FRIDAY JUNE 1ST, 2012

Today took us from Ottawa to Peoria, Illinois. The trip was uneventful. Kirk took his turn at the helm. Ross looks a bit terrorized, but Kirk did fine.








We had to wait at the first lock of the day for a towboat to lock through. We were allowed to tie up at a mooring cell while we waited. Normally only barges are allowed to do this. As you can see by the humongous size of the lines attached to the cleat on the cell, this set up really isn’t for a boat like ours. It was really nice though to be tied up for an hour rather than having to drive around and wait.










When we bought the ODDYSEA she had about 400 hours on her. Today we turned over to 2000. No one can say we haven't used our boat.

The most exciting part of the day was when a barge went past us causing a school of flying Asian carp to launch out of the water near shore. The sound of a boat engine causes them to leap out of the water. Some type of defense mechanism I think. And they are not small fish! These Silvers can grow to 60 pounds. How’d you like be smacked by one of these while water skiing or zipping along in a bass boat? (I didn't take this photo, stole it off the Internet)

The area of the river we are traveling is known for lots of Asian Carp. This species was imported from China back in the 70’s to clean algae from ponds used in commercial fish farming. A flood or two later and enough of them were loose in the river system to cause great problems.

The nearby town of Bath has what they call the Redneck Fishing Tournament each year. Looks like a blast! This will be the 8th year for it. There are also awards for costumes. No fish poles are allowed. Only fishing nets. Helmets of any kind are recommended! There is an entry fee and the boat that catches the most Asian carp in 4 heats of 2 hours each wins over a grand. Here’s a link if you care to check it out. The videos are great. Click Here  I see that this year's event is in early August and we still have time to register. Hmm, I wonder where those old snowmobile helmets of ours are?

THURSDAY MAY 31ST, 2012

Cold this morning and rainy. Check out this fashion statement! Think it will catch on? I know what you’re thinking. This from the person who was making wise cracks about the guy with the striped shirt and plaid pants? Don’t worry, I won’t go out in public.




It ended up raining all day and into the night. With the water temp being in the 70’s and the air temp only in the 50’s, there was a layer of fog along the water. Between that and the rain, visibility for navigating was not the best. Made for a long, stressful, soggy day.

Kirk is very interested in how everything operates on our boat. Here he is experiencing “getting a pump out”.

We stopped for the night at the Ottawa, Illinois courtesy docks. They were sturdy, had power hookup and best of all…free.

For you history buffs, Ottawa is where the famous Lincoln-Douglas took place in 1858.

Wild Bill Hickok also grew up close to here. I read that his real name was James Butler Hickok. So how the heck did he get the name “Bill”? As usual, I turned to the Internet. Turns out he had a rather prominent nose and his upper lip kinda stuck out. Someone nicknamed him Duck Bill. When he started to make a name for himself as a scout and sharpshooter he used the name “Wild” Bill. Oh, and he also grew a large mustache to cover his duckbill lip.




We walked up town for supper. On the way we noticed this sign in yard. They are advertising a mowing service! Really?We had a good laugh. It was almost dark so the picture didn't turn out very well.

WEDNESDAY MAY 30TH, 2012

Ross’ brother Kirk arrived late last night. It made for a short night but we’re anxious to get moving and be done with the temperamental Lake Michigan. Am I right about the skyline of Chicago, or what?





After about 11 miles on lake, we entered the Calumet River. It is a very busy area but not with pleasure craft. It is a working area with barges, tows and lots of refineries, steel processing, sand and gravel, etc.



Definitely a busy behind the scenes work area. We tried to stay out of their way and weave our way through it all. We didn’t see a single pleasure boat all day.









Salt is another thing that was being stored and loaded on to barges. I wonder if it’s the kind that ends up in your saltshaker, or on winter roads? Regardless, that’s a serious mountain of salt!











We’re off the lake but now back to dealing with locks. Yuk! Kirk dealing with a floating bollard.

















In an effort to keep the notorious Asian carp out of Lake Michigan, an electrical fish barrier has been set up. It supposedly electrifies the water and deters them. Boats are required to call a phone number and answer some questions before passing through. For good reason, no swimming, kayaking, fishing, etc is allowed in the area. We haven’t seen any of these carp yet, but I’ll be on the lookout and try to get a picture as they jump out of the water.

