Our day began with a knock on our boat at 6:25 a.m. One of the Loopers we met last night had called the lockmaster at the first lock we had to go through today and was told if we could get there ASAP we could get through with no delays. He said everyone was planning to leave the wall at 6:45, so we jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes, fired up the engines, and off we went. No time for coffee or tooth brushing – boo and yuck ☹️ We made it through a drawbridge and the first lock with no waits. There weren’t enough floating bollards for everyone (there were 7 looper boats) so we ended up hanging on to ropes off our bow and stern which were fastened to the top of the lock wall that the lockmaster handed to us – another first!

We made it to the second lock about 9:00, only to be told it would be a 3 1/2 hour wait before they could lock us through. There was a large turning basin just before the lock and we were told to anchor and wait there. Unfortunately when we tried to put our anchor down we discovered the chain  had twisted and we couldn’t get the anchor all the way down. We ended up rafting (tying) to another boat for the duration – yet another first for us. When will we run out of firsts? We were able to get the anchor up and secured and tomorrow will pull out all the chain to get the kinks out.

The lockmaster called us into the lock 45 minutes earlier than predicted! We got a floating bollard and the boat we rafted off while we waited ended up rafting off us in the lock. We were very nervous about going through locks, but we’ve discovered the lockmasters are very helpful and patient. It’s nice to see our tax dollars at work!

We still had more than 20 miles to go to the last lock for the day. This lock has had long delays for several days now, so again one of the boats called the lockmaster to see how soon we could get through. He was told if we could get there before 3 we could lock through right away. Needless to say, we all made sure we would be there before 3. By the time we got there, there were 9 looper boats needing to go through! We had to wait about 20 minutes while the lock was filled back up, but then they got all of us in and down we went.

All ef us were headed to the same marina so we were like little ducks in a row going there. This marina is unbelievable! They had us come in one boat at a time so they could make sure they had people positioned to grab our lines and help us get tied up and hooked up to shore power. By 4:30 we were tied up – nearly 10 hours to go 40 miles. The bathrooms are individual small bathrooms, complete with soap and shampoo in the shower. They do pumpout at your boat, they’ll bring ice to your boat, there’s a good restaurant at the end of our dock, there are 2 courtesy cars available, the list of amenities just keeps going. This is obviously a good stop for Loopers. There are at least 12 looper boats here right now, including one we met when we were still in Holland.

We plan to stay here for at least two nights. We need to get our radio antenna fixed because it looks like the cormorants in Holland ate the top. And we need to get a couple of new batteries for the stern thruster and the electric windlass. It seems like an never-ending list of things to replace or repair.

     

There was still a lot of industry, but also lots of natures. Who knew there were pelicans in Illinois?

Little ducks in a not so very straight row. Notice the barge at the upper left portion of the river – is that mama duck?

 

Our day started just after 8 and ended 9 1/2 hours later when we finally got to tie up on the wall in Joliet, along with 8-10 other Loopers who had arrived before us. It was a long day filled with all kinds of firsts – first drawbridge, first lock, first encounter with barges, first tie up to a wall along a river – and we survived all of them!

Pictures are going to tell my story tonight.

    

Looking back at DuSable Harbor as we left this morning and our first bridge

Bridges and more bridges – I eventually quit counting how many we went under.

Our first lock. We were allowed to float in the middle rather than tie up to the side – it was only a one foot drop, so a baby lock.

Sometimes there were nice things to look at…

and sometimes not so nice. There was a 12 mile stretch with barges on one or both sides of the river.

We had to idle for about 15 minutes while the barge in the middle had to maneuver between the barges on either side of the river. It looked like there wasn’t more than one foot on either side when he finally got positioned to go on through.

These are man made waterfalls designed to aerate and oxygenate the water in the Cal-Sag Channel, because the water was so polluted.

It looks like they moved Mt. Baldhead from Saugatuck MI to the Cal-Sag Channel!

For our second lock we tied a line attached to our boat around a “floating” bollard. The bollard doesn’t really float, but it moves up and down as the water levels change. The line kept our boat in one spot as the bollard went down with the lowering water level in the lock. The guide book says we went down 39 feet!

