December 2018 Preview

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VOL. 46, NO. 7

DECEMBER 2018

www.riverhillstraveler.com

Jane’s lil’ gatherin’ place

By MATTIE LINK

T It’s just not an adventure without Saddleback Leather Company’s gladstone collection of leather bags.

the River Hills Traveler’s

Holiday Gift Guide W

By Bill Wakefield e’ve been thinking about gifts for weeks now, and it’s finally time to unveil our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide.

Stumped on what to buy the outdoorsman in your life? You know, the guy who has the latest fishing or hunting gear? We’ve got you covered, don’t fret.

From leather bags to portable generators, your outdoors-loving family members or friends are sure to be thrilled with our list.

DeLorme’s!Atlas & Gazetteer of Missouri!

With an incredible wealth of detail, DeLorme’s!Atlas & Gazetteer of Missouri!is the perfect companion for exploring the great Missouri outdoors.

With a total of 58 map pages, the! Atlas & Gazetteer! is your most comprehensive navigational guide to Missouri’s backcountry: •!Full-color topographic maps provide information on everything from cities and towns to historic sites, scenic drives, recreation areas, trailheads,

for adventurers boat ramps , campgrounds and prime fishing spots.

•!Extensively indexed.

•!Handy latitude/longitude overlay grid for each map allows you to navigate with GPS. •! Inset maps provided for major cities as well as all state lands.

•!Shows remote back roads, hidden lakes and streams, hunting lands.

•!Lists state and national parks and forest.

Cost: $16.98 to $21.41; available at Target, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and others.

——— Stone Hollow Studio Combine the joys of reading with the pleasure of viewing unique artwork.

Michelle “Mike” Ochonicky is a Missouri artist known for her murals, illustrations, photography and sculp-

ture but is most recognized for her original, hand-etched scrimshaw.

She has developed a special way to show her talented scrimshaw artwork on recycled ivory piano keys. The recycled piano keys have become bookmarks with hand-etched trees, ships, flowers, birds, fishing tackle and many other unique items.

The bookmarks come complete with a leather ribbon and a silver bead. Due to new federal regulations, antique ivory piano keys cannot be sent to addresses outside of the state of Missouri.

If an order is to be shipped outside of Missouri, they offer bookmarks made with old (not yet antique!) synthetic keys. The Stone Hollow Studio will also create a custom-design piece for a special occasion or memory.

Please see GIFTS, 18

mattie@riverhillstraveler.com _____________

he Jane Store is a town jewel in Jane, Mo., with home-cooked meals, spices, and local art, all in one place.

Owners Sam and Gayla Baker have been running the general store for the past seven years.

“Up until two years ago it was me and two church ladies that ran the general store,” said Baker. “They were wanting to retire so my husband bought them out in 2015.”

The building that houses The Jane Store has been a general store since 1925. It was previously owned and operated by the Marrs family, according to Baker.

Before starting The Jane Store, Gayla worked for 13 years at the Walmart home office, and also has experience in children’s daycare.

Sam was involved in commercial construction until he came to work at The Jane Store.

When Sam and Gayla took sole ownership of the store, they added a grill to the mix.

“Sam had always wanted to do a cafe or a bed & breakfast so when the opportunity arose, we took it,” said Baker.

They sell sandwiches, pies, cookies, and have daily specials.

Baker gets to the store at five in the morning to start baking, and they are open from Please see STORE, 17

Page 2 • December 2018

RiverHillsTraveler.com

A walk in the woods

A visit to Emmenegger Nature Park in West St. Louis County

I

try to walk regularly for exercise.

Most of my walks are in the town where we live.

It is a mile-and-a-half from our home to the city hall and I go there and back for my three-mile walk.

If I feel like a shorter walk, I turn around at the library which is a mile from our home.

This walk that I take in town is on a sidewalk the whole time and its sole purpose is for exercise. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that it’s a boring walk. It’s not that at all. I enjoy it very much.

We live in a very nice town with clean streets and neat, well cared for lawns and friendly people who always meet me with a smile along the Bill Oder way.

