Ft. Peck, MT
Above: I took this before I left the campsite in the morning. It’s the boatramp down to the non-existent lake.
Above: The Fort Peck Dam.
Above: Ah-ha! Here’s the lake!
Saturday, 7/8 8pm
Location: Ft. Peck, MT
Coordinates:
couldn’t get a reading for some reason
Today’s mileage: about 55
Tomorrow’s destination: Wolf Point
The best thing about today was walking into the air conditioned lounge in the Ft. Peck Hotel and ordering an ice water!
Ft. Peck is a remarkable little town; It was clearly built around a central, well-organized blueprint. It sits near a river, has perfectly maintained roads, well groomed lawns, attractive buildings, and lots of public areas. On the other hand, it only has about 200 people. The entire town owes its existence to one thing: the Fort Peck Dam (which also explains the plentiful street lighting and well watered lawns).
The Ft. Peck Dam was constructed during the Great Depression, primarily as an excuse to employ 10,000 people. At the time, it was the engineering feat of the region. Even today, it’s the world largest hydraulic earth-filled dam, whatever that means.
The hotel where I am staying has the distinct feel of a lodge in one of the national parks, only smaller. It sports a cozy commons area, with a fire place and a high, wood-beamed ceiling. On the other hand, the rooms don’t have bathrooms, air conditioning, or wall decorations. Oh, and they smell like a retirement home. To use the toilet, you walk down the hall to a door that opens into a small closet-like room. Afterwards, to wash your hands (assuming you are so inclined), you go to the next door down the hall, which reveals a small room with a sink and a bath tub. Finally, if you want to take a shower, you walk halfway down the hall to yet another room that has a shower and a sink. Luckily, I arrived in early afternoon, so I didn’t have to contend with the line which I’m sure develops every night.
Anyhow, I managed to get on the road pretty early this morning, by my standards at least. After departing at about 8am, it took me about 30 minutes to travel the 5 miles along dirt road back to the main highway. Dirt roads are considerably harder and slower than paved roads!
I basically groaned and muttered to myself for the next 50 miles. I don’t know if I was hungrier than I thought, or thirstier, or more tired, but the 50 miles today were harder than the 90 miles yesterday. It felt like a constant uphill. Granted, I was dealing with a nasty headwind today, but I don’t think the road conditions fully account for how difficult it felt. In any case, I was estatic to finally reach civilization again.
If you were to add up the listed populations of the towns which I have passed through since Wednesday afternoon, it would total 938. That covers a distance of over 200 miles. Now, I’m sure that there are more than 938 people between Ft. Peck and Lewiston, but they don’t live in any established towns.
Tags: Travel
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