Eric, you’re a wuss. If I can drive from Alaska, ANYONE else can make a trip for a week’s worth of daytime Ozark river paddling and evening HIGH TEA.
Brad
Upper Buffalo, upper Jacks Fork, Current River, and North Fork of the White are all flowing real good today.
@pblanc said:
Upper Buffalo, upper Jacks Fork, Current River, and North Fork of the White are all flowing real good today.
Yep! I’ll be on upper Buff tomorrow with Little Deuce, six of her friends and two of their dads. They’ll be in rafts, I’ll be in Zeke the Prophet. What could possibly go wrong?
Just a few more weeks! Can’t wait to see everyone!
@PamThePaddler said:
Just a few more weeks! Can’t wait to see everyone!
Pam, do we need to make reservations at Twin Bridges for specific sites? I remember when Jim owned it, our group just set up at any of the sites in the field area?
For those of you closer to the Ozarks: Is the current storm, that has closed (4) major east-west Interstates, affecting levels and flow of the waters we should be paddling? Flooding has been a planning factor in the past.
Meanwhile, I’m on the road working a slow way south and east. I did get in a short paddle on the Snake River in Idaho with my son, he in a “new” ( to him - mfg 797) Nova Craft Prospector 17, I in a Sandpiper.
As Pam says, “Can’t wait to see everyone!”
Brad
The upper Jacks Fork, the Current, and the North Fork of the White River all spiked up a bit yesterday but are now dropping back. I think the storm track through the upper Mid West will be well north of the southern Missouri watersheds. I do not see any unusual precipitation predictions in the long-term forecast for the Twin Bridges area.
Nothing predicted in weather forecast will have any major affect in Missouri though monday the 23rd. If it did, it would still be another 9 days “before” the Rendezvous started on May 2nd…
Things seem to be mellowing out a little bit around here lately. Quite a bit of sun, and temps hitting the high 60s to mid 70s are predicted for this week.
The concern is probably more likely to be; will it be too shallow, as opposed to there being too high. Speaking for myself; I’d like to see the North Fork area gets 5 or 6 inches of rain, about a week before we arrive, then do a slow drop in water level, and temps rise up to 75 to 85+ on a regular basis.
That beats the hell out of sitting on a gravel bar in a full rain suit; dodging lightning bolts.
The only redeeming factor to that is you get to watch the “river dorks” in t shirts and shorts, or bikinis going into the first stage of hypothermia, They don’t need no stinkin’ pfd or raingear; just a case of beer in a big cooler & a GoPro to film their adventure for Facebook. 
BOB
P.S. NO; no matter how cute you are in your tiny bikini, with a cotton towel over your shoulders for insulation; I’m not going to “sell you my rain jacket”! >:)
Anybody up for a pre-Rendezvous paddle on the Buffalo? I’m still shooting for an April 26th (or maybe earlier) arrival at Ozark Campground. Will I find anybody else there?
Brad
Would love to come down there for a couple of days if my step father gets out of the hospital and stays out for more than a couple days. Getting tired of spending so much time in hospitals
Unable to make the Buffalo before the Rendezvous. I plan to arrive at Twin Bridges some time during the afternoon of Tuesday, May 1 and ready to paddle on Wednesday. But I sure as hell hope spring weather arrives before then, not this snowing shit we’re getting here.
current plans are to arrive Monday the 30th and leave pm on Thursday May 3. would like to Buffalo float (kayak) on Tuesday. > @AK_Brad said:
Anybody up for a pre-Rendezvous paddle on the Buffalo? I’m still shooting for an April 26th (or maybe earlier) arrival at Ozark Campground. Will I find anybody else there?
Brad
I’d be up for a post trip to the Buffalo or some place else
gave it some thought,- eleven hours each way for driving (I’d be leavin’ and driving from work on fri , takin’ a vacation day on the 7th, and no school on the 8th, election day so could drive home then) but I think I’m gonna have to save this for when I retire. I’m gettin’ soft- 22 hours of drivin’ for two days of paddling. There was a time I would of done it.
@wildernesswebb said:
@PamThePaddler said:
Just a few more weeks! Can’t wait to see everyone!Pam, do we need to make reservations at Twin Bridges for specific sites? I remember when Jim owned it, our group just set up at any of the sites in the field area?
Terry - We really only made reservations with Jim because I negotiated a lower rate for non-electric sites. Since we haven’t even been here for several years and of course the ownership has changed I don’t feel comfortable asking them to lower their rates for us (those couple of years after Jim sold they did honor his rates). I can’t imagine that there will be any large groups that week that will want the field. Also, after leaving 2 messages and sending an email that never got responded to I was a little annoyed with them so I haven’t called about reservations as Pete indicated that he was able to reach them and they said they would be open. If you call them and find out something different let us know, otherwise I was just going to show up on Tuesday and camp in the field. Now if someone needs electric they may want to call if they are looking for a specific spot.
The Dawt Mill Dam had been breached when we paddled during March. We just paddled past the Mill and took out at public gravel bar on river right near the bridge.
I called down there last week. I left my name and said I was with the group, though they didn’t make any comment about knowing about the group, now that I think about it. I didn’t know ownership had changed. They said they didn’t even need a credit card number for just a single person with a tent. I think they were talking about $10/person/night.
Didn’t Pat from Iowa (vic’s friend) say he ran that breach last time we were down there? It looked pretty dangerous and I would sure want to know about the possibility of rebar before I’d even think about trying it. If there’s a portage around on a gravel bar on the right, that would be welcome news indeed. That carry we once made on the steps and catwalk on river left was far from ideal.
See youse guys soon!
Following the drowning death of a young girl at the dam in 2016, last February excavators ripped out about 2/3 of the remaining dam structure in Feb of last year. I have not seen it since then but I gather there is now a wide open channel.
I had read on FB last year that after last Spring’s floods, the river right bank at the bridge just below the dam was a real mess with lots of deep mud and debris, making a take-out there very challenging. I gather from Downstrm’s post that has now improved.
When I made my reservation last week Don’s comment to me was, “I don’t know what rates Judy has set so I won’t take a deposit now. You have a spot.” And I will have water and electric. Their website rate for that is $125 for the week - pretty reasonable even without any discount.
Brad
@PJC said:
I called down there last week. I left my name and said I was with the group, though they didn’t make any comment about knowing about the group, now that I think about it. I didn’t know ownership had changed. They said they didn’t even need a credit card number for just a single person with a tent. I think they were talking about $10/person/night.Didn’t Pat from Iowa (vic’s friend) say he ran that breach last time we were down there? It looked pretty dangerous and I would sure want to know about the possibility of rebar before I’d even think about trying it. If there’s a portage around on a gravel bar on the right, that would be welcome news indeed. That carry we once made on the steps and catwalk on river left was far from ideal.
See youse guys soon!
They didn’t know about the group coming down because no one down there would return my calls or emails. I just called and found out why, Judy had been out ill. I just spoke to her and told her we would all be coming down. No reservations are needed, just check in at the store when you get there. See ya’ll on Tuesday!