Chapter 76: Waiting at Harborside

Log 76
Waiting at Harborside

4:55 AM
Saturday, August 05, 2000
Harborside Marina
Wilmington, IL.

Day 97

When we’re cruising, I normally set my alarm for 5 AM, that way I am up an hour or two before everyone. It’s my favorite time of the day, and I get time for myself. Many of the mornings I am up before the alarm, but I set it just in case. Today the alarm went off and I realized that it was still set on Eastern Time, so I woke up at 4, instead of 5. So I get some extra time this morning.
Speaking of this morning, it looks like it will be a dandy. It’s still dark out, but as I look to the east the sky is just starting to get a little brighter, and it's crystal clear out. The weather channel says that it could rain, but it probably won’t be until later tonight. Otherwise it will be mid 80’s and sunny. It seems like a great day to wind up this trip.
It’s great to be back at Harborside. Everyone here is so friendly, and they can’t do enough for you. I’ve bought 2 boats here, and I’m sure that helps, but you can’t fake this stuff. They are always ready to help if they can.

Yesterday…
The day was bright and beautiful. It started out about 60 degrees, and then warmed up to about 80. It was a great day to get some things done on the boat, and just relax before our final day, as we head to Starved Rock.
In the morning Terry and I washed the boat from top to bottom. It’s the cleanest this boat has been in some time. In fact the last time we really cleaned the boat was when it was in Syracuse. We washed it on a regular basis, but never really cleaned it.
The Detroit guy showed up at about 11 to work on the boat. I thought that the problem was the starter, and it turned out to be just that. He had a problem getting the bolts off the top of the starter, because of where they were located, but in about 3 hours he had the old one off, and a new one installed. The good news is when he was done, the starboard engine fired up without a problem, and we were back in business again. Detroit again did a good job of responding, and it was all covered under warranty.
After the mechanic left we borrowed a boat from Ron, one of the owners of Harborside, and went for a couple hour boat ride up the Kankakee River. The river is not navigable for very long, but it’s a pretty river in this area, with lily pads, and a couple of neat places to anchor. (Where we are is where the Des Plains River meets the Kankakee River to form the Illinois River)
After our boat ride, we came back to the boat to relax and make some dinner plans. Ron at the marina suggested a place called Cookies, in a nearby small town, so after a shower, we borrowed his van and headed to Cookies.
Cookies is the kind of place my Dad and Mom would always look for when they were traveling, and many small towns in the Midwest have one of these. It is nothing special, but has a bar attached where all of the locals go, and a dinning room that serves pretty good food, and at reasonable prices. We had steak, ribs, chops, and frog legs, and all of them were very good. I don’t think it will be the last time we go to Cookies.

Today…

The trip from Harborside to Starved Rock is only about 40 miles, but you also have two locks to go through, so you never know how long it can take.
When I first got up this morning there was a barge going by the marina, heading north, (The Winchester) so I called him and asked him how much traffic there was down at the lock. (It’s only about 1-½ miles down river from here) He told me that there were 3 barges waiting to get through, and that’s not a good thing for us. Depending on what type of barges they are (if they have red flags, meaning they are carrying some type of combustible material, we can’t go in with them) we could be waiting for up to a few hours to get through. You never know how long the wait will be, and the best thing to do is just go down there and wait, and be ready when they are.

I certainly have mixed emotions today. It’s a great feeling to know we will have come 5000 miles, and it will be a lot less stressful to know the boat is safe in Starved Rock, but for over 18 months I have been looking forward to each new chapter in this trip as it has unfolded, and I will miss that.

Well the sun is just about to find its way over the tree line across the river to the east, so it will soon be bight and sunny. While I have been writing this log I have been monitoring the locks activity on the VHF radio, and they are very busy. In fact they just reported that they broke a cable as they were pulling out the first half of a double barge, so that could mean it will take even longer to get through. Oh well, it will be what it will be, and I can’t change that, we’ll just be ready when they are.

BK