Kayaking at Fort Peck, MT plus visiting Glasgow

This morning we kayaked on the Missouri River, just below the Fort Peck Lake Dam and Fort Peck Lake, about 20 miles southeast of Glasgow, Montana.  The dam and lake are named for a former trading post built in1867 as a landing for steamboats traveling up the Missouri River.  At 21,000 feet in length and 250 feet high, it is the largest hydraulically filled dam in the world, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.  "Hydraulically filled" means the earth was moved into place by flowing streams of water.

The paddle was pretty calm, except when a boater at the end of our trip kept speeding back and forth in front of the boat dock.  That caused a wake that went on and on.  It didn't bother Jim and I need to get used to wakes.  I did what I am supposed to do (pointed the front of my boat right at the oncoming wake) and all was well.  

This afternoon we drove in to Glasgow.  Not much I can say about Glasgow, other than it looks a little downtrodden.  We needed groceries and found an Albertsons, then looked for a place to eat.  We decided on Dairy Queen, so that kind of says it all.  It was a pretty drive to and from Glasgow, however, with lots of golden grain fields.  One thing I read about Glasgow that I thought was cool, is that their boy's high school football team has won the state championship 45 times.  Go Scotties!

Gulls fly by Fort Peck Dam. Construction of the dam started in 1932 when FDR authorized it as part of his Great Depression-era New Deal.  The Army Corp of Engineer's brochure actually says that more than 40,000 people "flooded" to the area looking for work.  

Jim watching a pelican float by his kayak.

More pelicans on the Missouri River.  They (and we) picked a great spot to float.  We saw a least 20 fish jump into the air, including two fish that jumped up side by side like synchronized swimmers.

As we were putting our kayaks back on our car, a guy came down to the boat launch with three German short haired pointers.  They are hunting dogs, and the owner was throwing a dummy mallard into the water so the dogs could practice retrieving.  Above you see a doggy named Indiana springing off the pier to get the fake duck.  He was much more graceful than the photo indicates. 

Golden waves of grain near Glasgow, Montana.  Or golden waves of about-to-be-baled straw, as the crop had been harvested.

Near downtown Glasgow we saw a huge line of oil tanker railway cars.  We counted the cars and the tally was 107.

And, making us feel like we were back in Salt Lake City, were Mormon missionaries near the DQ.