The past few weeks have been quite varied as we transitioned off Lake Michigan on to the mid-west rivers with barges and locks. The days on the river have been at a slower pace with more miles between stops, since there are not many anchorages or marinas. Instead of waves, we are now aware of water depths and shoaling. We see evidence everywhere of how high the water can get, hard to believe with the width of the river and the depth right now. We are also passing through some iconic areas - the city of Chicago and in a couple of days, St. Louis. We are traveling again with Voyager who are on their last leg of the loop - crossing their wake in KY. Fun to be with them and able to get pictures of each other's boat.
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| It was a good day on Lake Michigan, so bypassed Milwaukee and went on to Racine |
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| We had a short stay in Racine and stayed 3 days in Northpoint Marine, just outside of Waukegan, IL - a huge public marina but lots of empty slips. |
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| Imagine flying this brand new G600 - our friend Kirk (who bought our Cub airplane exactly 2 years ago) lives in Waukegan and gave us a great tour of the corporate flight center where he is a director. It was fun to talk airplanes and see the Cub looking very happy in IL. |
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| Last night in a marina on Lake Michigan |
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| Our first view of Chicago! |
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| A boat passing behind us, took our picture coming into Chicago and emailed it to us. How cool it that! |
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| Labor Day weekend in Chicago - we have a slip right downtown |
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| Our view looking towards the city |
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| and the view from our bow to Navy Pier |
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| We were there for the last fireworks of the summer! |
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| Drone display ended the night |
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| On Sunday we did the architectural boat tour, which we would highly recommend - a preview of our trip the following day |
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| This mural was recently added to very plain building - now shows a map of the river, roads and a red square for "you are here" |
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| I've always loved these buildings; this was the first time I heard them called the "corn cobs" |
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| We also decided to get a bird's eye view of our route - this from the top of the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) - tallest building in Chicago |
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| We are just out of sight to the left in this marina |
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| Picture us as the boat you see between the buildings |
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| Happy Labor Day - we are about to start our trip through Chicago |
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| Emilie B and the Chicago Skyline |
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| Quiet morning in Chicago - all the party boats are docked after the long weekend |
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| Emilie B in scale with the tallest building in Chicago |
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| China Town |
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| Short wait for the train bridge to lift |
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| Appreciating the industry of the river |
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| Confluence of the CalSag and the Des Plaines River |
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| Going through the "electrified" portion of the Illinois River which is keeping the Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes |
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| First commercial lock on the Illinois - this is our view from the front at the top (drop of 39ft) |
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| At the bottom of the lock - ready to head out |
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| Making our way through barge traffic - Emilie B on the right. |
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Cutting across between the "down bound" and "up bound" traffic
(looks much more dramatic than it was) |
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| Misty morning as we head back out into the Illinois |
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| Tucked away at a marina off the Illinois - entry was as shallow as we have seen anywhere to date |
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| Kyra enjoying some alone time |
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| Friendliest bridge tender on the Illinois - got a big wave and horn song |
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| Kyra enjoying the pace on the river |
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| Heading into Logsdon's Tug Service to tie up for the night |
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| Tug captain Jeff also took our picture! |
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| Jeff gave us a tour and let us sit in his chair |
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| Emilie B is behind Voyager - hidden by the crane |
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| Very cool place to spend the night |
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| Friday night in Beardstown, IL - we have seen quite a bit of free music over the summer |
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| Good night from Beardstown! |
