Tuesday, 31 August, 2010 Location: Joliet, Il

There’s additional new info..a lock 131 miles south of our location, the Peoria Lock and Dam, is closed Mon-thru Sat 7am to 5pm for maintenance, open only between 5pm and 7am and all day on Sunday thru October….This is going to make our journey even more exciting..a major backlog with commercial barges having priority over personal watercraft. We cannot travel this route in the dark, so plan on waiting our turn, for however long it takes, this Sunday.

in Joliet

Once we found out the hours at the Peoria Lock were reduced and the likelihood of us not being able to lock through until Sunday, a perfect opportunity was created to get reacquainted with a wonderful coworker of mine (Tiki) when I worked in Chicago reservations with Eastern Air Lines. Donna and I had been keeping tabs on one another since the beginning of our trip, trying to work out a rendezvous – this was perfect, and she and her husband, Bill, did not mind the 3 hour drive to visit us. They arrived early afternoon, we talked and talked some more, then had a great dinner buffet at Harrah’s Casino right across the river from where we have tied up. Thank you, Donna and Bill, for a great visit. I know we will see you in Tampa. (Mary, know you are jealous, but we did wish you were with us.)