Ottawa –
September 6
After our very stressful trip from
Chicago we needed a break to relax. We
ended up staying the next 3 nights in Ottawa at Heritage Harbor. This marina was great- almost brand new, lots
of amenities and only one dollar a foot slip fee. The marina had a pool, nice restaurant, cable
TV and a free courtesy car that we could drive anywhere. They even had preprinted directions for
Walmart!
We have been making friends with loopers
(thank goodness Lori has other women to talk to) and are now traveling with 2 other boats.
It is a whole lot easier with the locks, bridges, floating debris and
shallow water when you are not by yourself.
Plus, as Bill said, there is safety in numbers. We ended up taking the marina courtesy van for
the day with our new friends and visiting Starved Rock State Park, walking
around downtown Ottawa, Walmart, the Laundromat and going to lunch. We visited the park /square where the first
Lincoln-Davis debate over slavery occurred. (There were 10,000 people who came from all over to hear this debate- a whole lot of people for that time). This looper stuff is so social! At the marinas we are seeing many of the same
“loopers” over and over again as we are all on the same path heading south.
Unbelievable but true. At night there are very loud noises which
sound like docks going up and down. What
it actually is, is the Asian Carp rising out of the water and slapping against
the bottom of the docks attempting to eat the algae off the dock. It’s so loud that it is actually hard to
sleep! There are so many carp around it is unbelievable. They are attracted to boat noise. When a boat is moving they are jumping out of
the water constantly behind the boat.
What we have heard is that if a carp jumps into your boat you have 4
minutes to get it out. The carp dies
after four minutes and then they start bleeding from the gills – all over your
boat!
The pilings which hold the docks stick
up about 30 feet into the air. We were
told that the last 2 winters the river flooded so bad the water floated the
docks up to the top of these piles. The river water is very warm, probably close
to 80 degrees, and muddy brown. We have
no desire to swim in it!
Starved Rock Lock Ottawa, IL
Lincoln Douglas debate mural in town
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