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AUGUST 2017
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Observing the beauty in Missouri’s living waters By Casper Cox have just returned from my third trip exploring and snorkeling southern Missouri’s clear waters and on every adventure I have been gifted with amazing underwater views of a world that is often unseen. You will be met with a wonderful diversity of fish both big and small, some graceful while others are seemingly unique oddities. Some of them will be shadow-patterned dark while others are vibrantly
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colored, even appearing iridescent. You will also encounter many kinds of watery creatures, such as turtles, crawfish, weird bugs hiding under rocks and, yes, even sometimes docile water snakes. But have no fear, as this is a calm world of cool and relaxing beauty for we humans. Spring is often the best season to snorkel as the fish have awakened from a cold, quiet winter and eager for rePlease see SNORKEL, 15A
For towers, it’s all about the name (Editor’s note: This is the seventh and final part in a series about fire towers in Missouri.) By Bob Frakes hat’s in a name?� Shakespeare once asked. If it is a Missouri lookout tower, the answer may be an interesting story, even a mystery. I won’t attempt a definitive study, but will note some ideas and hope to hear from you for contributions if I left your favorite out. The answer for many lookouts is simple. Many were named for the community nearby. From the “A� in Avon Pole Tower to “W� in Womac/ Whitewater, nearby locations were very common for name selection. For the Blue Slip Tower tower researcher, this often proved to be useful. However, it could also be confusing. The Squires Tower is even today located right at Squires. However, the Thomasville/MDC Tower sits nine
W Michelle Turner/Traveler
Some Missouri campgrounds are seeing a rise in the number of tent campers, while others see no drop-off in sight.
Tent camping is very much alive in this time of Internet & busy lifestyles By MATTIE LINK mattie@sextonmediagroup.com _____________
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ith all the different ways to camp, it is easy to forget about the oldest, simplest way of
camping. Several campgrounds and resorts offer original primitive camping as well as tent camping with electric capability for those who need/want it. Two Sons Floats & Camping, in Noel, Mo., repors that they haven’t seen an increase or decrease in tent campers in recent years. “We are still getting a normal amount of primitive campers, but it varies from
Tent campers at Ozark Outdoors.
weekend to weekend,� said Stormy Christerson, office assistant at Two Sons. According to Christerson, they have around 250-400 tent campers every weekend in the summer. “It’s been hot this summer, but that
hasn’t seemed to be a deterrent to anyone coming out,� said Christerson. Most of the people tent camping at Two Sons are there for the weekend to float, fish, and hang out on the river. “We charge $10 a night, per person, to come camp with us,� said Christerson. Circle B Campground in Eminence, Mo., has noticed that more and more people are wanting electric as opposed to primitive camping. “We offer both primitive and tent camping with electric, and those spaces fill up before the regular primitive sites do,� said Robin Staples, owner of Circle B. Please see TENTS, 15B
Please see TOWERS, 14A
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Page 2A • August 2017
RiverHillsTraveler.com
Light poles & tiny reels make long poling a blast
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ast week I was in one of the large sporting goods stores in Springfield and got into a conversation with a couple of other customers and a store employee. The topic was summertime crappie fishing. I was very surprised to learn how many anglers travel throughout the Midwest to find good fishing. I came straight home to write this article for those guys and for you, as well. I am not a big fish eater and never really have been. That is slowly starting to change. With my increasing drive to eat fish, certain species taste better than others. Now do not get me wrong, I never Mike Roux did hate fish it was ———— just not on my “top ten” list. Last year crappie made it onto that list. I have known all my life how much friends and family love to eat crappie. I have given away literally thousands of these fish over the years. Now I make sure I get a mess of crappie for Nancy and me as often as possible. My best crappie trip last year was in the midst of the heat wave we had last summer. I traveled to Truman Lake in west-central Missouri. My trip was accidentally timed to absolute perfection. I arrived on a Wednesday evening with a plan to fish for crappie on Thursday morning with Truman Lake’s top guide, Jeff Faulkenberry. Jeff works at Bucksaw Marina. Under its new owner, Jim Moritz, and manager Richard Bowling, this full-size resort and marina is the only place to use when you come to Truman Lake. I stay at resorts across the country in my travels as an outdoor writer. None even comes close to the outstanding service and accommodations at Bucksaw. The features I really appreciate most are the rooms you can reserve right off the dock. You can literally step right out of your room and into the boat. It is amazingly convenient. My luck must have been running really good that week because the Mis-
