At last we are able to slip our lines in Holland, Michigan, after FIVE weeks with Jerry’s surgery and bad weather. We’ll miss the Big Red lighthouse, but the window opened, and we jumped at the chance.
The crossing was moderately choppy, with lots of spray, but we were greeted by the Chicago skyline and arrived at the Chicago Yacht Club in good order.
The day was just right for sailing in Monroe Harbor.
The Yacht Club is an easy walk to famous Grant Park, Millennium Park and the Cloud Gate sculpture affectionately known as the Bean.
Crowds come to see their distorted reflections, and those of the surrounding skyscrapers. That evening, we topped off the day with oriental cuisine and sushi at a fine restaurant on Michigan Avenue.
The next morning, under cloudy skies, we departed the Yacht Club for our transit of the Chicago Lock and the start of our river trip.
We enjoy this part of the cruise, as we are right in town, and the skyscrapers tower over Monarch.
Office buildings, apartments, condos and boat wells line the banks.
There are scores of bridges spanning the river, so we had put our radar mast down for efficient transit. We passed by the Willis Tower, formerly the famous Sears Tower.
The area turned industrial, although there were pleasant pocket parks along the way. The theme here is oriental. The Chicago River now turns into the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal. Here the waterway is not suitable for any human body contact, according to signs posted on the bank.
As usual, an Amtrak train occupied the one bridge we needed lifted.
Further on, we transited the electric fish barrier, which is designed to keep invasive Asian Carp from the Great Lakes.
Locking through on the river, we spotted this tug propeller turned into art. Now on the Des Plains River, our first river night was spent at Centennial Park dock in Joliet, in the rain.
As we left the industrial area, the banks turned more rural, complete with many elaborate duck blinds; this one has hunters at work. Now we are on the Illinois River.
One marina featured interesting houseboats, looking quite inviting.
At the Dresden Lock, we had an hour and a half wait, as a huge tow was transiting upbound. The tug parked half its load in the lock, backed out, and the barges were raised. Then the lock tenders winched the barges out of the lock with huge steel cables and a capstan.
Between the two commercial loads, Monarch slipped through this narrow opening to go into the lock for the transit down.
We cleared the barges, which were close by, and got our locking down. After we exited, the tug and remaining barges entered the lock for the trip up and were reunited with the other barges.
Some tugs are huge, and some like this one, are slender.
Our stop for the night was the Ottawa town dock, under a highway bridge. We could see interesting new artwork on the far bank.
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