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.
I was really looking forward to the last 800 miles of river with no dams or lakes and strong current all the way to the confluence with the Mississippi River, but as I write this in Lexington, Missouri over 500 miles downstream, I have to report that I've had headwinds everyday but one.
I enjoyed the town of Yankton though with its well kept riverside park, character architecture, easy walking to town and plenty of places with free wifi access.
I arrived at the town boat dock to find TnT's canoe tied up. I met up with them at a bar advertising a $5 all-you-can-eat lunch special. I don't think the bar will do that again without checking upstream to see if paddlers are in the area; I thought I was hungry but TnT must have hollow legs as they certainly packed it in.
No rain around so we didn't bother to put up the tents and slept on the floating dock in town. As usual I left early while the boys slept in; they caught up with me around lunch time, we paddled seperately all afternoon and ended up sharing the same campground that night up river from Sioux City. The day was spent navigating sandbars and mudflats, occasionally bottoming-out and having to walk the boat into deeper water; it's not too easy identifying the main channel when so low in the water.
Remind me again why Barbara didn't want to come - there's plenty of room!
The 2011 floods caused major problems along this section of the river. Nearly all the marinas, restaurants and campgrounds mentioned in David Millers excellent guide - The Complete Paddler are closed/silted-up with no sign of re-opening.
Flat and dry overlooking my kayak is always a good campsite
Would have been the ideal stop in 2010
Typical of what last years floods have done to the marinas below Yankton SD
I was looking forward to arriving in Sioux City but found no access to a campground or a ramp where it was safe to leave my kayak.
The best accommodation I was offered on the river in Sioux City ($25 rusty cabin with no water or power and a wooden platform to put my mattress on) - I paddled on.
Not far down river was Dakota City that had a great riverside park with hot showers, I stayed there.
Next day I did find Pop n' Docs riverside bar and marina (re-built/opened after the flood) and spent the night camped there (a recommended 'must stop').
Couldn't get motivated the next day and paddled on and off hoping for a tailwind when Steve Stodola came along side in his fishing boat. Not fishing though, just drifting and enjoying a few beers with the intention of camping up overnight; it was Friday afternoon and he'd taken the day off. We floated with the current for an hour or so and talked about our experiences on the river.
Steve Stodola in relaxation mode - is he the coolest guy on the river or what?
Steve playing Spielberg ..................
Steve phoned his wife and asked her to meet me at the Blair ramp and drive me to the grocery store which is a bit more than an easy stroll from the river. I'm not sure what's in that Mountain Dew he gave me but I paddled non-stop for 13 miles.
Steve's wife Caroline sending me off at Blair Park ramp fully re-supplied compliments of the Stodolas.
I received a good luck email/comment from Mike Swenson and his wife who were on the River City Star that I passed right in the heart of Omaha city; I've no idea who they are but I hope they can see themselves if they zoom in on this photo - very thoughtful of them and much appreciated.
River boat in Omaha, Nebraska
"Where you going?" St Louis, "where did you start?" at the headwaters Montana,"where are you from?"Australia"here, have some beer" - you gotta love these Americans.
Invited over for drinks and snacks with these fine people just downstream of Omaha
From a distance and the noise they made I thought it was a barge coming down the river.
Omaha social boaters tied together and just floating/drinking there way down the river
I was hoping to stay longer in Omaha and meet up with Doug Jasa, Jim Keen, Lance and Bill that I'd met up on Lake Oahe but it's not the easiest place to moor up and leave the boat safely. I hope they are reading this and know that I'll be in touch.
I called in to the town of Plattsmouth, Nebraska for breakfast and walked past this place just up from the ramp. Obviously somebody with too much time on their hands.
What can I say!
Lots of rusty vintage cars on display.
One of many
Great advertising
I met Dale, one of the Sharpe Brothers River Rats, who offered to take me into town in his 1925 Studebaker. He doesn't seem to do much with the bodywork but the engine sounded just great.
With Dale Sharpe in his 1925 Studebaker - Plattsmouth, Nebraska
A chance encounter while looking for a place to camp got me talking to Brad Krauth as he was filleting his days catch. Brad owns a property right on the river with a private ramp where he said I could camp the night. I did, but also got invited up to meet his family and friends and have a shower and a meal in their wonderful home overlooking a bend in the river.
With the Krauth family and friends - Justin and Kerry, and Staci and Brad (does he look a bit like Keith Urban?) and their boys Garrett and Hayden
Justin and Kerry are visiting from Illinois with their twin boys (not in the photo).
I have been amazed at the solitude of this last 500 mile section of river. Out of the cities there's hardly anyone to be seen. I had expected it to be more populated with trophy homes built along stretches of river taking advantage of the beautiful views - not the case at all. A few retirees fishing from the bank or in aluminium dinghies and the occasional row of holiday cabins and not much else.
No not me - it's retiree Paul, "all about grandkids and fishing now"!
Another chance encounter as I was pulling in to a public ramp to camp the night when I got talking to Mike and his son Drake. They invited me to stay up at their cabin 4 miles further on; I paddled there in record time as the sun went down. They weren't staying overnight and they gave the use of their RV/caravan (a hot shower two nights in a row - luxury) and their cabin kitchen. Mike set the coffee pot up so that I'd have a hot cuppa before leaving in the morning.
Mike and son Drake - couldn't be more generous, welcoming and friendly
I paddled through the city of St Josephs as there was no place at all I could moore up in the city. I stopped at what I thought was a public ramp that turned out to be private and owned by Bud and Teri Lemmon. I explained what I was about and asked if it would be OK to camp near my kayak on their property, no problems at all and they made their workshop bathroom available to me. Teri bought me out a piece of lime pie that was fantastic (like what we would call a cheesecake in Australia), Bud gave me some beer and Teri made me up a lunch bag to take with me the following day - wonderful, wonderful people.
I called in to the town of Atchison and was pleased to find everything within walking distance from the town ramp. Got my laundry done and then had a $1 shower at the YMCA over the road, shopped next door and checked emails in the bar on the next corner - what a place.
I asked "county" Deputy Sheriff Tim Miller if it would be alright to camp on the grass alongside the ramp, he made a phone call to his "city police" counterparts and got the OK.
With Deputy Sheriff Tim Miller - Atchison, Kansas
Camping above the ramp - Atchison, Kansas
Morning visitors - Deputy Sheriffs Ken Price, and Tim Miller with a coffee for me - amazing
One that didn't get away 50 pound+ blue catfish
I was awoken from my midday sleep in the woods near a remote boat ramp by a "G'day, I thought you'd like to hear an Aussie accent". Jim, a soldier based in Brisbane and over here for a wedding, saw the flag on my kayak and came over for a chat. He was travelling with his friend Craig and about to fly to Yosemite CA before heading home.
With Aussie Jim from Brisbane
Always the best time of day on the river
Sit back and enjoy an early morning paddle on the Missouri River, I'll do all the work ...........
I have these last two weeks been alternately camping in five states - South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri - as the river defines their borders. It's Missouri on both sides of the river from now on.
"Barbara May, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more"
It's Sunday 19 August (my daughter Kelly's birthday) and I'm in Lexington, Missouri with only 316 miles to go. Haven't seen TnT for nearly 2 weeks but I suspect they are within hours of getting here and Mark Kalch the Australian adventurer is sure to come through at a great rate of knots and capsize me in his wake.
I paddle on, happy that all's well at home and with the news that I'm going to be a grandfather again.
