Tom and I have been extremely fortunate on this trip so far. Of course there are days when the wind tests every ounce of tolerance in your body and has you paddling mad at the world for hours while only gaining a few miles that could have been earned in minutes on a good day. But ultimately, we have picked a great time of year and year to paddle this river. The water is extremely high. Lake Sakakawea was at 1848 when we went through. In 1997 it was at 1854. This makes the lakes wider but simultaneously gives us easier camping options. Plus when it goes down a little, we will have a plethora of driftwood to choose from for campfires.
After leaving Washburn a few days ago Tom’s skeg leaked into his back hatch. We were forced to stay at the Cross Ranch State Park for a couple of days to let the glue, that the maintenance guys let us use, dry fully. During that time we helped prep for the Wild West Festival they were going to have that weekend by setting up tepees, moving an antique wagon around, and placing some fence posts. That earned us a free night stay in the tepees and an invite to their staff BBQ. It was a great experience.
There are pros and cons to no wind while paddling. Pros = faster pace, more miles covered, and the joy of saying how calm the water is every few minutes. Cons = HOT and covered in nats. Sometimes I put mosquito netting over my head just so I can breath without eating them or having them find every crack on my face to crawl around. Tom developed a small sunburn and the heat is definitely taking a toll on our enthusiasm to paddled during midday. Wake early and paddle – rest in the heat – paddle a little more before dark seems to be the schedule we are creating.
Bill is working out great. He wakes me early in the morning (which would normally be annoying except for the fact that I need to get up early), sleeps while I paddle, and gives us entertainment at night. He is also, needless to say, a “chick magnet” with his new life jacket…which is fortunate because Tom and I are not exactly getting better looking the longer we are on the river. 53 days now, over 1,000 miles.
I may have put the Prairie Nights Casino out of business yesterday with the amount of food I ate at their buffet…those “unlimited options” don’t come often so I made sure to take full advantage.
Life is always great when looking from the right angle.
Bad connection to upload photos with, will try at next library.
Charles
Hey guys.. Glad you guys are doing well. Your website sure keeps us up to date very well. I am so glad you gave us the website to keep i touch with your travels. By the way we are the people who gave you some water at Beulah Bay. I have really enjoyed keeping up on your voyage. You guys are in our prayers for a safe trip too. So take care and be safe. Oh yeah and Bill sure is a cute little dog.