Great Loop Date: 09.24.2010 (Friday): Havana (Hint: OB’s in Illinois)…

Day #43: 985.6 total miles (47.6 miles 7.75 hours 9.0 mph)
Locks to date: 7 (today: 1)
Port #18 – Havana, IL

OB left IVY in her wake at 8:15AM. She (OB) was clean inside and out. Capt. Todd, 1st Mate PSR and Apprentice Mate Charlie were all well rested. IVY was a great place to recharge our batteries. We were on our way to another five star retreat in Havana…Illinois.

The day started out rainy, windy and not very pleasant. We had one lock ahead…the Peoria Lock. As we passed downtown Peoria, Todd decided to call ahead to the lock. Our luck didn’t change. The lockmaster said the lock would be tied up with tow traffic for about two hours. We turned back to the free downtown dock and tied off for an hour.

Squivot was coming downstream from IVY. I called to them to let them know about the lock situation. They decided to continue on…just slower.

After our hour wait, we untied and headed toward the lock. It was still tied up with the upbound barge. We could see Quest and another downbound pleasure craft, September Song, anchored and waiting.

We just puttered around in the channel with Squivot doing the same. It probably looked like we were doing some kind of ballet with Quest and September Song our audience. Once we all were able to enter the lock, it only took us 15 minutes to drop and exit.

Quest and September Song disappeared downstream straight out of the lock. Squivot slowly disappeared, as well. We continued with our fuel sparing speed.

The lower part of Peoria is very industrial with many barges parked along both sides of the river. A couple of tows were jockeying about, moving barges here and there for later transport up or down the river. It was hard to tell what their direction would be and we did get jostled about in their wake.

Once we were past the barge staging area, the river traffic became quiet and the wind picked up. Our speed slowed with the wind. We even had white caps on the water!

We saw a lot of abandoned barges along the Illinois River.

Another abandoned loader.  It was odd to see so much abandoned steel all along the way.

Oh yes...lot's of barges to pass going and coming.

We saw many abandoned wood moorings falling apart too.

Then there were these nice telephone poles lodged in the channel.  Some were painted dayglow orange and some were just there.

This petroleum farm seemed to still be active with fresh paint on the tank.  The loading dock looked pretty shabby, though.

Mark on Squivot called us on the cell phone to let us know a dredging operation was ongoing around Mile 135. He used the cell because the Dredge Captain was furious at the first pleasure boaters that came through the area. The dredge captain had even mentioned holding up the rest of us (Squivot and OB) for five hours to let us cool our heels. Mark was trying to make peace and get us through the area. We were about 30 minutes behind them.

By the time we got to the dredge, a barge was coming through. The DC had opened up an area for the barge to pass through. We held back and couldn’t understand the directions the DC was giving us. As soon as the barge passed through, two little work tows scurried to close the dredge pipe and we still hadn’t passed. The DC made us take OB through a very narrow area off the starboard (right) side of the channel. The whole maneuver felt very nerve wracking but we made it around and back into the channel unscathed. We lost another 30 minutes through this whole ordeal.

Thinking we were in the free and clear, both Todd and I sat back for a relaxing finish to our cruise to Havanah. I began working on my next blog. Suddenly Todd slowed the boat to a standstill. A deer was swimming across the channel in front of us! I guess there was something better on the other side for her. She was a very strong swimmer and once out of the water, she really scampered off.

It was a difficult finding the entrance to Tall Timbers Marina. It is tucked behind what is described as an old lock wall, although I never saw it. Tall Timbers is in a nature preserve and is densely forested. We really enjoyed the setting that first night, visiting with Mark from Squivot. Susan was still under the weather with the flu/cold that everyone seemed to pick up in Chicagoland.

Looking down the river we couldn't find the entrance to Tall Timbers.

We were almost past it when we saw in on the port.

Awesome little marina.  Everything is floating except the bathroom up on the hill in the background (look up the ramp).

Tired Captain

This one is for everyone back home...especially Rena, our hair stylist

Such a nice area to sit, relax and enjoy the surroundings.

OB was pretty happy in Tall Timbers, too.

This was the scene right behind OB...pretty awesome.  The Asian carp were there too but they didn't jump when we came in.

Squivot left for Grafton, IL the next morning. We had already decided to take an extra day in Havanah to restock. The day was dismal grey with rain and cooler temperatures. Downtown was an easy walk and we got many of the supplies on our list at a very well stocked Dollar General store.