———— However, like I said it is a walk on sidewalks with cars passing by and occasional stops to wait on traffic to cross streets and police sirens and other city sounds.

It is nothing, absolutely nothing, like a walk in the woods.

A walk in town is a Ford Escape, a very good vehicle. A walk in the woods is a Ford Lincoln, a considerably better vehicle. It’s as simple as that.

My wife and I recently visited Emmenegger Nature Park in west St. Louis County. This area where this park is situated was once owned by the Lemp family in St. Louis who owned a large brewery around the turn of the 20th Century.

Now it is leased by the Missouri Conservation Department in partnership with the City of Kirkwood. It is situated along the Meramec River and I understand that Bald Eagles are sometimes spotted along the river.

The nature park itself contains 93 acres of magnificent woods. The park is open every day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

There is no hunting allowed. It is strictly a place to enjoy walking or hiking in the woods. There are also places for picnics.

There are two trails. One is a half-

mile paved (notice that I said paved) trail which is level and easily wheelchair accessible. This is the one that my wife and I checked out.

There are benches along the way to sit and admire the scenery and to observe the wildlife. Since it is paved, I think you would probably consider it a walking trail and not a hiking trail.

There is another one, the one-mile Bluff Creek Trail, which is not paved and I understand a little more difficult to navigate. We didn’t try that one but I would probably venture a guess that you could consider it a hiking trail.

These woods are filled with a large variety of trees and I’m sure the area shows off a lot of wildflowers starting in the spring.

Fall is always a good time, I think, to get out into the woods with all the neat colors and the crisp fall air. It just seems that a walk in the woods is all that one needs to clear away some of those cares and worries that are always eating away at us and very often, after a walk in the woods, we find that we have figured out ways to solve those problems.

And believe it or not, most of our problems are not as difficult as we think and usually can be handled with very simple solutions.

Nature has a way of putting all of one’s problems in perspective. Nature can be very soothing to our souls if we can just get out there and let it do its job.

This area is one of many that can get that job done.

We plan to return to this park, probably in the spring. It is easy to find.

From the intersection of I-44 and I-270 in west St. Louis County, take I-44 east to the Watson Road exit. At the first light, turn left onto Geyer Road and then left on Cragwold Road.

Continue past Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center (see the April 2017 issue of the River Hills Traveler for my article about this great area).

You’ll go over I-270 and then turn left, the road dead ends at the nature park.

This time of year, you never know when one of those rare warm and sunny days might come along and you would not be wasting your time at all if you would take advantage of such a day and go for a walk in the woods.

I think you’ll also discover that woods are beautiful year-round.

(Bill Oder can be reached at oderbill@yahoo.com.)

December 2018 • Page 3

RiverHillsTraveler.com

Parker Dietrich: bowhunter

P

arker is my youngest stepson. We have shared each other’s lives for over a quarter of a century.

When we first met he could hardly talk, much less shoot a bow. My how both of those things have changed!

Two of Parker’s older brothers began bowhunting long before the littlest brother was big enough to draw a bow.

I got him started with a youth bow as soon as he was able.

The other brothers still bowhunt, but not with Parker’s passion for the sport. He is a dedicated bowhunter.

The first deer Parker ever launched an arrow at was a nice 8point buck in Pike Mike Roux County. He will not ———— brag on the shot, but it was his first archery kill and he and I were both very proud of it just the same.

Since that day he has easily practiced with a bow many more hours a year than have I. He tweaks and tunes constantly. He matches his arrows to the perfect broadhead and leaves no archery detail unaddressed.

This is not to say there are no misses in the field. None of us are good enough to say that we have never missed a shot with a bow and arrow.

But with every miss, Parker finds a lesson to be learned and a way to improve his odds for his next shot.

His scouting and stand placement programs have also evolved over the years. In the beginning he sat where I told him to sit and stayed there ‘til I said we were done.

Nowadays he picks his spots and he comes and goes as he pleases. And pretty successfully, I might add.

A couple of years ago I was rifle hunting in Missouri with my best friends. The Good Lord blessed me with a really nice buck right off the bat on opening morning.

