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September 12, 2012  Day 124      Ottawa, IL      Total miles to date:  2517.0

The Ilini Park provided a nice view
along the river before we reached Ottawa

Today marks our 4^th month on the Loop. It is still hard to comprehend that sometimes.  We still enjoy our travels, rise to the challenges, admire the scenery, are amazed at the size of barges, and are thrilled to meet so many wonderful people.

We thought we had the Illinois River to ourselves...

...until he came along -
then we passed him on our starboard

We had a short 9.3 mile boat trip today from Seneca to Ottawa. We saw on AIS that a tow with barge was a couple of miles away and we decided to head out in front of it. A quick call to the Marseilles Lock confirmed that, and they told us to call when we were near them. They opened the gates and let us right in the lock with no waiting and we locked down 28 feet!  That is the way to do it! (if only it were always this easy!) 


Heritage Harbor Marina

We arrived at Heritage Harbor Marina, in Ottawa at 10:30 this morning. This is such a nice marina and they do cater to Loopers.  They have a discount rate and they have a new courtesy minivan.  We used the van to buy oil and other supplies for the boat.  We still had other tasks (always the laundry) and used the time to get some things done.

We had a late but quick dinner then walked over to visit the other three Loopers who had stayed here today: Snow Cat, Our Bubble, and Took the Plunge. We talked until the mosquitos became unbearable!

We decided to spend tomorrow here in Ottawa and get more work done. There is also a high percentage of rain in the forecast, so we will stay put.

We will head to Peoria on Friday!