Chicago to Joliet is 38 miles, with 2 locks and only one required bridge opening (the Amtrak), thanks to our low clearance capability. The trip still took us approximately 6 hours.
While we were hoping to leave Chicago under bright blue sunny skies showcasing the skyscrapers in all their glory as we cruise the Chicago River, such was not the case. It is overcast, but at least no storms or rain.
So long B dock
Before we can cruise down the Chicago River, we must go through the Chicago Harbor Lock. This lock, finished in 1938, sits at the mouth of the Chicago River and reverses the flow of water from Lake Michigan. The purpose being to improve the water quality of the lake. It takes about 12-15 minutes to lock through, bringing us down to the Chicago River, a difference ranging from 2 to 5 feet. We estimate our lowering at 4 feet. As the water level is lowered, a line is held to keep your boat near the lock wall. While the lock can hold up to 100 vessels, we were all alone this Saturday Morning. Definitely a smart move leaving before 9 as most sightseeing boats have not began their day. The Chicago Harbor Lock is the 4the busiest lock for commercial use and the 2nd busiest for recreational use in the US. We are fortunate to be solo this morning!
Approaching the lock
Leaving the lock
Entering the Chicago River and navigating the meandering path it weaves through the city is one of the most amazing and scenic legs of our journey. The river is quite congested, and once again we are thankful the sightseeing boats are still mooring and not touring. Except for those brave kayak tourers!
The architecture is stunning from the river, which is probably why the architecture tours are so popular for tourists. One of the first skyscrapers we cruise by, and one we saw daily from the marina, is the St. Regis.
The St. Regis was just completed in 2020. It is the 3rd tallest building in Chicago, but THE tallest in the world designed by a woman. It is 101 stories, which comprise of 191 hotel rooms and 393 luxury condos. The most expensive condo will set your back 20.5 million, but you do have a 2 floor unit.
What is interesting about the St. Regis is the double height blow through floors at level 88. This reduces wind forces as the wind is allowed to blow directly through the building. Without this blow through floor, it would sway enough to make people feel uncomfortable and potentially nauseous.
Next we see the “corn cob” buildings. These two towers are Marina City, the brainchild of architect Bertrand Goldberg. To combat the rise of suburban migration by middle class americans during the 1960’s, Marina City was an urban experiment created to be a city within a city. Completed in 1967, Marina CIty comprised of 2 residential towers, office building, theater, and car and boat parking. Goldberg’s intention was to offer residents a place to live close to work. In this end, his development was a success with 8% of residents working within the development and another 80% who could walk to work. Goldberg was ahead of his time and introduced a new way of living with this mixed use development. Today, Chicagoans embrace this concept of living near your workplace resulting in many multi use developments within the Loop.
Once we leave the skyscrapers of Chicago in our wake…
the views quickly turn from glitz to grime.
The necessary industrial side of things.
Further down river in Lemont, we encounter a first for us…an electrical fish barrier.
The electric fish barrier is one defensive measure being used to quell the spread of Asian Carp into Lake Michigan. Asian Carp are an invasive species which are harmful to native species and ecosystems in freshwater and streams as they out-compete other fish for food and space. Originally, they were brought into the US during the 1960’s to help clean ponds and fish farms but unfortunately they escaped into rivers and lakes leading us to the current situation. They can be quite large, up to 110 lbs, and can jump 10 feet, injuring people at times. One of the only known predators of the invasive carp is the Alligator Gar, which itself is huge at sizes reaching 8 1/2 feet and 300+ pounds. In the early 1900’s, the Alligator Gar was considered “trash” fish and they often were shot or even blown up with dynamite drastically reducing their population. Now, this “trash” fish is being reintroduced and restocked as another weapon in the battle waging against the soaring Asian Carp population.
Our last segment of the journey takes us through the lock at Lockport. Once through this lock, the Chicago Sanitary Canal will end and we will be in the waters of the Des Plaines River.
Once again, we are back on the inland waterways and the dreaded locks. This one was a 40 foot drop. A line is attached to the floating bollard and fenders strategically placed with an occasional boat hook nudge to fend off the wall. Lockport was easy as we had no wait and were the only ones locking through.
We arrive to Joliet and pass by Harrah’s. Joliet is the only city in Illinois which has two casinos within its city limits…Harrah’s and Hollywood.
Harrah’s Casino
We arrive to our dock for the night.
We tie up to the public wall in Joliet. There is electric but no water. The dockage is free, which is nice, but caution is needed as the rock wall is crumbling and rebar randomly exposed throughout. Fenders are a must along with secure footing when getting on and off the boat. There are four boats spending the night.
We leave Prime 11 and venture into town. Hard to believe, with a population of 150,000 this is the third largest city in the state of Illinois! The City of Champions, as they call themselves due to multiple state and national titles in band competitions, has several claims to fame. They are home to the first Dairy Queen and home to the Joliet Prison (1858-2002), known as one of the toughest prisons in America mainly due to its appalling conditions. The Joliet Prison has recently been the filming location for the series Prison Break and now offers tours to the public.
Tomorrow we leave Juliet and head for Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL. For the rest of the night, and into the overnight, I will try not to think how close the barges travel to our mooring location.