Parker Dietrich’s first ever archery deer was a nice 8-point buck.

As we loaded my deer into my truck I told my buddies, “If you guys don’t mind, I’m gonna take off. If I leave now I can be back in Illinois in time to bowhunt with two of my boys this evening.”

We said our “goodbyes” and I was off.

I got to Adams County minutes before Parker and his older brother Caleb left for their stands. They were tickled with my buck and happy I had made it back to hunt with them.

As I sat in my stand that evening I thanked God for my blessings. Not only had he given me a fine buck, but here I was bowhunting with two of my boys the same day. Blessed I am.

About an hour before dark I started getting text messages. First from Caleb and then from Parker. They had both hit deer and both were excited beyond belief.

The funny part was that they were in stands only a couple of hundred yards apart.

By the time I got there they had helped each other get their deer out. It was a full meat pole that night.

Just last week Parker and I arranged another hunt together. The forecast was ominous but nothing was going to keep us out of our stands that evening. By 3 p.m. we were set and ready.

I heard from Parker that he had several deer in his field. I had seen no movement at all. The rain was light… but steady. It was just enough to be an-

Parker and his stepdad, Mike, with the results of a successful meat run.

noying.

At about 4:30 a mature doe made her way down my main trail and stopped in the exact right spot. I watched my lighted nock disappear into her chest. I found her a mere 25-yards into the brush and immediately texted Parker about my good luck.

His response was not what I expected, but it was good news.

“I hit one, too,” is all it said.

Now he and I had doubled just like he and Caleb did a couple of years ago.

Of all my boys, Parker is the one that walks the closest to my own outdoor passions.

He is the consummate student both in the field and on the water.

I could not be prouder of him.

(Mike Roux can be reached at 217257-7895.)

TravTalk Sign up for the Traveler’s weekly email newsletter on our Facebook page or riverhillstraveler.com Delivered each Tuesday, you will enjoy: • Links to stories not in our monthly issue • Outdoors & travel news in the Ozarks

AROUND the WORLD with the River Hills Traveler

"My husband, Tim Pinson, and I took a trip to Alaska in September 2017. He has been asking each month if I have sent this photo to the Traveler," said Vonita Pinson.

"He and his nephew are both graduates of Central High School in Park Hills, Mo. His nephew, Bob Powers, lives in Anchorage, Alaska, and works for Fish and Game. Tim is pictured here at MacLaren Summit, Alaska. We live in Belleview, Mo., close to Elephant Rocks State Park. After 37 active years at the doe run mines, Tim just retired in March. We enjoy the traveler very much thank you.".

——— If you're going on a trip or vacation, please take the River Hills Traveler with you and have someone photograph you and the magazine in front of a landmark or particular setting. Then email the picture to us at jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com and we will publish it an upcoming issue. You can also text your photos & info to (417) 451-3798 or send them to us via our Facebook page.

Thank you very much and we look forward to seeing your family’s adventures!

Page 4 • December 2018

RiverHillsTraveler.com

MSP increases rate for campsites with electricity

I

n response to campers’ request for more electric sites and more sites with higher amperage, Missouri State Parks is raising its rates for campsites with electricity.

For arrivals beginning May 1, 2019, campers will see a $2 per night increase for all onseason campsites with electricity.

Basic campsite rates will remain at $13 per night, and offJimmy Sexton season rates will re———— main the same.

Journey On On-season is generally April through October but varies around the state parks. This is the first rate increase Missouri State Parks has implemented since 2013.

“The rate increase will help fund var-

A

ious electrification projects, including upgrading electrical service to 50 amp and repairing and replacing electrical systems,” said Ben Ellis, director of MoDNR's Division of State Parks.

“We want to address the power issues that have resulted in closure of some campsites and better meet our customers’ needs.”

———!

The National Park Service (NPS), in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), has started a project to replace the vehicle bridge over the spring branch at Alley Spring.!

