Rendevous in Peoria - Day 3 Henry to Peoria, IL

Ok, so a "rendevous" in Peoria Illinois does not sound all that romantic.  Well, that is, except to me because today is the day that Diana and Kodi joined the journey.  More at the end of the article.

We woke up in Henry to pea soup fog on the Illinois River.  The photo below was taken around 8:00am.  Earlier you would have only seen a white.  You will notice in the photo that we were tied to a wall.  Actually, it's an abandoned lock wall built in 1870.  For more information see yesterday's blog.

The fog cleared around 10:00am and we departed for Peoria.  In the photo below you get a better view of the old lock wall.  As I manuvered the boat out of the old lock, the Asian Carp started jumping and hitting the underside of the swim platform, which was intially disconcerting as hearing any noise in shallow water is cause for alarm.   None, however, jumped onto the platform or struck the boat above the water line.

The cruise down the river was as peaceful as the day before and easier as we did not have traverse any locks.  We passed forested banks, a few commercial sites and several tows as we traveled to Peoria.  David helmed and Soph supervised.

We passed Hamm's Marina after two hours.  Hamm's, according to the cruising guide, is an unusual spot, which is suggested by the photos below.  We did not stop.  Notice the barges, tugs and other craft along the shore.

After Hamm's we passed through Chillicothe, IL and came upon thousands of pelicans floating in the channel.  Apparently, the pelican's have shifted their migration to Illinois and, according to one reporter, most sightings are in March and October.  Sorry my camera cannot capture the beauty of these creatures.  So for some better photos of the pelicans click here.

At 2:00pm we arrived at the top rated (for the Illinois River) Illinois Valley Yacht Club also know as the IVY Club, which, even from the river, is very attractive as shown in the photo below. 

Earlier, I had spoke to the dockmaster, Ron Johnson, by phone (marina phone numbers are found in the cruising guide).  Ron informed us that the channel entrance was badly silted and that our 4 foot draft would put us VERY close to the bottom.  The good news is that silt will not damage the props.  However, the muddy water kicked-up be the props is sucked in to the sea strainers to cool the engines, which is not good in large quantities. Also, we are a bit large for this marina and we had to manuever in very close quarters.

We docked at the gas dock and took on fuel and water.  David and Soph posed for a picture marking the end of their three day journey.

Soph and I neatened the boat up for Diana's arrival.  At 3:00pm Diana, Elena and Kodi arrived at the IVY Club.  They had driven down from Chicago to faciliate the "crew" change and arrived with lots of goodies including a care package from Soph and Elena which included a bottle of Phelps 2006 Insignia Cabernet Savingnon (which is to be opened in Mobile Bay).  We spent the next two hours loading the boat and enjoying The Ivy Club before the "crew" departed for Chicago.

Diana, Kodi, Soph and David

Elena Enjoying the Sun

The IVY Club was founded in 1907 and is a first class facility - in may ways on a par with the Chicago Yacht Club (just on a smaller scale). The club offers slips with power and water, pump out station, full service dining room and bar, rest rooms and showers, snack bar, fuel and laundry facilities.  Diana’s mood immediately brightened when she saw how cool the “digs’ were.  Unfortunately, at least according to the locals, there is nothing to rival this until Green Turtle Bay in Tennessee.  Check out the photos below.  Guided Discovery is tied to the wall.  Note:Tthere is 1.3 feet of water under the props.

Here's the data:Written by Les.

• Miles Traveled: 28.4
• Cumulative Miles: 158.4
• Locks Traversed Today: 0
• Fuel Used Today: 12.4 Gallons
• Average MPG: 2.1 - Nice efficiency
• Average Speed: 8.0 MPH
• Engine Hours Today: 3:32