mattj
blatant Nintendo fanboy
I appreciate that infomative advice so very, very much, and will be picking up the stubbier Mora fishing knife very soon. I've had poor luck with longer, thinner fishing knives because I catch a lot of gar:
Which have ridiculously tough scales. In fact, the scales are so hard that once you have the skin completely off, it's as hard and rigid as a PVC pipe. And believe me, you can't scale them like a normal fish. Every time I've tried to use a long, skinny fillet knife, the knife just kind of bends. But when I use something stubbier, like a thick pocket knife, it "POPS" right through the skin, like cutting plastic.
Thanks so much!
The Second Leg of our Meramec River Journey: 12 miles, River 'Round Conservation Area to Robertsville State Park
Instead of writing a lot, I think I'll just let the pictures tell the story.
I've been watching the hourly forecast like a hawk for weeks now. Every forecast said no rain. Woke up to rain. Even while we were driving there in the downpour, the weather on the radio said "No rain today!" >_>
I was sure that with as much rain as had fallen the river would be way up. It has a habit of sudden, violent flooding.
But it wasn't. And surprisingly, other than the white sediment coming from the parking lot, down the ramp, the river was more clear than it usually was last summer.
It had all but stopped raining by the time I got everything ready. We kept our ponchos on at first, just in case it started up again.
The new totes let me bring 100% of my camping gear, in less horizontal space. This kept the front of the boat down better. They also have these excellent holes in the edges of the lid which let me easily bungee them down tightly. There aren't any serious rapids on the Meramec, but there is a ton of debris, and we've already gotten snagged on logs and slammed to a dead stop in the middle of the current, so you never know.
The new totes also gave Lilly about an extra foot of space. Which was what I was hoping for, because last time she was so close to me that if she leaned forward at all while I was paddling hard I'd bonk her on the head.
Upstream from the River 'Round Conservation Area boatramp.
And downstream.
I don't know why I didn't think to let her use them last time (although she did just fine), but I've got this cheap-yet-usable pair of binoculars. She was very excited to get to look for animals!
"DADDY YOUR NOSE IS SO BIG!"
This tree looked like it just fell and DONK'ED right smack dab on this other tree, poking way out into the river. Probably got rolled up there during the last flood, but it's cool how such an enormous object is just teetering there. Bet it's gonna make quite a splash some day soon!
While there aren't any dangerous rapids on the Meramec, you wouldn't believe the amount of debris compared to the size of the river. Lots of stuff to watch out for.
Cool sediment layers.
This is where the River makes an extremely sharp, about 100 degree angle turn, not a bend, but a sharp angle. Coming up on it, it seriously looks like the river just *BAM* stops. I saw it on googleearth and couldn't tell what was obstructing the river so severely, but figured it had to be a bluff. Sure enough it is. I've got to get with my buddy Scott some time, and float from River 'Round to Choutaeu (about 6 miles) JUST so we can fish here. The water is so clear by the bluffs, and so incredibly dark and deep. Judging by how sharp the angle is, it has GOT to be DEEP! If I would have had my license I would have spent a while here catfishing.
Pretty, little bluffs.
More bluff/boulders, that were falling in huge chunks into the river.
This tree reminded me of Medusa, or some kind of monster. Wouldn't want to come up on THAT in the dark!
The Meramec has no shortage of pretty, little bluffs.
I like the striation here.
I was surprised at how clear the water was. Considering that A) This is the Meramec, and B) It had just rained, I assumed it would be much muddier, but it wasn't. I guess maybe a lot of the muddiness comes from too many boaters going way too fast? There haven't been many people at all out yet, this early.
Beautiful bluff A.
Beautiful bluff B.
Beautiful bluff C.
Beautiful bluff D.
Beautiful Bluff 5.
A tiny little waterfall!
A string of boulders. I'm pretty sure whoever made that boatramp dumped a string of GIGANTIC boulders to make a rudimentary dike in order to slow the current right at the ramp. We could hear it from really far away, even farther than most of the little rapids.
Neat erosion 1.
Neat erosion 2.
Neat erosion 3.
Right before 1/2 way through the float, I saw a long, beautiful beach. I had planned on stopping to cook lunch at a Conservation Area parking lot just a half mile downstream, but why not stop here? Lilly wanted some shade so I tossed down the tarp, and threw the tent rain fly over the tent poles and strapped it to all our stuff. We had some shade, a clean spot to sit, and a wind break from the gentle breeze so I could cook.