The bridge is located on Shannon County Road 106-308 and crosses the Alley Spring branch just east of the main parking lot for Alley Mill. The project is now underway and the bridge is closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

Travelers heading west of Eminence on Shannon County Road 106-308

should be aware that they cannot reach State Highway 106 from the county road during the construction.!

Closure signs have been posted on each side of the construction site. The project is tentatively expected to take several months, depending on weather conditions.!

The bridge replacement project is being managed by FHWA. Robertson Contractors, Inc. from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, is conducting the replacement of the bridge.

Alley Spring and the surrounding area are part of a significant historic and cultural landscape within Ozark National Scenic Riverways. The project will ensure the new bridge fits aesthetically within the natural and cultural surroundings.!!

For more information, contact park headquarters at (573) 323-4236, visit the park’s Facebook page, or website at www.nps.gov/ozar.

———!

I want to thank our very own Bill Wakefield for putting together this year's holiday gift guide items.

While he had some input from our staff and readers, he ultimately chose which items to include in the guide.

And it wasn't an easy task.

Coming up with items that are both practical and useful for a variety of outdoor adventures, suitable for both men and women, could be overwhelming for some but Bill did a great job and already has a head start on next year's gift guide.

Plus, our readers love lists of all kinds, so don't be surprised if we publish a few more different types of lists throughout 2019. (How's that for a teaser?)

(Jimmy Sexton is owner and publisher of the River Hills Traveler. He can be reached at (800) 874-8423, ext.

1, or jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com.)

County, Missouri, we always had a cedar tree for Christmas, cut from our own land, every year. No exception.

For a long time I wasn’t aware there was any other kind of Christmas tree (except for the odd relative or two who put up a “fake” tree, as we called them).

Today, my wife and I alternate years.

On my years, it is Ozark Christmas, which means a live cedar Christmas tree, of course. On her year, we get a live fir or spruce.!

Homes were also decorated with live greenery from outdoors, adding to the Christmas experience. Our sense of smell can be just as important as sight and sound when it comes to awakening the holiday spirit.!

I don’t have to tell you that Christmas used to be considered much more of a religious day. Bringing food and gifts to the poor, in between reading Bible readings of the Christmas story and attending church services, was very common, though many people still do all of those things today.!

Shooting off firearms on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in celebration was a popular activity, at least in many rural areas.

By my experience and observation it still is in some cases, as extended family members hold friendly shooting competitions before or after Christmas dinner, depending on when dinner is served.!

One thing I have never done, however, is blow up an anvil on Christmas Day, which was another popular holiday activity.

The instructions were simple: Turn anvil upside down. Fill hollow base with gunpowder. Carefully turn anvil right side up on ground. Light fuse to the gunpowder. Run. Watch anvil fly into air.!

I haven’t seen any carolers in years – and then only once on an organized occasion – but it wasn’t that long ago that people used to gather outdoors with friends and sing Christmas songs on street corners and in front of homes and businesses.

Does anyone still do that anymore?

Sixteen percent of Americans say yes, by the way, according to a national poll.!

We still hold on to a few longtime traditions, however. As I mentioned,

we still hang stockings (at least I hope most people do).

As a society, we still help the poor and go to church services around the holidays (even if we don’t do either all the rest of the year). !

We still have big Christmas dinners, albeit what is on the table may vary.

Turkey long ago replaced the goose as the traditional Christmas entrée in the United States, but some people today prefer ham or something else entirely on Christmas Day. We still give Christmas cards, which is a tradition that became really popular in the mid to late 1800s, though even that is falling by the wayside these days.

School children still hold Christmas programs. Mistletoe still dangles over many doorways, though people may not follow the “rules” anymore when caught beneath it.

We still drink eggnog (both spiked and virgin) around this time of year. We still set up nativity scenes to remember Christ’s birth.!

To wrap this up, I can’t help but include just a few old Ozark Christmas superstitions that I hope you might remember as we get closer to the special season.!

On Christmas morning, try to be the first to say “Christmas gift!” to anyone you see. This tradition may have originated during hard times in the Ozarks when there wasn’t an actual gift to give.!At exactly 3 a.m. on Christmas morning, listen for the roosters crowing. They only do that at this particular time on this particular day.!

