Great Friends and Superman

Our Friends, Dave and Rita Park picked us up at Green Turtle Bay. We were fortunate to be able to spend 5 days with them at their hilltop farm in Brookport, Illinois. We had a fabulous visit. It was wonderful to see their new home and the plans they have to remodel and make it their own. We toured Metropolis, home of Superman and sampled the Barbeque at the cook-off downtown. Fort Massac on the banks of the Ohio River has been rebuilt and provides a wonderful view of the Ohio River and a glimpse of life in days gone by. George Rogers Clark is prominent along the river bank. We toured Paducah, KY with its vibrant art community and saw the flood walls covered with historical murals of the area. One highlight for Harry was helping Dave with some of the chores and getting to drive the tractor! We took Dave and Rita on a boat ride through the Barkley Lock and had a barbeque along the banks of the Cumberland River.

We had wonderful home-cooked meals and evenings by the fire interspersed with dinners out. They are wonderful friends and we truly enjoyed the time we were with them. We are currently at Green Turtle Bay in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. We will depart in the morning to continue our trip along the “blue highway” toward the Gulf of Mexico.

The Mighty Mississippi and More

Our trip down the Mississippi began at Grafton, IL. After being warned of the industrial nature of this river we were not looking forward to this portion of the trip. We were greeted by a beautiful day to begin this voyage complimented by the striking cliffs along the river banks. The considerable barge traffic was interesting, the largest was a huge tow pushing 49 barges all lashed together!

The strong current and commercial traffic required close attention at all times. There are few places to anchor for the night and only one “marina” on the 218 mile section of the Mississippi on which we traveled. Our first day on the Mississippi, we passed through two locks and the Chain of Rocks Canal then cruised by St. Louis with its arch, the ” Gateway to the West” glistening in the sunlight. It was an exciting day. Our destination was Hoppie’s Marine Service, actually a series of barges anchored into a high stone cliff. Fern, the owner helped us with our lines, filled our fuel tanks and gave us a briefing of what we should expect on the rest of our journey along the rivers, the safe anchorages and the areas to be especially alert. It was valuable information. Hoppie’s is the last gasoline available for the next 249 miles. We bought additional gas cans to carry and had a “plan B” should that be necessary. The rest of the Mississippi was traveled at slow speed to conserve fuel. We alternated engines and cruised on one engine at a time which increases range but, we found, does not adequately charge the batteries for the required usage while anchored at night. We stopped at the Kaskaskia Lock, Little Diversion Canal and in an area off of the river nearly under the 1-57 Bridge. The first two were pretty little spots, secluded and off of the river, the last was simply a safe place to stop. Our last day on the Mississippi began at 7AM when we pulled anchor. Forty minutes later we turned onto the Ohio River where we would be traveling against the current for the remainder of the trip. The rain began to fall; this was our “plan B” day. Just prior to the new Olmstead Lock and Dam was a launch ramp, we pulled over and anchored 20’ from shore, launched the dinghy and waited for our good friend from our Navy days, Dave Park to arrive with 30 gallons of gas!

One hour later, Dave departed taking the empty gas cans and our trash bags. A true friend! Not only were we certain we could make it, we had the fuel to speed up as the weather was changing rapidly. We traveled 58 miles on the Ohio River, as we reached the confluence of the Cumberland we elected to continue rather than anchor for the night as heavy rains were predicted upriver with the potential to make things very treacherous. The Cumberland is a beautiful river, the skies cleared, the Herons and Egrets were plentiful and we even spotted a pair of Bald Eagles high in a tree overlooking the river. It was an enjoyable ride. As the sun set and the sky darkened we reached our last lock, the Barkley Lock. Once lifted the 57 feet into Lake Barkley we found our way to Green Turtle Bay Marina in the dark. We were happy to be securely tied to the dock as a light rain began to fall.

