Sept. 23-29, 2024 – Hammond, IN to Hardin, IL
Highlights this week: Starting down the river systems; rafting off in locks for first time since last year; mooring up in an abandoned lock and at two restaurant docks – all iconic stops on the Loop.
Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024 – Hammond, IN (Hammond Marina) to Wilmington, IL (Harborside Marina)
Today, we start down the river systems! We were underway 7 hours and 46 minutes, going 62 miles (53.8 nm), at an average speed of 8 MPH (6.9 knots). Locks and lift bridges are back! With 3 locks and 7 lift bridges, the duration of our day was 10 hours and 48 minutes.
When we left you last Sunday, we were in Hammond, IN, after a very soggy day coming across Lake Michigan from Chicago.
On Monday, we stayed put because of the weather, plus we needed to get HOMES in river-system mode. By not going through Downtown Chicago this year, we didn’t have to lay down the whole arch. However, we still had to make some modifications for a 19’7” fixed bridge on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. By taking down the radar scanner and the Direct TV scanner (which we don’t use, but leave there are as a placeholder), we made HOMES 18’5” – just enough!
On Monday evening, when the skies cleared up, we walked on the path along Lake Michigan, which took us across the Indiana-Illinois state line. The limestone obelisk, which marks the boundary, is one of the oldest landmarks in the Chicagoland area. It was constructed in 1838 at the direction of the U.S. Surveyor General. It replaced the pine post that was used in the 1821 survey.
Today, after our gloomy, but productive Monday, we were ready to move! We got up at 5:00 AM to get an early start, but we had a slight delay. While doing checks, Tim noticed that our white running light was burned out. It only took him about 15 minutes get the new bulb installed. Even with that delay, we pulled out of the marina a little before 6:30 AM.
We took a left turn out of the marina and headed the short distance back to Illinois where we entered the Calumet River. This is new water for us, since we went through Downtown Chicago last year. The Calumet River immediately greeted us with the first of many lift and low bridges.
The shorelines were busy with industrial activity. We passed the Chicago Ford Assembly Plant and saw a car carrier hauling Ford Explorers over the bridge in front of us. Growing up in Fremont, Ohio, the Ford plant in Sandusky, Ohio provided lots of jobs, as well as jobs at the many plants producing components for Ford. My best friend, Trina’s, dad worked at Ford and my dad worked at a plant making break parts for Ford. Now, Ford and those little plants are non-existent in Sandusky and Fremont. However this Chicago plant, which opened in 1924, has 4,700 workers. This summer, they ramped up production of the 2025 Explorer.
About an hour after seeing the Ford Plant, we made it to our first lock and only lock on the Calumet River. We caught up to two boats who left the marina before us this morning – Little Gig and Certitude. The Thomas J. O’Brien Lock gently took us down only 5 feet. We followed the other two boats into the lock and tied off to a floating bollard. If you recall from last year, the procedure for these floating bollards is to cleat off one midline, which then floats down with the bollard. In the Erie Canal and in Trent-Severn, we had to wrap a bow line and stern line around cables on the lock wall and hold our lines as we dropped (or lifted). Floating bollards are much easier. The river system locks also require life jackets to be worn, while the other two canal systems did not. Only the Trent-Severn required engines to be turned off.
As we left the lock, we were in the Calumet-Saganashkee Channel – “Cal-Sag” for short. This is a 16-mile channel connecting the Little Calumet River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. It was dug over an 11-year period, from 1911-1922. We encountered our first tow and barge about 10 minutes after leaving the lock – welcome back to the rivers!
We traveled to the end of the Cal-Sag Channel in rain. Around 10:30 AM, as we made a left onto the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. We traveled down this canal from Chicago last year. In 1900, this canal, like the Cal-Sag Channel, were created to reverse the flow of the Chicago River and Calumet River, as a way to send Chicago’s sewage down into the Des Plaines River, instead of into Lake Michigan, since that’s where Chicago got its drinking water. However, besides being a sewage solutions, they were also built to replace an older/smaller canal as a conduit to the Mississippi River.
Just after the confluence, we went under the lowest fixed bridge on the America’s Great Loop – 19’7.”
