Miles: 43.5
Time: 5:45 am to 5 pm
Campsite location: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=48.04656,-104.18498&ll=48.04656,-104.18498&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Today is our fourth day on the river and we had another beautiful sunrise and a promising sky. During the night we had both made our way outside the tent late (or was it early in the morning?) at night and peed under the most brilliant night sky. It seemed like every star was out and at its finest. I don't remember any of them winking at us. The night sky seemed steady and quiet.
As I read the description of the river from the guidebook, I listened to the NOAA weather cast for the area. They had predicted east winds for the next two days. We were headed east the next two days. We got an early start and the wind was calm. The current seemed to be running faster. Breakfast was at 8:00 am on nice sandy bank with plenty of logs in the water to secure the kayak to while we ate. Lunch was at 11:30 am at mile 65. My paddle jacket was off and on throughout the day according to the heat and wind. The terrain changed from groves of thick cottonwoods to colorful ridges similar to the Badlands of North Dakota and back to stands of cottonwoods. The colors stood out against the beautiful blue sky. As we snaked our way east, we could see the lollipop water towers of the small towns we had quietly passed earlier. Later in the day storm clouds chased us down the river and at one point we took out when thunder made a loud appearance. We found a decent site for the day's camp and quickly set up the tent. The storms eventually went to the south of us.
While waiting for Ellen in Fort Peck, I had called a hotel in Culberston, MT, to inquire about a room. It was going to be a surprise for Ellen. She would be able to get out of the mud, have a warm shower, have wine with dinner, and rest her arms. It was explained to me that the Bakken Oil Field in North Dakota had such an influx of workers that even finding a hotel room in Culberston, MT, was impossible. He did offer a take out for us and the use of their facilities. He said the hotel was right on the river and had easy access to the river. As we passed Culberston, we never saw the town nor the hotel. Like Wolf Point, Macon, Poplar, and Brockton, Culberston had no access to the river. Those on the river had no access to the small towns. None had boat launches. We discussed that for hours. No wonder we never encountered people or fishermen. We never passed a drift boat the entire section from Fort Peck to Williston.
Prior to settling in the cockpit for the day, I quickly calculated that if we made good progress on the river today, we could possibly be in our last campsite today. The winds did pick up late in the day and they were from the east. We found a campsite at 5 pm. Had it not been for the storms we could have gone longer on the river. As I set up the tent, I thought we could make it to Williston the next day. It was a nice thought to sleep on. John
The view from the backseat! Ellen always had John's backside, quite literally.
Ellen sorts out the dinner ingredients for salmon with chardonnay sauce over black rice.
Ellen's take on day four
The day began innocently enough with beautiful clouds and sunshine and heavy dose of dew, but it would soon turn into a day of racing and chasing thunderclouds. By now, the morning's 4:30 rise and the 6:00 launch had become routine, along with a breakfast break at 8:00 and a lunch break around noon. The weather was the hallmark of the fourth day.
John told me to keep an eye on the thunderclouds. I found that I could lean over backwards and peek at the clouds behind me without missing a paddle stroke. I have a tremendous fear of lightning, but so far, I wasn't worried. We discussed the procedure for an emergency take out in case of a full-on thunderstorm so that I was prepared for what would need to be done and what would happen (secure the kayak, unfurl the tarp, and find a spot away from trees to hold the tarp and PFDs over our heads to protect us from rain and hail as needed). I tried not to worry and mostly succeeded.
As the afternoon wore on, the thunderclouds grew and merged, becoming ever-more threatening. They would eventually force us to land twice, the second time securing the kayak and readying the tarp that would cover us in case of a downpour. We found a good spot up against a sand bank that had trees in the distance. It wasn't the easiest place to go ashore, but it was worth it. We watched as the lightning struck again and again to our right rear, and rain showers drifted across the horizon. It was really quite beautiful, and though it was close, I never really felt frightened.