Part of the trip today took us through a section of water called the Sanitary & Shipping Canal. It’s a 28-mile man-made canal connecting the Chicago River with the Des Plaines River. The Des Plaines runs into the Illinois River, which runs into the Mississippi. The “Shipping” part of the name is pretty much self-explanatory. The story of the “Sanitary” part is this; in 1900 the canal was opened. Water from Lake Michigan ran in to the Chicago River at a very fast rate flushing it down the Canal and on to the Mississippi. The city used the Chicago River to dump their sewage in. They didn’t want it to go out in the lake where they drew their water. So instead they sent it downriver. Nice. St. Louis, Mo was not happy about the sewage and pollution. Canada was not happy about the immense amount of water drained from the lake. The Supreme Court finally had to settle things.

TUESDAY MAY 29TH, 2012

 

A cold front passed through and it is a perfect day to walk around the downtown. I can’t help but look like a tourist as I gawk up and down at the incredible architecture of the buildings. Not many cities are able to combine the old with the new. But Chicago’s buildings seem to accent each other. Of our travels so far, Chicago has the most beautiful skyline from the water.












 





















Besides the stonework of the old buildings and the shapes of the new buildings, there is artwork everywhere. This was the first modern art sculpture in the city. You’ve probably guessed the artist was Picasso. I have no idea what it is. I thought it was a horse, but others say a woman or bird. Picasso never said. It was scorned and ridiculed when unveiled, but it ended up beginning Chicago’s love affair with modern art. It has become the unofficial symbol of Chicago.












Any one growing up in the era of the cartoon, The Jetsons, can appreciate the design of this apartment building.  It is called the Marina City Towers. The price of a 1 bedroom 725 sq. ft apartment will set you back about $285,000. George Jetson must be making some good money at Spacely Sprockets to afford his 3 bedroom place!















We wandered through Millennium Park in search of Cloud Gate. A sculpture of highly polished stainless steel plates. If you come to Chicago, “the bean” is a must.  I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything that makes adults act like little kids so fast as they take photos of their reflections.

























Some the gardens in the park were starting to bloom. God’s artwork.














When we stopped for lunch we figured we better experience a Chicago Style hotdog. For those of you who don’t know what they are, and we didn’t, it's a hot dog that is simmered and never boiled. It is served on a poppy seed bun and topped with mustard, sweet pickle relish (ours was a freaky green color but tasted ok), onion, tomato, pickle spear and peppers. And yes, it is a mess to eat! It is a widely shared strong opinion that ketchup on it is unacceptable. Some vendors will not even offer it. Others use it as a litmus test. Guess I could never be a Chicagoan because in Nancy World ketchup is a separate food group of its own on the food pyramid. Right along with French fries!

MEMORIAL DAY 2012

Hot, hot, hot!

We decided to walk to the Navy Pier and see what was going on there.  It was a scenic walk.















This pier was part of a master plan created in 1909. There were to be 5 such 1.5 mile long passenger and freight docks.  This is the only one that was completed. It was named the Navy Pier in 1927 as a tribute to Navy personnel who served in WWI.
















There are still plenty of passenger boats alongside the pier to take tourists for cruises. Food and gift shops are set up alongside the pier and in the building. Check out the “fashion don’t” in the right hand corner. Stripes and plaids?  How could she let him out of the house in this??? Just sayin’.




The mirrors along the pier are fun.



I did always want longer legs.



















And I guess Ross wanted a longer body?



















We walked all the way out to the end of the pier. Did I mention that besides being hot, it was also extremely windy? So glad we are not out on the lake today.









We stopped for lunch at the Billy Goat Tavern and had a cheeseborger.  This place became famous when Bill Murray, John Belushi and Dan Akroyd did a skit about it on Saturday night live. And yes, they do yell out  “cheeseborger, no fries, chips”.