We next came to the electrified section of the canal, which is meant to prevent invasive fish from getting into the Great Lakes. In 2009, Michigan and other Great Lake states filed a lawsuit seeking to close the canal to keep Asian carp out of Lake Michigan, to protect its sport and commercial fishing and tourism – contributing $7 billion a year to their economies. Illinois responded that closing the canal would upset movement of iron ore, coal, grain and other cargo totaling more than $1.5 billion a year, plus the loss of thousands of jobs. In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the request for closure.
30 minutes later, we came to our next lock – Lockport Lock and Dam. This lock took us 40 feet down to the Des Plaines River for our journey towards Joliet, where we had to have 3 bridges lifted for us.
As we passed the Joliet Free Wall, our passenger, Romeo, became a Gold Looper! Who is Romeo? He’s a little rubber fishing lure that a local guy gave to Tim on the Joliet Free Wall last year. The guy was on a bike with beer in his basket. He looked like he may have been homeless, but Tim talks to everyone. The guy gave Tim this fishing lure that he found on the ground. We named him Romeo, since he came from “Joliet.” 😁 Romeo cruised his Loop on the back deck, but he got a window seat as he crossed his wake!
Last year, we met our flotilla on the Joliet Free Wall. If you remember, the AGLCA group us into flotillas to negotiate the crowed lock traffic caused by the first 3 locks of the Illinois River being closed for maintenance from June 1st to Oct. 1st, 2023.
This year, we chose to pass by the Joliet Free Wall and continue on to Harborside Marina to get out of the congestion of Loopers. There were already 3 boats on the wall and by evening there were 10 more – that’s as big as our flotilla last year! After passing the Joliet Free Wall, the McDonough St. Bridge immediately opened for us. Unfortunately, we had a 1-hour wait at our last lock of the day –Brandon Road Lock. There was a tow and barge locking down in front of us. The lock master said it would be an hour and he was right!
After Brandon Road Lock dropped us 34 feet, we only had about 10 more miles until our stop at Harborside Marina. Because of the duckweed around Joliet, Tim cleaned out our sea strainers. The sea strainers keep debris out of the heat exchangers on our engines – which are kind of like a car’s radiator.
We ended our rainy evening sharing food and drinks with our traveling buddies – Certitude and Little Gig. The marina restaurant was closed, so we met at Little Gig for a nice evening of sharing stories.
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 – Wilmington, IL (Harborside Marina) to Ottawa, IL (Heritage Harbor Marina)
Today, we were underway 3 hours and 59 minutes, going 31 miles (27 nm), at an average speed of 7.7 MPH (6.7 knots). The 2 locks added 2 hours to our day.
Despite being a short day, we got up early and left at 6:30 AM with Certitude and Little Gig. They had planned on going further that us today, but actually ended up at Heritage Harbor Marina with us when they learned that they would have to raft off at Henry Harbor Marina.
As expected, Dresden Island Lock had its lock gates open for us to enter. We called ahead and knew that no traffic was coming. It was a beautiful morning! As I stood on HOMES’s port side, I notice an eagle’s net in a tree and then saw an eagle fly from that tree to join another eagle at the top of a pine tree. I wonder if they enjoy watching us as much as we like watching them? It looked like they were watching us.
As we pulled into Dresden Island Lock, we were told that only two floating bollards were working, so Little Gig rafted off Certitude. Since I don’t have to hold the line with floating bollards, my hands were free for morning coffee.
After dropping 21.75 feet, we emerged onto the Illinois River. This river is rural, with patches of camp grounds running along the banks in front of farm fields, as well as barges being loaded with grain from huge silos.
Around 10:20 AM, we caught up to Certitude and Litte Gig, as they waited to enter our last lock of the day – Marseilles Lock. Certitude and Little Gig had been waiting a long time for a tow and barge to lock through. Since we travel slower, we only had to hover about 20 minutes before entering the lock. Tim talked with the lock master, who is also the AGLCA harbor host for Heritage Harbor Marina. He will be presenting the river briefing tonight at Heritage Harbor Marina.
After dropping 24.25 feet, we exited Marseilles Lock and traveled the short distance to Heritage Harbor Marina. We filed in behind Certitude and Little Gig. The marina was at 120% capacity, so we were docked along side a party pavilion. A hose and electric box were stretched out to the pavilion for us. We may have been behind the Looper pack up in Lake Michigan, but we’ve found them. Ugh! We aren’t large-group people.
