Float Trip 2011

We decided to take Monday off and take one last road trip before school begins. We went on a float trip down the Current River by Salem, MO - this was where we (I) took our first float trip with the boyz when they were pups (2002).


Pic from our second float trip on Jack's Fork, but you get the idea.

Things have changed. Our camping spot from the first trip is now a parking lot and the state has taken over a lot of the area because it's now a national park. Did I mention we were "winging it" for a camping spot? I thought we were in trouble when we stopped at a camp store to ask "old dude" for ideas (ya got 4-wheel drive??) about camping spots along the river (even his cabins were full) and Ed came out with instructions to "take the first dirt road, take a right at the fork and continue down to a rocky area by the river" after we were on that NARROW dirt road for what seemed like 15 minutes and we still didn't see the river. (I was picturing dead end, flat tire, no cell service, dark night. . . )

It actually turned out to be a pretty good spot - one visited by the locals (God knows no one else would find it!). Fog in the morning. . . fog in the evening.

I don't have any pics yet of the actual "float" because they are on the water camera. But we took tubes for the first time and it was nice except there were times when we definitely could have used paddles to get us going through a couple slow parts. The boys think it will be cool to travel on their own kayaks - maybe when they get a little older.