Great Loop: Illinois River - Part 2
Early morning convection fog on the Illinois River We departed Hennepin free docks at 10am to continue our trip south on the Illinois. The late departure was due to fog. We encountered a lingering patch of convection fog and quickly popped out the other side. Travel conditions were good so we settled into cruising at 7.5 knots. This is an economical speed for travelling as it is max hull speed for our boat. We can go faster if we try to plane, but doubling the speed increases dramatically decreases fuel milage. We like to save money when we can. After all it is about the journey. Grain and corn is loaded on barges from surrounding farms. Many of the tows we encounter are taking grain or corn to market The Illinois River has a very large concentration of Bald Eagles. You can see adult birds teaching juveniles how to hunt. We saw dozens of these birds each day. Beardstown Illinois Beardstown was our next overnight stop. We found many great l...