Lilly helped me get the river water for the macaroni, and helped stir while I got everything else ready. Ever had sand in your macaroni?
Talapia and corn on the can!
Lilly staying occupied while I finished the fish and corn.
LILLY! UR DOING IT WRONG! BOATS DON'T GO ON SAND!
Lilly is usually so picky, but she ate almost all of her fish, macaroni, and corn! I guess she was finally hungry!
Camp Carter, just before we picked up and moved on.
While I was packing up, I was behind the rain fly so I couldn't see her, and I heard "Daddy I'm gonna make a fire!"
!!!
Stuck my head out to see her trying to Bear-Grylls herself a fire!
Packed up and on the river again, we came upon this old railroad bridge.
Under the railroad bridge. How many times do people get to see the underside of bridges like this?
dem pillars
More pretty bluffs one.
More pretty bluffs 2.
I saw this from waaaaay upstream and swore it was a loose canoe. It was floating downstream. As we got closer I saw it was a log. Made me think of Huck Finn.
More neat erosion.
I'd like to build a fort right about there.
Lilly looking downstream. I need to figure out how to get a seat oriented better for her so she can look either way.
Looking for jungle jaguars.
There was a skunk in the vicinity.
There was this one stretch where there was a steep bank on the left and a very tall, steep bluff/hill on the right. It felt like floating through a canyon. Very dark. And the wind! I guess the hills funneled it, which was literally blowing our raft in circles downstream. There were a few times I couldn't even keep us straight. It was nice because there wasn't any debris and I didn't have to paddle at all.
the gnarly roots
That could seriously be a cool funk band name.
Creep-tastic, dilapidated, old house! Probably the scene of a murder!
I swear bald eagles have some kind of "anti-taking-pictures-of-them" technology or something. We could see its head and tail bright as day, but my camera refused to take a clear picture of it. It was so nice to see them though!
Pancake bluffs A.
Pancake bluffs 2.
Coming up on the Highway O bridge.
Under the Highway O bridge.
The backside of the Highway O bridge.
Big bluffs just upstream from Robertsville State Park.
Lilly checking out turtles with her binoculars. I lost count of how many we saw. It was good to see so many young Aligator Snapping turtles. They're not as common as they used to be. They're an endangered species in Illinois, just at the end of this very river.
More high bluffs.
We finally made it to Robertsville State Park!
Somebody was excited to be finished (and see Mommy, more likely).
A cool tree by the parking lot at Robertsville State Park. Could you survive with a hole that big in your chest?
Which have ridiculously tough scales. In fact, the scales are so hard that once you have the skin completely off, it's as hard and rigid as a PVC pipe. And believe me, you can't scale them like a normal fish. Every time I've tried to use a long, skinny fillet knife, the knife just kind of bends. But when I use something stubbier, like a thick pocket knife, it "POPS" right through the skin, like cutting plastic.
Thanks so much!
The Second Leg of our Meramec River Journey: 12 miles, River 'Round Conservation Area to Robertsville State Park
Instead of writing a lot, I think I'll just let the pictures tell the story.
I was sure that with as much rain as had fallen the river would be way up. It has a habit of sudden, violent flooding.
But it wasn't. And surprisingly, other than the white sediment coming from the parking lot, down the ramp, the river was more clear than it usually was last summer.
It had all but stopped raining by the time I got everything ready. We kept our ponchos on at first, just in case it started up again.
The new totes let me bring 100% of my camping gear, in less horizontal space. This kept the front of the boat down better. They also have these excellent holes in the edges of the lid which let me easily bungee them down tightly. There aren't any serious rapids on the Meramec, but there is a ton of debris, and we've already gotten snagged on logs and slammed to a dead stop in the middle of the current, so you never know.
The new totes also gave Lilly about an extra foot of space. Which was what I was hoping for, because last time she was so close to me that if she leaned forward at all while I was paddling hard I'd bonk her on the head.
Upstream from the River 'Round Conservation Area boatramp.
And downstream.
I don't know why I didn't think to let her use them last time (although she did just fine), but I've got this cheap-yet-usable pair of binoculars. She was very excited to get to look for animals!
"DADDY YOUR NOSE IS SO BIG!"
This tree looked like it just fell and DONK'ED right smack dab on this other tree, poking way out into the river. Probably got rolled up there during the last flood, but it's cool how such an enormous object is just teetering there. Bet it's gonna make quite a splash some day soon!
While there aren't any dangerous rapids on the Meramec, you wouldn't believe the amount of debris compared to the size of the river. Lots of stuff to watch out for.
