2014-10-07 Illinois & Michigan Canal

The Erie Canal is famous. The Illinois & Michigan Canal should be just as famous. The Erie Canal allowed shipments to get TO Chicago through the Great Lakes. The I&M Canal allow cargo to get FROM Chicago to the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico. THAT was a big deal in 1848 when it was completed.

With this 96 mile link the center of trade in the Midwest was shifted from St Louis to Chicago.

Passenger service through the 15 locks and five aqueducts was only viable for about 5 years though until the railroad was built pretty much right next to it.

Cargo carrying, mostly grain, wood, and rocks, lasted until about 1890. They upgraded from mules pulling barges to steam-driven boats around 1870 and the most amount of cargo moved was in 1882.

After 1900 commercial traffic stopped and recreation usage started and then the canal was closed around 1933.

We had explored the canal earlier in the week with a walk on our day off.

The canal today is mostly filled with green slimy water and vegetation. The bike/walking/running trail follows the old tow paths next to the canal.

There are many, many places to access the pathway and it seems to be well maintained.

Our adventure today was to go to the end of the canal, La Salle, and experience being in a canal boat towed by a mule along the canal - just like in the old days.

We drove along the roads closest to the canal and stopped at access points to walk along the path and to view old mule barns, old locks, toll houses, replica boats, and lock master houses.

Eventually we made it to La Salle, bought our tickets, and got down to the water in time to see a boat and mule coming back to the landing.

30 minutes later it was our turn to board and we were the only passengers on the boat!

The crew consisted of a pilot, a linesman, a mule handler, and a storyteller.

The boat was a replica of what the boats were like 150 years ago and had a small, unseen motor for assistance for safety sake.

The storyteller followed us around the boat as we took pictures and he told us the tale of the canal and the cities along the route.

On our way back home we located one of the locks on the Illinois River that took over for the I&M Canal and we watched as a huge 12 barge tow was moved through the lock until the visitor's center closed at 5pm.

2014-09-30 Moving South & Our First "Muffler Man"

It is finally time to start heading south. We've been fortunate and the weather has not turned cold on us yet, BUT it is almost October and we are expecting it.

We hitched up the 5th wheel and uneventfully made the 120 mile drive to our new RV park - Leisure Lake Membership Resort at the intersection of I-55 and I-80 where we will be staying for 9 days.

Along the way we picked up a toll transponder at an "Oasis" on the Tri-State Expressway that would allow us to zoom through toll areas without stopping. We preloaded our account with $40, attached the transponder to the windshield, and off we went. It's a great time saver, gas saver, and the tolls are half price.

The next day we relaxed and had a leisurely morning at our Leisure Resort. Feeling antsy, we headed out after lunch for a walk on the Illinois & Michigan Canal trail. We found a couple of locks (no longer being used) and dams along the way and some guy's yard that was like an antique farm museum.

We had our itinerary with us and so we headed for a stretch of Route 66 a short distance away to see what we could find.

The Schutten-Aldrch House was really cool looking.

I may as well take a few moments and explain what a "Muffler  Man" is because you'll be seeing lots of pictures of them in later blogs.

Muffler Men are large molded fiberglass sculptures that were placed as advertising icons or roadside attractions. They are anywhere from 18-25 feet tall. We will see these guys holding a variety of items on our travels. International Fiberglass of Venice, California constructed most of them.

This one we found standing in Wilmington, IL outside of the closed Launching Pad fast food restaurant.

Times must really be tough because this place had tons of Route 66 memorabilia inside.

We tried to help out and bought $50 worth of diesel in town before heading down the street to Nelly's for dinner.

The food was great and they invite you to "pull out the ladder and write on their ceiling".

We headed on down the road where we'll be searching for more great cities and things to see and eat along Route 66.