Jack's Fork River Canoe Run - (Eminence, MO)

We decided to paddle the last 14 mile stretch of the Jack's Fork River from our campground here at Alley Spring to Two Rivers where the Jack's Fork meets the Current River.

It was our first time to shuttle ourselves for a canoe trip.  And that's another big pro of getting the Jeep.

Before, we would have had to pay someone to shuttle us, or rent a canoe from an outfitter, or we would have just done a short trip upriver so we could float back down to our starting point.

We took both vehicles and drove to our takeout in Two Rivers where we left the truck.  Then we drove back to the campground and put in the canoe for our journey.

The shallow, clear river made for a nice float.

In the first six miles, we saw only two ladies that put kayaks in the same time we did, another couple in a canoe, and a group of three canoes.  The group had tipped a boat and most of the party was on the bank watching a young man walk the river with a cooler trying to locate their lost beer.  :)

Mostly we saw birds.  There were little Green Herons about every 100 yards.

Linda snapped this shot right after this one picked off a fish.

There were also quite a few Great Blue Herons as well.

I managed to get this shot of takeoff as we floated a little too close.

On a windy river, it's hard to get the lighting just right to show the beauty of the river in a photo.  But we came close in these two shots as we passed some gray rock cliffs.

A little farther, we spotted these two Black Vultures bathing and drying their wings.

Looking back upriver at the peaceful water.

It was a very hot day, but fortunately, it was pretty easy to cool off.  :)

Linda took a dip at about the half way point.

Our rugged little inflatable handled the river beautifully.

We drug the bottom several times, but we don't even worry about that anymore.  We did have to get out and pull it across a few really shallow parts, but the coolness of the water was welcome as we stepped in.

And there were many sections with fast current and large root wads where it would have been really easy to turn over a traditional canoe.  No problem with our flexible, stable Sea Eagle SE330.

We didn't see any mammals other than squirrels, but we had plenty of turtles.

By this time, we picked up the pace a little.  It was supposed to be an 8 hour float and we didn't get started until around 11:00.  I knew Linda would panic if we weren't near our takeout as it started to get dark.  :)

So she instigated the increased paddling after looking at the map.  She figured we were going 1 mph floating and our takeout was still 5 miles away - five hours to go at that rate.  :)

Well, we were going a little faster than that and the end of our trip wasn't quite that far away.  Our takeout sort of snuck up on us and we were off the river by 5:30.  Our 8 hour paddle turned into a 6 1/2 hour paddle.  :)

Still, 14 miles is a bit much for one day where there is not much current.  There were a few Class 1 rapids along the way, but it was mostly flat water.  We were both ready to be finished.

Our truck was right there waiting for us.  It was so nice not to have to rely on someone else, and not to be on a schedule to have a rental canoe turned in or make a particular shuttle pick-up time.

We figured the extra diesel and gas to shuttle ourselves would cost about $10.  So it was cheaper than a shuttle service and the added freedom was definitely worth it.  :)

Back home, I was ready to relax.  But, I had forgotten that I told Linda we would get her hummingbird feeders out.  Earlier, I had heard some hummers squeaking around the rig.

Actually, what I meant was I would get the ladder out so she could clean the windows and hang the feeders.  I guess I should have been clearer on that.  :)

I went ahead and did the windows.  Before I was finished, she already had the feeders hung and already had hummers on.  That was fast.  :)

By the time I got the windows wiped down and the ladder back in the truck, I was soaked with sweat.  The new ladder is heavy, but I love it.  It has great functionality and, with the golf clubs out of the truck and in the Jeep, it fits perfectly just inside the tailgate for easy access.

I quickly got inside and took a cool shower.  Ah, ready to do nothin' now.  :)

Linda hit the Chat Room and we watched a little TV.  After being out in the sun all day, the yawns came early and often.

Time to go to bed so we can get up and do another river section tomorrow.  Until then ...  :)   

Comments

[Judy(the Other)]

You're killin' me, Howard!

(As I prepare for a j-o-b interview later today)

Thanks for the great photos.

[Lee Ann McCormick]

Awesome pics today Howard! The one of the Blue Heron taking off is award winning! Looks like you are having a great time. Loved the turtle too, sure hope it's not a snapper! Tell Linda that water looks awfully refreshing... Enjoy your stay. Lee Ann

[Bob & Linda Betz]

When you drop off the truck at the take out point you could take a GPS reading. That way you could keep track of your speed and distance along the river.
Have fun,
Bob

[Jo Wishnie]

Great pictures of the Herons today, Howard. Thanks a lot.