Chicago to Grand River, Kentucky - September 5- 16

For the next eleven days we traveled the inland rivers.  I’d like to say I felt like Huckleberry Finn, but I am hardly floating down river on a raft with a slave!  Nevertheless, we were excited as we began this new chapter of our great loop adventure.

After heading south on  Lake Michigan to Calumet Harbor, we turned onto the Calumet River and traveled 30 miles through the Calumet-Sag Channel to the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.  After going through the Thomas O’Brian Lock, we joined the Illinois River.  We passed under many bridges on this part of our journey but the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Swing Bridge has a clearance of 19”.  Since it does not open, we had to take down our mast and bimini to squeeze under the bridge.

Rambler is entering the Calumet River and heading south!

Slow going under the lowest fixed bridge.

We also passed through the Electric Fish Barrier without incident.  A sign indicates that boaters must report their entry into this .8 mile barrier. A press release in April 2009 announced "An underwater electric barrier between the Illinois River and Great Lakes will be switched on in hopes of preventing the spread of invasive species between the two basins -- in particular the advance of the voracious and dreaded Asian carp." The USCG did not respond to our call so we proceeded, carefully following the instructions to avoid touching any metal on the boat and to not put our hand in the water!  For safety reasons, last September, pleasure boats were required to pay $600 to be towed through this area.  We did what we were told and we survived.

We were warned to not touch any metal as we passed through this .8 mile electrified waterway.

We safely made passage without getting electrocuted!!

We cruised  330 miles and traversed 7 locks on the from Chicago to the Mississippi River in 4 days.  The first night on the river we stayed at Harborside Marina at mile 273.5.  We arrived late enough in the day to stay at their fuel dock since they have very limited transient dockage.  We cooked steak on our grill and went to bed.

Entering the O'Brian Lock

These locks use floating bollards to secure the boats in the lock  We simply use one of our lines to wrap around the bollard and then cleat it back to the boat.  As water fills the lock the bollards and the boats rise with it. This method locking through is relatively easy.

Lines secured on a floating bollard

At one lock, we were allowed to lock through with a barge and its tug.

Day 2 greeted us with very strong winds which made cruising more difficult.  We cruised  about 40 miles and arrived at Starved Rock Marina at 3:45.  Our dock was directly on the river and the wind was wicked, pushing us away from the dock.  With my help with lines and two dock hands, Richard was able to force the boat to the dock.  After that experience we relaxed and then had a nice dinner at the marina restaurant.

We enjoyed a delicious fish dinner at Captain's Cove.

After such a windy day, Captain Richard was very happy to relax on land!

We left Starved Rock at 7:15 a.m. to begin a very long day on the water.  Our destination, Peoria, was over 70 miles down river.  Again, the wind made our cruise more difficult and tiring.  We also experienced Asian Carp jumping frantically in the wakes of fishing boats.  Apparently they are agitated by the sound of the motor.  We even saw some men on a bass boat using spear guns to harpoon the jumping carp!

This river boat is a restaurant that I would have liked to visit.

When we arrived in Peoria no dockage  was available at the free town docks.  We called some of the area marinas but  they couldn’t accommodate our 42’ trawler.  As a last resort we called Detweiller Marina.  Richard spoke to Denny who agreed to let us spend the night at his fuel dock.  He wouldn’t take any money   after helping us dock, again in windy conditions.  We are very thankful for his kindness and generosity.
Our day wasn’t over though.  A run-down house boat  narrowly missed broad siding us as the captain lost control of it in the wind.  With Richard guarding Rambler and giving directions to the guys on board the other boat, I helped secure the lines once they made it to their dock.  For several minutes  it was “touch and go.”  Fortunately, no one was hurt and no damage was done.

We passed barges like this all day long on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers.