When we came back, a very nice gentleman at the marina offered us the use of his truck to run to the IGA on the outskirts of town. The generosity and kindness of all the folks we have met has been amazing. We put gas in the fellow’s tank in thanks.

That evening we went to the Townsquare Restaurant to have an original local creation…the Horseshoe. The owner of the marina had mentioned we should try one before we left town. The Horseshoe is two pieces of Texas Toast, two hamburgers, a pile of fries covered with a cheese sauce. Todd and I split one and it was still too much for us to consume! I still get indigestion thinking of it.

Downtown Havana.

The famous Horseshoe...please pass a double on the Lipitor and Nexium.

Great Loop Date: 09.22.2010 (Wednesday): IVY (Not the Poison Kind)…

Day #41: 938.0 total miles (30.0 miles 4.0 hours 9.0 mph)

Port #17 – Peoria, IL

Todd and I got up happy today! Our destination was Peoria and we had NO LOCKS between us. This was a first since we began our river adventure. We took our time getting about and making the boat ready. We didn’t come off the old lock wall until 10:30AM.

Wednesday dawned a cooler day, partly cloudy and only a little breeze. Just south of Henry and before we entered Peoria Lake, we saw our first white pelican. Just after, we could see a huge colony of them in the distance. This area is their migratory route from as far north as Canada, where they breed in the spring and late summer. They, like so many of us, winter in the south, some going as far as Panama.

Next we came upon Hamm’s Harbor. First we spotted a grounded old towboat. Just past that looked like a paddlewheel graveyard. Two big old paddlewheel steamboats were moored and converted to gambling casinos. I felt sad to see such beautiful ships scuttled. Todd, I and our children used to love seeing the river boats in New Orleans and in Cincinnati. We had friends that cruised the rivers on them. However, the big paddlewheelers no longer have overnight cruises. They are fast becoming an endangered species…but no one is working very hard to save them. Some have become museums, others restaurants and the old Delta Queen is now a hotel in Tennessee. Still others have become casinos. More history going to rubble.

Ooops!

Finally in Peoria Lake, we passed two more barges; a benzene barge and a coal barge. I found that checking off daymarkers became difficult. Some were present…others were not so present!


This was a smaller barge...2 by 3 (two barges wide and 3barges long).

 

Day marker in the middle of Peoria Lake.  We have to keep it on our starboard side (on our right).



This was a red day marker with a light....at one time.  Doesn't have anything on it now!

OB entered the channel for Illinois Valley Yacht Club (IVY) at 4:30PM, only 4 hours after leaving Henry. Amazing! We actually traveled 30 miles in only 4 hours. Of course, we didn’t have any locks to hold us up, either.


The marina is behind the breakwall.

IVY was a cute little club. It is more than 100 years old. The upper level is the original building. They have a octagonal bar and a comfortable dining room.
The first night we ate with Loopers from Montreal, Yvette and Claude aboard Trusty III. This is their second Loop, their first being in 2005. We actually had talked to them on VHF radio while we were crossing Lake Michigan from St. Joe to Chicago and didn’t know who they were. The unknown became known…and what a nice couple to know.

The second night we ate in the bar…taco night with $1.50 tacos. We couldn’t beat that and they were awesome.

Another pair of Loopers were at IVY, too. Mark and Susan on Squivot. They are first time Loopers from Houston. They started their loop in Mobile, AL. They will be at the Fall Rendezvous in Joe Wheeler Park we are attending. We didn’t get to talk to them very much until the next port.

Great Loop Date: 09.21.2010 (Tuesday): Oh Henry!…

I had to switch to Google Maps because there are no charts for the rivers.

Day #40: 908.0 total miles (40.0 miles 8.0 hours 9.0 mph)

Port #16 – Henry, IL

Todd and I were up and moving around at 4:30AM. We wanted to get an early start to very possibly get into our next port earlier than our latest average (near dark or dark!). We both thought it would be nice to be on terra firma in the early afternoon. Ottawa was only 40 miles from Henry, IL.

One lock stood in our way today. The locks started out being an adventure. They’ve now become a hindrance. Our average hasn’t been very good with our normal wait time being anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours. We do keep reminding ourselves the tows have the priority on the rivers. This IS their highway, not ours. We are visitors…they are frequent fliers.

