Looking up the Illinois at Mile Marker 2
We're up at dawn to make Nellie ready. The last thing before casting lines off is to start the engine. She didn't; start that is. She turned over fine but refused to come to life. During yesterday's apparently over vigorous cleaning I knocked the wire off the fuel cutoff solenoid. No wire, no start.
Serendipity--While Cleaning my Breakfast Bowl in the River I Look Forward and See This Pretty Sight.
As though suffering from separation anxiety the Illinois parallels the Mississippi for the first 30 miles before slowly diverging to the northeast. The Illinois has a completely different feel than the Mississippi. While the Mississippi's channel markers dance frenetically, the Illinois' markers seem to be napping. Population density is hugely different too. The Illinois seems almost devoid of life.
Army Corps' Pathfinder Out Maintaining Channel Markers
Out with the Old...
It's 101°F and the sun is beating down. Nellie has no underway air-conditioning so we continually wet the decks to get evaporative cooling. It really does help.
A Rare Event for the Trip thus Far, Setting the Hook for the Night.
Grafton, IL to Beardstown, IL
It was a long run today, 14 hours underway. We averaged a very respectable 6.2 mph. Not only does the Illinois run slower than the Mississippi, it offers many more anchorages. We're taking advantage of that. The hook is down on the east side of Bar Island (mile marker 86), in 10' of water. Today's total was 85 miles and the trip total is now 651 miles. The anchor alarm is set. We plan to sleep well. DBH