On September 8 we left Peoria at 5:45 a.m. after calling the Peoria lockmaster, requesting passage.  On the rivers commercial vessels have precedence in the locks over pleasure boaters.  Because of maintenance on the Peoria Lock, pleasure boaters were only allowed lockage from 5 p.m until 7 a.m.  Since we couldn’t travel the 35 miles to a marina after the lock, we had to go through just after sunrise.  We arrived at the lock at 6:15, entered the lock at 6:30 and exited at 6:55.  We were very lucky to get through  so easily.  The key was calling the lockmaster and requesting permission.  We have found all of the lock hands to be very helpful and pleasant.

On the Illinois River we passed Peoria on our way to the Peoria Lock.

These locks were built by the US Army Corp of Engineers.

Approaching the Peoria Lock early in the morning at the beginning of another beautiful warm and sunny day.

Our day ended 141 miles and 13 hours later when we arrived in Harden, Illinois.  With a reserved dock waiting for us at Illinois Riverdock/Restaurant, five other loopers were there to help us tie up for the night.    We knew this was a not-to-be-missed stop  because of  Mel’s famous barbecued ribs and slow-cooked beef brisket. The restaurant’s owner and chef  fed us well. The long cruise was well worth it.  The next morning we joined the other loopers for breakfast before we all untied our lines.


Grafton, Illinois, our next stop, was only 20 miles away so we enjoyed the short cruise to Grafton Harbor Marina, the Key west of the Midwest. Since the clouds shed rain just as we settled in we spent the afternoon doing laundry and relaxing.  Richard prepared for a meeting he needed to attend in Chicago the next day.  While he was away, I enjoyed catching up on my reading and visiting the shops in Grafton.  That evening we ate dinner at Ruebel’s Hotel where Mark Twain once stayed.  Our third day there, we enjoyed the annual art show in the park.  The sun finally shone and late afternoon we invited Charles and  Sandy, loopers on All That Chas to join us at the Aeries Winery and  Restaurant on the hilltop.  The view of the Illinois River was spectacular.  We could even see the very top of the St. Louis Arch in the distance.

Rambler  on T-dock at Grafton Harbor Marina

Ruebel Hotel

On the main street of Grafton during the Annual Art Show.

The view from the Aerie Restaurant

The Illinois River view.  St. Louis is just on the horizon.

Another view of the Illinois

As we drank our wine these musicians entertained us.

Sandy and Charlie joined us for the afternoon into the evening.  They began the Loop last March in Venice, Florida.

In Grafton we enjoyed good food, good drink and good friends!  Good-night Moon...

Grafton is located on the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers.  For the next 200 miles we cruised south on the angry, dirty, debris-filled Mississippi River.  Because of the floating sticks and logs, we ruined the prop on our bow thruster as we exited one of the locks.  We added this to the list of repairs needed while we are at Green Turtle Bay Marina.

Sunday, September 12 we cruised less than 20 miles to Alton, Illinois.  The warm, cloudless morning provided very comfortable boating.  We checked in at Alton Marina and enjoyed the beautiful day.  In the evening we grilled spareribs while sipping our cocktails.  It doesn’t get better than this!!

The next day, we rented a car to provision for the rest of our trip on the rivers.  In the afternoon we drove 22 miles  to St. Louis, where we visited the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.  While there we watched “The Lewis and Clark Exhibition” on a four-story movie screen, visited the Museum of Westward Expansion, and took the journey to the top of the 630-foot Gateway Arch on a tram and enjoyed the wonderful birds-eye views of St. Lewis.  After driving back to Alton, we invited Kevin Burroughs and his family to board Rambler for a look around.  Kevin and his wife, Cynthia are planning to travel up the Illinois River next year, so we were able to answer their many questions.  Their grandson, Elijah,  was more interested in exploring our tug!  Kevin very kindly gave us a CD of his instrumental gospel music, Fingers of Fire, and we thoroughly enjoy listening to his music! The end of our evening led us to  Chez Marilyn’s for pasta and then to Argosy Casino to play the slots for an hour.

The Alton Bridge took us south to St. Louis

The Gateway Arch and Old Courthouse sit on more than 90 acres of green space along the Mississippi River.

Gateway Arch

The Old Courthouse is where slaves Dred and Harriet Scott sued for their freedom and Virginia Minor fought for women's right to vote.

