Joliet to Ottawa

We went through 3 locks and had hard rain in 2 of them.  At Dresden Lock it rained and hailed so badly the lockmaster said we could stay there until it blew over if we wished.  At Marsellies Lock they told us we would have an hour wait and it turned into 2 ½ hour wait for barge traffic.  It rained off and on for the entire time.  When we got to Heritage Harbor Marina (who graciously took us in about 15 minutes before dark) the crews of the 5 boats went to dinner at Red Dog Grill and celebrated our survival of the day.  We may stick around here another day to do laundry and take a breath.  The locks/commercial traffic go a long way to challenge the pleasure boater.  Heritage Harbor is making up for the Locks, they have a loaner car and a very quaint town in Ottawa.  This is the historic town where a Lincoln/Douglas debate took place in 1858 --one of 7 debates over slavery in their run for the US Senate. 

We have lost our pretty water--Milfoil has returned

Rain--I worn 3 sets of clothes

Loved the rainbow

We called ourselves the survivors
Fugitive, Kat in the Hatt, Gimmetime, Sven and Teresa, and Sunny Days--we had had a rough day