Hello all: We stopped briefly in Chillicothe, Illinois, in order to meet an old college friend & his family. The Winnie W was briefly parked in a small friendly marina which barely had room for us; you can see the pontoon boats and runabouts that are its usual clientele. This marina was tucked into a well sheltered basin but the water was still probably 5 feet above normal, from the flooding last week. The owner had taken extra measures to secure the docks; you can see the long ropes tying them off, and the "gangplank" at the right from the steps to the docks, over the usual planking to the docks.
Traveling thru Peoria we saw a World War 2 landing ship. This ship has an amazing story, having been part of the Normandy D-Day landings and eventually ending her career in the Turkish Navy. She was scheduled to be scrapped but some WW2 vets organized an effort to save her and they steamed her back across the Atlantic and up the Mississippi & Illinois Rivers. Not sure where she will end up, but we hope that many young people will learn from this ship!
The water is still above flood stage. There is a lot of current and a lot of debris in the water. Quite a few people are still suffering from property damage and many farm fields along the river have been flooded. Here is a Great Blue Heron working on grabbing some lunch, standing on a log floating down the river. We carefully steered the Winnie W around the log because we didn't want to disturb him ;)
Here is a photo showing more of the flooded banks. This is just below Havana, Illinois; the crest is several days past but the water is still a couple of feet above flood stage.
And here's Hank! He knows how to relax during long days of travel.Tonight we are safely tied up at the Beardstown dock, which is actually a retired barge secured to the waterfront. We would like to see some of the history exhibits;for example, this is a town where Abraham Lincoln came to the courtroom to defend a law case.
Best wishes to all,
Doug & Kathie
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