fun on the way to Fort Peck

There was a bit of silliness as we set out a group of three musketeers.  It was definitely an emotional high to ride the rolling hills, come up on a rise and see the car waiting for us with snacks and water. Unfortunately, Greg had a problem with his bike and rode in the car with Jana for the day. 

After a 36 mi day we piled the bikes on the back 

and drove a side trip up to Fort Peck Dam.  It's an engineering marvel, the world's largest hydraulically-filled earthen dam, four miles long and almost a mile wide at its base. They built containment walls layer by layer, filled it with mud dredged from the river bottom, then let the excess water drain out while building the next layer higher layer and then filling it. The reservoir, driving the length of the dam, and looking across the width of the dam as we drove its length. This thing is massive! 

Construction started in summer of 1934 as part of the Public Works Administration, providing jobs during the Great Depression.  Little cities sprang up to support all the engineers & laborers. It was completed six years later and began generating power in 1941. A second powerhouse was built 1958-61.  This view of the powerhouses at sunrise was near our campsite. 

Today, total average power generation is 1.1 billion kWh and the surface area of the reservoir covers 246,000 acres. Needless to say, this 134 mile stretch of the Missouri River looks nothing like it did when Lewis & Clark camped here in 1805.