ssloop: Grafton-Grand Haven

Good thing we like Grafton, Illinois! Due to the rainy, windy weather, we ended up staying at Grafton Harbor Marina for 4 nights. Our down time was spent cleaning the boat - inside and out (washing off the Mississippi River grunge), re-provisioning, giving Steve a much needed haircut, and enjoying the fun, yummy restaurants in town. A short walk from the boat is the Grafton SkyTour which is a scenic aerial-lift. We rode the chairlift up to the top where we had amazing views from the Aerie's Resort and Winery of where the Mississippi River and the Illinois River join. Our ride back down was on the gondola.

On Wednesday it was time to begin traveling the Illinois River. Due to the recent rains and flooding we had to once again constantly dodge huge logs as we fought the current. Some areas along the river had massive stockpiles of logs and debris jammed everywhere. After traveling 96 miles we pulled behind Bar Island and dropped the hook for the night. Early Thursday morning we were back on log watch as we traveled 79 miles to Peoria. That night we anchored out in a bay across from town and took the dinghy in for a spectacular dinner of pulled pork and brisket at The Blue Duck BBQ Tavern. We anchored out 2 more nights along the river before popping out into Lake Michigan - 6:30 Sunday evening. It was cold, windy and we were tired! We pulled into Hammond Marina and tied up to the 1st dock we came to. For the 3rd time in our boating career we were thrilled to be done with locks, bridges, tows, barges, and logs on the rivers!

Chicago! On Monday, we left Hammond Marina and cruised over to DuSable Marina located downtown Chicago where we stayed for 2 nights. Tuesday was Sheli's 60 birthday and what a fun birthday it was! After walking into the city for a fabulous birthday breakfast, we took off on the dinghy for a cruise thru downtown on the Chicago River. Coming in from Lake Michigan we had to pass thru the Chicago Harbor Lock at Navy Pier - a drop of 4 feet! It was so fun to putz along while taking in all the high rise buildings and their impressive architecture. Later in the afternoon we walked over to Navy Pier to enjoy the rides and some famous Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.

On Wednesday, it was time to head to Michigan. We had an absolutely gorgeous day to cross from Chicago to New Buffalo. About 5 miles out from New Buffalo we stopped and swam. It felt so good to swim in the clean and clear (non-salt) waters of Lake Michigan. Once again the weather turned windy and cold so we spent 3 nights at the New Buffalo Municipal Marina. On Saturday, we left New Buffalo with thoughts of Saugatuck as our next stop, however Lake Michigan did not cooperate and beat us up pretty good, so we only traveled 29 miles and stopped in St Joseph where we tied to their city wall. By the next morning, the winds died down and so did Lake Michigan so we had a nice cruise up to Saugatuck. We anchored out just off the lake in the Saugatuck Channel and had a lovely last evening before our final leg. On Monday, 4 weeks after beginning this trek, we cruised 30 miles and pulled into Keenan Marina by noon.

After 3-1/2 years and 7820 miles PV2 is back in Grand Haven. What a ride!!!!!!