurant) was having their steak and rib night - but, if we wanted to eat there, we needed to call them right away and place our order by phone to ensure that they made enough and didn't run out. We happily made the call and dined in splendor with a buddy boat, Sun Gypsy. In fact, Rick said that it was the best ribeye he has had on the entire trip... and that's saying something! I still think it's hard to beat dining across from the Manhattan skyline, but Annie's even gave Manhattan a run for its money : )
SeaGlide gets to tie up to a working barge for the night
at Logsdon Tug Service in Beardstown, IL.
Beardstown has obviously seen better days, but its
quaint character still shines through.
Annie Sazarac's - the local hot spot for steak and ribs.
After dinner we took a stroll on the town's tiny riverwalk, so glad
that we were able to experience this wonderful town and its people.
Sunset over SeaGlide at Logsdon Tug Service.
Of course, the next morning the boys got to work by 7:00 am, but they made sure we were up and had coffee in hand before they cranked up the welding operation. I just enjoyed watching them at their craft.
Soon though we were on our way to see what the day would bring.
There were more shallow areas,
more dredges at work,
more mammoth barges on the move, and
more remnants of days gone by wasting away...
But there were also more small towns for us to discover and more small town people for us to meet. Once again, we were not disappointed as we pulled up to Mel's Illinois River Restaurant. Again, for a nominal fee they allow you to tie up to their dock overnight, and we enjoyed dining on their brisket and famous pies. We heard so much about their pies that we ordered both a piece of gooseberry and bumbleberry even though we couldn't eat a bite - made for a great breakfast the next morning though!
This sweet lady came out to greet us as we made out way to Mel's.
She grew up in the house in the background, and she and her
husband returned many years later to buy it to raise their family.
A typical small town story in that her sons are grown and gone,
her husband has passed and now the old homeplace is up for sale.
Thing is she can't sell it as not many folks are flocking to
Beardstown or any other small town in America.
We passed lots of duck blinds in route.
Not quite sure what this cool structure is.
Coming into Grafton we talked to
the folks on Aurora, a 22 foot sailboat, crossing their wake and getting their
gold loop burgee in Grafton. We were
able to be a part of the festivities and then learned that our old buddy boat,
Bucket List, was planning to make it into Grafton on the same day earning their
gold burgee too! We weren’t expecting
them until the following day. Needless
to say, it was party time on the docks having two new Gold Loopers in our
midst!
Tiny Aurora crosses her wake. Would you believe that for a time they lived aboard this vessel along with their 2 daughters and a dog! Close quarters, but they all managed and had the time of their lives. Just goes to show that when it comes to looping, where there’s a will, there’s a way!
Bucket List crosses her wake to a symphony of blowing horns,
she raises the new gold AGLCA burgee,
and the party begins!
The next day was slated to be a girl's day out. We all had breakfast
together then toured the town shopping and checking out some of the local
wineries. That night we had dinner together with
friends as we made plans to depart the next day. This was our last day on the Illinois River
as just south of Grafton the Illinois runs into the mighty Mississippi and
another chapter of our journey begins.
Girls day out with Barefoot’n, Aurora, and Bucket List.
Our buds throw off our lines as we say goodbye to our gold loop friends
– we’ll miss seeing them on the water!
The juncture with the Mississippi River -
the adventure continues...
