Boonville, Missouri 2980 kms down, only 320kms to go!

Its worthwhile noting when travelling by river through the state of Missouri, you can catch an unlimited supply of carp a day but only 5 bullfrogs.Curious as to how one catches bullfrogs, local research informed that a large flashlight is required as once it is shined in the bullfrogs eyes they freeze making capture an easy task. And of course they taste just like chicken. On a side note, carp when surprised seek suicide by jumping meters out of the water. This makes for an interesting though a touch disconcerting sight as they weigh anywhere between 1kg and 20kgs.

Local wildlife trying to wrestle a fish up the shore.

Only 320kms to go until I reach the end of the Missouri River in St Louis. I have a flight out on October 6th which means I have slowed down my pace so I don't arrive too early. And now time to get some food.

Atchison, Missouri - Home of Amelia Earhart

Below is a link to a recent news story a TV station out of Omaha did on me. Havent watched it myself but sure it will be riverting.


http://www.ketv.com/news/29237207/detail.html

St Joseph, Missouri 2574 kms down, only 720kms to go.

Just got into St Joseph, Missouri and while I haven't really had much of a chance to look around the downtown area is really pretty though also really quiet. Still not really sure about which sections of the river are closed or were closed but have started to see other traffic on the river so things are looking good. Aside from yesterday I had a four day stretch of really nasty weather that made for some cold and wet paddling. The upside though was the river was flowing nicely meaning I covered a lot of distance in a short space of time, clocking up 90kms one day without too much effort. It has slowed down a little now.

The above two pics come from downtown White Cloud in Kansas. Not a great deal happening there with the only places open being the Post Office and a bank that was straight out of the 1850s that wouldn't have looked out of place when Jesse James dropped by for a withdrawal. Speaking of Jesse, St Joseph is his hometown and there is a museum devoted to his life around here somewhere that I'll try to see.

Well that's about it. Plan on a lazy day around town before getting back on the river late this arvo. Should be passing through Kansas City in the next day or two though I try not to spend much time in the bigger places. Enjoy.

Iowa & Nebraska - The river is closed???

Due to serious flooding over the summer many parts of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers were closed to all boating traffic. I had been lucky that by the time I reached the closed sections they had been reopened, up until yesterday that is. The section of the Missouri that goes through Iowa and Nebraska has been closed all summer but I have heard that it all reopens September 15th. The water is running fast though not as fast as places up north and the river level is dropping. Means that I get the next 300kms all to myself.

Passed through Sioux City which is probably the biggest city I have visited on the river. The weather has turned cold with it dropping to o degrees overnight. As the days and weeks pass my tent continues its terminal decline. I has now reached the point that is it rains I must make sure to wear my raincoat in the tent. And now its off to Omaha.

Farewell South Dakota, the last of the dams!

Finally earlier this morning with great happiness I crossed my final dam just above Yankton, South Dakota. From here on in, all the way down to St Louis we are 'dam free' which means easier,faster paddling and more to see and do. One thing in favour of the dams is the fact that towns are able to be situated closer to the river saving long walks into town. Pierre 160kms up river was an excellent case in point and aside from lots of cool old buildings to see some friendly locals Julie, Faith and Leanne took it upon themselves to show me the sights and treat me to a steak dinner at Mad Marys - most tasty. They also introduced me to Mr Mac a renowned teacher who has been teaching Latin for over 40 years - I was of the impression that the teaching of Latin stopped many years ago.

Roger and his wife who helped me portage around the dam at Pickton.

The above baby deer had fallen down the bank breaking or injuring its back leg and as a result was unable to get back up the hill. Sadly there was no room in the kayak for it.

Portage over the dam at Yankton, South Dakota.

With Labor Day having passed, summer is well and truly over in the USA. There are few boats or people on the river and lakes and many of the marinas and shops have closed for the season. Luckily in the next couple of days I will cross into Iowa where there are more people and greater access to towns. While I carry a radio on the front of the kayak I find myself listening to podcasts as I paddle instead. Each town I get to I find a wifi spot and download as much as my itouch will handle. - Might have overdone it today as the itouch froze for about an hour though luckily it is up and running again. Well best run, grab some supplies and get back to the river as Sioux City is only days away.

Pierre, South Dakota 1650kms to go

Another couple of weeks and another couple of lakes. It seems they are never ending in this neck of the woods and they just keep on coming. Lakes tend to be tough work with very unpredictable weather and a lack of places to buy supplies. South Dakota while famous for the faces of US Presidents on Mount Rushmore, doesn't have the most exciting scenery. Lots of rolling hills with not a great deal of vegetation. What it does have a lot of according to locals is rattlesnakes. They pride themselves on the quality and quantity of their rattlesnakes. Yet to see any though I do keep an 'eagle eye' out for them.

After a 290km paddle of Lake Ohae I then had the challenge of carry the kayak and gear 4kms over the dam and down to the river. As it was just on 100 degrees it made for hot work though luckily about half way along a bloke from the Army Corp of Engineering stopped and gave me a ride. Now I am currently in the South Dakota state capital of Pierre which I have just been told is the smallest of all the state capitals in the USA. It has a population of about 14,000 and is perched right on the river banks. Course this means like many places in the area they suffered from flooding this summer. They have a little island just across from the town which makes for a great camping spot as you can see the lights and sights from there.

(Picture of my land bound kayak and gear searching for the river.) Was speaking to a local yesterday who reckons I only have about one more month of paddling before the weather will turn nasty. With just over 1600kms to go I might fall short of the target - I would have started earlier but flooding in Montana killed that idea. Well that's about it. Time to tour the Capitol building, gather supplies and get back to paddling. Hopefully the wind will be at my back. Cheers