From Yuck to Yippee!!!

. . . Top to Bottom on the Illinois River (and its Tributaries)

You know, you can't love every place you visit. Sometimes you go to some places that you just want to get through quickly. For us, it was the Illinois River. We like the state of Illinois, mind you, just not the river. It looks dirty, is narrow, has few places to stop overnight and doesn't do this beautiful state justice.  

First a little geography and a touch of history

It all starts at Chicago. Two canals go inland from Lake Michigan near Chicago. The southern canal, the Cal-Sag, where we had our mast lowered, is very industrial. The northern canal, the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, winds through downtown Chicago. 

Storage elevators, barges, and refineries line the banks of the Cal-Sag canal.

Both canals come together about 30 miles from their start at Lake Michigan to become a slightly bigger Chicago Sanitary Canal. That canal ultimately becomes the 273-mile long Illinois River that we've traveled on for the past week.

Low bridges across the canals were the reason Carina's mast had to be lowered.

Why Are We Writing About This?

Before the Sanitary and Ship Canal was built in 1900, Chicago’s sewage was sent to Lake Michigan, its source of drinking water. Now its treated waste is sent down the Illinois River. . .to the Mississippi River. . . into the Gulf of Mexico). 

The Lockport Lock changes the flow of the canal away from Lake Michigan toward the Illinois River.

South of the Lockport Lock, waste treatment plants almost lined the canal, just as industrial plants had before.

Many cities release treated waste into nearby rivers. According to what we read, Chicago is unique in that it releases only lightly treated fecal matter into the canals. It doesn’t use chlorine because of the concerns over its effects. That’s why there are signs all along the canal warning people that the water isn’t suitable for human body contact. Yuck!

Once you know what’s in it, it’s hard to think good thoughts about the river water, even down at its end, where we were yesterday. 

Carpe Carp (Seize the Carp)

The spread of Asian carp is a serious problem on the Illinois, Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, taking over from native species. Of the nine species of Asian carp, the silver carp are the best known because loud noises frighten them and they leap into the air, often into boats. 

Our friends Eddy and Linda, Spiritus, are going for the Looper record. So far, on the Illinois alone, they’ve landed 13 silver carp . . . without trying. (UPDATE: Their count ultimately was 17!)

A low-level charge is sent through a stretch of the canal to stop the spread of invasive carp from the south into Lake Michigan.

Low water, fewer choices 

Water is significantly low on the Illinois. It seems to be a seasonal situation – floods in the spring, low water in the fall. This year, maybe for several years, droughts have made the situation much worse. It’s made it hard to find marinas or anchorages deep enough for many pleasure boats like Carina. 

Barges haven't tied up here for many years. The tree in the middle of the barge tie-up looks to be about four years old.

Good Things About the Illinois River

A free wall with electricity: After a long day through the canals, Carina was docked at the free Joliet Municipal Dock. Some river towns offer free docks, but few give free electricity.

Sleeping at an 1800s lock: One of the best stops down the Illinois was Henry Harbor Marina. We spent the night in a late 1800s lock, tied to iron loops in the top of the old lock wall. It was a good stop for fuel at the marina, groceries and laundry in the small town of Henry, Illinois.

The blue look to the water is a reflection of the sky. The water is muddy brown. We hope it's mud.

Floating around in the lock: The Peoria Lock and Dam let the three pleasure boats float around instead of tying to a wall. Cool sounding, it was actually hard to keep from playing bumper boats.

The Peoria waterfront: The star of the modern Peoria waterfront is the Spirit of Peoria paddlewheeler. It's downtown looked heathy and impressive. Caterpillar's headquarters can be seen in the background.

White pelicans again: We first saw white pelicans September 2012 on the Tennessee River as they migrated from northern states. The next time was months later in the Everglades where they wintered (we think). Now, they are on the Illinois River. They are much shyer than brown pelicans, eating vegetation by the shore, rather than diving for fish.

Florida Egrets in the North: Egrets may also “summer” here. We’ve only know them in the South, especially Florida, but found them down the length of the Illinois.

The real Illinois: Levees lined much of the Illinois River, making it seem ditch-like. Occasionally they would go away, and we'd see the countryside. Stone bluffs could be glimpsed now and then the further south we went. This home and many others were built on extremely tall stilts to withstand spring floods. We wish we could have seen more of the real Illinois like this.

Eagles galore: And of course, it wouldn't be the Land of Lincoln without bald eagles. 

Aurora crosses her wake. Yippee!!

From Canada until Chicago, we sailed along with Mike and Cindy on Aurora, a 22-foot sailboat. They caught back up a few days ago and celebrated the completion of their Loop at Grafton, Illinois, with a big group of friends. They are leaving soon for their home in Minnesota, a 750-mile trip. It’s been a joy traveling with them, despite some of the early (7:30 a.m.), early-early (6:30 a.m.) and early-early-early (5:30 a.m.) departures.