Joliet - Where are the Blues Brothers?

 A bald eagle looks over the Cal-Sag Waterway.

Oh, I slept poorly last night.  I could not rest my anxious brain.  And no wonder:  the methane flare out the window, the constant trains with their whistles, the sirens.  Marine Services was a loud marina.  

We left this morning at 7:00 am.  It was chilly, but there was the promise of sunshine later.  We started our trip at the lower station inside because the upper area was wet and cold.  We went up about an hour later and enjoyed a sunny day on the Cal-Sag Waterway, the Chicago Sanitary Canal, and just a touch of the Des Plaines River before tying to the free wall at Joliet, IL.

Here is the intersection of the Cal -Sag waterway (right) and the Chicago Sanitary

Canal (left). I took this looking off the stern toward Chicago.  Good-bye, Chicago!

Barges waiting on the canal.

The photo does not show how crowded the Chicago Sanitary Canal is.  Barges park on 

the sides.  Tows move around to get the barges in order. There is only one lane open for thru- boats.  If we met a moving barge, life would be exciting.  We were lucky to come through here on a Sunday.

We saw just two moving tows.  One of them was pushing a barge in front of us. Then he stopped and backed up.  We called and confirmed that he was backing toward us. He said he needed to connect his barge to another. So we sat in the canal for a while. I kept a look-out in the back, hoping no one would approach. Finally, the tow moved to the side and said we could pass. 

Asian Carp are kept out of the Great Lakes by this electric fence.

We went through the Lockport Lock after waiting 20 minutes for the lock to fill.  We were the only boat in the lock. Waiting is hard due to river current, but being in the lock is easy.  After the lock we entered the Des Plaines River at Joliet and three draw bridges in a row opened for us.  They say, "Keep a coming, Captain," when I call to ask them for an opening.  So we move toward the low bridge, and voilá it opens.  

Now we are tied on the wall.  There is free space and electricity.  Thank you, Joliet!

 Sorry to report that we did not find any other boaters here. Hoping for a quiet night with sleep.