This is a story of love, beauty, and nature. It all started 3 years ago in the spring of 2012. My position with the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) was ending and I needed something temporary. My job ended somewhat abruptly and I didn't have many options in southern Illinois. But it just so happened that my friend Tony Gerard was on paternity leave at Shawnee Community College and they needed someone to teach his biology courses for a semester. That would do nicely and this is the first of many examples of the serendipity of meeting my fiance Susan.
Another example is that for no particular reason, it just somehow worked out that Tony's office was across the hall from Susan's office. This is interesting because Susan was the chair of the Humanities and Social Science Division at the time and Tony is in the Math and Science Division. Obviously because of this I ran into her regularly in the hall or at the copier and I would chat her up about the minutia of teaching at the community college. We hardly had any free time during the day to get to know each other, plus it is always tricky to ask someone out on a date that you work with and see regularly in a professional setting. Once I did have a chance to ask her some more details, I learned that she was leaving her job and moving north to the Chicago area. I had no interest in that, but I still kept my eye on her.
I waited until the last day of the semester to ask her out. I had nothing to lose. I was sitting in Tony's office knowing that once I left I would not see her again. I was returning to teach during the summer semester, but she was not. I looked over and her door was open. I gathered up my courage, figured out the how to break the ice, and went to walk over to her office door. But now it was closed.
"Well you waited too long and now she left you stupid chicken," I thought to myself, and "well that is that." I collected my things and walked down the hall toward the door to the parking lot. Just before reaching the door, I passed by the restrooms and she walked out right there in front of me. I scrambled to make small talk and then just came out with it. "I'm going to make your day...I think you're gorgeous." We made plans to get together that weekend and we pretty much hit it off right away.
I had only about a week before the next semester started so I asked her to go with me on a 5-day float trip down the Current River from Akers Ferry to Powder Mill. She had a trip planned to visit her friend Lori in New York, but since this was the only time I had available, I convinced her to postpone her trip. We had an amazing time on our first trip to the Ozarks and it was hot and sunny and perfect every day. I had her hooked on canoeing and I had her hooked on me. Everything was going according to plan.
The next challenge was that she was about to move 5 hours north to Chicago and I was hoping for a job as a botanist with the Shawnee National Forest. Long story short, I was not offered the job, but I received a request from my former employer to return to the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory (INAI), but to do so in the northeast portion of Illinois. Before then, I did not want to work in the suburbs of Chicago, but now there was a strong incentive! Against the odds, our relationship survived.
Skipping ahead to the present, we wanted to replicate our Current River trip in 2015. For various reasons, we decided on a shorter trip down the Eleven Pint River. I lived in Alton, Missouri in 2007 and had paddled on that river a dozen times or so. It took just over 3 hours from Makanda, Illinois to get to the landing at Greer.
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| Pulling into Greer Landing |
I dropped off Susan and our gear and took my car to the canoe outfitter that would shuttle my car to the end. Soon after we were off!
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| At Greer Landing |
The Eleven Point River is much more remote than the Current River. Nestled in the Irish Wilderness, this National Wild and Scenic River is managed by the National Forest Service (USDA) instead of the National Park Service (USDI). Upstream from the Greer Landing is Greer Spring, which is the 3rd largest spring in Missouri. It adds so much water that the river can be paddled downstream from this point any month of the year.
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| The Eleven Point River |
Although this river does not get the crazy party groups that other Ozark rivers often have, it is a bonus to go during the week. We launched on a Wednesday and there was no one around. In fact, only a handful of people were encountered during the entire trip. But there was a lot of nature to be seen.
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| Snapping Turtle on log |
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| Green Heron |
The water level was perfect. The Ozark rivers can be flashy and there had been a lot of rain in the spring/early summer in that area. We were fortunate to not be rained on at all during our 3-day trip and overall the conditions were lovely.
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| Paddling the Eleven Point River |
We selected a very nice campsite, one that I had not camped at before, since I usually do this section of river in one day instead of two. It was across the river from the Stinking Pond float camp.
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| Susan happy about our campsite selection |
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| Campsite #1 |
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| Foil pack dinner and campfire |
We are adamant that we eat well while on the river. Careful planning and ice management can provide for fresh meat, vegetables, and cold beverages. One of our favorite meals is chicken and veggie foil packs. No stove necessary, just wrap in foil and throw on the campfire coals.
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| Preparing the foil pack dinners |
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| Chicken with seasoning and bell peppers |
We have also found that throwing everything into a large plastic bin works well to keep it contained and protected from the elements.
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| Just throw it all into a bin |
We enjoyed a nice evening by the fire listening to the nature sounds and enjoying the conservation.
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| Hanging out at campsite #1 |
The next morning we continued down the river and had it all to ourselves. One of the things I am adamant about is a clean and organized cockpit. Every morning I sponge out the boat and pack everything just how I like it. What can I say I run a tight ship!
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| Leaving campsite #1 |
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| I am stern about having a clean stern |
The other thing I am stern about is cold beer. If you do it right, you can make a cooler full of beer stay cold for 3 days in the hot sun.
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| Ice cold beer here! |
As we continued down the river, we stopped at a rope swing and took turns swinging into the water, skipped rocks across the still pools in the backwaters, and dipped in the ice cold water whenever our hearts desired. Before long, we were at campsite #2.
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| Docking the barge at campsite #2 |
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| Campsite #2 |
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| Not wanting to leave campsite #2 |
There are many landmarks and historic places to stop at along the river. Something that is a right of passage is stopping at the spring at Boze Mill and taking a dip. The water is freezing cold and in the hot summer sun, nothing feels better. We paused for a self-portrait at the output of the spring and the water was flowing so swiftly I thought my tripod and camera would be swept away.
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| At Boze Mill |
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| Boze Mill Spring confluence with the Eleven Point River |
We didn't want the trip to end. The emerald crystal clear waters were entrancing and we took our time floating down the 19 miles from Greer to the bridge at Riverton. As we neared the bridge we decided to stop at a gravel bar at the final turn in the river to waste some time. We played in the water, enjoyed the hot sun, and watched the water flow by. It all seemed so perfect that this is where I asked Susan to marry me and she accepted!
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| Newly engaged! |
Finally accepting the reality that we had to finish our trip, we shoved off and paddled the last little section to the landing at Riverton. The nice thing about using Richard's canoe rental is that they move your vehicle to the take-out at Riverton for only $40. It was pretty much an amazing trip and we had a very nice drive back to Makanda, Illinois. We look forward to our next trip to the Eleven Point River!
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| Car loaded up and ready to head home |
