Log for Wednesday, July 2, 2003

(Posted from the road)

Greetings from Sheridan, Wyoming. After a long, beautiful drive through South Dakota and Wyoming I have checked into a Best Western with high-speed Internet access! I camped out for the past three nights and so I wasn't able to access my e-mail or update the web pages.

Last night I camped out on the eastern bluffs overlooking the Missouri River. I had amazing views of the Big Dipper and a bright quarter moon. There was a lovely breeze blowing from the Missouri, and even though it was 90 degrees it was quite comfortable. I kayaked in the Missouri River via the Francis Case Lake access near the campsite. The soft sandy beach made the launching easy. The water was quite smooth. I had the Missouri pretty much to myself.

The previous night I camped out in Perrot State Park in Trempealeau, Wisconsin on the Mississippi River. I now know why they call it the "muddy" Mississippi. It took me a while to get my kayak cleaned up afterwards, but the Trempealeau Bay canoe and kayaking trail was amazing and worth every effort it took to launch from the muddy banks down two parallel logs. During my late evening kayak I encountered half a dozen beavers swimming across my path. They didn't seem afraid of the kayak as they looked my way. The birds were so numerous that today I bought a Peterson Guide book so I can start identifying them better.

The night before that I camped out in Lake Kegonsa State Park in Wisconsin. As you can see, I am keeping to my itinerary. If all continues to go as planned I will rendezvous with David and Joel in Kalispell, Montana next Tuesday.

Today I kayaked in the Black Hills of South Dakota near Mount Rushmore at a beautiful small lake called Sheridan Lake. The lake is surrounded by ponderosa pine trees and has two beaches (called North and South) for kayak launching as well as a boat ramp at the North Sheridan Lake area.

Because I took so much time enjoying my drive through the Badlands National Park I was only able to kayak at one lake today due to my driving schedule. I wanted to make Sheridan, Wyoming tonight so I could get back in touch with everyone.

My wireless Blackberry has stopped receiving e-mail for some reason. The GPS unit is working amazingly well with the exception of some unaccountable trouble in Wisconsin.

I'm sorry this page is such a hodgepodge, but since my last posting I have kayaked on the Fox River at Voyagers Landing Forest Preserve, Illinois; Pierce Lake, at Rock Cut State Park in Illinois; Lake Kegonsa in Wisconsin; Devil's Lake and Mirror Lake in Wisconsin; the Root River in the beautiful Root River Valley, Minnesota; Myre-Big Island State Park, Minnesota; and Blue Mounds State Park in Minnesota. I saw my first buffalo herd at Blue Mounds State Park located in the prairies of western Minnesota.

Latest Photos from the road

Badlands National Park, South Dakota		Badlands National Park, South Dakota		Badlands National Park, South Dakota		Big Horn Mountains near Buffalo, Wyoming
Blue Mound State Park, South Dakota		Town of Chamberlain, SD		Mail Pouch ad in Chamberlain, SD		Main Street, Chamberlain, SD
Clear water at Devil's Lake, IN		Devil's Lake, IN		Ducks along shore		From kayak
Lake James, IN		Launching		Handbuilt kayak at Chain O'Lakes, IN		Turtle basking on the shore
Mount Rushmore, Black Hills, South Dakota		My campsite at Lake Kegnosa, WI		Root River, Minnesota		Sheridan Lake, Black Hills, SD
Sheridan Lake, Black Hills, SD		Sheridan Lake, Black Hills, SD		Sheridan train depot, Sheridan, WY		Unloading kayak

Click on a photo above to view a larger image.