Thursday September 24, 2015
There were five Great Loop boats plus a boat being delivered that were all tied up at the Joliet, IL town wall. Starting at 6am, one in the group called the Brandon Road Lock and Dam to see when we could lock through. We were told to call back at 8am. At 8am, we were told to call back at 10am. Finally at 10am we were given to word. Time to head to the lock, just over a mile down river. Jim had been sitting on a park bench near the boat, working on his computer. We started the engine, untied the lines, and headed south with the other five boats. We had to hover and wait for another 45 minutes at the lock, and then it took almost an hour before we were released on the downriver side of the lock.
It was a beautiful day, and all was good until Jim suddenly had a stricken look on his face. He just realized that he had left Mr Fish on the bench. Boy, was Jim in the doghouse! He tried to call the park to see if someone could look for Mr Fish, but the best he could do was to leave a message. Humans can be lost at sea, and our Mr Fish was lost on land. The good news is that his clone can come to life once I return home to my sewing machine in November for a quick visit. I say this after a few days of recovery time. I feel like I have lost a member of our crew.
We had a 15 mile stretch from the Brandon Road lock and dam to the Dresden Lock and dam. All the other boats were faster then us, and they were soon out of sight. When we reached the dam, there they all were, anchored. We anchored too, and had a three hour wait for the lock. By the time we were through the second lock, it was 5:30. Our total progress for the day had only been about 16 miles. We anchored for the night behind Sugar Island. It was fun to watch the tug and barges go by in the night with their powerful spotlights.