Ottowa Illinois

October 11 - October 12, 2016

The trip from Joliet to Ottawa was a long 49 miles. The canal we are on turned into more of a river and shoreline became more rural. We saw a variety of birds including egrets, herons, eagles, pelicans, kingfishers, and hawks. We passed cows relaxing in a field and sheep grazing along the side of the river. We had to lock through three times today. First the Brandon Road, then the Dresden and finally the Marseilles. These three locks dropped us about 100 feet down the Illinois River.

Lock Wall

Floating Bollard holding us to the lock wall

We arrived at Ottawa late in the afternoon on Tuesday and carefully pulled alongside the Municipal Dock. It is free to tie up here and has the bonus of electricity. It is quite shallow so we will have to be careful when we leave. We walked to Handy Foods about 10 blocks away for supplies. We returned to Mystic and crashed for the night. We are tired!

Ottawa Welcome

Mystic is tucked under the Main Street Bridge at the mouth of the Fox River. It is a popular spot for fishing. The Riverwalk runs right alongside us so we see people pass by frequently. It is a busy spot, even for October. Tomorrow will be stormy so we will stay here for two nights.

Mystic tucked under Main Street Bridge, Ottowa, IL

True to the forecast, thunderstorms continued all day Wednesday. I spent the time writing and editing photos and Dave worked on boat maintenance. It was a good thing we stayed put. The town is quaint with a population of 18,700. It is a very proud town with a mayor who works at welcoming tourists. They have a garden club that keeps the gardens blooming. We find at least 10 murals on buildings that depict the rich history of the town.

Ottawa Street Art

Ottawa Mosaic

Ottawa Mural Section

Ottawa Mural Section

Ottawa Mural Section

Ottawa Mural Section

Ottawa Mural Section

Ottawa Mural Section

Stone Faces

Fall Roses

Welcome to Ottawa

Wednesday evening we went on a mission to find Twisted Root, a local microbrewery. It was a wet and cold walk but well worth it. The place just opened in April. We sat in the tasting room at the bar. Their restaurant is right next door. We met Kristi, the barista and had a wonderful chat about beer, boats and kids. Kristi and her husband have a cabin cruiser and three daughters. They bought the boat without having any boating experience Their desire to learn and enjoy the rivers near Ottawa led them to buy a boat. She told us about having to make several passes before successfully docking their new boat while everyone in the marina offered advice and cheered them on. They haven’t taken their boat through a lock yet. It terrifies Kristi to think about doing this which we understand completely. We told her she will overcome this fear through experience that will build their confidence. They hope to be Loopers one day. The girls are very young at eight, five and sixteen months but we encouraged her to hang onto that dream and when the time is right, they will know it.

Kristi at Tangled Root

Hers and His at Tangled Root

Kristi warned us of wing dams along the waterway. We’d seen them on the charts but had no idea what they were. Turns out they are death traps; dams that force the flow of the water toward the middle of the river. This helps keep the channel deeper so they don’t have to dredge. They are made of concrete and sit just underwater out of sight. If you hit one you could sink your boat. They are marked on the charts but are not visible on the river although some are marked with simple white floating buoys. We have learned to fear them even more than deadheads because they are invisible.

We woke on Thursday to fog and fishermen netting on the river. Looking east we watched a gorgeous view of the morning light picking up the hint of fog. We decided to walk into town for milk and sweet rolls before departing the dock. When we returned, there was a gentleman fishing near Mystic. He had several poles out and was walking the Riverwalk checking each one. A runner named Jane came by and stopped to ask us where we were from and if we were Looping. She chatted with us for some time, telling  us about the town history and how the docks were full of Loopers only a few weeks ago. Ottawa was a very friendly stop for us. We are glad we stayed long enough to explore a bit.

As we were pulling away from the dock, the fisherman asked me how long we’ve been sailing. I answered with a big grin, “Thirty-five years and we are still learning something new every day!” I could hear his chuckle echo under the main street bridge as we motored away.