Day 143: Joliet to Starved Rock, Illinois
Day 143: Thursday, September 8th: The five boats that moored on the park wall last night waited this morning until the next lock, Brandon Road Lock, could get ready for us; then we left all at once. It was about a mile to the lock and we eased in behind Unforgettable:
The northbound boats were warned of the Joliet bridge hours. It was just as confusing as the one we saw north of town:
A couple hours later we had to wait for the next lock:
This is the fellow we had waited for to clear the lock. Notice the severe wash he throws out behind - particularly when he puts the rudder over:
OK; here's the rest of the story about the low pilothouses. To get under some of the bridges many towboats have their pilothouses on a lift. Either a scissor lift or a hydraulic ram (like the one in this picture). When they are cruising, they lift the pilothouse so the pilot can see over the barges. Notice the ram on this one:
This part of the Illinois River is rather pretty. There is very little development and lots of birds. We even saw an otter:
About 5:00pm we entered the third and final lock of the day:
Position tonight: N41 19.328 W088 56.731
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