I jest had ta paddle somewhere, but it haz been awful hard ta find a river with any water in it this spring. I picked the Eleven Point National Scenic River in the Missouri Ozarks. I set out Saturday mornin’. Jest before lunch I run inta a hoodoochie round Jonesboro, Arkansas.
When I reached the Ozarks, it let up but ever now ‘n then it would come a shower. I drove on up ta Alton, Missouri ta settle in fer the night. First I worked out my shuttle plan with Brian at http://www.11pointcanoe.com then I went ta the Alton Motel where the Spartan rooms run $35 apiece. The motel haz 8 rooms. Mebbe the Athenian rooms got phones, but mine jest had a tv, a chair, two towels, some soap ‘n a Gideon bible. They take cash ‘n drive over ta git it when ya call 'em frum the outside phone ta let ‘em know ya made it in.
I heard The Burger Palace sells a mitey tasty fatburger. They dont. I ambled round the town square. I kept waitin’ ta run inta Gomer ‘er Aunt Bea. They got pizza delivery ‘n a chiropractor two days a week. Jest like the good lookin’ green grass on the other side of the fence, the smells comin’ frum Grandma’s Kitchen had me droolin’. I ate breakfast there Sunday mornin’......grits with a side order of eggs, bacon ‘n a biscuit.
After I ate I set out fer the Cane Bluff put-in. The long, rocky road back in there wuz purty, but when I got there the barbarians had rode everwhere, broke bottles ‘n scattered trash like they hated the whole world ‘er wuz jest mad cuz their health insurance dont pay fer a sex change. They even rode fourwheelers down inta the river bed. I reckon it wuz round 9 a.m. Sunday when I shoved off ‘n left that sad place behind.
That stretch of river iz okay, but nuthin’ ta write home over. I wuz discouraged that I had ta paddle so hard. That wuz one reason I passed up the Neverglades. I jest dont care fer flat water paddlin’. There wuz a mist on the water ‘n ever now ‘n then I seen a pleasin’ scene, but I come upon a heap a trees lyin’ in the river that likely woulda been too hard fer the rental canoe paddlers. I took a bit of a chance gittin’ round this one tree ‘n had ta grab a limb at the end. That aint smart, but it wuz a omen....not like at Delphi where the lady read small animal guts fer a livin’, more like that time Jerimiah Johnson took them Yankee soldiers thru the injun dyin’ ground?
Ever now ‘n then there wuz some movin’ water which wuz welcomed by me az I wuz kinda tired before noon when I come upon the Greer Spring (the biggest on the river ‘n the second biggest in all Missouri) ‘n tried ta paddle up inside there. I didnt git too far az the water comes a blowin’ out like that time Rambo come outta that cave fulla rats. Jest below the spring iz Greer Access....a fancy campground way too far frum the river fer paddlers ‘n rite next ta the Scenic Highway 19 (which iz only scenic if yer drivin’ on it). I moved on downriver lookin’ fer a gravel bar.
Above Greer I dont recall seein’ any motor boats, but below Greer there wuz 4-5. I did hear four wheelers up above Greer, but didnt know fer sho if they wuz up ta no good. I never seen a ranger, so I couldnt yell “sic ‘emâ€Â
When I reached the Ozarks, it let up but ever now ‘n then it would come a shower. I drove on up ta Alton, Missouri ta settle in fer the night. First I worked out my shuttle plan with Brian at http://www.11pointcanoe.com then I went ta the Alton Motel where the Spartan rooms run $35 apiece. The motel haz 8 rooms. Mebbe the Athenian rooms got phones, but mine jest had a tv, a chair, two towels, some soap ‘n a Gideon bible. They take cash ‘n drive over ta git it when ya call 'em frum the outside phone ta let ‘em know ya made it in.
I heard The Burger Palace sells a mitey tasty fatburger. They dont. I ambled round the town square. I kept waitin’ ta run inta Gomer ‘er Aunt Bea. They got pizza delivery ‘n a chiropractor two days a week. Jest like the good lookin’ green grass on the other side of the fence, the smells comin’ frum Grandma’s Kitchen had me droolin’. I ate breakfast there Sunday mornin’......grits with a side order of eggs, bacon ‘n a biscuit.
After I ate I set out fer the Cane Bluff put-in. The long, rocky road back in there wuz purty, but when I got there the barbarians had rode everwhere, broke bottles ‘n scattered trash like they hated the whole world ‘er wuz jest mad cuz their health insurance dont pay fer a sex change. They even rode fourwheelers down inta the river bed. I reckon it wuz round 9 a.m. Sunday when I shoved off ‘n left that sad place behind.
That stretch of river iz okay, but nuthin’ ta write home over. I wuz discouraged that I had ta paddle so hard. That wuz one reason I passed up the Neverglades. I jest dont care fer flat water paddlin’. There wuz a mist on the water ‘n ever now ‘n then I seen a pleasin’ scene, but I come upon a heap a trees lyin’ in the river that likely woulda been too hard fer the rental canoe paddlers. I took a bit of a chance gittin’ round this one tree ‘n had ta grab a limb at the end. That aint smart, but it wuz a omen....not like at Delphi where the lady read small animal guts fer a livin’, more like that time Jerimiah Johnson took them Yankee soldiers thru the injun dyin’ ground?
Ever now ‘n then there wuz some movin’ water which wuz welcomed by me az I wuz kinda tired before noon when I come upon the Greer Spring (the biggest on the river ‘n the second biggest in all Missouri) ‘n tried ta paddle up inside there. I didnt git too far az the water comes a blowin’ out like that time Rambo come outta that cave fulla rats. Jest below the spring iz Greer Access....a fancy campground way too far frum the river fer paddlers ‘n rite next ta the Scenic Highway 19 (which iz only scenic if yer drivin’ on it). I moved on downriver lookin’ fer a gravel bar.
Above Greer I dont recall seein’ any motor boats, but below Greer there wuz 4-5. I did hear four wheelers up above Greer, but didnt know fer sho if they wuz up ta no good. I never seen a ranger, so I couldnt yell “sic ‘emâ€Â
