13APRIL2016 near Custer, MT

As with yesterday my first view of the sun was a reflected view ... this time the side of the BNSF railroad track, a glowing brown stripe.  Shortly after I saw the sun, and when it was only one-finger high, I passed the Bighorn River.  One thinks of rivers cascading together but such is not the case.  The Bighorn is basically as large as the Yellowstone, yet when they combine all is smooth and calm.  So the two rivers and I smoothed along for several more miles when - without warning - I came to the Rancher's Ditch irrigation diversion dam.  I went ashore and viewed a bank-to-bank dam with fumeroles everywhere and with downstream rocks strewn across the left half.  Though the flow seemed lighter on the left, the rocks told me "No".  In the right half is a 20-foot-wide chute ... smooth approach, a smooth double dip across the dam and flow lines all proceeding straight downstream.  It being either portage or shoot, I chose shoot, positioned my craft and hit he spot with as much speed as I could attain.  Well ... my butt bumped and I took in about a gallon - but sure enough, the flow lines quickly sent me clear and on my way.  There is a 3-second period of extreme exhilaration when you realize that you cannot go back and you look over the crest and you are actually in the throes of the water force ... a short period when your success or failure is no longer something that you control.  An early morning wake-up for real.  So-o-o-o later in he day I passed over another dam (Called the Yellowstone dam), taking it 30 feet from the left across a roll less severe than most of the river rapids I've encountered.  Expecting bad weather, I was pleased to have a tailwind all day.  Paddling through Oxbows, the wind was alternately a side wind but overall was a travel boost ... and twice the wind speed got super fast.  On one of those occasions it was so bad that I went ashore and walked around.  Still windy - but controllable - I proceeded at a good clip and saw the Yellowstone River's namecliff.  On the north near Savage I steered past ten or so miles of yellow cliff ... 60 feet high and straight east.  Native Americans named the river ... and sure, the yellow geyser rocks at Yellowstone National Park may contribute to the name ... but theses cliffs scream Yellowstone, and scream in an area where the river is big, where the river is actually worthy of the name "RIVER".  You need to see these cliffs ... fascinating.  While among those cliffs the wind picked up again and drove me on.  Not knowing my precise location I thought I could be blown into Forsyth, but chose a campsite.  Setting up camp I was dismayed that the tent was soaked and dripping wet, part of that gallon taken in at the dam.  I actually mopped out the floor.  Whew!  Had I delayed some more the setup would have happened too late for much drying to be done.  Sleep was good ... I got lucky.  During the day I saw a pair of coyotes, ducks, geese, bald eagles, osprey and herons.