I'll Be "Dam'ed"

Because of the falls in this area (hence the name, Great Falls), there are four dams.  I had seen Black Eagle Dam and walked around there.  I tried to see Rainbow Dam, but you can't see anything from the side of the river I was on.  You have to go to the far side and view it face on as it is in a bend in the river.

With Saturday being nice weather (50's and windy, but mostly sunny), Texter and I decided to do a little hiking and try out the new baby pack we got for Lady K. 

It works pretty well.  Will work better when Lady K is a little larger, but we have a baby insert coming next week.  So after a walk around the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, we decided to check out the dams in the area.

First, was Rainbow Dam which I had not been able to see the first time around and was only a hop away from where we were. 

Rainbow Dam

One of the falls on Rainbow Dam

Rainbow Dam was named, it seems, by the colors of the rocks in the falls.  And the look downriver is impressive with how the Missouri twists and turns.

Then we made the drive out to Ryan Dam.  I thought that was the only one left and didn't realize there was a fourth dam, Morony Dam.  They are both outside of town about 10 miles, but well worth the drive.  Texter, on the other hand, was less than impressed by the road to "no where" which was a little bumpy and very twisty at times.

The next dam in order of placement on the Missouri is Ryan Dam.  

Ryan Dam

Falls on Ryan Dam

Bridge over to Ryan Island

Ryan Dam is impressive with several cascades after the dam itself.  What is intriguing is the "island" you can walk over to and view the falls and dam better.  However, it does not open until Mother's Day, so this is a definite revisit when I come back from North Carolina.

The fourth dam is Morony Dam and it is probably the tallest.  You can wind down the road to the river below the dam and while we were there, several people were there fishing.

Morony Dam

View downriver from Morony Dam

At Morony Dam you can hike two trails, the South Shore and the North Shore Trails.  I will have to do some research and check them out.  They might be good trails to work up to tougher  trails.

All in all, it was a great Saturday.  Now Sunday will be spend indoors, knitting and sewing, as we are expecting snow.  Go figure!