I just got off the phone with my brother and he told me that if I go on the Ozark Scenic Riverway, to do so mid-week. Reason? The Jet Ski crowd is going nuts on the rivers, and then the rangers use souped up boats to chase and catch them. Sounds like a scene out of a Mad Max movie.
This sounds like a trip breaker for me. Do any of you know what is going on, or can give me some links for the latest news?
Thinking about leaving the canoe home,
randino
Never Seen a Jet Ski There
Been paddling there for 27, 28 years and never seen a Jet Ski. Jet BOATS, john boats with jet motors, are not uncommon from Round Spring on down. That’s why over the years my wife and I rarely ventured below Roundspring at Hwy 19 except an occasional venture from Two River to Owl’s Bend which is close to us. We stay away from the Van Buren area too, except to visit Big Spring and drive Skyline Drive. WW
Word to the wise…
– Last Updated: Jun-20-07 12:24 AM EST –
If you want to do the Current river during the Summer; your best bet is to do it on a weekday.
On weekends; avoid the "river dorks" (drunks in rental canoes), on the sections from Cedar Grove to Akers Ferry, Akers Ferry to Pulltite, and Pulltite to Round Springs.
The sections from Pulltite to Round Springs, and from Round Springs to Two Rivers are very active with jon boats on weekends. Many of them are driven recklessly, and at high speed by drunks.
I've never seen a jet ski being chased by a park ranger in a souped up boat, and I've been paddling on the Current river for over 50 years.
If you intention is to go to the Current river, and have a nice, quiet, canoe trip.........forget about it!
Unless you go in the Fall, Winter, or early Spring. Then you can find peace & quiet. The "river dorks", and the drunks in jon boat are wimps when it comes to inclement weather of any sort.
BOB
Thanks for the advice, Bob.
By the way, I paddle a Bell Morningstar. Only the old Mad River Malecite comes close to it as a sweet boat. Noticed you had a number of Bells.
randino
Thank God for the horsepower limits
Aluminum fishing boats with 40 hp jet drive outboard motors are the “watercraft of choice” for the local morons down there. Never had a problem with them until the Saturday trip from Round Spring to Two Rivers during the Ozark Rendezvous. We were harrassed. Never seen a jet ski. I think the hp limitation precludes them.
Jet drive outboards
– Last Updated: Jun-22-07 8:32 AM EST –
About four years ago in the fall we had about 12 canoes approaching a bend just above Two Rivers following a narrow channel on the Current during a drought.
Beyond the bend we could hear and outboard roaring like hell coming up river. Before we could do anything here comes this boat with a jet drive outboard yelling at us to "get out of the road." At the last minute he headed toward the shallows and stalled out. Must have filled his intakes with a good dose of Current River gravel.
We didn't feel bad about that at all. Just happy he didn't run into us.
I did talk to the rangers
and the State water patrol after the Rendezvous concerning the boat issue. They expressed dismay and advised me to get registration #s and fotos if possible. They do want to stop that behavior but don’t have enough people to do it. I have my own plan for dealing with motor boaters, but I ain’t talkin! BTW, I own four boats w/motors. I love my canoes much more.
What happened on Saturday?
I left on Friday morning and didn’t hear about a Saturday harrassment event. What happened?
Im from St Louis
and frequent the current jacks fork and 11 point rivers…
on the jacks fork, i very very rarely see any boats that arent paddle propelled…
on the eleven point below hwy 19 and greer spring gets a bit busier for boat traffic, but above that isnt bad at all.
I did an overnight last weekend on the Jacks fork from Rymers to the hwy 19 bridge. The river level was very low, and left me walking my kayak WAY more times than I cared to remeber. it was stilla nice float with great scenery.
After Alley Spring the river got much deeper (and thankfully colder,
it was warm out). It would have been a very nice float from alley
spring down, if it werent for all the weekend warroiors and drunken
rednecks.
Now im only 22 years old, and I like being a drunken idiot as much as
the next guy, but i was DISGUSTED at the number of people on the
river… It was all I could do to dogde traffic and not have drunk
piloted/flipped canoes run me over. In many places one canoe full of
retards would flip on a rock or logjam, and traffic was so thick
behind them that the next 5 or 6 canoes of retards would hit them and
flip as well. the whole time their trash, coolers, and beercans
floating down the river. Just from alley spring down I picked up at
least 2 dozen cans that I passed floating.
I was honestly disgusted with the situation, and will not be
returning to that float until the off season. I can totally
understand why they passed those new drinking laws. It was a beatiful
river but its a shame the folks have to trash it.
Ive never had an issue with harrasment from motor boaters, but i do get the occasional fisherman/ speedboater that doesnt share the river or seem to care how big a wake he is creating for paddlers.
I have never seen a jet ski on any of the rivers mentioned, but I do agree that the water patrol has some VERY nice boats. They sure are set up perfectly, and all the equpitment is top notch.
lol
‘have my own plan for dealing with motor boaters, but I ain’t talkin’
and what would this be?
