Bismark, North Dakota 1126kms done, 2169kms to go

Ahhh, it feels great to be off the lake and once more on a moving river. The past week on Lake Sakakawea was marked by tough paddling, strong winds, rough water and some very unpredictable weather.A couple of days back I had just finished setting up camp and was listening to the radio when the programming was interrupted by an emergency broadcast. A call had gone out to everyone in the area to move to their basements as a tornado was forming. As my tent lacks a basement and burrowing into the sand didnt seem worthwhile, I got to stand out in the open and marvel as the sky seemed at war with itself. Pretty awe inspiring. Luckily after about 20 minutes the whole thing moved south leaving behind only heavy rain.

Aside from all that the lake was rather rewarding with spectular scereny, lots of good folk at places like Indian Hills and I even got to see an Indian Pow Wow which was really interesting and continued over 3 days. On my last night on the lake I was picked up by the nice folk above, Ron & Elsie Reichert and was taken back to their place for an excellent steak dinner. Setting up the tent at 10pm later that night was interesting to say the least. And now its time to gather supplies and continue on down to South Dakota.

Wilston, North Dakota - Missouri River

Well yesterday arvo I hit the Missouri River and bid farewell to the Yellowstone. Put in a strong day covering over 60kms then messed it all up with one of my 'famous shortcuts' which saw me back at the starting spot 2 hours later. To make things even more interesting recent flooding meant there was no dry land so ended up pitching tent at 9pm on what I though was the yard of an abandoned house.

I love visiting towns along the way though often this involves a lot of work. Due to the threat of flooding towns will often be 5 - 10kms from the river which often involves long slogs up hills, though forests and on ocassion in someones car. Sadly with the advent of the car many of the towns I have visited are shadows of their former selves with the main streets boarded up and all commerce moved out to Wal Mart on the Highway. The price of development I guess.

And now I have a long 210km stretch of nothing along Lake Sakakawea so hopefully the weather and winds will be favourable. Cheers

Glendive, Montana

Just a quick post as the weather has turned really nasty and need to secure the kayak better. Only about 100kms before I hit the North Dakota border and join the Missouri River.

Livingston , Montana to MIles City 507kms or 318 miles

So after several relaxing days in Bozeman, Montana with Robert and Evonne I finally put the kayak into the Yellowstone River. Evonne ensured that I ddnt go hungry the first couple of days by stocking me with cookies and bread and Robert to care of the transportation aspect while fighting off a Diamondback Rattlesnake.

To say that the first couple of days was a learning experience would be an understatement. Due to record rainfall the river was running higher and faster than I expected with a host of challenging rapids and rough water. Within the first minute I was in rough water and by the fifth minute I was in danger of sinking. While I quickly learnt the best way to tackle the rapids, the first three days were filled with moments of controlled panic and a lot of roller coaster like fun. Sadly a couple several days behind me misjudged one set of rapids and drowned.

After the first three days the rough water lessened and the river slowed down. First week is always a case of working out what goes where on the canoe and what can be disposed of aside from ripping out the pages of books as I go. The countryside has gone from towering mountains covered in trees to small hills with very few towns in between. Often I have to walk 5kms into town which often turns out to be little more than a gas station. Due to small dams across the river on three ocassions so far I have had to drag the kayak around them. Not that difficult but a pain all the same. Recent oil spill from a refinery three weeks back meant a 100 mile stretch of water was suppose to be oil tainted making drinking a little hard. Passwed that now so drinking river water like mad - doesnt taste good in tea. Currently in the bustling town of Miles City but will be moving on within the hour. Should be out of Montana and into North Dakota by the end of the week.