Step One: Getting to the River

If you're not already sure about exactly which river or stream you want to explore I suggest purchasing a few items which will really help you get down to the water.

1. Missouri Atlas and Gazeteer published by DeLorme. You should definitely purchase a copy of this Atlas and keep it in your car. It has a 1:200,000 (1"=3.2 miles) scale and is an invaluable tool. So, allocate $20.00 and purchase this now, not later.

2. Hawksley, Oz. Missouri Ozark Waterways: A Detailed Guide to 37 Major Streams in the Missouri Ozark Highlands last revised in 1997. The Missouri Department of conservation first published Hawksley's guide in 1965 and last revised it in 1997. While it's no longer in print and has been replaced by the next publication it's still a good tool and worth buying if you can find a used copy.

3. A Paddler’s Guide to Missouri This is the Missouri Department of Conservation's replacement for Missouri Ozark Waterways. It covers 43 rivers and has larger maps but in some ways I prefer the compact size of Missouri Ozark Waterways. Anyway, this will set you back $6.00 from the Missouri Department of Conservation so you should purchase a copy.

Anyway, if you purchase the Atlas and either or both of the guides, you'll have the basic tools you're going to need to start your explorations.

Introducing myself and setting the mood

I'm drawn to moving waters and I love to fish. I can't drive over a creek or river without slowing down, if I can, to look at it as a fisherman. I eagerly anticipate my first glance of the stream I'm going to wade or float. I can't wait to push the bow of my canoe into the current and feel it beging to push me downstream. Me, my canoe, the river. That's magic. If you're lucky enough to float along our rivers and streams without being interrupted by a floating drunkfest you'll have opportunities to see, smell, hear, and feel things so many other people never get to experience any longer. The next time you're in the checkout line at the grocery store ask the person behind you if they've ever floated past a bluff wall and listened to the water dripping down its moss covered face. They'll probably think you're a nut but I bet that's something they've never done and that's one of the reason's I'm writing this blog. I want to share the awe, wonder, and reverence I feel for our Ozark streams and rivers in the hope that maybe I'll convince someone who just looks at them as something you drive across to begin to look at them differently.