A Long Day to Illinois River Mile 00 at Grafton, Illinois – Thursday, Sept. 24

At 6:30 a.m., we learned that the lock was closed for an indeterminate amount of time as there were scuba diver inspecting the wickets; this is the reason for the lock closure.  We subsequently learned that southbound traffic could pass through the main lock chamber and we were instructed by the lockmaster to leave immediately.  The fleet departed at 8:00 a.m. and arrived at the lock at 9:00 a.m. and slowly drove through the opened lock chamber one boat at a time.   

We enjoyed an 8-1/2 hour cruise down the Illinois River on Thursday, most of which was uneventful except for seeing flocks of white pelicans, 3 Bald Eagles and more Blue Herons that you can count.  We continued to pass many, many tows/barges.  It was interesting to see most of the houses along the river bank that were up on stilts - probably because the river floods every year! 

                                       

                                                Houses on stilts along the Illinois River

There were several Looper boats in the marina that we had met a couple of weeks ago when they passed through Racine.  It was nice to talk to them and share our experiences.