After getting checked in and settled, we walked up to the marina restaurant, Bluegill Boathouse, for dinner. It was called Red Dog Grill last year. At 5:30 PM, the AGLCA harbor host (the lock master who we met at Marseilles Lock) did a briefing on the river systems – Illinois River, Missouri River, Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River – suggesting stops and navigation alerts. We had the same briefing last year, although it was after our flotilla day and we were all very tired. We met our friends on Raina VI here and traveled with them down the rivers and have kept in contact with them since. They bought us dinner when we were in their hometown of Kingstown, Ontario back in July. They have their boat out of the water in Florida for hurricane season and will head to the Bahamas in December or January.
Thursday, September 26, 2024 – Ottawa, IL (Heritage Harbor Marina) to Henry, IL (Henry Harbor Marina)
Today, we were underway 5 hours and 35 minutes, going 46 miles (39.9 nm), at an average speed of 8 MPH (7.1 knots). We had 1 lock, adding an hour to our journey.
We left the marina around 7:00 AM, in a slight fog, with 5 other Looper boats. We had an hour-and-a-half convoy up to Starved Rock Lock. The lock was open and ready for us – as expected, since we called the lock master before leaving the marina.
Starved Rock Lock only had two floating bollards working, so we had to raft off. HOMES is always the boat on the wall because she is so big and heavy.
After dropping 18.7 feet, we proceeded out of the lock, passing Plum Island Eagle Sanctuary on our left. Starved Rock State Park looks like a nice place to visit – 18 canyons, 13 miles of trails, with cliffs of sandstone slicing through tree-covered sandstone bluffs.
After exiting the Starved Rock Lock, it didn’t take long for the other 5 boats to zoom ahead of us. They were all going to Peoria to wait out the “possible” wind from Hurricane Helena predicted for Friday. We are stopping at Henry Harbor Marina, as planned. It was a relief when we were finally traveling alone again. Some Loopers are like children with their first set of walkie-talkies. The self-proclaimed leader of the group thought he needed to call out every floating log and approaching tug – even though he didn’t have AIS, so the tugs couldn’t see him. Therefore, we were happy to pull off into Henry Harbor Marina and be done with the endless, nonsensical chatter on the radio. We laughed when they were kicked off two channels by tow captains telling them to “take it to a different channel.” 😁
Henry Harbor Marina is unique because we tie up inside the old Henry Lock. This old, abandoned lock hasn’t been used since 1927, but in 1870, it was the first lock on the Illinois River. Before the old lock and dam were constructed, the Illinois River was low enough to be forded near Henry. It is an honor to tie up inside this historic lock, but we many be among the last boats to have that honor. The city of Henry is currently trying to renegotiate the lease to get rid of marina. The owners are looking to move their marina to a new location up the river.
After tying up and chatting with the owners of the marina, we put the radar scanner and Direct TV scanner back on top of HOMES’s arch.
With that big job out of the way, we walked the short distance into Henry to get groceries. We got some fruits and veggies at Mackinac Island, but haven’t done a big grocery run since Thronbury, Ontario on September 8th.
Later in the evening, we walked back up to Henry to have dinner at Grandma’s Bar. Last year, the marina owner made a bonfire and gave us s’more fixings, but this year, the city is making them get permits every time they want to have a bonfire. Clearly, the city is making a power play. I was disappointed not to toast marshmallows, but we got to play Xtreme Bingo at Grandma’s Bar. We thought Grandma’s Bar looked sketchy from the outside. However, when we walked inside, Madonna was playing on the jukebox, and the locals couldn’t have been more friendly. We didn’t win any Bingo games, but it was a fun evening!
Friday, September 27, 2024 – Henry, IL (Henry Harbor Marina) to Creve Coeur, IL (Kuchie’s on the Water)
Today, we were underway 4 hours and 29 minutes, going 37 miles (32 nm), at an average speed of 8 MPH (7.1 knots). No locks today!
