Dakota Waters Resort

Lake Sakakawea, North Dakota

July 6, 2023

Dear Family & Friends:

Since my last report, the Lake has not been kind to us. 

After leaving Tobacco Gardens Resort on July 1, we had a short and uneventful day, except for the later afternoon storm that caught us by surprise.and almost blew our tents out from under us. On July 2, we rounded a bend, paddled under Highway 23 and arrived at Four Bears Park. The Marina at the Park had a limited supply of food and provisions. Beer, our preferred beverage, was sold only by the case. So, Bill had an orange pop and I had a diet coke. Bill had jalapeño poppers and chicken fingers and I had a pepperoni pizza. We thought all was good until we returned to our canoes. We decided to cross to the other side of the Lake. Big mistake. The swells created by the wind nearly swallowed our canoes. Once we made the crossing, the headwinds made it almost impossible for us to move on the Lake. So, we gave up and set up camp not too far from the Park. We still made 16.03 miles. One bonus was the fireworks we enjoyed at the Park that night.

July 3 was a good day. We had tailwinds and rode the waves 20 miles to our next campsite. 

July 4 was the worst day of the trip for me. The weather forecast called for gusts of winds well in excess of 25 mph.  That should have been a warning. Our goal was to reach Independent Point (appropriately named for July 4), which was 6 miles away from our camp. Then, we expected tail winds to give us a boost padding down the Lake. With the winds and swells, it was almost impossible to reach the Point. I was having trouble with my seat, so I decided to pull to shore before the Point. This was a mistake because the wind blew my canoe into the rocks. While trying to move away from the rocks, a wave slammed into my canoe and threw me into the turbulent water. I eventually got back into the canoe and made it around the Point, but it wasn’t easy. After rounding the Point, I pulled  onto shore to change into dry clothes. At our next camp, I discovered that I lost my Spot satellite tracking device, which I was using to let my family know when I had safely reached the campsites. I know I lost it when I was changing clothes. Fortunately, I still can reach my family with my inReach satellite device. 

After rounding the Point, the real ordeal began. We had tailwinds, but the Lake was like the ocean in a storm. The swells from the winds reached in excess of 5 feet at points and the water was like a washing machine, moving in every direction at once. I just wanted off this Lake. After surfing the swells for over 10 more miles, we called it quits and set up camp. I vowed never to get in this situation again. On top of the problems on the water, it was a very cold day. Despite these challenges, we paddled 16.47 miles on July 4.

July 5-6. Both days brought us a mixture of stiff headwinds, moderate tailwinds and 2-3 foot swells. Annies Balthazar caught up with us at our camp on July 5, but she continued on down the Lake to Dakota Waters Resort. We reached the Dakota Waters Resort around noon on July 6. We hope to reach Garrison Dam tomorrow. We can then portage around the Dam and get back on the River. It can’t come to soon for me. 

Relaxing at our camp on July 1

Approaching storm

Fireworks on July 2

Sunrise

July 4 campsite

July 4 campsite

Wearing his Danny Giger inspired outfit

Annie meets us on July 5

Rough water

Arriving at Dakota Waters Resort

Dakota Waters Resort

Our cabin

Steak and potatoes dinner with the owners of Dakota Waters Resort