I would not call the Illinois River picturesque, however, with a little help from the sun and some clouds, it dresses up nicely!
illinois river morning
Category: I&M
morning has broken
floody river
Just a couple of posts ago I was enjoying a beautiful sunrise… today the river is swollen after LOTS of rain last night.
dawn
…and a beautiful one it was…
peace
Remembering that the days are coming when the ice will pass away, and the still, heaviness of summer air will press down on the river, and a fisherman will remain… surrounded by peace…
marseilles motorcycle 6
This is the 6th in a small series of images from a recent motorcycle ride to a favorite location, The Marseilles Mill Ruins, which, you can learn about by clicking on a link in my previous post. These are pictures of one of the gates that controlled the flow of water along channels, called raceways, that were used to help create power and run the old paper mill.
marseilles motorcycle 5
I have been visiting this abandoned building for quite some time now on my motorcycle rides. If you are interested, here is where you can read about the history of what is know as the Marseilles Mill Ruins. (Click on the image for a larger view.)
marseilles motorcycle 4
Here is the view from the bridge, looking upriver (East) at the Marseilles Dam. You can see that the water level is high from recent heavy rains. (To see a larger version, just click on the image.)
marseilles motorcycle 3
You can walk on some of the bridges that cross the Illinois River.
marseilles motorcycle 2
South of the small downtown of Marseilles, main street goes over the Illinois River (the bridge on the right) just west of the Marseilles Lock and Dam (on the left.) The Illinois Waterway connects the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico via the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. This is one of a series of 8 locks, managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, that control water flow from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River system.
