Finally earlier this morning with great happiness I crossed my final dam just above Yankton, South Dakota. From here on in, all the way down to St Louis we are 'dam free' which means easier,faster paddling and more to see and do. One thing in favour of the dams is the fact that towns are able to be situated closer to the river saving long walks into town. Pierre 160kms up river was an excellent case in point and aside from lots of cool old buildings to see some friendly locals Julie, Faith and Leanne took it upon themselves to show me the sights and treat me to a steak dinner at Mad Marys - most tasty. They also introduced me to Mr Mac a renowned teacher who has been teaching Latin for over 40 years - I was of the impression that the teaching of Latin stopped many years ago.
Roger and his wife who helped me portage around the dam at Pickton.
The above baby deer had fallen down the bank breaking or injuring its back leg and as a result was unable to get back up the hill. Sadly there was no room in the kayak for it.
Portage over the dam at Yankton, South Dakota.
With Labor Day having passed, summer is well and truly over in the USA. There are few boats or people on the river and lakes and many of the marinas and shops have closed for the season. Luckily in the next couple of days I will cross into Iowa where there are more people and greater access to towns. While I carry a radio on the front of the kayak I find myself listening to podcasts as I paddle instead. Each town I get to I find a wifi spot and download as much as my itouch will handle. - Might have overdone it today as the itouch froze for about an hour though luckily it is up and running again. Well best run, grab some supplies and get back to the river as Sioux City is only days away.
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