As we entered the Cal Sag/Calumet River we also entered the world of bridges, barges/tows, dams and locks.
It’s time for the navigator to start earning her keep again - checking bridge heights, requesting openings, watching for tows.
After 30 miles and one lock we again turned left and joined the Illinois River.
Our journey on the Illinois River took us 303 miles and through 8 locks dropping us 157 feet from Lake Michigan water level.
This took us 6 days of cruising with our final destination: Grafton Harbor Marina where the Illinois River meets the Mississippi.
ALONG THE WAY….
Sunny, sunny, sunny weather.
Four nights on anchor, 3 nights in a marina.
Best brisket and pulled port this side of anywhere at the Blue Duck Tavern in Peoria.
Bumping into, meeting, sharing anchorages and stories with many, many Loppers. (On a sad note, a couple we met at the marina made the decision to pause their Loop and leave their boat in Grafton to tend to their home on Pine Island, near Fort Myers, that was damaged by Hurricane Ian. Because they had to empty out their boat fridge and freezer they grilled up all their meat and shared it with all of us. What a feast we had!)
Next up…the Mississippi River!
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| First lock. Many more to come! |
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| Asian carp fish barrier |
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| Work, work, work. Finding the perfect anchorage. |
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| Work paid off…perfect anchorage |
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| Dinghy exploration of our anchorage |
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| Pulling anchor - beautiful morning! |
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| Tied to a mooring cell while waiting for a lock |
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| Locking thru with 6 other Looper boats |
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| Captain checking depths for an anchorage |
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| Grafton. Key West of the Midwest! |
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