Bob, I ain’t talkin
Have not ever needed to pull the pranks that are so obvious. But have come close. I do not want to go to jail for a rightious act. Think about it!!!
July 4th
Would you think next week should be avoided?
Mindset
The problem is that these people feel they are the victims. Their big boat may need to be up to speed and planing to get through those shallow sections – which they feel the paddlers are unnecessarily utilizing. I guess they’ve never tried paddling in two inches of water – ain’t hardly possible.
July 4th,
– Last Updated: Jun-30-07 1:07 AM EST –
July the 4th is on a wednesday this year.
That "may" slow things down a little, but I doubt it.
I think that many will take the 4th as a holiday, and also take off thursday the 5th & friday the 6th, and roll right on through the weekend.
I'd predict that campgrounds will be near capacity, or full, and the "river dorks" & jon boaters will be out in force. I wouldn't go there then if someone paid all my expenses.
You never see the "river dorks" on the rivers in late Fall, Winter, or early Spring.
Why is that?
Because they're basically drunken, unskilled, loud mouths who have no respect for the river, other people & damn little for themselves.
BOB
Agree with Bob, but …
I think we should be more careful about parais for floating the Current, Jacks Fork, and Eleven Point after Labor Day and before Memorial Day. There may be some dorks that read these posts and we may be giving them ideas.
july 4th weekend
I paddled a section of the upper meremec the 4th, and on saturday I paddled the huzzah. It was a mess with all of the normal drunken idiots, but not any worse than normal. If anything traffic was down a bit compared to a normal saturday on that river.
Sunday i paddled the upper meremec, from above meremec spring to somewhere a bit past indian spring. AWESOME trip, there were a few canoes and rafts full of idiots, but id say i only saw 20 or so people floating in the course of my 8 hr paddle. Only one guy fishing in a motorboat also. Very light river traffic, and it was thankfully quiet.
TheBob and I did a little overnite
on the Current from Akers to Round Spring the weekend before the fourth. We paddled 19 miles on Sunday in rain and sprinkles most all day. Few dorks, no boats. Finally found a gravel bar to pitch tents just below Sinking Creek. About 7 pm a pack of drunken river dorks came around the bend and decided to stop across the river from us. Two were so drunk they flipped and dragged their swamped canoe right next to us. A rock throwing battle across the river commenced. Bob said, “none of them guys can throw a rock this far”. But… at least one of them could. I asked the fools in our campsite to please move and they did. Pelted by rocks on the river. A new experience for me.
i dont know about you,
but if some drunk river dorks floated past me at 7am, and were already so smashed they cant keep the canoe upright, AND start throwing rocks in my direction…well lets just say i would no longer be a happy paddler lol.
THey may just get their appointment with DARWIN a little earlier than planned.
Discretion …
Discretion is the better part of valor when there are 2 of you, and there are 8 or 10 of them, and they’re drunk.
Not good odds; no matter where you are.
I was very surprised that the 2 that were near our campsite listened to Duggae when he told them to move on downstream. They were so drunk they could barely stand. The others across the river weren’t any better off. Luckily, “for all concerned”, the incident didn’t escalate. Let’s just say I had a surprise for them.
BOB
god bless the 2nd ammendment
– Last Updated: Jul-16-07 3:36 PM EST –
and that is the #1 reason not to start crap with folks you dont know. Good for you for excercising your rights.
one more year until I can 'legally' get me concealed carry lisc.
And I 100% agree with discretion. Thats the best way.
In the last 4-5 years that ive been paddling as a 'non river dork' ive gotten into half dozen or so scuffles with drunken idiots that id rather not have. Some folks are just looking for trouble, and unfortunately I dont take kindly to trouble, espeically when its directed at me or someone close to me. Had a river dork try and hit me with a footbal sized rock a couple years ago when he thought it would be funny for his fellow retards in his raft to laugh at him tipping over my kayak. I kindly informed him he would find my paddle shoved up his rear if he tried and things escaleted after that :-(
Hell just last weekend I had another faboulous encounter with the widly spread species know as 'Drunken idiots'
My gal and I were paddling the Huzzah River in our kayaks, constantly navigating our way through the normal traffic of the weekend warroirs. she was about 25-30 feet in front of me when we passed a raft full of 18-20 year old guys, all wearing the same cowboy hat with all the same 'trendy' type of tribal tatoos and such. These guys were so drunk they couldnt even paddle their raft and were trying to walk it downstream lol. Well she passed them, and one goes.... 'oooo heeeey lady kayaker' and she responded with a 'howdy partner' Apparently he did hear her and said a couple of innapropriate things. He was swimming across my path and instead of manuvering around him, I just let my 14' Old Town Dirigo spear him full speed right between his shoulder blades. I stopped to make sure he wasnt dead, and asked if he would like to discuss his opinions further but thankfully he did not. One of his buds says, 'I dont think her BF appreciated that very much' and got a good laugh at his expense. At least there was one half sensable person in their group :-/
I hope more of the idiots on the river get their Darwin Awards soon so they will quit littering and ruing my otherwise beautiful trips