We left Chicago and headed south on the Illinois river. The weather was gloomy, and the area was very industrial. Tug boats were busy moving barges along the river.
We crossed an electric fish barrier (no swimming!), set up to block Asian Carp (an invasive species).
Not the most beautiful part of the voyage, but interesting to see.
We went through large locks in the rain.
The sun popped out for a bit so we could see our path and some groups of white pelicans.
Finally, we reached Harborside Marina in Wilmington, where the water is green, but the rocks are friendly! It was an interesting houseboat community. They let us tie to their fuel dock for the night. We had a delicious dinner at the restaurant, and were up and out early the next morning.
Due to the large number of barges, wait times at some of the locks were extensive. One had us wait for over 5 hours before we could lock through (but we’re not bitter). A tug boat couldn’t fit in the lock with its many barges, so the barges were sent through first, and pulled out of the lock with cables. Then we squeezed past the barges to enter the lock to lock down to the next part of the river. Once we were out of the way, the tug boat locked up to join its barges.
At another lock we tied up to the place where barges wait until we could enter the lock. Then we needed to “raft up” by having ourselves and another larger boat tie to the lock walls and then two smaller boats tie up to us. Good thing boaters are friendly!
We saw our photo being taken at Marseilles Lock and then it was posted to the Looper Facebook page. Great picture!
We got to Heritage Harbor in Ottowa as the day ended, sat for a “Captain’s Talk” with Jeremy and then had a quick dinner at the restaurant on site.
We enjoyed better weather the next day as we continued south.
At one point we noticed Asian Carp jumping in the wake of another boat. And then one fish jumped right into the boat! We tried to hail the couple on the radio, but didn’t reach them, so I guess they found a surprise in their cockpit once they docked!
We stopped at the Illinois Yacht Club, a small but pleasant marina where you pay for fuel and dockage at the bar – and then enjoy a cold beer on the deck!
Continuing south we passed Peoria, a very busy area.
We had planned to travel farther, but trouble with fuel injectors on the starboard engine left us at half-power. So we stopped at Logsdon Tug, where we tied up to old barges for the night with a few other boats. No power or water, but a safe place for the night.
At sunrise, we headed to the next lock with the hopes of getting through quickly. Two hours later we were let through (sigh!).
High winds stirred up waves and we splashed our way south, still moving slowly. We noticed houses on stilts and huge piles of debris on the riverbank. The river must flood to an amazingly high level.
Our dock for the night was at Mel’s Riverdock Restaurant. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed on a Monday night. We had another night without plugging into power and connecting to water. We made do with our generator and small water tank, but provisions were getting low!
Next day, we passed a very fast-moving ferry, crossing from right to left banks of the river. Then we drove by Grafton, a city with a huge flag by the water, and a chair lift to the winery at the top of the hill. (Look behind the flag.)
The Mississippi River is next!