Lexington,Missouri (mile 316 ) to the Mississippi River (mile 0)

I arrived at the Waverly boat ramp (mile 295) around midday and decided to get lunch at a diner in town just a mile from the river. As usual I tied my kayak up high of the water and left a note on it saying who I am and what I'm doing, with my cell/mobile phone number in case I need to be contacted. I returned to find 3 crispy apples and a plate of chilled apple dumplings with a note from Greg Prather, a local resident wishing me well.

Dessert delivered to the boat from Waverly well wishers.

Robin and Connie Kalthoff live not far off the river and have been following my journey through this blog. With an invite to meet them at a bend in the river around the 278 mile I paddled there and spent an enjoyable evening with them at their family's new cabin still being built. Giant hot dogs and barbecued corn made a great meal.

The Kalthoffs - Connie and Robin

These people offer a 'must stop' location on the river for any distance paddlers, they'll be more than happy to host and help in any way they can.

With their son Chris, a singer, guitarist and songwriter with his dad, and an occasional paddler.

I found Gary and Fred (retired farmers) enjoying a cup of coffee on a sandbar just downstream of the Kalthoff's place and invited myself over to help them finish the pot.

Gary and Fred

I called in to Glasgow at mile 226 to stay the night and have a shower at the riverside campground where I met a group out socialising near the boat ramp. They were very interested in my trip (you have a lot of river cred' with 2,000 miles under your keel) and ended up getting an offer of a proper shower and bed for the night.

The Glasgow crowd enjoying their afternoon social drink near the boat ramp (the dog patrols the table and tips over any unsupported cans/bottles).

Out on the town with Gary my Glasgow host

The Fish Beak Saloon Crowd - Vergil, Becky, Gloria, Gary, me, Sarah and Nick

The last few hundred miles of river surprisingly remains tranquil, rural and pretty much unused. It is engineered to maintain flow that helps prevent silting; the US Army Corp of Engineers are tasked with this job and have over the years built and maintained thousands of 'wing dykes' - rock structures that jut out of the river banks - and rock wall erosion protection barriers to prevent scouring and natural diversion of the river. The Missouri is such a dynamic and volatile river that once a bridge has been built the Army Corp then have to ensure the river continues to flow under it.

I was advised that these are Army Corp rock placement markers not remembrance crosses at the scene of a river tragedy as I initially thought.

Lewis and Clark re-enactment boat heading up stream.

And another.

Tug boat pushing two barges full of rock

I'm sheltering behind a rock wing dyke to avoid the worst of the tugs wake.

The wake can create turbulent water for ten minutes after the barge passes.

Coopers Landing at mile 170 is another distance paddlers 'must stop' destination. Mike Cooper who has  developed the place over the last 35 years somehow knew I was coming (through the river paddlers network I suspect) and offered me free camping and use of the shower and laundry facilities saying that anyone travelling over 2,000 miles from the headwaters deserves it.

I was there to enjoy the great food and music that Coopers is renown for, to rest up for a day and to meet Janet Sullens-Moreland who expressed an interest in buying the Barbara May once my journey is over. The local newspaper were also interested in my expedition and turned up to get the story: Columbia News Story - Aussie Paddler

With Janet Sullens-Moreland who intends, next year, to be the first female to solo paddle the Missouri River - she has the skills and determination and all she needs now is the right boat!

Privately owned paddle wheeler ay Coopers Landing

I met Steve Schnarr and Melanie Cheney the Program Management team for Missouri River Relief a volunteer, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to bringing people together to clean up and maintain a healthy Missouri River. I will proudly be wearing a Missouri River Relief T-Shirt on my return home to Australia compliments of the team.

Steve and Melanie

Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn (a.k.a TnT) arriving at Coopers Landing

Overlooking the river at dusk - Coopers Landing

Sunset from Coopers Landing - I wonder why Mike settled here!

I'd been given another contact to call on in the town of Hermann, Missouri and met and stayed with Gary Leabman and Marsha. Retired from a stressful business about 8 years ago they now run a self-catering guest house high up overlooking the Missouri River. I arrived there on a Saturday that coincidentally happened to be the weekend the town was celebrating its 175 year anniversary. 

Guest house view of the Missouri River

Believed to resemble the Rhine Valley Hermann came into existence when German settlers built a frontier town here. It is now the centre of the Missouri wine growing region and a tourist Mecca for those wanting to experience good food, antique shops and a quaint European like town; I would liked to have spent longer there.

