Day 94: October 20: The day to say good riddance to Lake Michigan is finally here. With wind blowing about 10 to 11knots, and temperatures in the 40's, Looper flotilla 13 started engines and made its way out of the harbor for a quick trip to Calument Harbor. The lake just couldn't resist giving us a proper send off as only the Great Lakes can do! It is said you only hurt the ones you love; maybe this Great Lake was sorry to see us leave and decided to make sure we never forgot how wild she can be. Whatever the case, we were tossed around quite a bit as all 14 boats made their way to the breakwater. The distant view of Chicago was a welcome sight as we knew the calm river was close by.
At Chicago there are two harbors that join the inland river system heading south. The northern entrance is Chicago Harbor and the southern entrance is the Calument Harbor. Along with about 13 others from our flotilla, we chose the southern route. Immediately upon entering the Calument Harbor entrance onto the Calumet River, our flotilla leader called the Elgin, Joliet, Eastern RR Bridge (7' 3") to request an opening. Next the bridge 92nd bridge was called. This bridge opens in tandem with the 95th Street Bridge. These were just a few of the many bridges we passed while en-route; some are fixed, others high enough for all to fit under and some require an opening.
The first lock on this route was the Thomas J. O'Brien Lock and Dam. This lock drops vessels a mere 2'. It was constructed in 1960 to prevent the Calumet River from draining into Lake Michigan as well as to prevent rising water on Lake Michigan from raising the level of the river. It's a busy lock with lots of commercial traffic. From this point south to the Ohio River, we will be on a downstream run of more than 500 miles. Our flotilla leader worked with the lock-master to facilitate the group's entrance and rafting order.
Eventually the Calument Sag Channel connects with the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal which connects with the inland rivers permitting ship traffic to go south via this system and to take all sanitary waste south. Believe me when I say this is a very busy route; barges and tugs are everywhere and the shore bustles with cranes and forklifts and mounds of gravel, stone and the like line the shore.
At the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal junction we turned to port. The Chicago River joins the Canal on the starboard and we certainly did not want to head into the city. As we made our way along the Sanitary Canal we saw two boats merge from the Chicago River into our flotilla. As it turned out they were both part of flotilla 13. This junction is marked with a tall stone structure.
The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal joins the Des Plaines River where the Illinois River is formed. Much of the river can be classified as a large towboat and barge fleeting area. It can be difficult to pass as barges are tied to the shore edges, leaving just enough room for an oncoming tow to pass. The river is narrow along this stretch and the vertical concrete walls reflect wakes back upon themselves, creating quite a bumpy ride. Despite the not so pretty aspect of this area, as we cruised along we did see some lovely sights.
Still chasing warmer weather!
A permanent electrical barrier designed to prevent and slow the spread of invasive fish species through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal into Lake Michigan is operational 24 hours a day, increasing the importance of safety precautions. We are warned to not linger or moor in the area and of course you can not put your hands or feet into the water under any circumstances.
We passed through one more lock before entering Joliet where we stayed on the city free dock. The Lockport Lock and Dam is much larger than the Thomas O'Brien lock, dropping vessels 40'. Once again our flotilla leader coordinated the process with the lockmaster and all of us rafted up with no issue.
Once out of the lock we made our way to the Jefferson Street Drawbridge. The bridge was contacted and the flotilla proceed through, ending its 7 hour-42 mile journey in Joliet, Illinois. We met to discuss plans for tomorrow when we will lock through the 3 locks that have recently opened after being closed for a very long time for renovations.
Sandra and I walked across the bridge and Angie from Isle of Skye took our picture from down below! We had to hurry off when the bridge sounded and the gates began to close. We didn't think it would be a good idea to slide off into the river!
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