We left Joliet early in the morning, as we knew the bridge we needed to be lifted did not lift during rush hour. That was super easy with zero hassle. We had a brief wait for the Brandon Road Lock and were on our way.

We were excited to pass under the I-55 bridge. We have driven over that bridge several times over the past couple years on our trips between our old home and new home. Each time we passed, we said, “Pretty soon, we’ll pass UNDER this bridge.” Today was the day. This trip really is a dream come true.

Our passage through the Dresdon Lock was uneventful. By this point, it almost seems routine. It was lock #4 for us.

There were a few tows on our route, but none too big. One radioed ahead to the boat behind us who was visible on AIS (this is where we discovered our new AIS wasn’t working correctly) to let him know that he had just come through the Marseilles Lock and was coming our way. He asked us all to pull over to the side and allow him to pass. We did.

The Marseilles Lock was ready for us when we got there. We had a little trouble getting our fenders in the right place for this one. They had to be lower for this one than the others. So we were a little unprepared for that part. We worked it out, though, and went on our way.

Our next stop was Heritage Harbor in Ottawa. We fueled up, pumped out, and had a nice spot to dock. Jeremy gave us a Looper-Rendezvousesque-route-segment seminar that will help us get from Ottawa all the way to Paducah. Every bit of advice we get helps build our confidence, and we really felt good getting so much good information from someone who knows so much.

We took the Heritage Harbor Limo into town. Did I say limo? I meant courtesy car that was the opposite of a limo but got us where we wanted to go. We had heard good things about Bianchi’s, so we went there for dinner. They have pizza, one kind of crust, three sizes. Pick your toppings, order your beer, wine, or soft drink, and sit down. It was yummy.

After dinner, we walked around Ottawa and saw the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate. There are some cool older buildings to see, and lots of store fronts to look into. There are a few murals around town and some quirky (whimsical?) sculptures here and there. Cute town!

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