The history on this place is kinda fun. The tavern was started by a Greek immigrant named William Sianis in 1934. One day a goat fell off of a passing truck (probably on its way to the stockyards) and wandered into the tavern. Sianis adopted the goat, then grew a goatee and changed the name of the tavern to the Billy Goat Tavern. He was known for his publicity stunts. Sianis had box seats to the 1945 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers. When he brought along the goat, who was now the tavern mascot, he and the goat were ejected by then Cubs’ owner Philip Wrigley. Sianis was not happy and supposedly put a curse on the Cubs that they would never again win a pennant or play in the World Series again.

Cubs fans are serious fans. Several months ago five guys bought a goat off of Craigslist for 60 bucks, dubbed him “Wrigley”, and walked 1800 miles from Arizona to Wrigley Field. They did this to raise money for cancer…and to break the curse of the Billy Goat.

Wrigley would only walk about 5 miles each day of the 25 averaged. They would then put him in a Cubs’ flag adorned stroller and push him. They arrived at Wrigley Field yesterday. And they wouldn’t allow Wrigley in!!! Can you believe it? The guys, and Wrigley, were told the stadium had a very strict policy about goats. Well, so much for the Cubs and the World Series. But the donation given by Wrigley Field, helped the guys raise over twenty thousand dollars for cancer research.

SUNDAY MAY 27TH, 2012

The weather was forecast to be good so we pulled out early for Chicago. Wind, severe storms and record breaking temps in the upper 90’s are predicted for tomorrow. Our plan is to be snug as bugs in a marina with the a/c cranked up.

The intense heat on shore and the 52  degree lake made the view very hazy. It was comfortable on the water and there were lots of boaters enjoying the day. We watched a sailboat race as we passed by. The bright sails are called spinnakers. They can only be used when the boat is headed downwind. Notice in the left corner of the photo the white marker. This was one of the points the boats had to sail around. Ross said it takes a skilled sailing crew to be able to drop a spinnaker (which they must do in order to turn around) without having it fall into the water. If it drops in the water it slows the boat down. Not what you want during a race.

The water supply for Chicago has always come from the lake. Back in 1842 a system of cribs (no idea why they call them that) was built off shore to gather water. As the lake became contaminated from sewage and the slaughterhouse waste, the cribs needed to be moved further out into the lake.  This crib is known as the Wilson Street Crib. It is about 3 miles offshore. It is one of the five remaining out of 8. The last time we came by here with our boat was shortly after 9/11. At that time there was a large perimeter of warning buoys around it because of the potential of terrorist threats to the water supply. Now each crib has motion detectors, video cameras and door sensors that are linked to the Chicago Police Department.

Chicago certainly has a beautiful skyline!

The Navy Pier. Must walk down to tomorrow and check this out!




I know this has a name, but to me it is The Married With Children fountain.

SATURDAY MAY 26TH, 2012

Woke to thunder and rain. After meeting our quota of coffee we headed off to Walmart to reprovision. Two cart fulls later we were on our way back to the boat. One cart was full of pop, bottled water, engine oil and a watermelon. But Ross was doing his usual freak out when ever we grocery shop. Pretty funny really. It’s like clockwork.

The rain stopped around noon and we decided to leave Milwaukee behind. Lake Michigan wasn’t too nasty to travel and everything seems to be working okay on the boat. We stopped for the night at Kenosha.

FRIDAY MAY 25TH, 2012

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES!! But not before overcoming a huge obstacle. What started out like an average day back in March, ended with Ross at Mayo and diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. With his deep faith, great attitude and a boatload (couldn’t resist) of medications, he endured six weeks of chemo and radiation.

Here he is with the staff from the radiation clinic he claims, “make him glow in the dark”. Patients ring this bell after their final treatment. They are laughing because just as I took the photo Ross said, “Wait! I need to comb my hair.”

So with his doctor’s approval, the Loop was once again a go. All we had to do was get to Milwaukee where the ODDYSEA had spent the winter. A one-way airline ticket or car rental was crazy expensive. Ross found an online special with a Greyhound express bus to Milwaukee for 28 bucks! Have to admit I was a bit skeptical. But our good friend Mark Ward dropped us at the Minneapolis bus depot early one morning and it turned out to be a good way to travel. Comfy seats and we snoozed most of the way.

It was a long day and we were tired. The boat is dirty inside and out and the cupboards are bare. But it sure feels good to be back.