Ft. Peck Lake

We are still at Ft. Peck Lake campground (the green part of the picture left of the dam across the Missouri River) but are getting ready to move on tomorrow. We will be driving to Garrison Dam, another of the dams built by the Corp of Engineers, but until then a little more about Ft. Peck Lake. This lake is 143 miles long and is the largest lake in Montana. It spreads westward from here (Ft.. Peck) back towards Great Falls, MT. There are over 1520 miles of shoreline and the lake is 220 feet deep. The whole lake rests inside the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge and much of the access is remote so much of the shoreline can actually be considered to be in the middle of nowhere. The lake is so large and there is so much wind in this area that small boats can at times easily be capsized by the waves. The whole area is included in what is known as the Montana Hi-Line, the 100 miles from the Canadian border south between North Dakota and Rocky Mountains in the west along US 2, As I stated in an earlier posting, this area is rolling hills and prairie, fields of wheat and herds of cattle with mountains in the distance. It is a sportsman's paradise for fishing and hunting along with recreational birding and of course hiking and all of the water sports on the lakes. It seems everyone has a boat of some kind and a four wheeler. As for Bruce, it is the place where there are more old trucks on the roads and sitting abandoned in the fields that are in pretty decent shape than in any other place we have been yet. He would move here in a minute just to be around all of that wonderful iron and steel, except the winter temperatures are in the minus 30-50 degree area for 30 or more days a year. That is just unthinkable for us- so we will stay in Florida and he can just dream about those old trucks- oh and come visit them in the summer.

Yesterday we rode to Wolf Point to visit a junk yard Bruce had heard about. He is always hopeful he will find that missing front passenger fender for his jeep, but it was not to be. He did find several old wheels (don't ask what they will be used for, he just loves them) to cart home and an old drill press at a stop in Glasgow the day before. He seems to think that he should be allowed to spend as much on junk as I have spent on quilting "stuff". Speaking of quilting stuff, we also found a new quilt store in Wolf Point called Fabric Attic. I wasn't going to stop - but am glad we did. This shop has more of what I would call theme/novelty print material than any shop I have ever seen. They also carried some of the brand new materials and I bought quite a bit of Mark Lipinski's oakdale line from Northcott as well as some of his Katmandu line - The Quilts from Pickle Row. Both are wonderful prints and the oakdale is as soft as silk. Now to find the perfect pattern for that material - the search is on!!

Bruce is done getting the outside area ready to leave tomorrow - putting everything away except the last bit of firewood that we hope to be able to burn this evening. It is overcast and raining a bit now, so who knows if that will be possible. We are off To Glasgow to visit the local RV place and proably hit Albertsons to see what is on sale today and of course one last look through the Plaid Square for me - who knows what wonderful item still waits in yonder town for my discovery. Later-------------