No other boats joined us in the historic old lock. It’s sad how many Loopers cruise by this wonderful stop. The group we were traveling with yesterday wanted to be in traditional marinas because of the Hurricane Helena. We agree with the owner of Henry Harbor Marina when she said: “But, we’re in Illinois!” It makes sense that the Loopers in lower Illinois, near St. Louis, Missouri are staying put, since storms are swirling over that area. The marinas at Grafton, IL and Alton, IL are at full capacity for this weekend. Hopefully they will all be cleared out when we get there on Monday.
We pulled out of the old Henry lock a little before 7:30 AM. We were not deterred by the predicted 18-20 MPH winds, which never came.
The water was wide today as the river went through Upper Peoria Lake and Peoria Lake. However, wide does NOT mean deep! The channel through here was 11-17-feet deep, but just outside the channel it could be 2-feet deep!
After Peoria Lake, the Illinois River narrowed down again, as we cruised into Peoria – the largest city on the Illinois River and 8th-most populated city in Illinois. We stayed at the Ivy Club in Peoria Heights last year, but this year the water levels are too low for HOMES to get into the marinas in the Peoria area. We did get to see the progress made on the new McClugage Bridge. Last October, we saw the bridge span, which had been floated from downstream, waiting to be lifted into place. It is slated to be completed by Spring 2025.
After passing through Peoria, Tim radioed Peoria & Pekin Union Railroad Bridge for a lift. If we hadn’t have put the radar scanner back up, we would have made it under the bridge by 1 inch. The friendly operator asked us to slow up, so that he could get a trained cleared. In a few minutes, he told us to come on through.
After cruising under the railroad lift bridge, we were only minutes away from our dock at Kuchie’s on the Water. This is a free dock, as long as you eat at the restaurant. We have been looking forward to this iconic stop on the Loop, which we missed last year. There is only room for about two big boats, so we were relieved when all of those Loopers from yesterday went into marinas instead of stopping here.
We didn’t waste any time before walking up to see the iconic Kuchie’s on the Water. We share pulled pork nachos, which may have been the best nachos we’ve ever had! We had a great time talking with the waitresses and a local couple who want to do the Loop in a few years.
We went back to Kuchie’s for dinner and drinks. Actually, my drink was my dinner. I had Kuchie’s famous Shipwreck Bloody Mary, topped with a cheeseburger slider, bacon, olives, shrimp, tomato, meatballs, Colby Jack cheese and a celery stick– voted best Bloody Mary in Peoria 6 years in a row. I’ve never had a Bloody Mary before, so I can’t really compare, but the drink and food on top were delicious!
Saturday, September 28, 2024 – Creve Coeur, IL (Kuchie’s on the Water) to Beardstown, IL (Logsdon Tug Service)
Today, we were underway 7 hours and 27 minutes, going 67 miles (59 nm), at an average speed of 9 MPH (7.9 knots). We received a nice push from the current. However, a lock, a railroad lift bridge, and slowing for barge traffic and a dredging site still added about 2 hours to our day.
We pulled away from Kuchie’s dock around 6:30 AM, just as it was just getting light. The Peoria Lock was only 10 minutes away and the gates were open. We called the lock before leaving, so this wasn’t a surprise.
Peoria Lock was built in 1938-39 as part of the effort to make the Illinois River navigable from Chicago to the Mississippi River. The drop is only 10 feet, so we just hovered in the lock, instead of tying off to a floating bollard.
As I’ve said, the river is low. It’s not uncommon to see docks and barges sitting up on the riverbanks. Today, we passed a dredging site, which is working to keep the channel at its 11-18-foot depth. This equipment continues its way along the river. We happened to meet a tow and barges at the exact point of the dredging site, so we scooted between the two.
The first railway
Our first railroad lift bridge, near Perkins, IL, was already up, so we cruised under. Even if these bridges are up, you must call the bridge tender to make sure it isn’t going to go down while you’re under it. We also got to see several bald eagles sitting on the banks and even an American White Pelican! We first saw one of these pelicans in the Western Basin of Lake Erie last year. These pelicans migrate through most of Illinois, from breeding in Canada to wintering along the Gulf of Mexico.
As we neared our last railroad lift bridge of the day it too was up; however, it was up because a tow and barges were coming. We radioed the barge captain and he requested that we either go through fast or wait. He seemed appreciative when we chose to hang back. Once under the bridge, we could see Logsdon Tug Service – our dock for tonight!