We eventually decided that the thunderstorm was not travelling down the river, so we launched again and paddled a few more hours to our campsite. We were getting anxious again about the weather and having trouble finding a good spot that wasn't across from a pumping station. They are noisy! We settled on an expansive beach that had a pretty good site, though the kayak was far from where we pitched the tent.
While John secured the kayak, I worked on setting up camp, something I don't normally do. Because thunderstorms were threatening, we had to get camp set up as soon as we could. John joined me, and we got the tent and tarp secured quickly. Thunder rumbled all around us, but the rain and lightning thankfully never quite reached us. I was confident enough to prepare our meal outside using the log as a table and chairs. We had a pouched meal of salmon with chardonnay sauce over rice that I bought at PCC. The rice wasn't very good, but the salmon was excellent! The chardonnay box of wine was a perfect match.
After yet another 12-hour day and 43 or so miles, we slept readily. I kept nodding off holding my Kindle above my head to read. I did OK last night without Benedryl, so I went without it again. It was good to be sleeping well. I held high hopes that tonight would be our last campsite, and that we would have the endurance and weather cooperation to reach Williston tomorrow. Ellen
We take a break for breakfast with a view!
The view from the backseat! Ellen always had John's backside, quite literally.
Ellen took a video from her perch in the back seat of the kayak in the morning hours.
We pitched our tent behind the only windbreak we felt comfortable with in a thunderstorm--a log and a sandbank. Though the kayak was far away, the log made a good location to make and eat dinner.
Thunderstorms threaten while Ellen prepares dinner.
Thunderstorms by then mostly moved down river and were no longer a threat to us.
John, with his zinc oxide-colored bread, enjoys some of our last wine, a chardonnay.
Ellen's take on day four
The day began innocently enough with beautiful clouds and sunshine and heavy dose of dew, but it would soon turn into a day of racing and chasing thunderclouds. By now, the morning's 4:30 rise and the 6:00 launch had become routine, along with a breakfast break at 8:00 and a lunch break around noon. The weather was the hallmark of the fourth day.
John told me to keep an eye on the thunderclouds. I found that I could lean over backwards and peek at the clouds behind me without missing a paddle stroke. I have a tremendous fear of lightning, but so far, I wasn't worried. We discussed the procedure for an emergency take out in case of a full-on thunderstorm so that I was prepared for what would need to be done and what would happen (secure the kayak, unfurl the tarp, and find a spot away from trees to hold the tarp and PFDs over our heads to protect us from rain and hail as needed). I tried not to worry and mostly succeeded.
As the afternoon wore on, the thunderclouds grew and merged, becoming ever-more threatening. They would eventually force us to land twice, the second time securing the kayak and readying the tarp that would cover us in case of a downpour. We found a good spot up against a sand bank that had trees in the distance. It wasn't the easiest place to go ashore, but it was worth it. We watched as the lightning struck again and again to our right rear, and rain showers drifted across the horizon. It was really quite beautiful, and though it was close, I never really felt frightened.
We eventually decided that the thunderstorm was not travelling down the river, so we launched again and paddled a few more hours to our campsite. We were getting anxious again about the weather and having trouble finding a good spot that wasn't across from a pumping station. They are noisy! We settled on an expansive beach that had a pretty good site, though the kayak was far from where we pitched the tent.
While John secured the kayak, I worked on setting up camp, something I don't normally do. Because thunderstorms were threatening, we had to get camp set up as soon as we could. John joined me, and we got the tent and tarp secured quickly. Thunder rumbled all around us, but the rain and lightning thankfully never quite reached us. I was confident enough to prepare our meal outside using the log as a table and chairs. We had a pouched meal of salmon with chardonnay sauce over rice that I bought at PCC. The rice wasn't very good, but the salmon was excellent! The chardonnay box of wine was a perfect match.
After yet another 12-hour day and 43 or so miles, we slept readily. I kept nodding off holding my Kindle above my head to read. I did OK last night without Benedryl, so I went without it again. It was good to be sleeping well. I held high hopes that tonight would be our last campsite, and that we would have the endurance and weather cooperation to reach Williston tomorrow. Ellen
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