Devil's Lake to Lake Sakakawea State Park, Pick City, ND

Sunday

It rained in the night and poured off and on all morning.  It was enough to make most of the tenters leave early which was a shame because before noon the sun came out and it was another beautiful day.  We didn't go anywhere today but caught up on four loads of laundry and I did some cooking.  Other than that it was a great day to sit out in the shade and read. 

Monday, Memorial Day

We left the campground midmorning and once we were off the island heading west we ran into this huge swarm of big bugs.  They covered the front of the motorhome so it was impossible to take any photos along the way.  There was hardly a square inch of windshield that didn't have some mark on it.  We still haven't found out what kind of bugs they are.

The farther we traveled west, the more hills we encountered.  Just driving an hour south made a huge difference in how much the trees had leaved out.  It was much more interesting terrain and we enjoyed it as we drove along listening to an audiobook.  When we arrived at the state park, we kept meeting people leaving after the long holiday weekend.  There were four RVs across at the dump station with more than that waiting.  We have never experienced more than a couple.  Ted stopped to take a picture.

At nearly 200 miles long and with over 1500 miles of shoreline, Lake Sakakawea (no, I didn't spell it wrong) is the third largest man-made lake in the country after Lake Mead and Lake Powell.  Made by damming the Missouri River, it is a resting place for whooping cranes as well as a nesting place for endangered least terns and piping plovers.  Garrison Dam was built by the Army Corps of Engineers between 1947 and 1952 and is the fifth longest earthen dam in the world.  

Looking Towards Dam

Once we got settled we took a bike ride around the park, visiting all three camping areas and checking out the beach area.  Three weeks ago, there was a foot of ice on the lake.  Today people were swimming in it.  I may be from Maine but that is a little extreme for me.  How about it Paul?  We sat in the shade of our motor home looking out over the lake from our site on the bluff and read awhile before dinner.  After dinner we took a walk on the shore trail that is mowed out of the field below our camp site.  The mosquitos were fierce so we only did a portion of it but got our heart rates up by almost running to get away from them.