LOOP Report 09/16/2004

09/16/2004

Saturday, September 16

Chicago, Burnham Harbour

Saturday finds the Chinook in Burnham Harbour in downtown Chicago. The day is beautiful with blue skies, light winds and a temperature just below 80. This is a very attractive harbour where we are one of the smallest boats around.

The park setting goes all along the Chicago waterfront. We are directly east of Soldiers' Field, the home of the Chicago Bears football team. Immediately south of us it the huge Convention Centre called McCormack Park. To the north is the Field Museum and the Chicago Aquarium and a huge planetarium which goes out into the water. We have been fortunate to see two fireworks displays since we arrived last tuesday from a trip across the lake from Benton Harbour/St. Joseph. We were fortunate to cross Lake Michigan in a relatively calm see as the next three days brought high winds which would have prevented us from getting here in one piece.

Ted and Pat are in Toronto and following some medical tests for Pat they will be rejoining the boat on Wednesday/Thursday when we will resume our trip with an entrance into the Chicago canal and on down the Illinois river. The canal starts with a lock which prevents all of Lake Michigan from draining down the Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. My suspicion is that a lot of the Great Lakes is funnelled down this canal when we are asleep as there have been few complaints in recent years about low water in the canals and rivers (Mississippi) all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

More later in the days and weeks ahead.