Patience is a Virtue
The last couple of days since Roger and Jo have joined has been a exercise in patience. First, the Volvo engine service I had scheduled three weeks ago for the morning of 4 September got canceled because the technician came down with COVID. Sooo, they rescheduled for the following morning at 9 AM. We had planned to leave first thing in the morning on the 5th so had to adjust the plan a bit. Then, Roger and Jo’s plane had mechanical issues in London and was late arriving at Chicago. Instead of eating out somewhere as originally planned, we ate on the boat - not a major issue.
Instead of arriving at 9AM to do the engine service as promised, the technician arrived after 10 AM putting us even further behind. Eventually, we got underway at 12:30 and, because of the engine service, plus lock and bridge delays, we didn’t arrive in Joliet until 7:30 PM when it was dark. The good news was that the free dock in Joliet still had room for us when we arrived. The bad news was that we were about 100 feet away from a draw bridge which was incredibly noisy with traffic all night. If that wasn’t enough, the bridge opened several times during the night for barge traffic. Each time the bridge opened, the siren went off to indicated the bridge was about to open followed but a constant ringing of a bell while the bridge was opened. It made for a less-than-restful night’s sleep.
Today, we encountered a railroad bridge which was closed that should have been open so we lost 30 minutes there. The first lock we passed this morning was all tied up with a long tow locking through which delayed us a further 2 hours and 30 minutes. For our last lock, there was a thunderstorm that closed the lock for a brief period which delayed up another 30 minutes. We finally arrived at the marina in Ottawa, Illinois around 7 PM, tired but glad to be here.
Tomorrow, it’s on to Henry, Illinois.
Leaving Chicago. That's the Sears Tower (the original name known by locals) in the background - 110 stories high.
Loading gravel on one of the many barges we saw near Chicago
In order to prevent Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan, an electric barrier exists. Dangling the feet of unruly crew members in the water helps improve morale.
Sunset near Joliet, Illinois
A tow boat passing us by at Joliet. The free dock was annoyingly close to the bridge.
Roger and Jo
Pete, Roger, and Jo at Joliet