Calumet River

9/5/07

Now we really feel like there is no turning back. We are in the river system. We started out at 6:30 am. Lots of commercial traffic right away. We are so used to being out there all by ourselves it will take a little getting used to being surrounded by all these big tows. Our first lock was the Thomas J O’Brien lock. It was only about a 6 inch drop so sort of a non-event. That is fine. We are ok with learning a little at a time. However the next one at Lockport went down 40 feet. That felt like the real thing. As Roger said, we have “lock luck” so far. Didn’t have to wait at either one. Sometimes you wait for hours for the commercial traffic to go through first. Maybe it was because I was cooking both times and was not especially ready. We went through some very narrow parts with barges. We got through ok, but not by much. Don’t know what we would do if they were coming at you from both directions but will probably find out soon. One tow said he was coming out of his slip and came shooting out right in front of me. I had to make some fast backing maneuvers to get out of his way. Was exciting for me since I am not the one usually handling the boat in tight quarters. Bob also had a tight squeeze to go through. He said at first he wished he was driving his own boat but then later was glad it was someone else’s.

            My impression so far is this. I think the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal will not be the most scenic part of the trip. At first glance Joliet looked a little seedy. Lots of stuff floating in the river. So I had a few minutes of missing the raw beauty of Lake Michigan but am sure I will get over it fast as the adventure continues. Everyone says the farther south you get the prettier it gets.