We left Tall Timbers Marina at 8. More river, more speeding small boats, more fishermen in anchored boats, more nature, more barges….we have to both be attentive during these days on the river.

The La Grange Lock had a wait. I hate having to wait near the locks. There are dams there and there was current pulling us towards it. I couldn’t encourage my captain to wait farther up; back and forth, back and forth with the controls for over an hour. Once the barges were reconnected to the tow the tug has to power up to start pushing this weight in front of it. The lock walls are hit with its wash which then bounces back into the waterway. We were so close that we were tossed around. We had to wait for the surge to stop before we could enter the lock. This was a short drop and therefore was a free floating one; you enter and keep the boat away from the massive walls…. I must admit that I had a meltdown. Stopping that day could not come too soon.

We passed several possible anchorages. In front of us was Noah Genda (another Ocean Alexander) and Tom and Diane were going to Buckhorn. Their reasoning was that it was hot and to keep moving meant that they could stay cooler.

Steve and Liz were already anchored when we arrived. Tom and Diane settled in and then we anchored. Our generator was immediately started and the air turned on. We all yelled our hellos and then, brilliantly, I might add, Liz announced that she was going below into her air conditioned salon. Diane and I did the same and eventually the men followed.

This was a quiet anchorage. We saw barges pass in the night. They are all lit with huge spotlights. It is amazing to watch these tows push on.

Illinois Waterway: Mile 120.3 Tall Timbers Marina to Mile 46.5 Buckhorn Island Anchorage

Miles covered: 73.8         Bridges: 8            Locks: 1

Left at 8 am        Arrived at 4ish

The Peoria Lock is having major work done on it. It is closed from 7 am until 5 pm Monday through Saturday. It is open all day Sunday. Commercial boats have priority over recreational boats. There is a lot of traffic here, remember this is a working river. The tows were backed up needing to lock down and up. Although tows can and do travel 24 hours a day, we pleasure boaters, especially those of us that are unfamiliar with this area are off the rivers at night. Kelley had called the Lock Master a few days before and explained that the Loopers were planning on coming through today. He finally understood that we were not able to travel at night. Although he could not guarantee that we would get through, he would do his best.

We left at 7:15 and we were at the lock by 8:15. With us were 4 other loop boats. After calling in we floated until 10ish. The lock finished lifting a barge (which was broken into 2 parts) and decided to take us down before lifting the next tow. (There were tows waiting to go down but the order is based on when the tows arrive – perhaps not efficient, but that is their way). We were pleased and all of us thanked the lock master for his understanding. We also think that he was pleased to have the 5 pleasure boats out of the way!

Once again the smaller pleasure boats were out enjoying the day. This area is a mixture of nature and industry. There were many anchorages along the way, but three of us were planning on staying at Tall Timbers. We had stories to share and an early day would be appreciated.

Illinois Waterway: Mile 167.9 (IVY) to Mile 120.3 (Tall Timbers Marina)

Miles covered: 47.6         Bridges: 8            Locks: 1

Left at 7:15 am       Arrived at 1:30

We were back on the river at 7:50. This area has both industry and country side. There are few homes here but,  this is a working river. We were planning on staying at the IVY (Illinois Valley Yacht Club); there was some concern about entering the marina. We draft 3.5 and the entrance was 4….

As we continued on we entered Peoria Lake. This is a huge lake, but a clearly marked channel. As with any beautiful Saturday there were many boats out. Children being towed on tubes, water-skiers even a few small sailboats. It seems a shame to have this huge lake and not have the ability to use most of it.

The IVY was ahead. Kelley touched the soft mud, but got us into the marina. We had dinner with Kaleen and Dave of Family Time. Tomorrow we would hit the Peoria Lock!

Illinois Waterway: Mile 242.3 (Heritage Harbor) to Mile 167.9 (IVY)

Miles covered: 74.4         Bridges: 12          Locks: 1

Left at 7:50 am      Arrived at 3:30 pm

This is the leg of the cruise that seems to be the most dreaded. I was thrilled last year when we left the boat in Green Bay for the winter – one more trip back her,e but I had at least avoided the ol’ Miss.
But, all good things must come to an end; our stay in Chicago was over. At 6:45 on Friday we left the docks at DuSable, went out into Lake Michigan one more time and around to then into the Chicago Harbor Lock. The river part of the cruise had begun. We knew there would be challenges ahead.
Before we entered the Chicago Sanitary (who are they kidding?) Canal and the Calumet Sag Channel we had gone under 53 bridges. One of the bridges, the Amtrak Rail Road Lift Bridge, at 10’ does not open during rush hour. Kelley had called and asked when that was and was told from8 to 10. We were there at 7:15. After a phone call the bridge was lifted and we continued on. With such a long trip ahead of us having to wait hours for a bridge would have been frustrating. Going through Chicago was a treat. We had toured the city on land and to see it from the water was interesting. We had traveled 24 miles in almost 3 hours.
The next section was filled with tows preparing barges for their next journey. It is very industrial and kept us on our toes watching for tows coming towards us. This is where the Asian Carp Barrier has been set up. (It is only 7/10th of a mile and there is an electric charge in the water. One must call the Coast Guard and announce you are there and ask for permission to pass. (We called; they did not respond. We put our life jackets on and followed the posted rules). We have not seen any carp; we did not have any issues there.
Our first lock was the Lockport lock. We called and we were pleased that a tow was exiting the lock and we could enter once it had passed. There were many more drawbridges to pass under and two more locks (Dresden Lock and Marseilles Lock – both ready for us) to pass through before we stopped. We had planned to stop at Harborside Marina (mile 273.5) but we passed it at 1:30 and it seemed too early to stop. We stayed at Heritage Harbor for the night. Although there were anchorages along the way, a marina seemed the best choice for us.
Illinois Waterway: Mile 327.4 (Chicago Harbor Lock) to Mile 242.3 (Heritage Marina)
Miles covered: 85      Bridges: 71 Locks: 3
Left at 6:45 am        Arrived at 5 pm