Chicago - Our Final Stop on the Great Lakes

Day 107  |  Racine to Chicago  |  7.5 Hours  |  55 Miles

Reefpoint Marina in Racine was once again covered by a thick layer of fog this morning. We departed right at 7:00 and followed a fellow Looper beyond the breakwater. The fog was hugging the shoreline and we found that if we went a few miles out into Lake Michigan, it was a beautiful day. It was a straight shot down to Chicago and I spent some relaxing time on Fiberglass Beach, enjoying the sunshine. As we approached Chicago, the skyline began to emerge with definition from the haze. We passed several cribs, concrete structures that marked the underground intake positions for Chicago's freshwater supply. The Dever and Garrison cribs are pictured below and are connected to each other by a footbridge. They are located off North Avenue Beach and underground tunnels bring the water onshore to a filtration plant.

Familiar landmarks such as Navy Pier with its Centennial Wheel and the Willis (Sears) Tower came into view as we continued south. Passing the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse, we knew we were getting close to our U-turn into DeSable Harbor.

As soon as the turn was complete and we were pointed back north, the lighting on the skyline improved greatly and all the haze was gone. We tied up to our spot on the T-head, cleaned up a bit, then walked over to Navy Pier for the evening. The Centennial Wheel dominates the view. We rode this Ferris wheel and swings when we visited Chicago a few years ago, so we bypassed them this evening. We did explore some new areas and found statues honoring the "Captain on the Helm" and TV psychologist Bob Hartley, as portrayed by Bob Newhart.

As the sun began to set, we returned to Crossroads and enjoyed the light show from the bow. Not a bad view!

Tomorrow we will walk down to Shedd Aquarium and hang out there for the day. Weather will dictate when we enter the Chicago River and officially exit the Great Lakes.