September 25-26, 2026
Chicago skyline on a grey morning.
From East Chicago, we headed down the Calumet River to the Des Plaines River to the Illinois River. We had to make a couple of stops to get diesel fuel and a pump out of our black water. When you live in a land home, you just don’t think about having to pump out your toilets or finding fresh water. The good news is that most marinas have potable water and we have three filtration systems on the boat, so we are pretty confident we are drinking good water. Pump out of the black water happens about every 10 days or so and hasn’t been too much of an issue. I do remember when we were in Hampton, VA (just north of Norfolk), for an extended period of time due to my niece’s wedding in Alpharetta, GA. We got into our slip and realized that our black water was around 50% full. Well, for the week we were there, we trekked it up to the marina bathroom so we wouldn’t overload our system. Needless to say, when we left, we are absolutely ready for a “clean out.”
This is Howie doing a black water pump out. The tank is located in the front of the boat under cushions. We pull the cushion off and open up the top to the tank. The hose is fitted on the top and the system is turned on and pumped into a marina tank. It usually takes about 15 minutes. We also fill it with water to “clean out” the tank and then pump out that water. Bella is obviously helping.
Asian carp are an invasive species and they put up this electric fish barrier so the fish wouldn’t be able to go north into the lakes.
Our first night out from Chicago, we stayed in Joliet, IL, about 38 miles. The pump out and getting fuel added about an hour or so to our time, but we got in at a decent time. The wall was pretty full when we got there, maybe 6-7 boats and we knew there were a number of boats behind us. Well, when evening set in, we had a number of boats “rafting” off of another boat which essentially means they tie up to the side of another boat for the night.
I took Bella for a walk around the city and enjoyed the various neighborhoods near the marina. The Haley Mansion is a lovely spot not far from the river. I just happened by on a Friday afternoon around 5 p.m. to see a bride and groom getting pictures taken.
Bride being seen by the groom for the first time in her gown!
So, I had mentioned on our family group text that we were heading to Joilet, IL. Well, my nephew-in-law recently married to my niece (May 2026), chimes in that he was born in Joilet and his aunt and father live near by. He sent me his aunt’s info. and I contacted her. A couple of hours after we got there, Gina and Jerry, Grant’s aunt and uncle show up at the boat! We spent a couple of hours with them and they enjoyed the lively “dock tails” of all of the loopers. We were still bringing in boats when they were there and they got to watch all of the festivities.
Bella, Howie, Gina (Grant’s aunt), Gerry (Grant’s uncle) and me in Joilet, IL. Amazing the people you meet along the looper route!!
We left fairly early the next morning for Heritage Harbor marina where we were going to stay two nights.