From Chicago to Grafton

---

Joliet, IL
City Dock along the Illinois River
September 1, 2010

The days in Chicago were busy. Saturday night was party time at dock F. There were mostly smaller boats and sailboats which stayed in their slips so that the crews could party together. Strangers offered food to me but I was tired and turned in early. At around 11 PM someone knocked on my door. I had fallen asleep but could not overhear the loud knock. People across from my slip wanted me to join their party and offered a piece of birthday pie. In my undies I had opened the door so they understood that I was beyond partying. However I accepted the cake and went back to bed.

The next night Horst’s daughter invited us to a party at one of her girlfriend’s home. The ladies were all single and young and lively and when another couple from Mexico joined us the evening was complete. Alex, the husband had a boat and thus he was interested in seeing the Marilsnick. He took me home.

On Monday Frances Kuchuris, a good friend from many cruises who lived in Chicago had invited me for lunch. She lived on Michigan Avenue in the center of Chicago and from her 35th floor apartment we had a perfect view of a beach on the lake and the lake itself. Frances invited me for lunch at the Drake Hotel. Since at 92 years of age she is not comfortable walking her chauffeur took us in a 12 cylinder Mercedes 600 across the street to the hotel.

We had a quiet lunch together and reminisced about our travels and the people with whom we traveled. One of my most memorable experience with Frances was my first visit to Rome. We knew it would almost impossible for me to see the most important sights of the holy city in a day but we nevertheless attempted it. We hired a car with a driver who picked us up in Civitaveccia and as we entered Rome a professional guide joined us and showed us the city. I was touched by Ancient Rome and concluded that Martin Luther’s reformation was justified when I saw the Catholic Rome. It was a most memorable day. Another wonderful visit with Frances was to Pisa.

In the afternoon Frances asked the driver to take us to the bakery. She has such a great sense responding to wishes before they have been expressed. She had not been at the bakery herself for a while and surprised everyone when we arrived. As we stepped out of the car near a huge industrial building she was welcomed like a queen. At the building entrance pictures of the eighteen overseas bakeries had been displayed. In the lobby a series of clocks showed the local time in these bakeries that stretch from Asian to European countries. The agreement with Mr. Krock, the founder of MacDonalds to bake the buns for the chain was sealed with a handshake and this agreement apparently still is honored.

The corporate offices are also located in the same building as the bakery, which was the first bakery built by the Kuchuris family. Frances’ son Frank had just returned from an overseas business trip and was happy about his mother’s surprise visit. He arranged for a young man to give us a tour through the bakery. The young man’s grandfather had already worked for the company. We began from the delivery entrance where the ingredients were delivered daily, some by rail. We then continued to the storage areas , then saw the production line which we followed from the rising dough to the packed crates with buns. Most amazing was the quality insurance to which several of the 180 employees and several machines were devoted. One of the demands of MacDonald apparently is a perfectly shaped and perfectly baked bun. It was a fascinating experience to look behind the scenes of such a complicated enterprise.

Frances had waited patiently while we toured. Frank and his daughter treated her as the soul of the enterprise and that’s exactly what she seemed to be. Her son is also a real people person. His skill to make anyone with whom he deals comfortable and who is trusted by everyone has made the company successful. When Frank’s dad died not a single bakery had been built overseas, this all happened during Frank’s tenure. His father however had build four or five bakeries in the US. The company is still totally owned by the family.

Being tired I asked Ray, our chauffeur, to take me back to the boat where I could relax and reflect about the visit although the temperatures were in the 90s.

Near Ottawa, IL
Starved Rock Marina
September 3, 2010

On Tuesday at noon my friend Rudolf arrived punctually as planned. We took a cab to go grocery shopping. Our first cab driver was a unique person who came from Nigeria. He had a long instrument, somewhat of a comb with long metal teeth, which he constantly used to scratch his hair. He only stopped occasionally to use a ballpoint pen to scratch the inside of his ears. He must have had a real itch problem. I felt a little uncomfortable with him. We found a great European grocery store with an abundant bread supply and some excellent black forest sausage. Then we complemented these goodies with staples from “Jewel”, a Chicago based chain.

Wolfgang Helbig, my second crew member, had a birthday the next day and invited us to celebrate it (by this time it was his birthday in Germany) for a wonderful three course dinner, which began with “Bubbly”. All our cab trips were adventures since the cab drivers in this city seemed to be completely unreliable. At one time we had to call four different times because the drivers did not show up and we had to wait for an hour for our pickup. Wolfgang had a similar experience. He had no difficulty finding a cab in front of the Fairmont Hotel where he stayed but it took him three different drivers before he found one who knew where the Belmont Marina was located.

