Friday, September 15 - Ottawa
We had not checked
in last night, so that was our first activity of the day. It was good to
get a look at the Marina! It was too dark to see anything last night.
This book box was
in the office. We have seen several on our trip and most marinas have a
“Take One, Leave One shelf in the laundry area or the office, but this was by
far my favorite.
The Joliet Town
Wall, our home for the past three days, did not have shower facilities, so the
bath house was our next stop. Now these folks know how to set up a
shower for boaters! Fully stocked, dispensers in the shower, body lotion,
spray deodorant AND a hair dryer.
There were two
courtesy cars, so Deb reserved one and the four of us headed for town. Laundromat
first, then we left the clothes in the dryers and went to Kroger! It has
been many months since I have been in one. And they did have my favorite
Kroger bread - I was very excited. Thirty packs of Danny’s favorite beer
were on sale for $13.99, cheaper than in Knoxville. Want to guess how
many Danny bought?
Back to pick up the
clothes, then lunch. It has been so long since we had BBQ, so I searched
Maps for a restaurant and Dig Doug’s BBQ showed up. This place was
fantastic! My brisket was incredible, and Danny’s pulled pork was
outstanding. Deb and Gil got a slider plate with all three meats and gave
thumbs up to all. We talked quite a bit to one of the owners who was
working as a waitress.
Back to the
marina. We had filled the back of the Suburban with groceries, laundry,
and of course Danny’s beverage purchases. We had enough stuff to fill our
red wagon with our stuff (thank you, Jennifer), and Deb and Gil filled a dock
cart. And now to unload.
Jeremy, the dock
master, held a meeting at 5:00 to talk about anchorages between Ottawa and
Hoppies on the Mississippi. Lots of good information. The ladies,
Carolyn, Deb and I, took notes while the guys, Craig, Gil and Danny, looked at
the charts. Sexist?
Docktails tonight
was a huge affair! We took over the tiki bar since it isn’t open on
Sunday. There were so many people there! We met a guy who is a
state legislator in Georgia, and knows our friend Tyrone Spearman! It was
a great time! 
The Joliet Town
Wall, our home for the past three days, did not have shower facilities, so the
bath house was our next stop. Now these folks know how to set up a
shower for boaters! Fully stocked, dispensers in the shower, body lotion,
spray deodorant AND a hair dryer. 
At Docktails last
night, the consensus was to get up early, call Brandon Road Lock and Dam, two
miles down the river, then head down, hopefully getting ahead of the barge
traffic. We got up early only to find fog! 
About 10 miles
downriver, we passed Hollywood Casino. It certainly was not
glamorous. Danny figured the casino part was floating and parking was on
shore.
Waterway Guide said
once we passed under the Interstate 55 Bridge, we could consider ourselves free
of the greater Chicagoland-area congestion. I think they are wrong.
There were still lots of barges. 
We saw leaves
changing colors, and some cute little boat houses like the ones on Norris Lake,
and even some cows.
Dresden Lock and
Dam was our second lock of the day, and had the shortest delay. When a
lock opens, we leave one at a time, making quite a trail of boats. 
What a great
idea! Some land owner, likely a farmer due to the location, set aside a strip
of land beside the river and rents or sells small plots to campers. There
must have been 30 spaces. 
