Thursday, September 14, 2017

The Illinois River – smooth sailing or maybe not…



[Ed note: Apparently, we are in the back woods of Illinois.  Dial up internet is a luxury therefore, no pictures can be loaded. I will post a photo blog as soon as I can!]


It’s been a few days since the last post and really not much has changed.  The Tow captains have been friendly & cooperative; we have been blessed with gorgeous weather and fun-filled anchorages.
We are headed toward Alton IL for the weekend…OR possibly the month!!

Yep, that’s right…as I type this we have received official word that Lock 52 on the Ohio River is CLOSED!  Yes, the river is closed at mile marker 938.9, Brookport IL.  The lock is inoperable and the Corp of Engineers is working to repair the issue.  There is a plan in place that “might work” and if it does, the lock will reopen on Sunday.  If it doesn’t…we are looking at 18-24 more days of closure.  And let’s remember that we aren’t the only vessel on the river AND commercial traffic has priority (rightfully so)!!

We have been advised to “stay put” and be patient.  So, because we are the lowest nibble on the food chain we will fully comply with official directives.  The good news is…we have plenty of company!!!  And there is an Enterprise Car Rental near the marina AND the fall weather puts everyone in a good mood!! YIIPPEE!!

OR…MAYBE NOT!!!  Within hours of the “official word” mentioned above…we received “unofficial word” that pleasure craft was being allowed to lock through.  So as with many things about the loop & life we will adopt a wait & see attitude as well as relying on local knowledge.  We aren’t there yet so “the official word” can (& will) change multiple times.

And if it gets close to Thanksgiving and we are still hanging out in Illinois…we can DRIVE home!! Don’t change your plans kids – we’ll make it…one way or the other!!

Good times in the heartland...God bless!!

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