I’m still in Peoria. That’s me on the left. Tomorrow we roll!
I have a new winter itinerary. Florida and the Bahamas. That sounds better than skulking on the rivers, right?
I’m now set to go on insurance, so will be underway at daybreak down the river. I’m well stocked, so it’ll be pretty much non-stop travel to the Gulf.
Peoria is a nice stop. The area around the free dock is very quiet. No power, so I’ve been running the engine for about two hous a day to keep the batteries charged. That keeps me in heat and power.
There are several decent restaurants nearby, and I got back to the Caterpillar Museum.
I love this piece of history. During WW2 submarines were built in Wisconsin and transported through Chicago and down the rivers in semisubmersable barges. They had to lower to clear city bridges then pump out to get farther down the river. Cool project.
I’ll be checking in regularly.
Boating Adventures 
My father was an officer on one of those Manitowoc submarines. The crew joined the new boat for sea trials in Lake Michigan, then left, to rejoin in New Orleans. They went through the Panama Canal, and headed for Hawaii. He did five war patrols on that boat. There was some question whether Manitowoc could build good submarines. Their ability was proven in the fact that all 20 submarines survived the war. None were sunk.
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