09/11/23 - 10/10/23 - Racine, WI to Seneca, IL - FINAL LEG
SWEET HOME CHICAGO!! Since June, the Army Corp had been doing extensive maintenance that required the complete shutdown of (3) Illinois River Locks: Brandon Road, Dresden Island and Marseilles. They opened as scheduled on 10/1/23 but asked pleasure boats to hold off for another 5 days. Kim Russo, Director of the AGLCA, worked diligently with the Army Corp to coordinate daily lock throughs for Looper flotillas of approximately 16 for 24 days! Almost 300 Looper boats were scattered throughout Southwest Lake Michigan, with at least 75 in Hammond, IN; many that we have cruised/chatted with over the past year. We were scheduled with flotilla #5, locking through on Tues, 10/10//23. We spent 3 weeks going back and forth between home and Racine so we could put our hands on our grandchildren and prepare for life on land. We met our Reefpoint dock neighbors for next season - seems like a fun group. Thurs, 10/5/23 - Racine, WI to Chicago, IL (54.7NM) . Cap's trusty weather apps indicated