Day 326 – 8/25/24

Starting location: Moored in Diversey Harbor, Chicago, IL

Weather: 60s am, 80s pm, sunny

Ending location: Free wall in downtown Joliet, IL

Statute miles: 40

General summary: It was time for us to exit Chicago, via another system of locks. We entered the large lock downtown with four other boats and then motored into the Chicago River.

We passed through the center of the city and under too-numerous-to-count bridges and by architectural marvels.

On the outskirts of South Chicago, we passed this section of several electric fish barriers. This is an attempt to prevent the spread of Asian Carp. The other notable feature was several sewage overflows, which gave the water an unpleasant and pungent smell for many miles.

There are very few anchorages from Chicago to Saint Louis, but there are a few cities that offer free walls. We snagged a spot in Joliet for one night. Yes, the concrete wall is crumbling, there is very little to do, and there was a noisy generator next to our boat to support the car show going on until 6pm, but there was free power and I did get some ice cream from one of the street vendors. The town is also known for their defunct jail where some scenes from the Blues Brothers movie were filmed and you can take a tour.