The river system

As of the 29th of August we left Great Lakes behind us and entered the river system. We took the Chicago Canal down to the Illinois River. Our first lock was the entrance to the Chicago Canal. It was different from all of the other locks I’ve been on. It opened its door to let out the water instead of draining it through pipes like it did on the Erie Canal. After that we had a dramatic view of the city from the canal going right through the center of it.

Going through the city

      The Illinois River is a major route for barge traffic transporting grain, fuel, iron and gravel/sand. They commonly travel in a raft of five long and two wide. On the Mississippi River they will be five long and three wide. That introduces a new problem. When you pass tugs they use the numbers one and two to describe the two ways of passing. One is like driving in America, you pass on the right  two is like driving in England, you pass on the left. If you make a mistake it could lead to a collision. Going past a tug with its engines running can be interesting too. They have have very powerful engines that create a strong prop wash. It can toss a boat around and push you out of the channel.