As we waited to take the tram to the top of the arch, I hung out with Mark Twain, one of my favorite authors.

Merriwether Lewis and William Clark set out from St. Louis on their Pacific Ocean exhibition (1806-1807)

Tuesday we went to Hoppies  in Kimmswick. Missouri for an unforgettable experience! This marina is actually 300 feet of barges secured to land.  Fern and Charles  have run this marina for the past 37 years after taking over when Charles’ father passed away.  Fern made sure we were securely tied to the dock and later in the day she met with us and three other loopers to inform us how to talk to the barge captains to insure our safety and theirs, how to best navigate the river, and where to anchor for the next two nights since no other marinas are available until we get to Green Turtle Bay Marina.  Richard and I also enjoyed a late lunch at the locally well-known Blue Owl Restaurant & Bakery.  All of their meals are homemade, including their huge menu of pies.  Their German potato salad was excellent with their sandwiches.  I also enjoyed a cup of cream of broccoli soup.  Before we paid our bill, Richard also ordered a min strawberry-rhubarb pie to go.  Yum!!

As we traveled through St. Louis on the river the view of the Arch and Courthouse is spectacular!

Traveling south on the muddy Mississippi

High cliffs grace the west side of the Mississippi.  In contrast the east side is relatively flat and non-descript.

Trains run frequently along the river.

We shared the waterway with up to 15 loaded barges pushed by a tow boat as well as many fishermen in bass boats.

Hoppies Marina where we shared the dock with 2 other Loopers.

Fern takes extremely good care of her dockers, helping captains dock and tie-up safely and meeting with all of the boaters to go over charts and anchorages to insure a safe and comfortable trip down the river.

Homemade food at its finest is found at this charming restaurant.

Kimmswick is a town with much history.  The Burgess Howe House is a restored 1840's log house.

Wednesday we left Fern and her barges mid-morning after waiting for heavy fog to lift.  We traveled with All That Chas for over 100 miles to anchor in Little Diversion Channel at mile 48.8.  Setting the anchor was very easy in 12 feet of water with a mud bottom.  Running our generator, we had a quiet evening on the boat and enjoyed spaghetti and meatballs.

We tucked up into Little Diversion Channel, one of a few places to safely anchor off the river.

At anchor in Little Diversion Channel

Thursday Sept.  16 as we came upon Cairo, Illinois we turned east to go up the Ohio River.  This river is cleaner, has less commercial traffic and is much more scenic that the Mississippi. In the early evening we anchored in the Cumberland Island Towhead  off the Ohio River at mile 923.5.  What a delightful, peaceful place to spend the night!  I prepared beef burgundy and tossed salad for dinner and then we sat outside and stared at the stars.

As we passed Paducah, we went through one lock on the Ohio River.

This  new lock on the Ohio River is expected to open in 2013.

This is where we anchored in Cumberland Island Towhead.  While Richard maneuvers the boat, I am on the bow dropping the anchor using a foot-controlled electric windlass.

We have seen many beautiful sunsets, but this one while we were at Cumberland Island Towhead was spectacular!

The Cumberland River flows into the Ohio River at mile 923.0 on which we traveled through the Barkley Lock at mile 30.6, arriving 1 mile later at Green Turtle Bay Marina.  This marina, located on the man-made Kentucky Lake, was voted a Great Loopers’ “Best Stop” by cruisers from the Great Lakes to Florida.  We arrived around 1:15 after going through the Barkley Lock into Kentucky Lake.  We docked next to Charles and Sandy but several other loopers we have met along the way also shared our finger dock.  Let the Loopers’ docktail parties begin!!

Sandy captured a photo of Rambler underway.  We usually travel at about 8-9 knots (approx. 10 mph).

Before we entered this lock, the lockmaster told us to have two 50 foot lines to secure our boat as we dropped down 25 feet.

We arrived at Green Turtle Bay Marina at 1:15 p.m. on Friday, September 17.

For the next month, GTB Marina is our home.  We flew to Rochester, NY to spend time with family and friends.  When we return in mid-October, we will continue on our way south.