Craig to Pelican Point - 18.1 Miles

This is a first for me!!  I'm not sure I have ever paddled more than ten to twelve miles in one day and we went over eighteen today.  We left Craig a little after eleven and arrived at Pelican Point at exactly four o'clock.  With a stop for lunch, it took just under five hours.  The guide we talked to at the take-out said we made really good time.  The note in our car from the shuttle people said to expect us at five.  I guess they do that in case people don't show up so they can go looking for them.  

First Thing You See After You Put In

I will confess, though, that we had some current helping us out.  At times it was pretty calm, at times we had quick water and for short periods we had Class I and Class II rapids with maybe a Class III thrown in for good measure.  That was the one where, if you were listening, you would have thought I had Tourette's Syndrome.

Some Rapids...

And Some Calm

Being in the middle of the day, we didn't see as much wildlife as we had when we paddled with Bonnie in the evening.  The temperature was in the mid nineties again.  I love this dry heat! It was a perfect day to be on the water.  We hadn't gone far when two white pelicans flew overhead. Contrasted against the blue sky with their black wing tips, they were quite a sight.  We saw more in the water further on.  I saw another marmot under the same bridge where we had seen two the other night.  One raft of mergansers has twenty-eight birds in it.  We saw more deer at the water's edge than I can remember as well as dozens of Canada geese.  Swallows, red winged blackbirds, a kingfisher, an osprey and many other species of birds kept our interest along the way.  I even saw another muskrat.  Oh, ...and cattle.

The river is really beautiful with tall cliffs and rock formations along the way.  There are quite a few cottages and some really lovely homes with many cottages for sale.  Even though we really like this area, we are not at all tempted to settle in one place.  We were joined on the river by fishermen and rafters but the river is wide in most places so we didn't really meet up with anyone.  

We passed under I-15 four times in our meandering travels and under the Frontage Road only once at Hardy Bridge.  At times the road was right beside the river and at times we were in the wilderness alone and could imagine what it must have been like when Lewis and Clark paddled through a little over two hundred years ago.  It was a great day on a beautiful river.

Hardy Bridge - Almost There

Fishing Day

I dropped Ted of this morning at Wolf Creek Bridge which is about five and a half miles up river (south) of Craig.  He tried fishing but didn't have any luck.  The current in the river is quite fast and the small anchor he had wouldn't hold him.  Also, he didn't really have the right equipment as everyone around here uses fly rods which he doesn't have.  I stayed home and read outside awhile, walked around the "village" and down by the water and just took it easy.  Here are some photos of the day.

It Takes A Lot of Gear

One of the Access Places You Can Camp

On His Way

All Set Up

Scenic River

White Pelicans

Old Car in the River

Frontage Road/Recreation Road/Old US 91

We have found that the roads that parallel the highways in Montana are called Frontage Roads.  The frontage road that is sometimes beside I-15, sometimes beside the Missouri River and sometimes beside both is also known as Recreation Road and was once Old US 91.  It is confusing but once you are on this road, you won't care what it is called.  It is just a beautiful winding road which crosses back and forth across the river and under the highway.  Craig, where we are staying, is about a quarter of the way from Holter Dam to Cascade.  This is the section of the river where all the activity is and as you drive along you see many fishermen wading in the shallows or being guided in dory-like boats down the river. 

Craig, Montana

Usually the Guide is in the Center Rowing

Along this thirty-five miles of river are a number of places with fishing access, some with ramps, some you have to carry a boat into and many that you can camp in for free.  They are just gravel parking lots with no facilities except a pit toilet but the fact you can be beside the water with incredible views would make it worth it.  The weather being in the mid nineties, though, make us not so willing to take advantage of these BLM (Bureau of Land Management) campgrounds.  Actually, with virtually no humidity, the ninety degree weather feels pretty good.

Mountain Palace Fishing Access

View From Mountain Palace

Prewitt Creek Access and Free Camping

We first headed south (up river) crossing the Wolf Creek Bridge and following the dirt road on the right side of the river to the campground by Holter Dam.  This BLM campground has electricity but we decided we wouldn't want to drive the motorhome over the very rough 2.3 mile dirt road. 

Road to Holter Dam

Holter Dam 

Campground by Dam - People Fishing

View From Campground

We returned to the bridge and took the paved road on the other side of the bridge to the lake.  We followed this road stopping along the way to check out the river access.  While we were there, two beautifully restored street rods went by that we later were able to get photos of.  We checked out the first BLM park on the lake and there were some really nice sites there.  We didn't park and look around as the fee was $2.50 and all we had were big bills and no change.  We are so used to using plastic and need to have a stash of cash on hand for things like this.  Duh!!

The Road to the Lake was Much Better Than the Dirt One on the Other Side

First Campground is in Trees at Left

Sweet!!

The road follows the lake for about five miles eventually turning to dirt before arriving at another camping area and boat ramp.  It was a really winding road but all along it there were what looked like private lots with RVs hooked up for the season.  It is hilly country beside the lake and trailers, fifth wheels and motorhomes were tucked in everywhere along with some pretty incredible homes.  It is a beautiful lake just south of the Gates of the Mountain where we had taken a boat tour back in early June with Bill and Lois when we were in Helena.

Big Trailer with Covered Porch

Campers Scattered Across the Land

The Road Got Rougher and Windier

View From Second Campground

We turned and drove back to Wolf Creek Bridge and Old US 91 turning north.  We followed this road back past Craig and all the way to Cascade stopping to check out all or almost all the access points.  It was a beautiful day and we took our time taking about four or five hours to do however many miles of corresponding road there was for thirty-five miles of river. We also stopped at Tower Rock State Park.  This small park preserves the tall monolith that Lewis and Clark named on their journey west.  It is the first really tall cliff along the Missouri that they came to after being in the prairie for so long.  North of Tower Rock (down river) the hills get smaller and the sky opens up.  South of Tower Rock (up river) the sheer canyons begin.  

One of the Sights We Saw - Longhorn Sheep

Tower Rock

Landscape Below (North of) Tower Rock

We stopped in Cascade for gas, which at twenty miles away is the closest to Craig, and to pick up a few items at the market.  We took the highway back to Craig stopping at the turnout that we had stopped at in early June.  It had much more meaning to us this time as we could see one of the bridges in the distance that we had crossed on our way to Cascade as well as the back side of the cliffs we had just passed.  We returned in time to barbecue for dinner and made an early night of it.