Celebrate “Old Christmas” on Jan. 6 (“New Christmas” is Dec. 25). At midnight on Old Christmas, cows kneel and wild bees hum in a special manner to celebrate Christ. So goes the old belief.!

Pay attention to the weather on Christmas Day. It is supposed to reflect the weather of the following summer (New Year’s Day does too. I don’t

know what happens if they conflict.)

However, a mild Christmas supposedly isn’t good for human life. There is a very old Ozarks saying, which I have read but never heard, that goes “a green Christmas makes a fat graveyard.”

Everyone have a very merry Ozarks Christmas!

(Wes Franklin!can be reached by email at cato.uticensis46@gmail.com, or by USPS mail at 12161 Norway Road, Neosho, MO 64850.)

On the Cover

COPYRIGHT © 2018 No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the publisher of the River Hills Traveler or his duly appointed agent. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising or editorial submission for any reason.

Christmas traditions at my house & in the Ozarks

merican Christmas traditions have altered in the course of time, though some have remained constant.!

I know a lot of people write about past holiday traditions, but I thought I would still throw my pen scratches onto the published pile.!

I was telling someone the other day how just a handful of decades ago it was common to wait until Christmas Eve to put up the Christmas Tree.

Compare that with today’s “day after Thanksgiving” trend, or even before Thanksgiving now. !

In our house, we don’t put up the tree until mid-December, but I have always ignored trends Wes Franklin and fads. In fact, I’d ———— say I am antiNative Ozarker trendy.!

Of course, before the 1900s most people’s Christmas Tree was small enough to place on a table. Toys were often hung on the tree, as well as placed in the stockings, which gives one an idea of common gift size.

Fruit was also a common item found drooping from the holiday branches.

Today, many people still put fruit in stockings at least, though I don’t think the kids get as excited about it anymore.

Sometimes lighted candles were strung with wire around the tree.

Makes me thankful for LED electric lights.!Gifts were often simple and homemade. Baked goods made with sugar were a special treat. An extra treat was sugar candy.

Many presents were practical as well, such as hand-knitted mittens. We still give practical gifts today, like socks, but that usually isn’t all we receive.

Gift-giving, by the way, didn’t become popular until the mid-1800s, and for some time it was mostly children who were the recipients.!

Needless to say, the Christmas trees weren’t artificial. Cedar trees are “the” traditional Christmas tree of the Ozarks, according to everything I have read, and by my own experience.

Growing up in the hills of McDonald

Every one of us lives in a watershed, so knowing your watershed address is vital to protecting our local waterways.

Please see the story by Todd Wilkinson on page 8 of this issue.

River Hills Traveler 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850 Phone: (417) 451-3798 Fax: (417) 451-5188

www.riverhillstraveler.com Email: jimmy@riverhillstraveler. com Owner & Publisher Jimmy Sexton Managing Editor Madeleine Link Circulation Manager Chloe Giles Staff Writers Wes Franklin • Mike Roux Bill Wakefield • Bill Oder Judy Smith • Michelle Turner Dana Sturgeon • Bill Hoagland Richard Whiteside • Ronnie Moore Advertising Jimmy Sexton & Madeleine Link

River Hills Traveler, established in 1973, is published monthly by Sexton Media Group and Traveler Publishing Company. Postmaster: Send change of address notices to: River Hills Traveler, 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850. Subscription prices: $22 per year; 2 years, $40. Back issues available up to one year from publication, $5 plus sales tax & shipping.

December 2018 • Page 5

RiverHillsTraveler.com

S

eason two of the Netflix streaming series, Ozark, started on August 31. In Season 1, a few establishing shots were grabbed at Lake of the Ozarks, but the series itself was filmed in Georgia thanks to that state’s generous tax credits for filmmakers.

To our utter amazement, the last scene of that first episode showed Marty Byrde’s (Jason Bateman) first sight of the Lake at a spot we recognized as Lover’s Leap, a precipitous bluff near the drowned town of Linn Creek.

