It seems we fell asleep after a hot summer's day, and awoke to a crisp cold autumn. The cottonwood leaves have already begun to turn golden.

The third week on the Yellowstone has been filled with stormy skies, cold rain and relentless upstream winds. Yet the many sunflowers that line the river's edge remind us that in time the sun will shine. After traveling 421 river miles, we are learning a lot about life on the Yellowstone, from its diverse wildlife to the people who live on its banks.

Jasmine, my 4-year-old daughter, has adjusted well to our nomadic lifestyle. We spend 8-10 hours a day traveling. Time in the raft passes quickly, as the scenery is ever changing. While the land surrounding the river is brown and dry, banks lining the river are green and lush, thriving with life. The animals who roam the rugged prairie rely on the river for water.

The skies above the river are busy with bird life, most common -- geese, white pelicans, gulls and occasionally swans, cranes and cormorants. Jasmine admires the many dragon- and damselflies of bright colors, that land on her and butterflies that dance in the breeze above. Curious beavers swim beside us, smack their tails against the water and disappear. Beneath the surface is home to 45 species of fish, including two primitive rarities, the paddlefish and the shovelnose sturgeon.

Traveling by river provides many educational opportunities. Jasmine learns about stream order, river features, land formations and weather patterns. When she encounters an unfamiliar bird, butterfly, or flower, she looks it up in one of her many identification guides. Jasmine also enjoys drawing and painting scenes from our adventures in her river journal. Together we study Montana's colorful history, including fascinating stories about American Indians, the Corps of Discovery, fur traders and cowboys.

Several times a day we stop to explore along the banks. There is an abundance of natural treasures waiting to be discovered.

The Yellowstone has long been known to rock collectors for its amazing array of stones. Jasmine has found agates, jaspe, and fossil-embedded rocks along with other unknown objects she calls dinosaur bones.

Other favorite finds are bird feathers, clam shells, drift wood, and wildflowers. Jasmine also collects leaves and bark while on shore and lets them loose from the raft. She says they are rescue boats for unfortunate little bugs that have fallen into the river. When the sun sets low in the sky we look for a nice spot to call home for the night.

Upon arrival Jasmine explores the camp looking for scat and tracks in the mud and tells us who our visitors might be. She says Canada geese make the noisiest neighbors, as they always have something to honk about.

After setting up the tent and cooking dinner it's time to clean up. Jasmine's favorite part of washing dishes is filtering the minnows from the dish pail with her small net and quickly returning them to the river.

On clear nights before bed we talk about the phases of the moon and point out other wonders of the night sky such as planets, constellations and the Milky Way. We climb into our sleeping bags, a white unicorn in Jasmine's arm and a can of bear spray in mine. In the morning we have breakfast, break down camp, load the raft and head downstream for another new day on the river.

Although we travel past several towns, most are not directly on the river. However, Rosebud, home to about 75 people, is a charming town nestled up to the river's bank. It was there we met Harold Reierson who was down by the river fishing with his cats. Within no time he had dug us up fresh carrots from his garden and summoned his three granddaughters. They ran down to the river and studied our rig.

Harley, 8 years old, asked shyly, "So...are you and your little girl homeless?"

"No," I answered with a laugh, "but it sure does look like it."

I talked with Harold, 70, a retired coal miner, and his wife, Shirley, 52, about what it was like to have the Yellowstone in their backyard. "It is peaceful to me to look out and see the river. It kind of slows life down," said Shirley.

"I was born and raised near a river and I naturally like being alongside one," said Harold. Then he chuckled and added, "The one thing about fishing here, is you never know what you're gonna catch. Such a variety."

We waved farewell, and further down river we met Alice Nile, 53, of Miles City. Nile has been floating the river for 25 years. She expressed her concerns about the river.

"If we could just keep the Yellowstone from becoming polluted, keep coal-bed methane out of its waters, and the dams away," she said. "We must protect its wildlife, fish and rockhounding so the children of tomorrow can enjoy it the way we do today."

Downriver from Miles City, tall, unique spires and domes made of soil resembling a child's sandcastle, decorated the north bank. After enduring multiple storms on day 21, as evening approached, a full arch rainbow stretched from one side of the river to the other framing the magnificent badlands in the distance. It is magical moments like this one that make all of the journey's challenges worth rowing for.

Mariah Davis is the founder of Adventures Unlimited and has a degree in outdoor experiential education.