Today started early, we are trying to travel about 55-60 miles a day with Sanderling.  Our first sighting out of the chute was a few hundred white pelicans in the shallows.  I think they are getting ready to bolt out of here..you know...Snowbirds!!

Glad we saw them this morning because yesterday we saw about sixty of them riding the thermals and I was busy on the computer busy trying to figure out what those big white birds were...I never dreamed Pelicans were soaring in the heartland!

Our next sight was Peoria...with its huge factory and barges waiting to be loaded with...whatever..

A downtown that looked nice but very shallow water in this neck of the woods, so we are continuing the trek south....

Then another LOW bridge...we've been spoiled by the 60' highway bridges...this was another wake us up call....you can't let your guard down.  We made it under no problem but it looks SO LOW doesn't it??

This is an old crumbling lock...from another era off to the side of the river

Our new "normal"....the ever increasing barge traffic.  We had just passed this one, that's 'Sanderling' coming up alongside her behind us, along with 'His Idea' a Canadian Looper and a mystery boat....

Bob was very excited to see this 'Lock Dog' but Lockie...(had to have a name) was more interested in the cats aboard Sanderling.

This was my High photo of the day, unfortunately it didn't translate.  A bass boat went full throttle by us and in his wake were a bunch of Asian Carp doing their 'Dance of the Carp'.....let me tell you they are starting to scare me.  Two boats today ended up with five and six carp on their decks ....I think our decks are too high for a landing but one never knows....the splashes off the wake are jumping carp, they were up to five feet off the water.  Too quick I think for my camera to ever catch.  

 Finally, our marina stop tonight turned out to be a no go.   Our draft is four and a half foot and with the inlet to the marina at 3' it was a not going to happen.
The Marinas are getting further and further apart and the anchorages are either too narrow, too shallow or too risky with the barge traffic.  Tonight we are anchored behind Quiver Island south of Havana, Ill., in a basin with a bunch of moored barges..it works for us....