Tied to the wall in Joliet. We finally got to use the side door to get off the boat – another first! I had to step off the boat onto the top of the wall, then over a big chain fence to get to the sidewalk. And this is the view from our back deck, the Jefferson St drawbridge – not quite like the Chicago skyline.

The day started out with two more loads of laundry. I know, how could I waste precious time in Chicago doing laundry – it had been 13 days since I had last done any, though, so it had to be done.

By 11 we were ready to do some sightseeing, so we headed off to see if we could get tickets on the architecture river tour. We got lucky and were able to get tickets for the noon boat – the perfect time of day to get a sunburn while sitting on the top deck. It’s so amazing to see all the buildings from the river and hear the stories behind them. So many of them have statues and domes on the top that you can’t see from the street. It’s very interesting how competitive some of the architects were in trying to create something taller or more unique than the building next door.

 

Trump Tower as seen from our seats on the boat while tied up waiting for everyone to board and the Wrigley building. Did you know that Wrigley originally sold soap powders and included samples of their chewing gum in each package? People were buying their soap just to get the chewing gum so they started selling the gum separately.

In 2007 Rich and I bought a condo in this building which is called River City. Our daughter and her husband rented it from us for 2 years, then moved back to Indiana. We’ve rented it out since then. It was designed by the same man who designed Marina Towers, the two tall round condo buildings you see in so many movie scenes filmed in downtown Chicago. It was fun to see it from the water! In the second photo the tall building with the two white towers is the Sears Tower (now called the Willis Tower to newcomers to Chicago).

I zoomed in on the Sears Tower to show the glass boxes you can stand in and look down at the street below. I don’t think there’s enough money in the world to get me to stand in one of those – I get queasy just thinking about it! The photo on the right shows a map of the river on the side of a building facing the river and has a red box showing where you are on the river as you pass by – how clever is this!

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We walked through Millenium Park on our way back to the boat for the obligatory photo of the bean. And most importantly, we found a Garrett popcorn shop – after all, we needed something to share at the docktail hour tonight. (Garrett popcorn is known throughout Chicago – they’ve added stores but the one on Michigan Avenue would have lines out the door with people buying their popcorn.)

We got back to the marina in time for docktails. There are at least 8 looper boats here so we got a chance to meet several of them tonight. Most of us are leaving tomorrow morning to start the journey down the rivers. It will be a totally different experience from Lake Michigan.

 

We finally made it out of St. Joseph MI, pulling out of the slip just after 9. We immediately heard a radio call that a large barge was leaving the harbor. We headed into the river channel -and there it was. Just beyond that we were at the mouth of the river and passing the St. Joseph lighthouse.

     

The marine forecast for the open waters of Lake Michigan called for waves of 1 ft or less and it was correct. It was 60 miles across the lake and it looked like this the entire way.

We were able to spot the Chicago skyline when we were about 10 miles offshore. It was very hazy at that point, but began to clear up as we got closer.

  Sears Tower is on the left, Hancock on the right

We stopped at Burnham Park Harbor marina for fuel and pumpout and right next to the marina is Soldier Field – how cool is that!

We then continued to the DuSable Harbor marina to tie up for two nights. The marina is on the south side of the entrance to the Chicago River.

The view from the back deck of our boat in the day and at night.

On the other side of the river is Navy Pier, just a ten minute walk away. It had been many years since we had been to Navy Pier and it was a beautiful day so off we went, along with thousands of other people. We walked almost to the end, looking at all the different types of tour boats, as well as several larger mega yachts that could be chartered for private parties. We decided to have an early dinner at one of the restaurants there, but the dinner menu wasn’t available yet, so we sat and people watched for half an hour. (That makes us sound like stereotypical little old people who eat dinner at 4:30 – at least we didn’t ask about early bird specials.) We had a table with a terrific view of the water – even though we’re living on the water, I never tire of looking at it. By the time we were done with dinner we had decided our feet were too tired to walk back so we grabbed a taxi to take us back to the marina.

