Chapter 13: Locks, Locks, Locks

We drove each other crazy one day. Upon leaving Hammond Aug. 27 and the moody Lake Michigan, we were happy as pigs in mud. Both excited about a new adventure into the Illinois inland river system. Then we got nervous about experiencing our first river lock. A little “he said,” “she said,” but it all disappeared when we conquered our fear of locks. What are locks? They are like elevators in the river lowering or raising vessels to either the north or south side of a river. Ingenious inventions by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Commercial tow boats and barges take precedence on the inland rivers, so our “pleasure craft“ has to wait if there’s a barge already entering or leaving the lock. When the lockmaster blows the horn for entry, we don our life jackets, head phones and gloves to park Maggie next to the wall. Next, Bridgett loops a line around a bollard pin to hold us in place while the water is released and we are lowered—sometimes up to 40 feet! It feels as crazy as it sounds.
During our first lock on the Illinois River, we met three other Looper boats and all ended the day at a place called Joliet. We tied onto a wall for the night and had “docktails” before bedtime. The next day, the four of us Looper boats departed at 6:10 am to travel together through three more locks, many bridges, and lots of industrial areas on the river. This day ended at Ottawa’s beautiful Heritage Harbor Marina with a swimming pool!Read more