J. W. Vincent, editor of the Linn Creek Reveille, included his version of the tale that gave the spot its name in his 1913 booklet, Tales of the Ozarks.

Winona states she “will die rather than be false to her lover” before leaping off the cliff.

Lover’s Leaps on the Osage and the James rivers got us interested in the subject. Then we ran across Mark Twain’s satiric comments on the fate of Winona and the legend of Maiden Rock (Wisconsin).

“There are fifty Lover’s Leaps along the Mississippi from whose summit disappointed Indian girls have jumped but this is the only jump in the lot that turned out the right and satisfactory way.”

That got us working on our new project, Lover’s Leap Legends.

(This feature is courtesy of Leland and Crystal Payton at Lens & Pen Press, publishers of all-color books on

5 years ago • This month’s cover subject, Al Agnew, one of the country’s most respected fish and wildlife artists, has supplied many cover illustrations for the Traveler over the past 30 years.

Agnew is a man who is blessed to be able to earn a living doing what he loves to do. Agnew, who was born in Desloge and now lives near Ste. Genevieve, has been interested in the outdoors and art his entire life. He has successfully combined the two in his art career.

• Every aspect of our society has become so pigeonholed, we all have become victims of the cookie-cutter syndrome. If we see it on TV, or in a slick magazine, we copy it. It is called mass merchandising. And it prevails on the masses to relieve us of our hardearned money. (Bill Cooper) 10 years ago • Around the age of six I was confronted with my first formal exposure to the three R’s — readin, ritin’, and ‘rithmetic. The theme was August 1929 at the beginning of what became known as The Great Depression. The place was a one-room county school in the Current River Hills of the Ozarks in Ripley County, Mo. Our Belleview district was the poorest of the poor. The taxpayers in our district wore themselves out trying to wrest a living by farming the poor clay soil, shot though with rocks from the size of marbles to hefty boulders.

Their only fertilizer was the manure from the chickens, cows and horses, scattered scantily on the thin topsoil.

(Jim and Donna Featherston) • The Big River Watershed Group is a group of local citizens, with the cooperation of government agencies, formed to address the pollution in the Big River and its watershed, which spans Washington, St.Francois and Jefferson counties.

VINTAGE OZARKS:

Lake of the Ozarks landmark appears in Netflix series

Linen postcard, Lover’s Leap at Lake of the Ozarks, 1940s.

the Ozarks. Their next book, Lover’s Leap Legends, was inspired by their discovery that both the Osage and James had Lover’s Leaps. Mark Twain’s satiric comments on those leg-

ends added motivation and they have found Lover’s Leaps across the country.

Their most recent book, James Fork of the White, was published in 2017.

Some pages from this book can be seen

REMEMBER WHEN

Formed in January 2007, the group’s goals are to educate the people about the health hazards of living in a lead mining area, inform the public about what is happening with the tailing piles, provide a venue for locals to comment on the alternative solutions, coordinate public opinion and interest in seeking funding, and taking action on clean-up of the river. (Steve Roetto) 15 years ago • This will be the third year of a creel census on Lake Wappapello. And last year’s results may be twisted a bit by extremely high water in the spring. But Conservation Department biologist Mark Boone has some preliminary data.

The creel survey is being carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Cooperation with MDC. (Bob Todd) • “The best time to catch big smallmouth on the Meramec River is right in the middle of the firearms deer season,” said Tom Gallagher, of Sullivan.

“Well, I am off work that week. I should kill a deer over the weekend,” I replied.

“Doe deal,” Gallagher quipped. “You and Charlene meet me at my place at 7 a.m. sharp on Monday morning. And bring your favorite river rods.” (Bill Cooper)

range — much like the wild horses in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

But recently, wild boar stock has been added to the mix and now there is a hog out there that is much more capable of survival in the wild. (Bob Todd) • An example of the half-full cup that represents most conservation areas is Castor River Conservation Area, mainly in Bollinger County.