With Gary in Hermann MO

(I'd met three Gary's along this section of river)

Randy Morgart the Vice Presdent of the St Louis Canoe and Kayak Club drove 85 miles up river to meet and paddle with me for the day. He arrived with two other members of the club - Jan Cook and Bob Jung and we paddled 25 miles to the riverside town of Washington MO. TnT were there and the three of us were treated to lunch at a restaurant overlooking the river. I was given a club T- shirt and a locally made corn pipe as a memento of my visit to their paddling ground. Jan also gave me a flask of what she called a honey drink(?).

Bob Jung

Washington MO

With Randy, Jan, Bob and Tom (of TnT fame)

I enjoyed their company and appreciated their offer to help in any way should I need it when I arrived in St Louis. I left them after lunch and headed downstream into what looked like stormy weather. TnT stayed in town as they had partied the night before on a sandbar up river and had no energy left.

Stormy weather ahead

Cold and wet but only 60 miles to go.

I had to get off the river and shelter from the lightning. I was soaked through and stood under some fallen trees out of harms way for a couple of hours until the storm passed. I found a shelter on private property but decided to stay there thinking nobody would come along - surely only an idiot would be out in this weather.

The honey drink Jan gave me turned out to be honey-whiskey - couldn't have been more timely and warmed me from the inside out.

Not the Ritz Hotel but good enough for me - only 55 mile to the Mississippi

I paddled 50 miles the next day and camped just 5 miles from my final destination, unsure if there was a place to stay where the rivers meet - as it turned out, there was.

Sunset from my last camp site - mile 5.

I was on the water early to paddle the last 5 miles. I noticed another boat about 2 miles upstream and wondered if was TnT or Mark Kalch the Aussie adventurer.

Mississippi River dead ahead

Here it is, Confluence Point Mile 0 - I'd made it - 2,231 miles in 89 days.

TnT arrived a few minutes later - they'd paddled and slept on and off through the night.

"Ol' Man River" - me and the Barbara May at the confluence

Symbolically claiming the Louisiana Territories for Australia -
no expense spared on the flag pole either.

I left a flag for Mark Kalch to collect and take down to the Gulf of Mexico

Redundant water intakes on the Mississippi River looking like miniature Bavarian Castles

Another 16 miles to paddle before arriving in St Louis proper which included a portage around a natural barrier on the Mississippi River called the 'Chain of Rocks'. Barges are directed into a purpose built canal to get around this barrier.

The 'Chain of Rocks' barrier on the Mississippi upstream of St Louis

The St Louis Arch an iconic landmark where I pulled the boat out for the last time.

My contact in St Louis was Mike Clark a long time friend of Norm Miller in Bozeman, a veteran Missouri and Mississippi paddler and owner and guide of Big Muddy Adventures. Mike is the "go to"  man for distance paddlers reaching St Louis; his knowledge, experience and love of both rivers is second to none. His business takes people of all skill levels out on the river on short and long trips as well as fully catered moonlight paddles for groups who aren't confident to paddle solo.

Mike arrived with a trailer and took me, the Barbara May and all my gear back to his place where we celebrated the end of my expedition with chinese food and a beer or two and stayed up late talking about our experiences on the Missouri River. He and Norm Miller are a great tag team - Norm throws paddlers in at the headwaters, Mike scoops them out this end.

Mike Clark with one of many canoes he has built

The Barbara May all cleaned up and sparkling

My last view of the 'Barbara May' in Mike's dry-dock at Big Muddy Adventures, St Louis.

My journey is over and I've had a great time on a river that has given me everything I wanted it to be. I've seen wonderful scenery and incredible wild life and met the most kind, generous and hospitable people anyone could hope to meet. I thank you all for your friendship, encouragement, advice, your humour and your prayers. I was lifted by all the responses to this blog, the emails, phone calls and anonymous notes left on my boat.

I know a 3,600 km journey likes this is not for everyone but I encourage anyone who might want to see just a part of the river to make it happen. If you can, consider a weeks float through the White Cliffs area downstream from Fort Benton, Montana - you wont even have to paddle, the current will carry you along nicely. 

For those that may want the full deal, let me tell you now that it's achievable - I'm living proof of that. With good planning and focus you'll get there, but know that it's more than just a physical challenge. Be kind to the river and to yourself and you'll enjoy the solitude that this journey offers.

I'll finish with a thank you to the one person that really made it happen for me. From our first contact by email some 2 years ago Norm Miller's focus has been to get me down the river to St Louis safely. He shared his time and home, his knowledge and experience and his friends and contacts and even kept Barbara in Perth advised of my progress when communications failed. I owe you Norm and I owe you big time - I'll not forget that.