We were surprise that we were alone at this iconic stop in Beardstown, IL. Logsdon Tow Service’s office was closed, so we put $56.00 ($1.00/foot) into an envelope and dropped it in a metal box near the office. We wasted no time climbing the steep stairway up to town.
We were wasting no time because we wanted to visit the Old Lincoln Courtroom and Museum. We missed visiting here last year by about 10 minutes. Despite weaving through a fair that was going on around the town square, we still got to the museum an hour before closing. We had a personal tour by a local lady, who appeared, from the comments she made, to be in her 90s. She had a wealth of knowledge about Beardstown and Abraham Lincoln.
On the second floor is the courtroom where, on May 7, 1858, Abraham Lincoln successfully defended Duff Armstrong on murder charges. In 1858, Lincoln was already a well-established attorney and was running for the U.S. Senate against Stephen Douglas – a race he would lose, but he would be elected president two years later. Lincoln took on this murder case for free because Armstrong’s parents were long-time friends of Lincoln. This trial is known as the Almanac Trial, because Lincoln used an almanac to prove there was no full moon – showing that the prosecutor’s eye witness couldn’t have seen the murder clearly in the light of the full moon. The 1939 movie Young Mr. Lincoln, staring Henry Fonda, is loosely based on this trial. This is the only courtroom where Lincoln practiced that is still used as a courtroom today. It is only used once a month for hearings, but it seems to be an honor for those who get to practice here.
After dinner on HOMES, we walked back up to Beardstown to get pastries from La Familia Bakery Panaderia & Taqueria. We came here last year with three other Looper couples after we had dinner at Little Mexico. Beardstown has a large Hispanic and Latino population. A large pork slaughterhouse, formerly Oscar Mayer, is a major employer and has attracted a substantial immigrant population.
Another great stop!
Sunday, September 29, 2024 – Beardstown, IL (Logsdon Tug Service) to Hardin, IL (Mel’s Illinois Riverdock Restaurant)
Today, we were underway 7 hours and 40 minutes, going 64 miles (56nm), at an average speed of 8 MPH (7.3 knots). A long wait at La Grange Lock and 1 lift bridge added over 3 hours to our day.
A little before 7:00 AM, we pulled away from Logsdon Tug Service, after untying from the massive cleats on the barge.
La Grange Lock is an hour away, so it was too soon to call the lock about barge traffic, although Tim didn’t see anything on the radar. Unfortunately, when we got to La Grange, a tow was just pushing barges into the lock. We know that means about a 2-hour wait… and it was!
The locking procedure is tedious: 1) the tow pushes the barges into the lock; 2) the tow unhooks from the barges; 3) the barges are lifted in the lock; 4) the barges are wenched out of the lock; 5) the lock is lowered for the tow; 6) the tow comes up in the lock; 7) the barges are reattached to the tow; and, 8) the tow and barges go on their merry way.
After hovering for 2 hours and 10 minutes, we entered the lock. It is only a 10-foot drop, so we just hovered in the middle of the lock. As we exited the lock another tow and barges were waiting to come in. We were so glad that we made it before him! Coming out of the lock, the port side lock gate didn’t open all the way. We heard the lock master tell the waiting tow that he was calling maintenance. We may have just dodged a very long day!
The rest of our cruise was uneventful. We passed several tows and barges going in the opposite direction. One captain radioed to say that HOMES is “a fine looking rig!” We had one lift bridge, which the bridge tender lifted immediately for us. He said he was watching us approach and knew we’d need a lift. The traffic that had to wait for us problem felt a little like we did at the lock; however, we only took a few minutes to go under – not 2 hours and 10 minutes.
We pulled up to Mel’s Riverdock Restaurant around 4:30 PM. We spun around to dock into the current. Another iconic stop on the Loop, which we missed last time. The docks of the iconic stops are usually this bad.
Here is where we’ll leave you this week. After breakfast at Mel’s tomorrow morning we’ll make our way to the Upper Mississippi River and Alton, IL, where we’re staying at Alton Marina until Wednesday morning.
See you next week!
Thanks for reading!