We say half-full because the 9,000acre area is unquestionably a valuable asset to Missourians and few would argue that the Conservation Department should not have acquired it. (Bob Todd) 30 years ago • It was the kind of day when there was no discussion about which way to begin the hunt — we got the wind to our backs and ducked in a draw to escape the cold.

It had been clear right at sunrise, but now, as the gods determined our direction and fanned out ahead, the overcast sky showed no hope of sunshine.

We’d driven quite some distance to this Perry County quail haven, and though toasty in the truck, excess heat was whipped away immediately outside.

And there was the clumsiness of walking on frozen ground to be overcome, too.

(Bob Todd) • The state parks and soil conservation sales tax was passed by Missouri voters for another 10 years. Originally authorized five years ago, the 1/10th cent tax is divided between parks and soil conservation practices.

The basic idea is a good one, but exe-

on www.beautifulozarks.com. Their earlier river book, Damming the Osage, can be at seen online at www.dammingtheosage.com.)

cution of the idea has lagged. Now, hopefully, park watchers will see a little steam generated.

The Traveler began a monthly series in 1985 featuring the parks in our region.

First, using the 1985 state budget, we toured the parks, showing what is there and what was to be done. (Bob Todd) 40 years ago • The first weekend of the deer season was enlightening. Not very productive, but enlightening.

I and my son witnessed what must be described as a slaughter of deer. We camped on the same ridge where we stayed last deer season and it was just a short walk from camp down either side of the ridge to a good deer stand.

I’d killed a deer at the stand on the north side of the ridge last year and offered that stand to my son, but he still had faith in the stand on the south side of the ridge, so he went there. (Bob Todd) • The fires released by a large earthquake are of such a magnitude that it is difficult to imagine so much energy being released at once.

It is also extremely difficult to measure these forces and describe them in terms that have some meaning.

Today, earthquakes are measured on the Richter Scale. Because the forces of an earthquake are so great, it has been found to be useful. On the Richter Scale, a change of one number means an increase or decrease of about 10 times in force. (Bob Todd) (compiled by MyraGale Sexton)

20 years ago • Missouri is going to try and head off a problem that has reached major proportions in some states — the spread of wild hogs.

Apparently, a few wild hogs have persisted in Missouri since the days of open

— Share your camping, fishing, kayaking, hunting, outdoors & travel photos with Traveler readers by texting them to (417) 451-3798 —

Page 6 • December 2018

RiverHillsTraveler.com

I love reading hunting stories; here’s some of mine

W

ell, the cold is here. Didn’t used to bother me much, but as I get older it starts to creep in on me.

It will not stop me from doing the things that I enjoy outdoors, but unfortunately it will slow me down.

I look back on so many past times and I wonder why I can’t do that now. Well, it is pretty obvious.

I remember one hunt, way back when, I had gotten to my hunting area late on a Friday night. I always left after work on Fridays.

From where I left my car, I hiked about half-way around this lake toward where I wanted to camp. It was already dark so I wasn’t real sure where I was.

So, I decided to put my sleeping bag down on a spot which was mostly clear. I put down a plastic cloth, layered down on my sleeping bag, leaned my bow against a bush, got into my sleeping bag and pulled the plastic sheet over Tom me.

Boydston It was very cold outside, but I ———— was quite comfortable and snug.

Well, morning came without me knowing it until I was awakened by some commotion. I threw back my bag and the sheet, and there stood a nice six-point buck pawing and stomping the ground.

My bow was too far to reach so I had to get up.

Of course, he was gone. Well, not only was it cold there but there was one inch of snow on the ground, so I jumped back into my bag for a few minutes.

It was already late. I sat up to put my boots on and there on the other side of me stood that very same deer. I got up and started looking around, and discovered I had camped in a well-defined deer run.

I guess Mr. Deer did not approve. I tracked him for some time which did me no good. The snow was gone an hour later, so I packed up my gear and moved to another spot.

On another hunt years ago in a different area, I had hiked way back in an area that I was not familiar with. I don’t think many others had been back this far.

I found an excellent tree which was easy to shoot

from and comfortable sitting in. Just before sundown along comes a monster buck. I had never seen a deer with so many points.