souri Crappie Masters was scheduled for the following weekend. Richard not only runs Bucksaw for Jim Moritz, but he is a top-notch crappie guide as well. Richard was scheduled to fish in the crappie tournament. He needed to do some pre-fishing for the contest and asked if he could come along with Jeff and me. How amazing was that? I was going crappie fishing on Truman with the two best guides on the lake. I was pumped, especially when the two of them picked me up in the boat right at the door to my room. The method for the morning was to use a technique called “long poling.” This was new to me since the vast majority of my crappie fishing usually involved watching a bobber. I was anxious to see and learn this method. Very long thin light rods and tiny reels make long poling a blast. No float or bobber is involved. Once you determine the depth at which the fish are feeding, you merely put out that much line. You can use this technique with either jigs or minnows. We were using minnows on that day. We dropped the trolling motor in a stump field where dozens of trees were sticking out of the water. We slowly mowed from tree to tree, dropping our baits around each of them. With the long poles we were able to fish two or three stumps at the same time. It seemed as though there were 3 or 4 fish on each tree. The crappie were all a foot or more in size. With a 15-crappie limit we were looking for 45 quality fish. In the process of keeping our limit we caught and released, at best, that many more. We were back at Bucksaw by 9 a.m. My friends donated their fillets to my cooler so I brought home a huge mess of crappie that was shared with friends and family. Please remember that I am looking for local experts that I can meet and write about. Contact me through my website at www.mikeroux.com. (Mike Roux is the Midwest Regional Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Outdoor Ministry. To become a Home Team Member of this new ministry, call him at 217257-7895.)
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Mike Roux knows the success hot weather crappie fishing brings in August at Truman Lake.
RiverHillsTraveler.com
August 2017 • Page 3A
Visit this ‘wishing well’ & see what happens
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wishing well is a well that people throw coins into while making a wish. It is from European folklore to describe wells where it was thought that any spoken wish would be granted. The idea that a wish would be granted came from the idea that water housed deities, or was a gift from the gods, since water was a source of life and often a scarce commodity. The Native Americans, if they were to “borrow” something from a body of water, such as a river, they would always place someDana thing of value back Sturgeon into the water. Like ———— a trade. Never “takEleven ing” and not giving Point River back. The Germanic and Celtic peoples considered springs and wells sacred places. Sometimes the places were marked with wooden statues, possibly of the god associated with the pool. Water also was seen to have healing powers and therefore, wells became popular with many people drinking, bathing or just simply wishing over it. The biocidal properties of both copper and silver (the two metals traditionally used in coins), were thought that the properties themselves, provided safer drinking water. When making a wish, people would first utter the wish, then, one would
Whether you believe or not, it is a part of our history. There are so many springs flowing out of rock faces, cliffs, coming up out of the ground... and all naturally made. I don’t really know how many, for sure, springs we have in Missouri. However, for sure we have a lot of natural water in Missouri and a lot of treasures to explore. So, if you ever wanted to “make a wish” and throw a coin in a “well” to see if you get a “heads up,” come down to Oregon County and give it a try. The “wishing well” will be waiting for you. (Dana Sturgeon lives in southern Missouri. She can be reached at mo_dana@hotmail.com.)
generally drop a coin in the well. That wish would then be granted by the guardian and dweller, based upon how the coin would land at the bottom of the well. If the coin landed heads up, the guardian of the well would grant the wish, but the wish of a tails up coin would be ignored. Now, you wonder how this is related to our beautiful riverways in Missouri. Well, there is a natural “wishing well” not far from the Eleven Point River in Oregon County. It is like a round rock formation with water inside it. It is a natural spring. This “wishing well” never goes dry. It is located just north of the gravel road going down to the Whitten access off the Eleven Point River. From Highway 19 out of Alton, Mo.,
turn onto highway AA, then go to almost the end of asphalt, turning to your left or north onto road 4144 (gravel road) that takes you to the Whitten access. Almost to the bottom of this hill going downward to your left, you will find the “wishing well.” You have to look for it, but it is located right next to the gravel road. The locals just call it the “wishing well.” People that know it, stop, make their wish and drop a coin in there. So, I decided to stop (to be a part of this, which I don’t believe in “other gods” or luck). I made my wish, or actually I said a prayer, then threw my coin into the well. It did land on its head in the water. And if I remember right, I believe my wish (or rather prayer) came true!
