9APRIL2016 near Columbus, MT

I slept and slept and slept, not emerging to the world until the sun was up.  Stepping out and hitching up my trousers I lost the button.  You think of all the things you may need when "out there" but a replacement button was not on my list.  So the rope belt will appear sooner than later.  It appeared that the river rose a mite overnight, so I pushed off expecting a day of easier paddling.  Easier because the rapids here have a serious channel but with more flow it is easy to skirt that intense chute.  The chute regularly features protruding rocks and on occasion it features a shelf ... shelves are especially unpleasant.  The rocks have fallen from the sandstone cliff that forms the southern bank.  One can paddle the extreme right bank and be under the sandstone.  Often ... so when those overhangs drop, the river gets a new supply of rapid rocks.  One set of rapids caused me to step out to line the canoe and immediately I stopped to daub the slap water as well as switch to dry shoes.  Folks there (Weekend Campers) informed me that Park City was several miles downriver ... and now I know that looking for the 1806 Corps of Discovery Camp yesterday was way away from the real location.  Paddling on I continued to skirt rapids and got to the COD's camp area where the difficulty of the rapids diminished.  No, I didn't find the camp but the river changed there - the south bank became low-grade coal.  With no more big rocks to dodge I relaxed and paddled on, reaching the Laurel City Park at 2:30PM.  The Locomotive motel drew me in, the police assured me that they would check on my canoe and contact me should they note a problem.  My little computer (IPAD?) is recharged as is my SPOT ... and I really need a solar recharger.