Cool sediment layers.
This is where the River makes an extremely sharp, about 100 degree angle turn, not a bend, but a sharp angle. Coming up on it, it seriously looks like the river just *BAM* stops. I saw it on googleearth and couldn't tell what was obstructing the river so severely, but figured it had to be a bluff. Sure enough it is. I've got to get with my buddy Scott some time, and float from River 'Round to Choutaeu (about 6 miles) JUST so we can fish here. The water is so clear by the bluffs, and so incredibly dark and deep. Judging by how sharp the angle is, it has GOT to be DEEP! If I would have had my license I would have spent a while here catfishing.
Pretty, little bluffs.
More bluff/boulders, that were falling in huge chunks into the river.
This tree reminded me of Medusa, or some kind of monster. Wouldn't want to come up on THAT in the dark!
The Meramec has no shortage of pretty, little bluffs.
I like the striation here.
I was surprised at how clear the water was. Considering that A) This is the Meramec, and B) It had just rained, I assumed it would be much muddier, but it wasn't. I guess maybe a lot of the muddiness comes from too many boaters going way too fast? There haven't been many people at all out yet, this early.
Beautiful bluff A.
Beautiful bluff B.
Beautiful bluff C.
Beautiful bluff D.
Beautiful Bluff 5.
A tiny little waterfall!
A string of boulders. I'm pretty sure whoever made that boatramp dumped a string of GIGANTIC boulders to make a rudimentary dike in order to slow the current right at the ramp. We could hear it from really far away, even farther than most of the little rapids.
Neat erosion 1.
Neat erosion 2.
Neat erosion 3.
Right before 1/2 way through the float, I saw a long, beautiful beach. I had planned on stopping to cook lunch at a Conservation Area parking lot just a half mile downstream, but why not stop here? Lilly wanted some shade so I tossed down the tarp, and threw the tent rain fly over the tent poles and strapped it to all our stuff. We had some shade, a clean spot to sit, and a wind break from the gentle breeze so I could cook.
Lilly helped me get the river water for the macaroni, and helped stir while I got everything else ready. Ever had sand in your macaroni?
Talapia and corn on the can!
Lilly staying occupied while I finished the fish and corn.
LILLY! UR DOING IT WRONG! BOATS DON'T GO ON SAND!
Lilly is usually so picky, but she ate almost all of her fish, macaroni, and corn! I guess she was finally hungry!
Camp Carter, just before we picked up and moved on.
While I was packing up, I was behind the rain fly so I couldn't see her, and I heard "Daddy I'm gonna make a fire!"
!!!
Stuck my head out to see her trying to Bear-Grylls herself a fire!
Packed up and on the river again, we came upon this old railroad bridge.
Under the railroad bridge. How many times do people get to see the underside of bridges like this?
dem pillars
More pretty bluffs one.
More pretty bluffs 2.
I saw this from waaaaay upstream and swore it was a loose canoe. It was floating downstream. As we got closer I saw it was a log. Made me think of Huck Finn.
More neat erosion.
I'd like to build a fort right about there.
Lilly looking downstream. I need to figure out how to get a seat oriented better for her so she can look either way.
Looking for jungle jaguars.
There was a skunk in the vicinity.
There was this one stretch where there was a steep bank on the left and a very tall, steep bluff/hill on the right. It felt like floating through a canyon. Very dark. And the wind! I guess the hills funneled it, which was literally blowing our raft in circles downstream. There were a few times I couldn't even keep us straight. It was nice because there wasn't any debris and I didn't have to paddle at all.
the gnarly roots
That could seriously be a cool funk band name.
Creep-tastic, dilapidated, old house! Probably the scene of a murder!
I swear bald eagles have some kind of "anti-taking-pictures-of-them" technology or something. We could see its head and tail bright as day, but my camera refused to take a clear picture of it. It was so nice to see them though!
Pancake bluffs A.
Pancake bluffs 2.
Coming up on the Highway O bridge.
Under the Highway O bridge.
The backside of the Highway O bridge.
Big bluffs just upstream from Robertsville State Park.
Lilly checking out turtles with her binoculars. I lost count of how many we saw. It was good to see so many young Aligator Snapping turtles. They're not as common as they used to be. They're an endangered species in Illinois, just at the end of this very river.
More high bluffs.
We finally made it to Robertsville State Park!
Somebody was excited to be finished (and see Mommy, more likely).
A cool tree by the parking lot at Robertsville State Park. Could you survive with a hole that big in your chest?