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.