Todd and I talk a lot about the tows and their business of shuttling barges from here to there…where ever here to there is. It’s a job employing many along the river. However, it has to be somewhat monotonous. The tow captains don’t chatter on the radio like the truck drivers do. And they have more hazards along the way to be careful to avoid…like pleasure boaters (that’s us).

The captains have been very courteous. Todd calls to each when we are closing in on a ‘passing’ situation. They are very good about telling him which side of the line of barges to pass on. And, so far, we’ve had no ‘events’.

Watching tows alone in the river, buzzing from barge line to barge line, is entertaining too. Todd imagines them as waterbugs. I worry more about where are they going and are we going to be in their way. But they do look like waterbugs as they scurry about.

Back to our one lock of the day…Starve Rock Lock, our 6th lock on the Illinois River and only 6 miles away. Phalarope left the Ottawa City Dock ahead of us. They called back and said a barge was in the lock. The Lock would be tied up for 2 hours.

We were already underway and had no place to dock. I found an anchorage in our cruising guide. We dropped anchor behind Sheehan Island about 2 miles from the lock. It was next to a beautiful bluff. We would have enjoyed the area, however the wind was blowing strong and the anchor kept slipping. So we pulled anchor and went ahead to the lock, anchoring upstream of Phalarope and just off of Starved Rock.


Alex on Phalarope mentioned the history of Starved Rock before we left Ottawa. Starved Rock derives its name from a Native American legend of injustice and retribution. In the 1760s, Pontiac, chief of the Ottawa tribe upriver, was slain by an Illiniwek while attending a tribal council in southern Illinois. According to the legend, during one of the battles that subsequently occurred to avenge his killing, a band of Illiniwek, under attack by a band of Potawatomi (allies of the Ottawa), sought refuge atop a 125-foot sandstone butte. The Ottawa and Potawatomi surrounded the bluff and held their ground until the hapless Illiniwek died of starvation- giving rise to the name "Starved Rock."

Starved Rock

The tow jockeying his barges around to fit them all in the lock.  The process takes this side of forever!

I really haven't shown the elements in the locks.  This is a floating bollard.  I run a line from the mid-ship cleat around the bollard and back to the cleat.  As the water lowers, the bollard floats down and it keeps us next to the lock wall.

This is the chamber the bollard floats down.  There are metal wheels on each side of the bollard that keep it in the chamber.  The track one of the wheels rides in is on the left wall of the chamber.  There is a flood light at the top of the chamber.  The locks run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  The lock attendants told me they are on 8 hour shifts and rotate days, evenings and nights.

As the water is drawn out of the lock, small waterfalls develop at the junction of the doors created by the pressure of the river behind them.

The wait was 2 hours, as forecast by the lockmaster. It gave Todd and I time to shower and do other things around the boat. I worked on updating the blog and took pictures of Starved Rock.
Once we were past the lock, there was more interesting scenery to frame.

The quiet of the river.

Little rivers and creeks come in from both sides.



Another summer fun scene...there's a rope hanging from the tree.



This tow turned into a bar looked fun to us.

The Kate Hooper looks pretty super!  But we didn't stop.



A reminder we are in the country.

 On down the line we passed a grain barge where a huge backhoe was filling a dump truck.

The scene was kind of funny, really.  They were unloading grain from this barge and further down the river...

...they were putting grain in this barge!

Then another barge to navigate around.

Oh great, a bend in the river, a bridge, a narrow channel and a barge!  I just close my eyes and pray...

...and Charlie remains unconcerned!

After the barge, we passed the Illinois Power Company that is fueled by coal. They had a huge shovel loader that took coal from the barge to a conveyor belt feeding into the plant. 

At mile 210.3 we finally began heading SOUTH!

We arrived at the booming berg of Henry, IL at 2:30PM…almost 8 hours after leaving Ottawa. Our average for 40 miles still demonstrated our poor luck at the locks (even though we only had one!). The water depth coming into the marina was really shallow, so we backed off and went to the outside of the old lock wall that protects the marina. The wall was in the well of the old lock and also well protected from the river and wakes cast off from the barge traffic.

At dusk, a Kirby barge and tow went by heading upstream.

Todd used to be in lease agreements with Kirby barges and tows.  He was excited to finally see one.

The setting here was very picturesque and quiet. We had a lovely evening. Intermittent thunderstorms came through the area early evening but we had no problems. An easy rain developed around 3AM. I rolled over and let it send me back into a deep sleep.

Charlie waiting for his walk.