Ottawa to Hennepin, IL

We woke up yesterday to the sunrise over Heritage Harbor Marina, and explored the grounds, discovering the Sand Bar and the Quackerdeck, built for the local web-footed residents. 

After breakfast and pre-underway preparations, we were the fuel dock’s first customer of the day, then headed downriver into a moderate headwind. It was mercifully cloudy and the breeze and occasional bow spray felt good after so much hot weather.

We arrived at Starved Rock Lock just ahead of a solo Looper in a homemade boat, and both tied up to barge mooring cells while we waited for a northbound “double” tow to lock up. After the barges were winched out of the lock, the two of us locked down, swerved around the remaining barges and tug and were on our way, passing a half-dozen pleasure craft waiting to lock up. At Peru, IL, we passed the Michael J. Grainger, which was unloading cargo. The Starved Rock region of the state is quite beautiful, with sandstone bluffs visible in many places. The name comes from an 18th-century native legend, when a group of Illinois were trapped on a high bluff and surrounded by their enemies, eventually dying of starvation.

Starved Rock sandstone bluffs

Winching barges out of Starved Rock Lock

It was a 35-mile day with just the one lock, and we tied up at 3:30 PM at Big Bend Marina in Hennepin, IL, population 741. Fran, the owner and manager, was waiting for us, caught our lines and gave us the scoop on the tiny hamlet. She and her husband just opened up two months ago, relocating the marina from Henry, IL, 11 miles downriver.

Big Bend Marina, Hennepin, IL

We were the only diners at Rolando’s Supper Club, an old-time, family-run restaurant that served huge portions of comfort food. The host/server/bartender was a Wisconsin transplant and we had a nice conversation about small town living, Looping and all things cheesehead. Kathleen and I strolled around the village, stopping at the local grocery/hardware store then relaxed on Dragonfly watching the river go by until bedtime.

Bonus Question: (Another anagram—hope you love them as much as I do!) What current world capital city is an anagram of the previous capital? (answer at end of post)

Photo Journal: 

Father Louis Hennepin fountain

Rolando’s Supper Club decor

Hennepin, IL veteran’s memorial and courthouse

And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street

Bonus Question Answer: Originally called Edo, Tokyo is an anagram of Kyoto, Japan’s prior capital. Tokyo means “east imperial capital” in Japanese, while Kyoto means “imperial capital.”