Navy Pier as seen at night from our back deck

The evening ended with me doing two loads of laundry at the marina laundry facility – pretty boring.

 

We’re finally headed to Chicago tomorrow, so we decided to do some sightseeing today. It was a gorgeous day with temp in upper 70s and beautiful blue skies. We took the hotel shuttle to Silver Beach, which is on the edge of the downtown area. Like so many of the towns and beaches along this side of Lake Michigan, St. Joseph and Silver Beach were once popular destinations for people from Chicago.

Looking down toward the beach – in the foreground is an old train station that still serves as an Amtrak stop, as well as a pizza place (Silver Beach Pizza – fantastic pizza!) Lake Michigan in the background is almost the same color as the sky!

   

I wonder which part they were kidding about                      Rich as Pizza Man hero

On the way to the beach is a building which houses a working carousel.

     

    

At last we made it to the beach, and what a beautiful beach it is! The sand was warm and soft, there were several shelters as well as large restroom facilities,  volleyball nets, and a huge playground on the beach.

Across from the beach was this stone lighthouse.

Whirlpool sponsored a number of things in the park next to the beach, including the fountains here, which run from noon to 2 and 5 to 9. Rich offered to take my picture if I stood by one of the fountains – it was tempting, but I didn’t have any dry clothes with me to change into, so I declined. Although it would have been a good excuse to buy a new outfit 😄

We realized that we could easily walk back to the marina instead of calling for the shuttle to pick us up and after all the pizza we had eaten, we thought the walk would be good for us. On the way we saw this building which looked like a grand old hotel, which by googling we found out had indeed once been considered the “Saratoga of the Midwest”. In the early 70s it was turned into a retirement facility and remains as such today. What really caught my eye was the large red silhouette on the top of the building that looks like someone trying  to jump off the top. I’m sure there’s a story behind it, but I haven’t been able to find out anything about it.

I was able to get a good shot of the hotel and marina on the way back. It’s a great facility and I can highly recommend it, but after 10 days it’s time to move on!

 

We arrived in St. Joseph MI a week ago, expecting to stay one night, and we’re still here. It now looks like we may finally get to leave Friday, but we’re not placing any bets on it. The dinghy motor still needs to be checked out and a new fuel transfer pump installed, hopefully all done by the end of the day tomorrow. The good part is that by the time we get to head to Chicago the open waters will have waves of 1 foot or less.

We’ve been busy doing housekeeping things on the boat. Rich measured and marked the anchor rode yesterday, made two trips to a local marine store, cleaned the outside of the boat – not very exciting stuff.

I made new covers for 4 pillows -a bit of color and hopefully no more feathers working their way out of the pillows! And the ability to make new covers justified my insistence on bringing a sewing machine along.

Yesterday when I headed up to the marina bathroom I discovered it was really foggy – 20 minutes later the fog was completely gone!

      

We’ve been eating most of our meals on the boat, but decided to have dinner tonight at the hotel restaurant. We split some appetizers so we would have room for dessert – and what a great dessert we had! Triple chocolate mousse cake with whipped cream laced with mini chocolate chips. I forgot to take a picture of what it looked like when it was placed before us, but here’s what it looked like when we were done 😂

After dinner we headed to an outside area that had two fire pits going. It reminded us of our fire pit in Lafayette.

Tomorrow we wait for a phone call telling us they’re bringing our dinghy back and installing the new pump – keeping our fingers crossed we actually get the call.

I’ve discovered that staying in one place with no car and no particular activities going on means you lose track of what day it is. No wonder people in hospitals and extended care facilities become so disoriented!

Friday afternoon the boatyard sent someone over to get our dinghy so the bottom can be repaired. They couldn’t give us a definite day when it will be done – I’ll just have to keep my phone with me, waiting for their call, much like a teenaged girl waiting for that special boy to call. (I guess today she would be waiting for a text or tweet).

Anyway, the weather was so bad we couldn’t have gone to Chicago even if we weren’t waiting on the dinghy.

