Garrison Dam(Mile 1390) to Bismark ND (Mile 1312)

I phoned the Park Rangers Office from the Garrison Dam marina and Ranger Darren turned up within ten minutes in a pick-up truck to portage me a couple of miles to the downstream campground. 

Ranger Darren

Great to back on the river with good flow that carried me 10 miles with little effort to a very comfortable campsite.

Swallow nests in mud cliffs along the river.

I met Mary-Beth and her husband Howard at the Washburn Bridge just before they floated down the river in their catamaran kayaks that they had just finished lashing together. I caught up with them, their kids and friends an hour later playing baseball on a sand island.

Mary-Beth and Howard

Michael and Deanne looked after my kayak while I went into Washburn for a cheeseburger and a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice-cream. Michael is ham radio enthusiast in contact with people around the world including Australia. 

Michael and Deanne and their boys fishing near Washburn Bridge.

Fortunes can change very quickly on this river. One minute, tired and hungry, I'm looking for a place to set up camp and an hour later I'm sitting in a riverside home, all showered with a meal and a glass of red wine in front of me.

I met Mark and Margaret just on dark while they were out enjoying an evening float on their pontoon boat. A brief conversation as I was paddling by led to an invite to stay at their home for the night. I stayed for two, and enjoyed a day with them at their home overlooking the river and a relaxing morning and evening cruise up and down stream.

Mark is the founder of Sources of Strength a company providing training to community leaders working with individuals at risk of self harm. Margaret works closely with families of children with special needs. I had a great weekend with these two people that made me feel really welcome and at home. They will be a definite stop over on our next US trip and I'll be disappointed if we don't see them in Perth one day soon.

The 2011 flood caused extensive damage to many river homes. The house above slipped into the river when its garden embankments scoured out.

Trophy home near Bismark, North Dakota

This last section of river has been challenging in places due to shallow water and countless sandbars  making it difficult to follow any definite channel. However, I made it to Bismark the capital of North Dakota, enjoyed a couple of beers in the Broken Oar Bar with a local patron Randy Higgins and rested and re-supplied before tackling the biggest dam on the river, Lake Oahe some 230 miles long.

Randy Higgins

The boys, TnT, are now 2 days ahead of me, I expect to see them over the next week somewhere on the lake.