Our plans to camp this weekend had been cancelled, but I still hoped to do something…
I used my handy TripAdvisor app last night to see what might be around.
I was stunned to see a suggestion for the Mount Morris Dam.  A “dry dam” operated by the Army Corp of Engineers, it offered free daily tours and was only 53 minutes from home.
I somehow had never heard of this place, and I certainly had never know the city of Rochester had been frequently flooded over the centuries.
John said sure and we waited til morning to spring it on the kids. While no one had ever spent time pining over never having been in a dam, they were in good enough spirits about packing lunches and heading out to sightsee.  Johanna was stupendously joyful. She hopped into the act of preparing lunches. She did a lot to encourage John and I to see it through as the rain started.

As we neared the park the rain stopped. We checked in at the Visitors Center and got our badges and walked through the self-guided museum area.
Johanna excitedly announced that they had a “kid section,” and she and, well, all the other kids enjoy poking around in there.


At precisely 11 AM we started out an our tour with our tour guide Lucy.
We descended down a long paved ramp from the visitor center to the dam.


After receiving a bunch of information while on the deck, we entered in to the damn itself. Photography is not allowed inside the dam as it is considered a military operation.
It was cold, dank, and dark.
We stepped out mid-dam for a chilly view.

The tour finished up as it started sprinkling again. As we begin our long trek back up though paved drive the rain picked up its pace. By the time we reach the top it was a downpour.

We hung out in the visitor center for a little while to wait the rain out.  

Stewart made a new friend.
We ate our packed lunch in the car and then headed home.

The tour was free.