Survived Joliet

Tuesday 24, September 2013

We survived the night in Joilet and left around 8:00 a.m.  The Georgian Bay folks in "Bluenoser" wanted to follow us.  The blind leading the blind?  I prefer to follow someone and let them be the guinea pigs with barges and chart reading.  Lazy looper, that's me.

The scenery got a little better.  Fewer industrial complexes and some wooded areas. There were few homes on the river and they weren't quite up to Georgian Bay standards.

ha ha

 

I was surprised to see white egrets this far north.

 

We have not seen an eagle since we left Canada.

 

 

 

Once we arrived in Ottawa, our goal for the day, we had to first pass under a bridge and hang a right.

A big fish jumped off the stern.  O.K.  that's normal.  As soon as we made the turn and got close to the dock, I stood there with line in hand ready to lasso a cleat when huge Asian Carps started jumping all around the stern and smacking into the side of the boat!  I was trying to avoid them smacking into me, because they were jumping THAT HIGH and help dock the boat at the same time.

 

Somehow we got tied up without one landing in the boat THIS TIME.  Is that what we have to look forward to?  I will be ready with video camera tomorrow.

 

We walked to the grocery store and then went for a bike ride thru the little town that reminded me of the Canadian towns we visited.  It looks like what was once a really upscale town back on its way up. That is nice for a change,  Usually it's the other way around.  It seemed like people my age (old) are buying these grand classic old homes and restoring them so they can live in the "cute town".  I'm envious. 

 

The Ottawa High School was having a night football game at the stadium nearby.  We could see the lights and hear the crowd yelling.  It felt like all was right with the world in that little town.

 

Ottawa Court House was the place where the first of seven of the Lincoln-Douglas debates took place in 1858 as a precursor to the Civil War.  While riding our bikes around there you could sense the ghosts of greatness around. 

 

Tomorrow we hope to make Peoria.  We need to stop and buy a new handheld VHF because the Captain dropped ours in the Illinois River.  Glad it was him instead of me!