Henry, IL

We called the Starved Rock Lock before leaving Ottawa and were told not to get there before 10 am.  Well when we got there we had to tie up to a can and wait for an up bound tow to clear the lock and then an Army Corps dredge to enter the lock.  This lock didn’t have the floating bollards and we were given lines to hold on to.  Luckily it was only a 17’ drop.  We were out of this lock around 11:30 am, not as bad as some of the other wait's we have heard about.  This will be our last lock for a couple of days. 

One of the many bluffs within Starved Rock State Park.

The Admiral takes the helm.

Sharing a can with the Spirit of Whitby.

Army Corps tug La Salle.

We passed a number of tows, both south bound and north bound.  After lunch Brian from the Spirit of Whitby called on the cell phone to inform us they had lost all electrical power.  We led the way and radioed tows for us both.  Brian and Jean did a fabulous job of docking at a very small dock in Hennepin, IL.  Brian had phoned ahead and there was someone there who was going to help them correct the problem.  Leaving Hennepin after Brian and Jean were secured we passed the Spirit of Peoria, an old fashioned paddle wheeler.

 We then proceeded on to Henry and are tied up in the remains of the first lock on the Illinois river.   It is quite strange as the current is going North through the old lock.  Here is a link about the lock http://www.henryil.com/history2.shtml

 Tomorrow we will be going to Ill Valley Yacht Club which has a laundry, that the Admiral says we need.  If it is as nice as we have heard we will stay a second night and celebrate John's birthday.

John & Mary