After the Chicago Sanitation and Shipping Canal came the Des Plaines River.
On the way to our first overnight on the river (9/18) we traveled through our first “real” lock. The Lockport lock took us down 39 feet. We learned that locks aren’t so scary after all. Just pull up gently to the wall, put a looped line over one of the bollards (seen at left), and wait. The bollards actually float up, or in this instance down, with you. Keep a close eye on the bollard, in case it jams. Due to Pearl Lee’s shape tapering at both ends, we positioned ourselves fore and aft with boat hooks (telescoping poles used for pushing or pulling) to keep us parallel to the wall. Then, just wait until the doors on the other side open so you can leave.
Our first stop was Joliet’s free town wall. Joliet is working hard to bring some vitality back to their riverfront, so they let boats tie up and even plug into electricity while visiting. If you’re familiar with the area you might wonder why we’re pointed north. We always dock heading into the current for better control and slower speed relative to the dock. Unfortunately, right now there isn’t much there but a city park. We actually had some business with the Post Office, and since it was Sunday, we spent an extra night here. Luckily for us, our friend Mike offered to drive us to pick up a few needed items, and to the all important Post Office.
The extra night gave us time to do a little exploring by bicycle. We were bicyclists before starting this new life, so it seems pretty natural to us. The area we were in is still a little sketchy, but is well patrolled, and offers some beautiful old architecture.
Even with the patrols we were advised not to leave our boat alone at night, so once our business was done we headed on down the river.
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