After giving instructions to my new crew about the operation of the boat we departed Belmont Harbor and entered the Chicago Ship canal. Shortly after entering the breakwater the first lock was located, that prevents at certain times the water from Lake Michigan to enter the Illinois River at other times the overflow of the relatively dirty river water into Lake Michigan. The lift was only about three feet at the time.

The cruise through the city of Chicago was impressive similarly so as the journey into New York City. The architectural variety of the smaller and larger buildings gave us an impression of the architectural history of the last two centuries. Several tour boats and taxis worked in the waterway. All bridges were low, i.e. 16 feet or less. Since the bimini top had been dismantled at Belmont this presented no problem for us.

The first obstacle was a railroad bridge, which was too low for us to pass. We had to dock and wait and wait and wait. Although for a period of thirty minutes no train passed the tender did not open the bridge. It took several calls to the railroad - each time we reached a different person - to assure us the bridge would open soon - before it did open. What a lesson in patience for impatient me!

After the railroad bridge the scenery changed from urban to industrial. Rudolf called several old buildings and decaying bridges “Industrial monuments”. It took several hours before we reached the junction of the Chicago River with the Calumet River, where the large barges begin to populate the waterways. Many barges were parked on the sides of the waterway. During a narrow portion tug pushing four barges came toward us. The captain warned us and so we had to slide in between two parked barges to escape. This happened a couple of times and was somewhat nerve wracking because the tug and barges cannot stop and we had to find the best way to escape. When we finally reached the town of Joliet and the area behind a bridge where according to our guide we could tie up we did with some excitement. Remember it was a new crew again! We settled down had a “docker” in the form of a Chivas Scotch and began to relax. We were in a great mood until a bridge tender to whom Rudolf talked told us we had to move. We then detected a sign a few yards away from the boat that confirmed that we were in a no-docking area. So we moved a bit south of the next bridge where a couple of other pleasure boats had tied up. These people took our lines and we tied on without difficulty in spite of having had a Scotch on an empty stomach.

After conferring with Hal and Cheryl of the Mas Bueno, we decided to join them the next day for the forty statute-mile long journey to Ottawa. We had to lock three times. I should probably mention that the locks on these northern waterways have in common with those on the Trent-Severn and Erie Canal only only on thing: the name “lock”. They are giant modern locks that accommodate four of the big barges. The currents were also much more significant during the locking process. Fortunately the guidebooks told us the “preferred side” so that the fenders could be taken out ahead. In one lock the current became so strong after the doors opened that my bow was thrown off the dock wall and I felt I had no control of the Marilsnick any longer. Even the bow thruster was ineffective. Fortunately there were only three vessels in the lock and we had adequate space.

When we arrived in Ottawa there was no space at the city dock. Hal from the Mas Bueno was able to make docking arrangements at the Starved Rock Marina six miles downriver. We found a place for the night.

Tall Timber Marina
Havana, IL
September 6, 2010

During the days on the Illinois River we had above average temperatures. I do not think that there was one day below 85 F. The winds were strong and we felt fortunate that we were no longer on the Great Lakes! Irene, our friend from Mackinaw City reported that the seas were up to nine feet high. But even on the wide Illinois River the seas were up to two feet, if you can call them seas. The wind blew from the south and since we traveled in this direction it only slowed us down slightly.

We stayed near the Starved Rock Marina for a night. The entrance was a little tricky and the people from the only boat that had tied on to the old lock walls made no effort to help us. We then learned that we had approached it from the wrong direction and they were most helpful when we approached the second time. The boat docked at the wall was another Looper, the Emory El, with whom we were familiar since we heard them talk on the radio on Lake Michigan, when one of her engines had failed.

The dock on the old lock wall was just as good as any wooden dock since the wall went straight down and our fenders worked well. We spent a peaceful night and proceeded to the Illinois Yacht Club, a day’s trip down the Illinois River. It runs in a wide bed in this portion so that it was not even scary when several pushers with five barges tied together came towards us. When we met one of these big boats we got on the radio with the captain who told us where he wanted us to go. Go on “one whistle” means one meets port to port. We did not have to do a thing since the Mas Bueno was ahead of us.

The owners of the Mas Bueno have been very good to us. They cruised ahead of us and made all the locking arrangements and they also reserved our marinas. As a little thank you we invited them for Sauerkraut with pork cutlets lovingly prepared by Wolfgang.