Heading South on America’s Great River System

Departing Chicago on Sunday, September 27^th we chose the scenic route through the city by way of the Chicago River. The day was bright and sunny, adding to the excitement and the beauty of this particular stretch. Once through the Chicago Lock, the Chicago River passes through downtown under a series of bridges before turning onto the South Branch, passing under 40 bridges in the first 5 miles. The lowest fixed bridge along this stretch has a 17 foot “air draft” (the distance between the water and the bottom of the bridge), limiting many boats from taking this route. One railroad bridge which is usually in the up position was down awaiting the arrival of not one but two trains. Once these trains passed, it was raised to allow us to pass underneath. The Chicago River becomes the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal which is very industrial. The flow of the river was actually changed in order to allow refuse, etc. to flow away from Lake Michigan from which drinking water was obtained for Chicago. As we continued along, several rivers joined to become the Illinois River, the location of the now infamous “Carp Barrier”. This ¾ mile stretch of the Illinois River receives a strong electrical charge designed to stop the spread of the invasive Asian Carp into the Great Lakes. For a time this summer the river was completely closed to recreational vessels. Subsequently they were allowed to be towed through as long as all electricity within the vessel was disabled, all batteries were disconnected and a substantial towing cost was paid. After a series of tests, the Coast Guard now allows vessels to proceed slowly through this area under their own power once the owners agrees they understand the risks and will assume all responsibility. We were happy to be through this area and once again on our journey. The trip along the Illinois River was very pleasant with some beautiful scenery interspersed with some very industrial areas. We stopped in Joliet where we spent an extra day due to high winds and tornado warnings. Ottawa, at the confluence of the Fox and Illinois Rivers had a very pretty waterfront dock. This historical town was the site of one of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates and attractive murals decorated many of the downtown buildings. The river passed through rural farmland and areas with high banks which were heavily wooded, beginning to show their fall colors. We saw elaborate duck blinds being prepared for the upcoming hunting season and hundreds of white pelicans gathered together in calm water, many taking flight as we passed. We spent an enjoyable night at the Illinois Valley Yacht Club; their dining room had fabulous views across the river, then stopped in Havana where we were treated to the high school Homecoming Parade.

Our last stop on the Illinois River was at Grafton, located at the confluence of the Illinois and the Mississippi Rivers. Grafton bills itself as the “Key West of the Midwest”. We were there on a Saturday, it was a lively place. We traveled through eight locks on this stretch; these were large commercial locks, 110 feet wide by 600 feet long. We were told that 17.5 million gallons of water was moved through one lock each time it was raised or lowered, this lock lowered our boat 35 feet. Each one is a new experience.

Chicago

Chicago appeared before us through the fog, a beautiful skyline along Lake Michigan. Our reservations were at Burnham Harbor, across Lake Shore Drive from Soldier Field with its imposing façade which is even more beautiful at night. Very pleased with our location, our first afternoon was spent riding our bicycles along Lake Shore Drive for our first orientation of what would await us as we explored this fascinating city. Riding around Soldier Field, we found that we could get onto the grounds but were unable to book a tour during our visit. We enjoyed the beautiful memorial, “Dedicated to the Defenders of our Liberty” and the fact that Soldier Field itself is dedicated to the men and women of the armed services. The exterior was clearly from the original stadium with a much larger and more modern addition that was added in 2003. It presented a striking appearance along the shoreline. Our visit included Navy Pier with its large Ferris wheel and the monument to the Captains who have plied the waters of Lake Michigan carrying cargo and passengers, “Captain on the Helm”. One of the highlights was an architectural cruise which highlighted many of the architecturally significant buildings along Chicago’s Riverfront. Chicago is said to be the birthplace of the skyscraper. We went to Millennium Park to see “Cloud Gate” a free form sculpture of shiny Stainless Steel by the British artist, Anish Kapoor and to Grant Park with its enormous fountain. The Museum of Science and Industry contains the only German submarine captured during World War II, U-505. We pedaled our bikes the eight miles to the museum in Jackson Park to see it for ourselves. We spent several hours at this exhibit alone finding it fascinating.

The building itself was of interest as it is one of the few remaining from the 1893 Columbian Exposition. Of course, no trip to Chicago would be complete without a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago or sampling some of the fine restaurants. We were satisfied that we packed so much into our available time. As we departed, we could glance once more at Soldier Field with the Planetarium in the foreground and the Chicago Skyline as we entered the Chicago Lock, entrance to the Chicago River and the beginning of our trip along the river system toward the Gulf of Mexico.