At Peoria, IL

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October 22-25, 2022: You get what you pay for.

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(continued from Peoria Heights to Peoria, IL.)

I had moved the boat from the Illinois Valley Yacht Club (IVY Club) to the free dock at Peoria in an effort to save some money and regroup with some friends. My first thought upon arriving at the dock with its tiny slips, bird crap-covered docks, and broken power pedestals was: you get what you pay for.

After a quick trip over to the other side of the dock to say hello to our friends there, I took my pups for a walk. That’s where I encountered a seriously outdated rules sign. By my count, staying there as we were parked would be breaking four rules; I’ll let you decide which ones. As for submitting payment, there was no meter near slip 17 or anywhere else. The feeling I got about the whole facility is that the city spent a lot of money and effort to build a facility to attract day-trippers in small boats. Whether Covid dashed their efforts or it was underutilized for other reasons, they had let the facility fall into disrepair from neglect.

But free was free and at least this docking facility was closer to shopping, dining, and other points of interest than Joliet’s less ambitious facility.

The only thing separating our boat from the river was the floating dock. Here’s a dredge barge being pushed by a tow that went by that first evening.

Lunch and a Museum Trip

I was suffering from cabin fever, mostly because of my cold. That first day in Peoria, I felt much better than I had in a while and wanted to get out. So Janet and I left the pups behind and ventured out in search of lunch. We found it pretty quickly at the Blue Duck BBQ, which occupied half the floor of an old train station. I don’t remember what I had, but I know it was good. I vaguely remember dessert being good, too.

Somewhere along the way, we learned that admission to the Peoria Riverfront Marina, which featured exhibits, a “giant screen theater,” and a planetarium, was free that day. We walked across the tracks and street to check it out. It was a nice little museum with mostly historical art exhibits. We went to whatever movie was about to start when we got there — damned if I can remember what it was, but maybe Janet can; I seem to recall something about Mars? — browsed a few galleries, and then went to the planetarium show. It was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours, but I have to admit that the walking really wore me out. Although my cold symptoms were gone, I wasn’t completely over my cold. By the time the show was over, I was ready to go back to the boat.

The Peoria Riverfront Museum was a short walk from the boat.

Overall, I recommend both stops to anyone coming through on the Loop.

Evening Activity

We’d arrived on a Saturday and in the evening, not long after I’d retired to my bed for some relaxation before sleep, a small boat with two guys on board came into the marina. They drove right by the bow of my boat, which was sticking out into the fairway by at least 4 feet. It was their voices almost right next to my head that I heard as they glided past. I got up to take a look and watched them park at one of the very small slips near the walkway to the docking area. I knew there was a bar with live music sharing the old train station with the BBQ place, so I figured they were going there. It wasn’t the kind of boat you’d spend the night in — I think it was a center console, which are crazy popular in the east.

I was dead asleep a few hours later when Janet woke me up, concerned by the boat leaving the dock. I think she worried that the driver, who was now alone, was drunk and would hit our bow on the way out. I roused myself enough to watch him go by without incident and immediately fell back to sleep.

Shopping for Food

I was thrilled to discover that there was a real bakery within walking distance: Ardor Breads and Provisions. I was waiting outside with my pups when it opened the following morning. (Many thanks to the folks at Ardor for opening nice and early.) Fresh baked goods is one of my weaknesses and I came back to the boat with a box full of pastries for breakfast and beyond. Everything I bought was amazing and my only regret is that I didn’t make another trip for more before getting back on our way.

Later in the day, Janet walked to Walmart, which was right across the river. Google Maps said it was 1/2 mile away, but that wasn’t accounting for the fact that you had to walk at least 1/2 mile to get to a bridge, cross the bridge, and then walk to Walmart from there. I didn’t think that long walk would be in my best interest since I was interested in fully recovering from my cold, and preferred taking an Uber. I wound up going with Connie and Michael (on La Princepessa); they paid for the Uber there and I paid for the Uber back. I was able to get a lot more provisions, including bottled water, which is no fun to walk with. (I buy bottled water by the gallon on the boat for drinking and making coffee and tea. Yes, I do filter the water I put in the boat’s tank, but who knows what else is in that tank? I wash with that water but I don’t drink it.) I also got a fish net with a relatively long handle. I wasn’t planning to use it for fishing, but I thought it might be a good idea to scoop my pups out of the water if either of them fell in.

Repositioning the Boat

Sometime that afternoon, Black Majik decided to move on. Although it was windy and the long boat with its mast lying down and extending both ends was sandwiched pretty tightly between Nine Lives and La Principessa, the captain had no trouble slipping back out into the channel and continuing his trip down the river. After confirming that Nine Lives didn’t want to reposition back into that spot, I decided to move Do It Now over. Apparently, Black Majik had been getting power from a 110v outlet on the pedestal where La Principessa was plugged in. Since we were operating off battery power, I thought it would be a good idea to plug in, too.

I thought the move would be easy — after all, I was already pointed in that direction — but I had apparently underestimated the wind. I came in “hot” and had no bow fender in place. Although Michael was there to receive us, he couldn’t stop the boat’s bow from hitting the dock hard.

“Is it damaged?” I asked through the open window as I used the thruster to bring the stern in.

He looked down. “Scratches,” he reported. “They’ll buff out.”

Once we were secured and I turned off the engine, I took a closer look. Sadly, the three big scratches will not just buff out. My new boat was officially broken in.

Here we are parked along the long dock and beyond at Peoria: La Principessa, Do It Now, and Nine Lives. Kenny and Rhonda in Nine Lives couldn’t step onto the dock. Instead they got on and off their boat from the flybridge, climbing over the walkway rail at the top — not something you’d want to do if you had a fear or heights or weren’t surefooted.

