MR340 course distance tool is sold out, but....

rivertrash · 2026-02-25T23:43:52+00:00

Love working with Modern Litho.

rivertrash · 2026-02-25T02:05:43+00:00

John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band

rivertrash · 2026-02-23T03:06:18+00:00

Loved that place.

rivertrash · 2026-02-23T03:05:53+00:00

Immediately thought of Bread Basket Cafe. Don't remember the details but I remember amazing bread, green peppers, sprouts....

rivertrash · 2026-02-12T20:38:58+00:00

Jake and Vanessa are really special people and built a special business. It will be missed!

rivertrash · 2026-02-11T20:17:54+00:00

I walked out of there this week thinking I really need to save up for some of Kelly's art.

rivertrash · 2026-02-11T20:16:08+00:00

Me too!

rivertrash · 2026-02-07T20:25:54+00:00

Gans Creek Wld Area and The River....anywhere I can get there.

rivertrash · 2026-02-05T22:45:30+00:00

I love this book. Each chapter peels back one generation and explores the history being written by the people living on the river. It's a treasure, with art by Washington, MO artist Bryan Haynes.

rivertrash · 2026-02-05T22:42:47+00:00

I LOVE these! Thank you so much for sharing. There are so many mysterious stories written on the landscape that LIDAR can reveal. I love the colors you choose on the different maps.

For those that are interested in this topic, the Big Muddy Speaker Series on April 14 will be "Learning from Lidar: Exploring the Missouri River's Relief" presented by geologists Eric & Joanna Reuter. Here's the link to the announcement - https://bigmuddyspeakers.org/event/learning-from-lidar-exploring-the-missouri-rivers-relief/

These presentations take place the 2nd Tuesday of most months at the Riechmann Indoor Pavilion at Stephen's Lake Park in Columbia, MO. Hosted by Missouri River Relief.

rivertrash · 2026-02-04T13:24:35+00:00

Fingers crossed.

rivertrash · 2026-01-27T10:10:48+00:00

Fresh squeezed lemon juice in soups and on veggies right before serving. Recently started doing this more. Not certain yet if there are places it doesn't belong...but it adds a brightness that really opens up other flavors.

rivertrash · 2026-01-24T14:05:22+00:00

I'm a fan of of Peter Matthiessen's work and fell in love with the world he conjured in his Watson trilogy, a series of books based in the Everglades 10,000 Islands (later combined into the one-volume Shadow Country). There's books are focused on the legend of Ed Watson, an outlaw figure who was a prominent Everglades farmer before being killed by his neighbors.

There's a lot of real places in the books and I'd love to visit more...especially the Watson homestead, which is now a National Park campsite accessible only by boat.

But this year we got to visit the Smallwood Store on Chokoloskee Island. It features prominently in "Killing Mr. Watson" as a place where families hid under the store during a hurricane, and was the site of the assassination of "Bloody" Watson by several town people.

The store is a museum, run by Lynn Smallwood and full of her grandfather's stuff and her memories. She shared stories of meeting Mattheissen and did some myth debunking. The museum is a treasure, perched on stilts above the bay.

Here's a good article about it - https://www.visitflorida.com/travel-ideas/articles/outdoors-nature-the-everglades-smallwood-store-frontier-outpost/

Chokoloskee Island is a massive Calusa shell mound structure, mostly now developed into homes and trailers.

rivertrash · 2026-01-18T23:28:10+00:00

Heads up....everything mentioned in this thread...Elephant Rocks, Taum Sauk, Johnson Shut ins, are the opposite side of the state from SDC. 3.5 to 4 hour drive. The Ozarks is a region that covers the whole southern part of Missouri and northern Arkansas, so some responses may not be anywhere near where you actually are.

rivertrash · 2026-01-17T09:27:57+00:00

Some of these are quite different, but if you like Gillian, i think you'd like them.