Here’s a shot of the open water forecast for the portion of Lake Michigan we will cross when we finally head to Chicago. For nonboaters – any waves over 3 feet make for a bouncy ride. When waves get in the 3-5 foot category, they put out small craft warnings. We’re not exactly small craft, but for comfort’s sake we try to stay put when there are warnings.

Friday afternoon I contacted some friends who live in our neighborhood in Lafayette to see if they were at their condo in New Buffalo, 30 miles from our marina. They were, so they came over Saturday, had lunch with us, toured our boat, then drove us back to their condo so we could see it. They had driven up in two cars so they offered us the use of one of their vehicles for 24 hours. We had wheels! We found a place with authentic Mexican food for dinner last night. Pozole and tacos al pastor with traditional toppings of onions, lime, and cilantro were fantastic! Today we made a trip to Joann Fabrics so I could buy fabric to recover some pillows and then did some shopping at Meijer (a big superstore). I know that sounds pretty boring, but when you’ve been without a car for two weeks, it doesn’t take much to make our day. Thank you, Tim and Katherine, for the use of your car!

While we were walking to the parking lot at the marina this afternoon on our way to run errands, two small planes flew directly overhead. One circled several times, letting out a plume of white smoke three or four times. We later found a website for a place nearby that gives rides in WWII  small aircraft so we assume that was what we saw. We could just imagine how frightening it would be to see a lot of them flying low in formation in a war situation.

Notice the bright blue sky – it’s the first blue sky we’ve seen in days!

Today was a quiet day on the boat. We were able to get someone from a local boatyard to come over and look at the bottom of our dinghy to see if it’s repairable. When it came off the lift Tuesday a support bar on the lift punched a hole in the fiberglass bottom. It’s a double-hulled dinghy so it still floats, but water fills the space between the two hulls – not good. Now we’re waiting to get an estimate for time and cost to repair.

We had to cancel our slip reservation in Chicago, but luckily for us they refunded the full prepaid fee. And Rich purchased ticket insurance for the tickets to Hamilton so we will be able to get the money back for those tickets. Maybe we’ll be able to spend a couple of days in Chicago next week and get same day tickets. We were really looking forward to seeing Hamilton – everyone who has seen it says we will love it.

It rained on and off all day so we stayed on the boat – no photos except for a beautiful sunset.

We were much more organized this morning and pulled out of the slip at 9:05. Our goal was to go 44 miles to a marina in St. Joseph MI.

Taken by our friend Tom – he and his wife have a boat that was just two slips down from the one we had, so they saw us off this morning.

The forecast had called for waves 1-3 ft with winds out of the south. We knew it could be an uncomfortable trip, but very doable. Unfortunately the waves were closer to 3 with a bigger one every 10 seconds, so we were up and down and slammed around. We thought we had the dinghy securely fastened on the lift but less than half an hour after we got out on the big lake the dinghy started trying to come off again. This time we caught it early enough that we were able to get it back in place and tied down with even more lines in 15 minutes. (Idon’t think our dinghy wants to make this trip with us -it keeps trying to run away).

There are lots of sand dunes along the shores of Lake Michigan and not much else except ….

Cook nuclear power plant.

Finally when we were just a few miles from St. Joseph the water calmed down and was a very pleasant ride the rest of the way. 

The pierhead and lighthouse at the river mouth.

We had made a reservation at a marina that’s part of a resort hotel so we are able to access all the amenities of the hotel. And there’s a very good restaurant in the hotel so we were able to have a nice dinner there.

We had no problem getting into the slip, but it seemed to take forever to get the boat tied up so I could get off and on easily and safely. I definitely could use longer legs!

And then we had to figure out yet another way to secure the dinghy – ugh 😒

While we cooled off after all that work we checked the weather forecast for the next few days – it’s not looking good so we’re opting to stay put for a couple of days. We hope that we will be able to get to Chicago Sunday. In the meantime, we will try to get a few things worked on and maybe even go to the pool – life is tough!

We are using a tracking device that will allow you to follow us whenever we have been on the move. It will record our location on an hourly basis.

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