Canoe The Ozarks

  Awake, thou wintry earth – Fling off thy sadness! Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth Your ancient gladness! ~Thomas Blackburn, “An Easter Hymn”   Put yourself on the river in Spring, and Ludwig will do the rest(Beethoven’s 6th, The Pastoral Symphony)   if you enjoyed the movie, you might also visit:  ourplaceinthecosmos.com for another spring […]

Ten days before the Vernal Equinox , 9pm, all quiet on my back yard deck Except Off in the distance, it’s faint, but clear The call of Spring Peepers, sweet season premier http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/spring-peeper   Before long, the Chorus Frogs start to sing A funeral hymn for winter;  here comes Spring http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/boreal-chorus-frog-western-chorus-frog   (these sounds are […]

Join us on the river as we venture deep into the beauty and wonders of Spring- In the Ozarks… Peace on the River

As we quietly paddle by a rocky  bluff, I gaze in wonder at this wall of sandstone and dolomite- basking brightly in the majesty of mid day light. This imposing, craggy geologic sage (informs me) “You’re staring at a face from the Paleozoic age.” ____________________________________________________________ (Paleozoic Age:  which ran approx. 542 to 251 million years […]

It’s a sunny but unusually cool August day as we start our float trip on an upper section of the Big Piney River( 4 videos on this post). The mercury won’t touch 80 the duration of this trip.  And just about ten days ago, there was heavy flooding throughout much of the Ozarks. (It’s August, […]

The highway J exit comes into view and my heart rate is ampin’ as I’m rampin’ up this favorite EXIT to another world. Take me to the river…wash me in the waters, of the Big Piney River… As mentioned in a previous post, I have already canceled three float trips this year due to a […]

It’s early afternoon as we arrive at our put in site at Baptist Camp access by the new bridge.  There’s a small yet striking little bluff that overlooks a good sized pool that’s just a little upstream from the bridge.  This place has all the attributes of a favorite local swimming destination.  And sure enough, […]

After relaxing in the waters of Shanghai Spring, we feel rejuvenation and a reluctance roused by reverence as we slowly paddle away from this spellbinding spring. It’s mid afternoon and the hot August sun is still high as we squeeze in a little more fishing time and take a few breaks for swimming. This whole […]

The River Gods are still smiling as we wake up to a morning sun that invokes a certain promise of fair weather all day. I’m already jazzed to get on the river, although we don’t move that fast in the morning.  After some fire toasted bagels with chive cheese spread and some gravel bar coffee, […]

The state of Missouri is endowed with an abundance of springs, especially in the Ozark regions.  Much of the state is underlain with limestone and dolomite bedrock which lends well to a process that has created a myriad of springs and caves.  Learn more about this and why Missouri is one of the principal “Karst” […]