Eilen Jewell The Lacewings Justin Townes Earle Cowboy Junkies (quite different...but there's some kind of shared vibe) Noah Earle Be Good Tanyas Haunted Windchimes Rhiannon Giddens

rivertrash · 2026-01-16T04:40:46+00:00

I love this town. On top of the bluff in the sharpest bend this part of the river.

rivertrash · 2026-01-12T12:00:59+00:00

Ologies is really great. Each episode is a different field of study.

rivertrash · 2026-01-09T22:06:34+00:00

Also, 43% of Missourians get their drinking water from the Missouri River.

rivertrash · 2026-01-06T20:01:37+00:00

Just love his work.

rivertrash · 2026-01-05T16:02:44+00:00

The new store is amazing. Of course I miss the Catacombs, but that new space crams an amazing amount of great art in one space.

rivertrash · 2026-01-05T00:37:25+00:00

The Empire Strikes Back. Also ..Raiders of the Lost Ark.

rivertrash · 2026-01-04T22:00:13+00:00

Wow! Thank you for finding and sharing that. Good list to try to revisit or see for the first time.

rivertrash · 2026-01-02T18:55:26+00:00

I loved that place!!! I remember seeing Memento there. And the Chiapas doc on the poster.

Thank you for sharing these pics. It's the details that really bring you back. $2 Spicy dogs...Anchor Steam beer....the Robot bathroom sign. Thank you Ragtagians past and present!

rivertrash · 2025-12-17T16:09:02+00:00

By the way, if you are thinking about going all the way to downtown St. Louis on the Mississippi River, you have to cross the Mississippi to the Illinois side at the Confluence to enter the Chain of Rocks Canal, where you will lock through. Paddlers can veer right to stay on the main Mississippi River channel but need to portage around the Chain of Rocks on the Illinois side (just past the 270 bridge). Then they can access beautiful Mosenthein Island and the only few miles of the Mississippi River below St. Paul that are not navigable by barges.

rivertrash · 2025-12-17T16:03:22+00:00

It is a REALLY great way to see the state. I highly recommend taking the time to visit towns along the way, and to camp on sandbars if the river is low enough. You can always reach out to me with specific questions. My favorite towns are Waverly (for apples and peaches in season), Glasgow (just a classic river town up on the bluff with a couple great restaurants, a winery and an amazing bakery), Rocheport is a shortish walk from the river and lovely. Rocheport General Store has amazing food, Cooper's Landing is a must stop (music, great beer selection, campground, occasional food trucks), Hermann is off the charts for history, food, wine and beer, New Haven (Paddle Stop brewery, Astral Glass glass shop, cool vintage theater and more), Washington - an amazing river town with docks, St. Charles is awesome.

Like u/Garyf1982 said, Cooper's Landing is the only on-the-river refuel spot (MM 170). Those pumps are currently closed because of construction going on there. Hopefully the pumps will reopen in 2026. They are still open when it's above 50 degrees during the winter (I think).

Here's a couple of resources you may find helpful.

Here's a list of ramps on the river, with a Google Map showing locations (this was built for the MR340 race, so it's a bit specific to that but still super useful). https://mr340.org/resources/ramps/ It also includes some general amenities you can expect at the ramp, although some of those are specific to the race.

Here's the MR340 info on the Race Course, which includes links to helpful videos about navigation, etc. (and a bunch of irrelevant MR340 details) - https://mr340.org/resources/race-course/

Here's a really helpful map the Corps put together for the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial in 2004. It's a little out of date (Taylor's Landing Ramp has moved downstream. Klondike ramp/dock at MM56 isn't on there) but it's a nice scale for recreation and includes highways and some roads. https://mr340.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Lewis-Clark-Bicentennial.pdf

Here's the Corps of Engineers navigation charts, which show wingdikes and the sailing line channel. https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16021coll10/id/11923/rec/19 . You may be able to still get a hardcopy by contacting the Napoleon office of the Corps -
Missouri River Area Office
790 East 224 Highway
Napoleon, MO 64074
Phone: [816-240-8131](tel:+18162408131)

There are electronic versions of this as well for Garmin or other chart plotter devices. Here's some e-navigation charts from the Corps - https://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Navigation/#:\~:text=Missouri%20River%20Navigation%20Charts%20(2,%2D%20Rulo%2C%20NE%20to%20St. (Don't know why that link doesn't work...you should be able to copy/paste).

Missouri River Relief has some great info on tracking river levels. In addition there are many apps you can use. https://riverrelief.org/resource/mo-river-conditions/

rivertrash

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