Starved Rock Dam and Lock before Peoria, IL

When you travel on the rivers, you must be patient and not pushed with a schedule. Two of the locks that we went through on Monday, we waited an hour and a half each. Commercial traffic has priority over recreational craft so if it's busy, there are simply, delays.

On Tues when we entered the lock with the photos shown above, we had waited for over 3 hours before eight pleasure boats could "lock down" and finally be on our way.

We had an "audience" when we drove into the lock. A bus of seniors had stopped by to see how the huge lock worked. This operation was one of amazement.

The tug was pushing 15 barges - 3 across and 5 deep. Each barge is equal to 58 semi trucks/trailers, so this one totaled 870 semi trucks/trailers! They first "locked up" 6 barges through the lock by pulling the barges by cables and tying them off on the up side of the lock.

Then the lock master ordered the pleasure boats to drive into "the cut" and we were "locked down." Afterwards, the process was going to be another 6 barges would be "locked up," and tied on the up side. Finally, the last 3 barges would be pushed by the tug into the lock to be "locked up." After that, all the barges would be re-attached so the tug could push his load north.

We didn't stay around for that, but one can only imagine that it took hours to complete. This tug was taking his load from St. Louis to Ottawa, IL. Unbelievable! - His length was 980 feet. Keep in mind that the locks are 600 feet in length.

We are in amazement of how these river Captains maneuver these huge loads on the rivers. There is another "language" when talking with these guys on the radio. We've found them all to be courteous and extremely professional. They have our greatest respect.

Note that the barges are mostly covered. This depends on what they are hauling. This Captain reported a variety of cargo to the lock master before beginning his "lock up." As Crazy Eights had "locked down," we were then level with the tug and his 6 barges. It looked somewhat like a "head on" as we first came out of the lock.

We're told that this is but a "preview" of what we'll see on the Upper Mississippi River where there are few locks. The monster barges can be as big as 40-60 barges.
Of course the river is much wider than the Illinois River, but................
This is adding a new dimension to our boating experience!

We arrived safely in Illinois Valley Yacht Club in Peoria Heights with several other Looper boats. We will leave Crazy Eights there for a couple of weeks, rent a car
and drive to SC and GA to visit family and friends. We plan to take a few days and enjoy a bike ride with my brother and wife through the TN and KY mountains to see the fall colors.

So more later..................

Photos on the IL River

In order to travel through downtown on the Chicago River, Crazy Eights
could be no higher than 17 feet from the water. Rich lowered the light on the radar arch and the radio antennas and we were 16 feet, 4 inches. The bridges through
Joliet were the lowest at 16 feet, 5 and 6 inches - we made it, but not with much to spare. I asked my Captain if he was SURE of his measurements!

Rich's nephew and kids from Joliet surprised us with a visit to the boat when we were in Joliet. How nice it was to see them for a bit. His kids are 16, 14 and 11. Where does the time go?

Days 100 - 102, Sep 10th - Sep 12th, Chicago to Peoria, IL

Our trip down the Chicago River marked the beginning of a new adventure on the inland river system. After the hour or so cruise through the heart of downtown, we entered the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which is largely through the industrial area.
There wasn't a lot of traffic but we did encounter some tugs and barges, many bridges and a few locks.

These locks are much larger than what we've experienced in the past. They are 600 feet long by 100 feet long and they do fill them up, we soon discovered. The second photo is a long double barge and tug that cruised past us when we were tied on the wall at Bi-Centennial Park in Joliet, IL.

Final Moments in Chicago

I spent several hours one afternoon at the Chicago Public Library. First off, the architecture is phenomenal. Look at the roof line with the huge owls on the corners.
The Library is a full block long and has ten floors!

Rich is originally from Chicago. We enjoyed spending some time with his brother and family. We had an excellent Italian dinner downtown one evening and a delicious dinner at their home on the northwest side of the City on Sun.

There were several Looper boats in Chicago at the same time, so we met with them for drinks and dinner. Some we had not seen in a couple of months, so it was fun to catch up on what they had been doing.