June 4, 2024 @ 12:30 CDT
Site Visit #149
After almost four and a half months, I finally was in the Visitor Center of a National Park site. Knee replacement surgery had sidelined me for almost three months as I recovered my ability to walk and drive. After two and a half long days of driving from Florida, we were in Yankton, South Dakota at the headquarters of the Missouri National Recreational River, which also served as a small Visitor Center.
The weather had teased us during the morning drive, with heavy overcast skies followed by clear blue skies, then back to overcast. Rain itself held off – until we reached the Visitor Center. Fortunately, even that was a light drizzle that barely got us damp.
Inside the Visitor Center, a ranger explained the extent and purpose of the park, along with some of the history. There was about a 20-minute video about the river that we watched before heading out to actually see this river.
One of the goals of the park was to preserve what little bit still exists of the original Missouri River. Over the years, dams have created lakes and dredging has created ship channels such that the rather wild river that Lewis and Clark had experienced was disappearing. The park preserves two segments of the river in their natural state, much as that Expedition of 1804 would have found it.
The park also works with several local and regional organizations to study and monitor the river and its wildlife. While most people will visit the river to kayak or canoe its waters, these organizations ensure that the environment remains conducive to supporting the abundant wildlife that calls it home.
Unfortunately for us, the Visitor Center is roughly in the middle of the park as it follows the river. The most pristine section was to the east, the direction from which we arrived, and not the direction we were heading. We were able to get some photos from the riverbank in Yankton, and at an overview many miles upriver, but I would have like to have had the time to backtrack through the eastern sections. Maybe in the future.
Steve