A Visitor Brings Fish

Later in the day, not long before sunset, a very large motor yacht came into the docking area. I saw it slow just outside the entrance and wondered where it would park. It would definitely not fit in any of the marina’s slips. To my surprise, it lined up beside where we were parked and then backed into the docking area.

And that’s when the show began.

You see, the Illinois River has a very serious problem with an invasive species of fish referred to as Asian carp. They reproduce prolifically and have begun endangering native fish. Carp are not easy to catch because they don’t take normal bait; instead, they feed on mussels, snails, or plankton. Efforts to rebrand them as copi are not really working because the fish is difficult to fillet and often not worth the bother.

What’s most fascinating about this fish is the way it reacts to certain boat engines and hulls. While my boat doesn’t usually stir them up, the big boat that came in that day sure did. The fish immediately began jumping out of the water, sometimes several feet high, and more than a few landed on the dock. It was mesmerizing to watch. When I realized it was going to be a good show, I pulled out my phone and shot video.

Once the boat had settled in — basically occupying the fairway in front of the first 3 or 4 slips — Janet went around “rescuing” fish that had been left flopping on the dock. (They kept jumping for some time even after the engine had stopped.) But Janet also grabbed one of them for dinner. We’d been reading all about copi and wanted to try it. She watched a few YouTube videos about filleting these fish and settled down on the dock with a knife and cutting board to see whether she could fillet it. A while later, the messy, difficult job was done. We’d have fish tacos the next day.

 
The suicidal carp Janet chose for our experimental meal before (left) and during (right) the filleting process. It was not pretty.

Another Trip to the Stores

The next day, I took my bicycle with its little cargo trailer back to the stores. I need to buy a few things in a few places, so Ubering wasn’t going to work. I rode my bike to the bridge, over it, and to the cluster of stores directly across the river from the docks.

First stop was the Bass Pro Shop where I hoped to buy a second seat for my dinghy. Of course, they didn’t have it. But I did buy a filleting knife in case Janet caught any fish or we loved copi so much that we’d collect more when the boat left. It would be good to have one on board, I reasoned, in case I got serious about fishing. (I did have a pair of rods with reels on board.)

Next was Walmart, where I bought ingredients for fish tacos (other than fish, of course). I locked my bike up outside but was not about to leave the removable trailer with it. So I brought it inside and used it as my shopping cart. I didn’t get too many weird looks.

The last stop was Petco, where I also brought the cart in. (By that time, it was loaded with groceries.) That’s where I bought a dog travel kennel large enough to hold both of my dogs comfortably. We’d be flying home from St. Louis in the beginning of November and I wasn’t sure when I’d next have an opportunity to buy a suitable kennel for them. It was a bit of a challenge loading it into the trailer with the groceries, but I managed.

I retraced my route back to the boat. As I off-loaded my purchases, I wondered if I’d ever find a good place to store the kennel where it wouldn’t be in the way. (Spoiler Alert: I would, but it would take two months to do so.)

Boat Departures and an Arrival

Two boats left that day.

La Principessa with Michael and Connie on board headed out around midday. I would have gone with them if they’d left earlier, but I just couldn’t see starting the trip that late in the day, especially since our next stop would likely be an anchorage.

The big nameless boat that had stirred up all those fish also left around midday. I’d just begun wondering whether they’d spend a second night when they started the engine and gathered up their lines. The fish started jumping almost immediately. (Were there thousands of them just under the surface of the water all the time?) Their departure was fast — no need to back up or do much maneuvering — and they sped off down the river to a dock just past the next lock. It was another boat delivery, of course, and they had a need for speed.

The big boat that churned up all those fish departed not long after La Principessa.

That left just us and Nine Lives. For a while.

We were just starting to think we’d be the only ones there that night when a sailboat came up to the marina and made its way in. It was windy and the current was strong and the approach wasn’t pretty. We all came out to help them. I can’t recall the boat’s name right now — I know it was something related to a tropical island; maybe Janet will recall? — and there was a couple with a small dog on board.

Saying Goodbye to Peoria

We had fish tacos for dinner that night. Janet made them and they were good, but I’m not convinced it was the fish that made them good. I think Janet just makes good fish tacos. I didn’t think they were worth the effort Janet had put in to cleaning the fish. Surely we could have had equally good fish tacos with fish that were easier to clean? Or bought at the fish counter in the supermarket? I guess what I’m trying to say is that I wouldn’t be catching and cleaning my own copi any time in the future.

Another gorgeous autumn sunset from Peoria City Docks.

If my memory serves me right, Kenny called the Peoria Lock early the next morning to make arrangements for us to lock through. The lock was only about 5 miles downriver. It was good to get an early start. We locked through with them but soon pulled away, eager to cover more miles that day than they’d planned to.

As we were traveling, Kenny and Rhonda texted me to say that during the night someone had been on their boat, snooping through some of the outside storage compartments. Nothing was missing, but it was creepy. That got me thinking about something I’d vaguely thought about while packing up that morning. I went out onto the back deck for a peek. Sure enough, my portable barbecue grill was missing.

In hindsight, I think their intruder had caught sight of my dinghy’s outboard motor mounted on the rail, thought it would be an easy thing to snatch, found it locked, and grabbed the next thing that caught his eye — a 10-year-old portable propane grill in a case. If he’d been smarter, he would have seen (and taken) my two automatic inflatable life vests, which were worth $200 each, but he left those behind.

But I guess Peoria hadn’t been a free dock after all.

(continued in Mad Dash to Grafton, IL.)