Peoria

This blog will chronicle our (Pat and Patty Anderson's)

cruising adventures on the Great Loop!

DAY 160 - September 7, 2017

We had a peaceful night at the Village of Hennepin free docks, and woke up early. I made coffee and walked Baxter, then we had coffee and toast. Then we went up to the grocery store for one last shopping trip for a few items we had forgotten, and Patty went to the Post Office to mail our September estimated income tax payment, since we don't know when we will be near a post office again. We agreed we would have our second cup of coffee underway!

We got away just about 9:00 a.m. No locks! It was bliss! We passed a number of tows going in both directions, and thanks to AIS on the Coastal Explorer computer, we knew the names of the vessels, their speed, and when the computer estimated we would collide with them! We communicated with them on the VHF when we needed to, but the river has been considerably wider down here, and we don't call the tows if we can see we have lots of room. We also passed the Spirit of Peoria, a paddle wheeler, going up stream. Our dock tonight is right next to the Spirit of Peoria's home berth.

We passed the Spirit of Peoria on the river!

We had lunch on the way, and covered 44 miles in almost exactly 6 hours, for an average speed of 7.3 mph. We got in at 3:00 p.m. and tied up in a slip at the north part of the Peoria Municipal Marina. There is only one other boat here, Slow Roll, a large boat that had been with us on the wall at Joliet. The Peoria Municipal Marina has slips both north and south of the Spirit of Peoria's berth. Immediately above everything on the river is a beautiful plaza and the Gateway Building, which has public restrooms open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Apparently nobody here has to deal with bodily functions after 4:00 p.m.! 

Daydream in slip at Peoria Municipal Marina free docks

As far as we can tell, this marina does not actually exist officially. The City of Peoria's parks facilities have been merged with the Peoria Parks District since 1963. If you check the District's website, there is no mention whatsoever of this marina, even though it talks about all the facilities in the Peoria Riverfront including the Gateway Building, the Festival Park, the Center Stage, the Spirit of Peoria, and the ice cream shop in the historic building . The only marina mentioned is the Detweiller Marina. But both Skipper Bob and Active Captain know about this marina!

Here is what they know. The machine to pay for dockage has been broken for years. Nobody comes around to collect money. The sign says "No overnight dockage," but that has not been enforced for years. There are quite a few slips for boats to 30 feet, and one or two spots for larger boats. There are power pedestals with 30 amp sockets, and most amazingly, the power is still on. So effectively this is a free dock with free 30 amp power. And right above us is trash disposal and a public restroom. The Peoria Parks District's loss I suppose is our gain!

Marshall Plaza at Peoria Riverfront Festival Park

Clock tower in Peoria Riverfront Festival Park

Flowers in front of Gateway Building

Ice cream shop in historic building on street at edge of Peoria Riverfront Festival Park

To abruptly change the subject, today I think I have figured out how we can best use Coastal Explorer which we run on the Toshiba laptop with input from the Raymarine for GPS position and the AIS receiver to see other vessels. We'll have to get some experience but I am very hopeful that the USB monitor and the mouse for Coastal Explorer are things of the past!

Up until now, we have run the laptop with the lid closed and output the video to a USB monitor mounted under the electronics shelf. We have run Garmin Blue Chart Mobile independently on the iPad sort of in parallel. Although the Coastal Explorer computer has been functional, there have been two main problems. First, the monitor is not really bright enough for viewing in bright light, and more problematic is that it requires using a mouse, and the mouse cursor frequently is difficult to find or disappears altogether just when you need it! Still, the AIS function on Coastal Explorer alone has been absolutely essential on the river.

Today I Googled "using an iPad as a computer monitor" and came across a great product called Duet Display. There is a free server program that runs on the host PC and a $20 app that runs on the iPad. You start the server on the PC, start the app on the iPad, plug in the USB cord from the iPad to the PC, and the iPad becomes a second monitor for the PC. Change the display setting so the second monitor mirrors the primary monitor, close the PC lid, and Coastal Explorer is displayed in all its glory on the iPad! Best of all, the iPad functions as a touch screen for the PC, so the mouse is no longer necessary!

I downloaded and installed all the required software for Duet Display for the PC and iPad tonight, and quickly had it working! We will be able to switch at will between Coastal Explorer and Garmin Blue Chart Mobile, so we will now have the best of both worlds! At least that is what I expect. Stay tuned tomorrow, when we will have some experience with the new system, when reality may intrude somehow. I don't think it will, and hope it will not, but have to realize the possibility that it may. This is after all computer magic, and there is frequently a "gotcha" that goes along with the magic!

Screenshot of Coastal Explorer running on Toshiba laptop displayed on iPad with Duet Display

During sundowners Barrett called to ask if it was a good time to FaceTime, and it was!  We love talking to our granddaughters so they'll remember who we are.  Romy got a haircut and started a new school this week, a Spanish language Immersion school.  Barrett has a new job at travelportland.com as their principal web developer. So lots to talk about!  

Screenshot of FaceTime with Barrett and Romy on iPad

We had a great supper, a Cobb Salad with all the fixins tonight, Patty outdid herself! We do not starve on Daydream! Bleu cheese, bacon, hard boiled eggs and a lemon-oil vinegrette! Delicious!

We have only one lock tomorrow, the Peoria Lock, which is only an 11 foot drop. Our planned destination is somewhere about 40 miles downstream, maybe an anchorage, maybe a marina. Stay tuned!