The departure from Jeff City quickly takes me past the state capitol on the port side and I am soon past all signs of the settlements. This area of the river is familiar to me and the high water is beginning to go down. Which makes the wing dikes much more visible. They are still underwater but they don’t have as much water over them as they have had which makes them even more treacherous with whirlpools, rough water and occasional rock poking up out of the water. It is best to stay away from them.
Its about 20 miles from Jeff City to Mokane. Mokane is not a scheduled stop for the MR340 but it is my favorite stop because I usually meet someone there with one of the famous pizzas from
Wright Brothers Store in Calwood. This year Casey, Becky and the boys meet me there at about 6:30 with lots of pizza and fresh drinks. I took about a 45 minute break eating and visiting with them. They live just up the road at Toledo so its not that farm from home for them but they had to go to Calwood to get the pizza first.
While at Mokane Scott Mansker, the promoter of the MR340, is there taking a break in his safety boat. In spite of his T shirt I allow him to take a photo of Casey, Becky, Dawson, Grant, Chase and I before I head back out on the river. I get my hugs from the boys and head on down river.
Once back on the river I soon come to the most significant milestone for the entire trip, the Auxvasse Creek. The Auxvasse Creek is joined by the Crows Fork Creek a few miles up in the heart of Callaway County and its here where they form the Missouri River. When the “Sons of Auxvasse Creek” meet up with the Auxvasse Creek it is a joyful event. Shortly after passing the Auxvasse Creek or Big Miry as translated by William Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame) it begins to get dark.
When darkness fell one of the largest full moons I have ever witnessed came up out of the trees. It was huge and provided plenty of light to avoid river obstacles. At 8:31 I posted to my journal, I got peace like a River, God is good, 250 miles no flats.
I always like travel on the river when nightfall comes. Somehow it seems to make one blend in with the flow of the current. Once the night is established I go to my usual routine of hanging out in the middle of the river to stay away from those hidden wing dikes.
As I proceed on in the darkness a few wisps of fog are starting to appear. At about 10pm is seems I’m headed straight into a bluff which must be about half a mile straight ahead. I really don’t remember this from my prior trips on the river so I get my 1 million candle power spot light out and shine it downstream and I see this long wing dike with water going over it stretching across the river just in front of the bluff. For some reason this just wasn’t making any sense to me. I switch the modes on my GPS and I can see that I’m approaching the confluence of the Gasconade River. Even knowing this I still a little concerned about what to do next when I encounter my first River Angel.
I don’t know where she came from but a lady in a bass boat eased up beside me and asks if I’d like for her to lead me thru there. I quickly replied yes ma'am and fell in behind her. When the river is at normal level that big wind dike sticks up out of the water and it is very obvious where the river is going but with the water going over the dike I was very happy to have a River Angel escort me thru that pass particularly with the wisps of fog that were sprouting up on the river.
It seemed like no time before the bridge over the river at Herman came in view. I paddled my canoe into the boat ramp at Herman at 12:05 am on Friday August 27, 2010 which would have been my Grandmother Wright’s 117th birthday.