The Illinois Yacht Club was nice. The facilities were clean, fast internet was available and the restaurant served great food. Hal, the Mas Bueno Captain made arrangements for six looper crews to have a meal together. It was a lively and interesting evening. One can learn so much from others. Since we were unable to make reservations for the next night in the only marina possible we decided to stay another day and took it easy.

The next day we had to make it through the Peoria Lock, which was closed during normal hours for repairs. Fortunately it was open on Sundays and holidays and we made arrangements for Labor Day to pass through. When we arrived we had only a brief waiting time and then passed this last big obstacle before reaching the Mississippi three or four days later.

The trip to Tall Timber took us about six hours. We passed through Asian Carp country, which cannot be overlooked. The Illinois River has become a home for the Asian Carp. They have a strange habit: to be frightened by noise. It was not unusual for us to see several jump high into the air only to plop into the water again. In two instances these fish landed in a more hostile environment: on our aft deck. Both died there before we found them In order to prove this story an image of one of those animals can be found in the attached album. Americans have never eaten carp but several chefs along the river now put it on their menus.

The Tall Timber Marina is normally well protected but when we arrived the wind was blowing right into the mouth of the marina and we had a hard time docking. The harbormaster and the crew of the Mas Bueno helped us until we were secure.

The scenery was not exciting but also not boring. The trees on both banks had their roots washed by the spring floods. We passed several islands, which would have been good anchorages since the side away from the river seemed rather well protected. I still prefer a bad marina to a good anchorage. I know, I know that true sailors will disagree with me.

Hardin, IL
Restaurant Dock
September 8, 2010

Several cruisers pulled into the Tall Timber marina later during the afternoon. They were the last pleasure boaters to make it through the Peoria Lock before it closed again for the week. Apparently pleasure crafts were not locked through between 5 PM and 7 AM, the time slots were reserved for the long tugboats and the four to six barges traveling up and down the river.

Beardstown was our next destination and what a destination it was! The other boats in our group had tied up to some barges but there was not enough space for us so that we had to raft to the Mas Bueno. Hal and Cheryl adopted us and supplied me with tomato juice for my last Bloody Mary and with ice, which we cannot make on the Marilsnick.

The next morning there was a little delay in the departure of the seven boats that all had tied up to the barges in Beardstown. Hal was able to help the crew of the Magoo to start their engine. All seven boats then made it together through the LaGrange Lock. Then the boats spread out and we followed the Mas Bueno, since it was the slowest boat.
The journey took us more than eight hours. Spending most of the time at the helm I was tired again and happy to be in port.

Wolfgang had prepared spinach, potatoes and eggs for lunch but for dinner we decided to go out.

When we reached Hardin the other boats had docked already and there did not seem room for the Marilsnick. However the crew of the Mas Bueno had assured us that there would be room and invited us again to raft to their vessel. Hal, the skipper of the Mas Bueno was a true angel. He made reservations for us and advised us when and how to pass a tug with twelve, yes twelve standard barges, three abreast. As we were passing this giant of a barge collection I went on the radio and complemented the skipper how he was able to navigate his charges through the currents of the Illinois. He appreciated it and that was all. The relationship of the pleasure boat crew and the commercial fleet seems to be most friendly. The boaters have great appreciation for the captains of the commercial ships. Most of us are still having an adrenalin rush when we dock or when we are suddenly pushed by a current toward the edge of the marked waterway. The commercial skippers seemed to be really laid back and all of them without exception have been friendly on the radio.

At night we had a big dinner at what appeared a local hole in the wall. It turned out that the food was exceptional and the timing of the service for our group of ten or eleven Loopers was excellent. We received our food at the same time and it had the right temperature. During such meals the Loopers exchanged experiences in various ports, their views of the most wonderful experiences (most agreed that it was the Trent Severn Waterway and Georgian Bay), their difficulties with telephones and the access to the Internet, both of which are our tether to home.

Grafton
Grafton Marina
September 9, 2010

The Illinois River ended in Grafton where it merged with the Mississippi. It was a leisurely journey taking only a little less than three hours. We followed the Mas Bueno and passed another convoy of barges. They probably traveled less than four knots downriver. The area became more populated but there was no phone access and the access to the Internet was poor and phone calls over Skype were impossible.

We had begun to have problems with our toilet, call head on ships. The bad news was that the mechanic, a cooperative man named Dave, had been unable to find the replacement. The good news was that the marina was comfortable, modern and clean. There was even a pool iand a little store, which had a good supply of items for the mariner.

