Lake Lewis and Clark to Yankton, SD

Bloggers,

Joe has now completed all of the large lakes and reservoirs on his descent of the Missouri! He was ecstatic when I spoke with him this morning (Monday) after paddling 22 miles in just over 2 hours. The current is great; Joe said it felt like he was almost cheating because the current aided so much in his travel.

The past two days: the completion of Lake Lewis and Clark, the portage of Gavins Point Dam, and his time in Yankton were awesome. Lake Lewis and Clark was his last real test of lakes on the Missouri. He encountered many sandbars and bottom outs on the lake, but was still able to cross it in one day.

Joe was greeted with more South Dakota hospitality upon his arrival at the marina at the end of the Lake. Ranger John gave Joe the phone number of the welcome center at Lewis and Clark State Park. From there, Austin and Dale helped Joe portage around Gavins Point Dam and helped set him up at camp. Joe wanted to thank the State of South Dakota for their kind offer of the campsite for Saturday night.

Once in Yankton, Joe was able to meet up with Redetta and Roy Jensen and Marilyn Bertsch for lunch at the Lighthouse. Redetta and Roy are from Sioux Falls, SD and are with the Parkinson's support group there. Marilyn Bertsch is with the Parkinson's support group of Yankton, SD. They had a great lunch and Joe was then able to resupply in town with their help. He wanted to thank them all for a great meal and company in Yankton.

Picture from the Lighthouse. Pictured are Redetta Jensen, Joe, Roy Jensen, and Marilyn Bertsch. (Courtesy of Redetta and Roy Jensen)

Joe was then able to set in for the night and got enough rest to put forth a 58 mile effort yesterday (Sunday). He camped about 20 miles upstream from Sioux City at Ponca State Park. The park is home to the Towers of Time monument. It is a commemoration to the three time periods of the area and the indigenous people. The first tower depicts the late Cretaceous Period, when Nebraska was under water. The second tower depicts the Pleistocene Period, the time of the Ice Age. The third tower is a tribute to the animals of our current time period. The centerpiece depicts the indigenous people that have lived in this area: the Folsom culture, Paleolithic period, Earth Mound Builders and recent natives of the 1800's. Pictures and more information on the Towers of Time Monument can be found here.

The Towers of Time at Ponca State Park

Joe is currently on the river, probably passing by Sioux City. The water is moving well and Joe is feeling good, so he has the potential to put in some good miles today. I will speak with him again later today and look forward to updating the Paddling for Parkinson's community at that time.

Paddle on ,

Jared