Beyond the Great Lakes

After moving along the eastern edge of Lake Michigan and visiting the lovely towns of Northport, Leland, Ludington, and Saugatuck, we arrived in Michigan City, Indiana.  Here, we arranged for mechanics to come aboard and perform another 300 hour service on our engines and generator as well as switch out some batteries that needed replacing.

From Michigan City we moved onto the Calumet-Sag waterway, which was built primarily as a shipping channel to connect Chicago with the Mississippi River via the Illinois River.  Locks and dams were completed by 1930 to allow this important thoroughfare for commerce.   We were forced to utilize this waterway rather than the more scenic cruise down the Chicago River which traverses the heart of the city.  The limiting factor was the height of our boat which would not fit under some of the bridges in downtown Chicago.  Both the Chicago and Calumet Sag waterways join together to ultimately run into the Illinois River.

The locks and dams were designed to prevent the runoff water and treated sanitation water of Chicago from entering  Lake Michigan.  Thus, all the turbid water moves south and west via the Illinois River and eventually drains into the Mississippi River.

To date, we have transited seven of the eight locks on the Illinois River and experienced the landscape changing from raw industrial landscape to pleasant farmlands with eagles seen nesting in the trees.  While being fascinated with the landscape changes surrounding us, we have had to be constantly watchful for the massive commercial tugboats pushing large barges.  Many times the barges are linked two to three abreast and up to eight barges in length.  We are amazed that the captains of these boats can control those barges through the many tortuous bends in the river as well as through the many tight bridges across the waterways.  The Mississippi captains will have even more impressive links of barges in tow. We will enter the Mississippi River next week.