Day 126 Havana

Didn't get to see much of Peoria, our marina was too far north to walk to it. Had fun at a local pub with Loopers we knew and Loopers we met there. Passed the city of Peoria this morning. They were prepping for their Octoberfest celebration. I guess they do Octoberfest in September when the weather is still warm...ish. Quite windy on the river today, but the current still pushed us to around 10 mph. There was evidence of recent flooding and the river was still overflowing it's banks. The terrain was industrial - forest - flat - and farm lands. Beautiful in some spots - very smelly in others. We see more and more hints of the approach of fall. Weren't as many barges on this stretch. Got to Tall Timbers Marina by 2:30 - well-kept and well managed. I walked to the nearby town, Havana. It's called that because it is near Cuba Island. The island is called that because it is shaped like Cuba, the country, according to the locals in 1848. Main Street was the only brick road and looked like it was straight out of the early 1900's; however, it was deserted. The movie theaters, the grand hotels, the stores - pretty much all gone. In the first half of the 1900's, Havana was a bustling, rowdy, gambling, party town. This was the hunting and fishing destination in Illinois and it was the most important inland fishing port in the US. To entertain the sportsmen, they built bars, hotels and gambling houses. The town was thriving - even Al Capone had a cottage down the river a couple miles and came here to hang out. Not sure what happened here to change all that, but those infamous days are just a memory. For example, I walked into a small shop after two women had walked out and the very old man in the back of the store yelled, "What! Did a bus stop here or something!" I'm guessing three customers in a short period of time was unusual. Their riverfront park is very scenic and peaceful and made for a pleasant stroll. Been traveling with a group of Loopers for a while now, but we all seem to have different plans for the next few days or so. Hopefully, we will hook up again down the river. Tomorrow, we anchor out and are hoping the unsettled weather moving in isn't too bad.