Lock 16 to 1890 E Avenue by Tiskilwa about 4.9 miles Sept 4 2021

Lots of locks, beautiful scenery, and no rain made for a fabulous trip. It was overcast this morning so I brought a raincoat but, fortunately, there was no need to use it. Like the last journey, this section had many locks.  I started at lock 16 parking and passed locks 15 through 10.  Lock 16 is interesting because it has the restored lock mechanisms that open and close the gate. Lock 12 and an aqueduct used to be present but now the canal dumps right into the West Bureau Creek and then the canal starts up again on the other side of the creek. The locks were so close in areas that you could see more than one at a time!  Between the locks, the canal was wide, winding, and river-like.  Most of the time it felt like I was riding through a foresty wilderness. One small section revealed some neighboring fields and then I was back in the forest.  The path was fine gravel in spots and asphalt/loose gravel in others.  There were some washed-out holes so I had to be careful.  A couple of the underpasses were very muddy and bumpy underneath the roads.  Walk your bikes here.  Also if you want to start at the lock 16 parking, you have to cross the canal on a small bridge to get to the bike path.  I walked my bike across, but use your own judgment whether it is safe to cross over it.  It gave me some concern!  You can enter at another point if you don't want to use this entrance.  There is parking at Lock 11 on the bike trail side of the canal and an outhouse there.  These last few trips have been some of my favorite.  I look forward to the next section.  I'm getting so close to the end (beginning)!