Whip-poor-wills and robins are singing as the sun sets over eastern Montana. Becky and Jo and I are camped below Fort Peck Dam at the aptly named “downstream” I can see the two massive powerhouses from my seat as I write this. They are lit by massive floodlights and are an apt memorial to the Rivers that have become lethargic behind the massive earthen dam. Despite the impediments created by the army corps of engineers, and the land reclamation that supposedly occurred, much of eastern Montana’s low lands lay under water tonight. This afternoon US-2 took us near the Milk River several times before reaching Glasgow and the landscape looks devastated. A great deal of pastureland is underwater, as are many nearby houses. The excess water is a boon to insect populations. Mosquitoes and gnats are pestering me still even as I hide in the back seat of the Subaru.
Our Journey from Kalispell was relatively uneventful and we flew across Montana at a safe and sane 75 MPH. Once we crested the Rocky mountains the epic expanse of plains lay ahead, and the long straight sections of highway speckled by, wheat fields, pronghorns, and an occasional coyote allow the mind to wander.
A couple of stops today in the prairie country let Josie blow off some steam and Becky and I to stretch our bodies. We drove about 410 miles today with a 21 month old, who was strapped in a car seat. We were on the road form 8:15 am until 6:15 pm. A very long day. Fortunately it will be our longest stretch between here and Grand Marais, but tomorrow will still be a trek through more of the expansive plains. We hope to camp near Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, but well see how the flooding is further east. 
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