Black Bluff Rapids Canoe Camp, Montana River Mile 19.5
Nice to be waking up on the Upper Missouri river! Slept really well last night. Must have been due to all that exhausting drifting yesterday 
Breaking camp under sunny skies
Woke up to sunny skies and a cool breeze, and made some coffee and oatmeal for breakfast. Looking out on the river, we soon saw the two couples (and their dogs) that helped us launch in Fort Benton float lazily by. In the calm early morning waters and under the full light of the sun, they in turns used their paddles to alternately wave at us and splash at each other to cool off! Like us they were just letting the river propel them downstream, with the boats twisting and turning with the whims of the current.
Turns out we’d be seeing a lot of these two canoes, canoeists and canines over the next few days. I suppose they are real early risers. As we would later ascertain, they had stopped at a boat camp up-river from us at rive rile 16.5 and therefore must have been on the water for the better part of an hour to catch up with us.
- What exactly is under that blue tarp, anyways??
We are getting faster at setting up and tearing down camp, but the new morning routine of packing the canoe proved especially challenging today. If it was not apparent when we packed the canoe in the rain yesterday, it was readily apparent this morning: we were waaaay overloaded! But sending a duffel bag home via UPS with half our stuff was not an option at this point! On the other hand, we were starting to get used to our cooler, multi-burner stove and comfy chairs. So we’ll just have to make do..
So then, back to the task at hand: In full appreciation of the fact that if we tipped the canoe it would be like a yard sale on water, we wanted to try to keep the center of gravity in the boat as low as possible. This was somewhat acheived by packing the heavy stuff first, ie: cooler, stove, propane, etc. But any way we packed we realized we were not going to avoid lookng like there was a cadaver or a small European economy car stashed away in that heap of stuff. After several rearrangements and adjustments as well as one more sip of coffee while surveying these magnificent surroundings, we were finally under way well into the late morning.
Coke or pepsi? paper or plastic? So many decisions Lewis & Clark never had to make.
Once on the water, just 4 miles downstream we decided to stop at the confluence of the Missouri and Marias rivers, which was a historic Lewis and Clark camp. It was there that they were encamped for 10 days while exploring the two tributaries to determine which was the true Missouri. The Mandan Indians had told them that they would reach a great waterfall (Great Falls) upstream, but did not tell of this fork in the river. While most of the corps were convinced the right fork as the true Missouri, Lewis and Clark surmised it was the left. And it turned out they were right.
So after securing the canoe under the Lomas bridge, we hiked up to the bluff very near to the original L&C encampment and had a sweeping view of both rivers. The BLM has set up an impressive kiosk and trail to the hill top, and there is a large parking lot. But while we were there, there was not another soul- paddler or otherwise- anywhere to be seen. We enjoyed a picnic of some of the last of the peanut butter and banana sandwiches we had packed, and then headed back down the hill.
By now it was nearly noon, and we were only 4 miles downstream with about 15 to go for the day. But we were under sunny skies and after the confluence of the Marias River, the Missouri widened and slowed, and we actually had to start paddling to make some real progress (or so it seemed).
The banks of the river were lined with the familiar cottonwood trees and agricultural land to the left, and towering sandstone cliffs to the right. Very little wind today, and lots of sun. Couldn’t have asked for better weather today.
It was by now well into the late afternoon, and time to start thinking about getting off the river. Whipping out my BLM maps, I calculated the Coal Creek Landing campground should be appearing on river left, just past a little island we should soon be passing. And sure enough, there it was. Upon arrival, there were our friends again, with the two dog welcoming committee splashing at the riverbank to greet us. Another 21 miles downriver today- almost halfway to our goal of Judith Landing at mile 88.
Coal Creek is the only other major canoe/kayak put-in spot accessible by vehicle between Ft Benton and Judith Landing. And as a campsite it was the antithesis of last night’s oasis of Black Bluff Rapids. Its on a dusty windswept bluff, and really only has one nice shady campsite. Of course, Iowa and Idaho nabbed it, as expected. So we set up our little abode at a site on the hillside above the river. Not much shade, but having a picnic bench and access to a more substantial bathroom was nice. Also, we had a nice view of the river from here. Other than our two groups, there were no other campers here tonight. However, lots of vehicles with big canoe trailers were parked here, the owners of which we were hoping were already well downriver. In fact, we heard a large guided group departed from Coal Creek this afternoon. Hopefully they will stay at least a day ahead of us the rest of the trip, as a group of 8 or more can easily fill up an entire canoe campsite.
This afternoon, Rob took a dip in the river and had a close encounter with a beaver lurking in the reeds. We have seen quite a few of the little critters. The river is too wide to dam of course, so they are content to saw down smalller trees and shrubs and make little nests along the river banks.