I was so excited I forgot to count them. He walked into some tall brush about forty yards from my tree and laid down.

Okay, he will soon get up and move on when he rests a bit. Well, it was getting late and the legal hunting hours were drawing close. The buck got up and walked away in the opposite direction.

So, since it was getting late and the buck didn’t cooperate, I started to climb down from the tree. Before I could even start lowering my equipment, here came a whole bunch of coyotes.

I counted twelve. Most of them were young pups, but there were three adults with them. Being young and no experience with them, I stayed in the tree.

Thinking they won’t be there for long, I just settled back for awhile. It was getting later and later, and I didn’t want to lose my way back to my camp since I was in an unfamiliar area.

So, I thought I might shoot a couple of them and they might run off. They were moving around a lot, and I didn’t hit a single one. And it did not seem to bother them at all.

So I sat there and waited. Finally they did leave. It took me some time to find my way back to camp. I had no light with me, so i just had to hope I could find my way.

On another hunt, many years ago, I was in a familiar area which I had hunted a few times before. I climbed into a tree I had used before and waited.

Around 10 a.m. a nice six-point came by. He was about 45 yards out, and I shouldn’t have taken a shot, but it had been so long since I had seen one that I decided to take a chance.

I watched where he went so as to track him after awhile. He ran into an open field about 200 yards from where I shot him. That should make it pretty easy to track since the ground was wet from rain a short time before.

I still wasn’t sure if I had hit the deer or not. After a reasonable wait, I climbed out of the tree and walked to the last place he was seen. From that point I followed his trail into that open field.

In that field was one lone tree right in the middle.

Well, the tracks led right to that tree, and then no more tracks.

I searched and searched but found no more tracks. I did my best to figure out where he could have gone.

Finally I gave up, but after looking around to be sure no one else was in site, I just had to look up in the tree.

That was dumb. Must have been aliens that took the deer! Well, I guess I can laugh at myself, cause someone else will laugh at me at that way I can laugh with them.

I found the arrow, and it was a total miss. Enough said.

Just a few memories that came to mind. I’m sure most of you have similar stories.

I enjoy hearing such stories. Share your stories with others.

(Tom Boydston lives in Neosho, Mo., and can be reached by text at 417-439-6048.)

Mom learned what not to do while traveling home

M

y mother was in her 80’s and traveled by herself after my father passed away. The trailer she traveled in was a 34-foot Air Stream #11773 and the tow vehicle was a one-ton van.

Mom had no qualms towing that big rig that was as long as an 18wheeler from one part of the country to another by herself.

Bob Brennecke When she was ———— traveling home from a trip to Florida, she became tired and decided to pull into a “once professionally operated” camp for the night.

Now when mom came home from

Florida she always filled the bathroom shower with as much fresh fruits and vegetables she could carry back to Missouri.

When she pulled in all the spots close to the facilities and the shady spots were taken. The campers who were there looked like the Grapes of Wrath camping set-ups.

The clotheslines were full of drying clothes, kids running all over, and trash lying about. Since she was tired and the tub was filled, she decided she would clean up at the shower house and leave in the morning early.

She wore her brightly colored moo moo, took her towel, shower clogs, soap and wash cloth and keys and started her walked a good distance to the shower house from her parking spot. When she was done showering, she reached for her towel on the out-

side of the shower door and it was gone. She then fumbled for her moo moo, which she found was gone, also.

The only thing she had to cover up with from the shower house to the trailer was a wash cloth, soap and keys.

What to do? She was always tenderfooted and didn’t know if she could negotiate the gravel path to the trailer.

Well, she didn’t have much of a choice, so she covered up the best she could with the wash cloth, soap and

keys and walked “briskly” down the road back to her trailer.

Now, mom was never a slight woman and didn’t move quickly under the best conditions but she made it and said she was glad to have her keys in hand.

She stated later that she learned what not to do when showering at a bath house.

(Bob Brennecke lives in Ballwin, Mo., and can be reached at robertbrennecke@hotmail.com.)