Low water and high expectations.

Hello everyone,
I write this from the comfort of my desk. My last post on Wednesday, June 16 I had good progress and favorable weather. Well many things changed since that post. The first day on the river below the dam started as a beautiful once in a lifetime day, by the end of that day I was windblown and worn out. A couple of hours into the morning the wind picked up dramatically (35 to 40 MPH gusts) and turned the day into a battle for progress, a battle to stay upright and a battle for sanity. I finally reached Washburn ND around 3:30 pm and after securing a campsite I headed out for supper and a beer.
In the bar a met a guy who wanted to hear my story bad enough to buy me a beer. Hey, life isn't all that bad after all! A double bacon cheeseburger made the evening actually bearable.

In the Washburn City Park where I was staying I met a kayaker who was paddling upstream from St. Louis. He was a "Lewis and Clark" history buff. I also met some bicyclists and a motor boater doing the same route. Anyway, this kayaker was the second person I'd talked with who told me of the horrible low water conditions south of Bismarck by Fort Yates. Both people pulled out of the river and portaged to Bismarck to avoid the problem. So, that fact and the news report telling of the water drop of 3 feet since May and the predicted windy weather caused me to make the executive decision to stop my trip at Bismarck. I was about 130 miles shy of my goal of Mobridge, SD but I did accomplish 280 miles in 13 days. I feel pretty good about that. Maybe someday when the water raises again I'll go back and finish the trip from Bismarck to Mobridge.

Stay tuned in the following days I'll post photos and more stories of my trip. Thank you all for your kind words and encouragment while I was on the trip. I really appreciated reading the emails you sent.

More later...

Good weather makes all the

Good weather makes all the difference!
Left New Town on Sun. made 18 miles-favorable winds. Mon made 30 miles. Beautiful day and campsite.

Am at the mouth of

Am at the mouth of the Little Missouri.
About 60 miles to dam. Yahoo! Will be on a river again where the current helps & the wind is sheltered.

Slow moving weather systems

are my
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Slow moving weather systems
are my enemy. Stuck at Phelps Bay. 15 miles from New Town. Good thing for books and radio to keep my sanity.

A River Runs Through It

I'm
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A River Runs Through It
I'm not extolling the beauty of the Missouri River-though it is beautiful. I am talking my tent. Currently waiting out a rain.

Now I'm relaxing in the

Now I'm relaxing in the tent
listening to the fish jump in the river next to me. The storms haved passed. time for bed. Later!

One day down

First day and
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One day down
First day and I've seen many weather extremes. It started out with 30 mph winds progressed to a hot sunny afternoon that turned stormy.

Bigger boat or less stuff

I've dreaded this moment–packing the boat. Last night I started the preliminary boat stuffing. I consider it a 3-D puzzle. Somewhere there has to be room for me!
The first couple of day's entertainment will be playing the "where did I pack..." game. It is amazing how much room is needed for a roll of toilet paper! Don't worry though, I'll find room for that item.

It's the luxury items that take up the most room. I'm trying to keep that four-star status. Reality may force a three-star rating yet. Full tummy and cozy bed are the priorities after that it just entertainment. On the bright side, as I eat the food I gain more room. By the time I see the Garrison Dam it'll be dirty clothes and me left in the boat. ; )

Over and out, Mike.