Loma to Upper Breaks

7/19

I'm up at 6 or 7 am, on the water 45 min to an hour later most mornings. Leaving Loma, was excited to get to test the sail for the first time. It worked well! Top speed that day was 7.9 mph. Exciting!

Literally, dozed off around the last bend, so the timing was perfect for some nice folks to point me to a campsite.

7/20

Only made it 18 miles the next day, which is a slow day, and that is weird to say. Growing up, we would plan on an overnight for anything over 12 miles. It's different when you have a goal and a destination still 3,000 miles away.

Still, it could have been a lot worse. The head wind wasn't non-stop and there was a good current most of the way. I saw a covey of quail get up, a butterfly landed on my shoulder (guess I'm a fixture out here🤣), and finally a turtle!

The eagles and cows are too many to count, and I'd forgotten how much I don't appreciate the existence of horse flies.

This is a land of amazing bluffs and rock formations around every bend, mixed in with pasture and farm land. Found a cool little sand bar under bluffs to rest from the head wind and grab a quick lunch. Finally figuring out this rehydration thing, so everything isn't still crunchy.

7/21

Day 10. Made it into the Upper Missouri River Breaks Nat'l Monument today. Hard to believe I've been on my own for almost four days now. Thought I'd be scared camping by myself, but I've slept like a rock so far.

Last night, a family of masked bandits decided to journey into our camp. It was a struggle, but I kept Hank quiet so I could see what the enterprising racoons might do. When they headed for the canoe (food), both of us let loose. They didn't come back.

Did a little laundry and 'showered' in the grimy river. If you saw the sides of my boat and the paddles, you would know that shouldn't feel good, but it did.

Shaking things up a bit, I ran into some mountain goats. Also a farm,with a huge hay field in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. Hadn't seen another human in miles, and then got to chat with a little boy fishing. He wanted to know where I was going😁