Current River Trip, March 1998

A few shots from a canoeing and camping trip on the Current River in southern Missouri, 13-15 March 1998. I also have some photos from last year's trip.

Getting ready to float

1. Stan, Phil, Jeff, and John prepare to hit the water, while in the distance Tom and Dean commit unspeakable acts with Tom's new kayak.
2. The aforementioned unspeakable act. Ok, so Dean was just watching.

Canine accompaniment

1. Tess the Rottweiler, back for another trip. (She was along last year as well.)
2. Gus, making his first appearance.
3. Sheba the dogsicle, also making her first appearance. She stood there motionless (the ripples are due to current) except for her shivering for the longest time, oblivious to our suggestions that she'd be a little warmer if she'd just come ashore.

Lunchtime

1. Tom, Chris, Jeff, Phil, and Stan.
2. Chris, Jeff, Tom, and Von.
3. Stan, Jeff, and Chris.
4. Stan, Jeff, John, and Tom.
5. John demonstrates that there's more to lunch than hot dogs, bratwurst and potato chips.

River scenery

1. John, Tom and Jeff in various boats.
2. A little feeder stream that struck my fancy.
3. Ice along the riverbank.
4. Closeup of some more ice.
5. The peaceful gravel bar where we had lunch. Note Sheba the dogsicle, still shivering.

New toy

Under pressure, as the Illinois contingent, to show up with a spiffy new toy, Von and I brought an RC boat, christened the Minnow. True to its name, it suffered a mishap or two. First I dropped the controller in the water. It floated, but the circuitry got a little wet, and from then on the boat wouldn't idle in the water. Its modes were either "GO!!!" or switched off completely. (Missing was the "switched on, but not going anywhere" mode, which made for interesting launches and retrievals.) Later it suffered again, when we dumped our canoe, and picked up the Minnow a little while later, floating upside down, a few hundred yards downstream.