We departed Ottawa to continue down the Illinois River. Our sole lock today is the Starved Rock Lock, in the Starved Rock State Park
This is the Starved Rock, a beautiful formation over 400 million years old. Waterfalls, bluffs and 18 canyons dominate the landscape of the spectacular Starved Rock State Park.
We see lots of tugs in our river travels, but few as attractively decorated as this one.
We knew we were coming into civilization, as the riverbanks became more industrial. In some spots coal is being offloaded at power plants; at others, fertilizer for agricultural uses. We also see grain loading on barges through large flexible hoses.
In Upper Lake Peoria, we saw this large flock of pelicans roosting on a bulkhead. Forty percent of the nation’s migratory waterfowl and 60% of all North American birds use this central river corridor as their migratory flyway.
We stopped for the night at the downtown Peoria City Dock. As it is past boating season here, there was no dockmaster, and we couldn't find anyone to take our money. So we had to stay for free! We were fortunate to also have dockside power, as the weather is cool. With the lows in the high 30s at night, we needed Monarch’s heat.
The Spirit of Peoria docked right behind us in the harbor, taking no cruises this time, as the falls colors are past their peak.
Downtown Peoria has many businesses, banks and office buildings, including the world headquarters of the Caterpillar Corporation. Adjacent to the docks is the new Caterpillar Museum, which just opened a week ago. By the time we ventured there, the last tour of the day had ended, so we didn’t get to see it. But we did have an excellent dinner at Two 25, the restaurant in the Mark Twain Hotel just a few blocks from the dock. Next morning, we were off, down the Illinois River, through the Peoria Lock, where we hovered in the center for the modest 8-foot drop. There was a slight delay, as they greased the gears prior to our drop. An otherwise uneventful 66 nautical mile day brought us to an anchorage at Bar Island, just south of Beardstown.
The next morning, at the La Grange Lock, we waited for the Marquette Hilltopper to exit the lock, upbound.
People who live along the rivers are prepared for high water. The river’s banks are often earthen levees, highly mounded with trees growing on them, beyond which we can’t see.
We stopped for the night at Grafton Marina, the last town on the Illinois River, before we enter the mighty Mississippi River. Grafton is on the left descending bank. The sides of the river are delineated by right or left descending (going downriver) bank, no matter which direction you are traveling. This is because the river twists and turns so much that compass points aren’t as descriptive as each side of the river.
At last we are on the Mighty Mississippi! The scenery changes dramatically, with the lowlands replaced by high palisades on the left descending bank. Along the shore is the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway, a highway that winds alongside the river, with beautiful views of the etched river bluffs. Here, the state of Missouri is on the right descending bank, and Illinois on the left. One of the world’s major river systems, the Mississippi is the third longest river in North America at 2,350 miles. Its watershed covers about 40% of the continental US and includes all or parts of 31 states and 2 Canadian provinces. Sixty percent of all grain exported from the US is shipped on the river.
We stopped for the night at Alton Marina. The entire marina floats, including the harbor office, the shower and restroom facilities, and the swimming pool and hot tubs (unfortunately closed for the season!). As the river floods every spring, and sometimes in between, this is an ideal setup. Metal roofs over the slips are fixed to the floating docks as well, and so the whole array goes up and down with the river’s level.
We did a walkabout, and came upon a fundraiser held on one of Alton’s pretty streets, with wine and beer samplings in a pocket park. The town is hilly; note the steep incline of the street in the next block.
Alton’s popular walking tour, the Alton’s Lincoln and Civil War Legacy Trail, visits the site of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. On October 15, 1858, Lincoln met Douglas for the Senatorial campaign debate. Lincoln’s point was “a house divided against itself cannot stand,” while Douglas’ point was “our government can endure forever divided into free and slave states.” Lincoln won the debate, but lost the Senate race. But this debate caught the attention of the national media and elevated Lincoln into a prime position for his 1860 Presidential victory, and there his point was proven. That evening, we celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary with a nice dinner out at Gentelin’s on Broadway, followed by Martha’s homemade rhubarb pie back aboard Monarch. .
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