After spending a day in the marina we decided to extend our stay in order to get the “head” problem resolved. We ordered a repair kit that was air-freighted in. Unfortunately we could not order it until Monday morning and thus had to stay behind “Las Bueno” who had been such a wonderful companion. On Saturday we rented a car and drove to Springfield, IL, the state capital and the home of President Lincoln. It was a great decision because we learned a lot about him. I had read the book by Doris. Kearns-Goodwin (Team of Rivals). The former Lincoln home and a few homes nearby from the period had been converted to a museum, which is also a National Park site. We saw the desk, on which Lincoln worked and witnessed how small the house was and under what rather primitive circumstances even a middle class family lived at the time. A cast iron cooking stove had only been purchased shortly before the Lincolns moved into the White House. There was no indoor plumbing and no electric lighting. For privacy the Lincolns had two separate bedrooms.

After a quick lunch of Mexican food near the Illinois Capitol we went into the modern Lincoln Museum. Here the scenes of his life were depicted. There was a log cabin showing under which primitive circumstances he lived with his family during his childhood. One room was devoted to caricatures and cartoons during his presidential years. Another room had an exhibition of Mrs. Lincolns dresses she wore at state dinners and those of the White House female guests who frequently were social rivals and during such occasion scenes exhibiting envy must have been fairly common among the women.

A movie showed several scenes of Lincoln’s life but it was merely an introduction for the young kids in the audience with special effects that were impressive for them.

When passing through the town of Jerseyville we found a Lutheran Church and decided to attend the Sunday services there. Since we were close to Missouri, it was no surprise that it was a Missouri Synod Church. Most hymns were familiar to me from Germany. The service appeared “more catholic” in its liturgy. We were asked to abstain from communion if we were not members of a Missouri Synod. This surprised me since I had celebrated the Lord’s Supper in a Missouri Church before.

On Sunday afternoon we drove to St. Louis because we wanted to visit the Arch. In the park under the Arch a Tea Party group held rally and parking was difficult. When one stands even some distance away from the arch it is impossible to get a good picture of it. On the other hand the images we did get were impressive (see slideshow). We ascended the Arch in the tram that took us to a view area from where we could see the two Stadiums, the city with its high-rises and hotels and - most important - the mighty Mississippi. Under the Arch was a museum depicting scenes from the Lewis and Clark exoedition and it described the consequences of settling the West for Native Americans.

On Sunday night I received good news. Since a couple who was planning to travel with me during the first half of October had to cancel for medical reasons I had sent out an e-mail to a group, whom I deemed to be potential crew members. A Rotary friend expressed his interest and a day later he confirmed.

Since we had rented the car and we had to wait for the repair of the toilet we decided to make the best of it and drive the hundred or so miles to Hannibal, MO. From Grafton we took a ferry across the Mississippi and took small roads along the river north to Hannibal. The scenery was mostly hilly with many cornfields and a crop that was either soybeans or peanuts as we decided. The people in the little towns we passed were devoted to farming. A railroad went parallel to the road and parallel to the river. It was a leisurely ride until suddenly the road was closed. We had to turn around and take the main highway.

First we visited the Mark Twain Museum on Main Street of Hannibal, which runs parallel to the Mississippi. Although most houses were built during a slightly later period the house of the Clements’ (Mark Twain was Samuel Clement’s nom de plume) was restored. The “shack” where the Huckleberry Finn character lived and the home of Becky Thatcher, Samuel’s girlfriend were part of the tour. A fact I learned in this museum was that the Clements had slaves but then fell on bad times so that they had to sell them and later had to rent slaves from other slave owners.

On our way home we stopped at a church, which I had identified from afar as a Lutheran church building. A cemetery surrounded the church and the manse. The church building and steeple could have been constructed in Germany during the late 19th century. The nameplates on the cemetery contained names that could have been at any North German congregation.

On Sunday night I had checked the engine room and found water in the oil pan. Even for someone not mechanically inclined that appeared to be unusual. I called our mechanic David who had ordered the head repair kit and asked him to look at the problem. He arrived late after our return from Hannibal and within a few minutes he detected that we had a water pump problem. Now we had to deal with two things: the head and the pump.

David indicated that we might be able to pick up a replacement in St. Louis the next day. In my experience there are two facts that can be predicted with a great degree of accuracy in marine repair: it takes always longer and is always more expensive than estimated. Is it surprising that I began to worry? Can we still make it down the Mississippi, up the Ohio and Cumberland toward Pickwick Lock as planned? My friends had made plans, bought airline tickets. What would I do if the repair could not be made in time. Should I abandon the last 1000 miles of the cruise still ahead of me? As my current crew leaves me and as I place this on my blog I do not know the answer of these questions. Stay tuned!

---