Lucky with Locks –
Ottawa on to Henry
Our journey to the next
stop included three locks and about 50 miles. Since the time at locks can be
unpredictable, we called the first lock at 6:15 AM and cast off quickly when
they informed us it was looking good. Locks have to be a little cagey since
they can’t make promises to boats like ours. Locking through is a priority
system with recreation or pleasure boats such as Erben Renewal at the bottom,
so when an opportunity was offered we hurried on to get through before a
commercial barge could get in the queue. Our luck held as we moved forward to the
second lock a ways down river with only a few tows on our radar(AIS). The third
and last lock of the day was an even bigger stroke of luck. We first called the
tow just ahead of us and asked if we could pass – he said no! We then called
the lock to ask if we should slow down and how long we might have to wait for
that preceding tug to pass. Unbeknownst to us, the lock had a Corps of
Engineer’s boat that had even higher priority than the barge tows and they
wanted us to lock through before the tug with that Corps boat. So the lock instructed the tug to let us pass
and we put it in ‘highest gear’ – making about 9.5 MPH – super fast for us. Now
hanging out at a lock for permission to lock through is not all bad, especially
if we can tie up and wait comfortably and watch the wildlife, but the temps
this last week have been in the mid 90’s & muggy and sitting still is
HOT.
We were glad to get through and on
to the dock in Ottawa which included electricity – eventually. The kind police department organized the
maintenance crew and an electrician to get us power so we could turn on the
A/Cs and have some cool air. As a result we hung around Ottawa an extra day to
catch up on chores and enjoy the town’s amenities. Laundry was convenient as advertised as was a
grocery store. With these basics out of the way the royal We savored the cool
air in a couple antique malls and the not so cool air in the Reddick Mansion
historic home. This beauty was built
before the Civil War and bore witness to the Lincoln/Douglas debate held in the
square opposite the house. There is a
dramatic monument to this debate, one of the formative debates in Lincoln’s
eventual rise to the presidency and the formulation of his anti-slavery stance.
The house was deeded to the city to be used as a library after Mr. Reddick’s
death. When the library outgrew the building, a foundation took over to
preserve it with period rooms of the era. The town of Ottawa also sports
numerous murals from the “Brush with History Mural Program”. These depict key
events in the city’s past, including the debate. We also found it interesting
that one mural paid tribute to the Peltier glass works which used to be in
Ottawa – glass from this factory was used by the Tiffany Company and in the
mosaics we admired in the Chicago Cultural Center. Even though we have
travelled two days south from Chicago, we are still along the old Illinois and
Michigan Canal which was probably used to transport the glass to Chicago and
the limestone from quarries in Joliet to Ottawa for the many impressive
buildings here. As in days gone by, we ducked into the Roxie movie house to
keep cool with The Butler.”
P.S. visit the link to learn about the sculpture - aunt to our department secretary - who created this memorial to the Lincoln Douglas debate.
What a small world!
Before we reached our
next stop, we finally came to the end of the I & M canal when we passed the
spot where its remnants join the Illinois River. The region served by this
canal has been declared a Heritage Corridor with bike paths, canal trips on
short sections, and festivals to celebrate the history of this waterway
although most the visitors come by car these days. It is a shame that the entire
canal itself was not preserved like the Erie Canal for recreational use. Sadly, it was replaced in the early 1930s by
the locks and dams which now control the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers and
the shipping canals coming out of Chicago. The early visionaries like Father
Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet who saw the immense value of a waterway
connecting Lake Michigan with the Gulf of Mexico would not be surprised that
this route is still a major channel for commerce as evidenced by the barges we
have been dodging.
In an effort to keep
cool we next stopped at Henry, IL – where we docked at the old lock wall in the
Henry Harbor Landings Marina which came with POWER. This little town needs some
TLC, but still has some charming features.
Even though they had record flood levels last April (read over 20 feet
above flood stage), the parks along the river were green retreats. Wide streets
with sidewalks and big trees made wandering the residential areas a shaded
venture even with the high temps. Maybe it was the heat, but we made regular
stops at the unique and classic Dairy Queen, hit a few antique stores hunting
buttons and books, plus scored some veggies and snacks at the Saturday Market
in the town square. We found a laundry and a hardware store as well as a very
well stocked grocery all close to the harbor making this a super stop for
cruisers with plenty of deep water at our dock.
The low water along the river has had a negative impact on our choices
for where to stop going south. We hope to
hang out in Peoria if we can get to the city docks and then we will have a few
very, very long days as we approach the end of our time on the Illinois River
which empties into the mighty Mississippi.
