Joliet, IL to Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL

About two miles downriver we come to Brandon Lock in the town of Rockdale. We lock through without any incident with our wall mate, the night before, Mystic, a 60+ foot Hatteras who just started the loop at Naperville.

Brandon Lock is a 34 feet drop and once again you catch a bollard with your line.

If you think too much about the amount of water held behind those doors, it is quite scary.

Leaving the lock, we soon pass by Hollywood Casino. From the water, my bet is they are shuttered and closed. A Google search says my bet is a loser and they are in fact open and operating.

This part of the Des Plaines River is very industrialized and barges are plentiful. Even on a Sunday morning at 9:30 AM, there is a lot of action going on!

As we navigate down river on the Des Plaines River, it joins the Kankakee River to form the Illinois River. There is no sign announcing this, like you would see on a highway, but eventually you figure out from your chart and maps that somewhere along the way, the river you were on has ended and a new one has begun. Almost immediately as we enter the Illinois River, we approach Dresden Lock.

Here , we meet up once again with our two other wall “roomies”. They inform us they have been waiting for this lock to open for 2 1/2 hours. All locks are opened 24/7, but pleasure craft has the lowest priority of locking through, which is why the wait can be long when a barge is also seeking passageway. Large barges will need to be broken down and locked through in stages, taking quite a bit of time. In this instance, we are fortunate as they allow us to lock through with a barge, but we will need to raft off each other, two by two. Our wait time was approximately 1/2 hour until given the green light. It’s a narrow passageway between barge and lock wall upon entering the lock chamber.

From Dresden Lock, the Illinois River is quite scenic.

There are also areas of campgrounds with all their toys, beachy boater “party” spots, and even farms with sheep and goats.

We approach our final lock at Marseilles. It is a 24 foot drop. No bollards, but lines. So we grab a line to control Prime 11 as we lower. We enter alone, but soon Mystic is in there with us.

We arrive to Heritage Harbor. Heritage Harbor is a resort community built around a marina. The marina itself has 186 boat slips. Many houses are under construction and many lots are still for sale. The prices for homes seem to range from $300- 700 thousand. We are once again placed on a T-head.

The marina offers lots of amenities to boaters.

And even a welcoming home for ducks!

But the best amenity is the loaner car. Such a perk as we desperately need… what else? …. fresh underwear and towels!

It was a nice reprieve at Heritage Harbor to catch up on chores and take a small break from the river run. And Captain Tom was rewarded at the Ship’s Store…

Coming from Bourbon country, this is quite a find in a random marina in the middle of Illinois on the Illinois River.

Goodnight All! Next stop: Henry, Illinois