The Cruising Adventures of Wally and Darcy: Sept. 9-15, 2016 Illinois River Travel: Chicago, IL MM 327 to Valley City, IL MM 61.3... Westernmost point of the Great Loop and on to Grafton, IL MM 0

Sept. 9-15, 2016 Illinois River Travel: Chicago, IL MM 327 to Valley City, IL MM 61.3...

Westernmost point of the Great Loop and on to Grafton, IL MM 0

Our friend John took this picture from the Michigan Ave Bridge as we passed by

It has taken me a week to get my mind wrapped around this “River Travel” thing! After being trounced by Lake Michigan, we came jubilantly to the rivers. It didn’t take long for the feeling of relief to be soundly dashed. We quickly learned that “Pleasure Craft” get no respect from either Lock Masters or Tug/Tow Captains. We have been reduced to two letters, and lower-case at that... p.c. It takes the “pleasure” out of “pleasure craft” to hear them ask, “Are you a p.c.?” with a snarly, put-out tone in their voice. Since commerce is what the lock system is all about, we are a nuisance. The Lock Masters have to fit p.c.’s in between the line-up of commercial tugs and tows waiting to lock up-river and down. When it’s GOOD, it’s GOOD; when it’s NOT, it’s NOT. On Day One, we were the only vessel at the lock. The red flashing light changed to green, and in we went. On Day Two, at the Lock Master’s request, we waited two hours at our overnight dock before arriving at the lock. Without one encouraging word, the Lock Master kept us circling the lock entrance area, dodging tugs and tows, for the next four hours! (No anchorage or tie-up areas were provided.) We’ve learned that the Lock Masters tend to say “p.c.” more sweetly if we call the lock on the phone and humbly ask, “We are a p.c. requesting a downriver lock-through... when should we arrive?”

But all in all, we seem to be making peace with becoming p.c.‘s and River Rats. As we move along the river, tug captains step out of their pilot house and wave...with both arms! As we meet or overtake tugs with six to nine barges (tows...even though they are mostly being pushed), we’ve learned to ask, “This is the p.c. meeting you (or overtaking you), would you like to see us on the 1 or on the 2?” If the reply is “see you on the 1”, we move to the right, if the reply is, “see you on the 2”, we move to the left. Right now the river level is 7 1/2 feet above normal. That means that we have more water under us than the charts indicate, but we have less air height over us when we come to the bridges. A bridge that the waterway guides listed as having 32 feet clearance, actually had only 23 feet today. (We put our radar/ TV antenna mast back up once we cleared the 40 bridges in the first 5 miles departing Chicago.) Instead of the 14’ 4” clearance that we once had, we now extend 22’ 4” above the water. The 23’ clearance that the Bridge Tender announced to us was just too close to take a chance with, so we had to ask him to lift the railway bridge for us. He was quick to accomodate us and as we cleared, he wish us safe travels. Now that makes the day so much more pleasant!! There are very few choices of marinas or anchorages along the Illinois River. For us it’s been: (1) Joliet, IL free dock with electrical hook-ups provided, (2) Harborside Marina Fuel Dock with Dockaminiums surrounding us and the fabulous Big Fish Bar and Grill on the property, (3) Buffalo Rocks State Park anchorage below the bluffs at Ottawa, IL, (4) Hamm’s Holiday Harbor Marina in Rome, IL surrounded by the owner’s eclectic collection of tugs, barges, paddle-wheel casino boats, and ships of all sizes, (5) Tall Timbers Marina, Havana, IL where it looked good, it smelled good, it was good in every way, (6) Big Blue Island anchorage north, where we are nestled near the river bank watching the traffic came and go. This is just past MM 61.3, the westernmost point on our Great Loop Journey. New Looper friends tucked into the south end of the island and dinghied over for a visit. Now that how this Looper Thing is supposed to be!