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Page 4A • August 2017
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‘Discovery Channel’ survival show features Missouri cave
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he Discovery Channel premiered its newest survival show — "Darkness" — during a twonight event on Aug. 2-3, and I'm excited to say that Missouri was the location. "Darkness" is a survival show that plunges three strangers into a pitch black cave for six days, or until they can find each other and then make their way out. The show was inspired by extreme training scenarios conducted by the Jimmy Sexton U.S. military, De———— partment of DeJourney On fense, and NASA. In the show, the survivalists push themselves to their absolute limits in complete darkness, enduring days buried underground while navigating prehistoric cave systems, ancient subterranean cities, and centuries-old abandoned mines. Pulaski County, Mo., had the extreme honor of being a part of this premiere episode. “We had no idea it was going to air
as the first episode, so that is pretty cool and we are so excited to see it,” said Karen Hood, chairman of Roubidoux Grotto, a local caving club in Pulaski County. Hood is also the marketing and public relations manager of the Pulaski County Tourism Bureau & Visitors Center. She said she received an email from the Missouri Film Office requesting help in looking for cave locations for The Discovery Channel to film a show. “I saw that and thought I could nail this one. I emailed them back, got in contact with the producers right away and the next thing I know they are here and we are scouting caves,” said Hood. The producers and safety teams visited Pulaski County and Grotto members showed them several caves. They liked what they saw and in June started filming. “The producers settled on a non-disclosed cave location on private property and got a contract with the landowner. It all happened so fast,” said Hood. If the three survivalists don’t find their way out of the cave during the allotted time, they’re pulled from the adventure.
“They spent six days here filming 24/7, and we as a Grotto had two guys out there as our representatives on the set at all times during filming to make sure they were treating the cave correctly,” said Hood. According to Hood, only one individual from the Grotto made it on camera. “This will hopefully give exposure to our county and our Grotto, and we were just very excited they chose Pulaski County to be one of the locations,” said Hood. To learn more about "Darkness," and to view the behind the scenes video, visit www.facebook.com/DarknessTV/. ——— I lived in a town on the Mississippi River several years ago and really enjoyed watching all the comings and goings of ships, barges, fishermen, and boats. The river also attracted all kinds of celebrities and there was always some kind of big event or activity every single weekend in town. On Thursday, Sept. 28, the "Pinta" and the "Nina," replicas of Columbus' ships, will sail in to Cape Girardeau. The ships will be docked at Riverfront Park until their departure early Tuesday, Oct. 3. The "Pinta" and the "Nina" will be
available for tours Sept. 29-30 and Oct. 1-2 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. each day. The "Nina" was built completely by hand and without the use of power tools. Archaeology magazine called the ship “the most historically correct Columbus replica ever built.” In 2005, the "Pinta," also a caravel, was launched in Brazil and was the first ship to sight land in the New World. Historians consider the caravel the Space Shuttle of the 15th century. Both ships tour together as a new and enhanced "sailing museum" for the purpose of educating the public and school children on the "caravel," a Portuguese ship used by Columbus and many early explorers to discover the world. Before him, the Old World and the New remained separate and distinct continents. While in port, the general public is invited to visit the ships for a walkaboard, self-guided tour. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $6 for students age 5-16. Children 4 and under are free. No reservations are required. (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.)
Armadillos, possums & groundhogs are all edible
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recently read an interesting article in which blame for the Ozarks’ struggling turkey and quail populations was partly placed on that armored invader from the south – the armadillo. Armadillos aren’t native to the Ozarks, as I’m sure you know, and weren’t much seen around these parts until a few decades ago. They migrated up from Texas and Louisiana and points farther south. Some say climate change is the reason. Some say it’s something in their biological clock. Whatever the reason, the arrival of the nasty little critters could at least partly correspond to dropping quail and turkey numbers, according to the artiWes Franklin cle. ———— Both birds lay Native Ozarker their eggs on the ground and armadillos seem to enjoy omelets, along with their usual diet of grubs, worms, and insects. I’m no biologist for sure, and I hope I’m not passing on misinformation. I just found it an interesting theory – if that’s what it is. I once knew an Indian woman who ate armadillo. She said it didn’t taste bad, but was a pain to skin because of the shell. No, thank you. The opossum, on the other hand, IS a native Ozarker, like myself. I don’t hold them in very high regard, just slightly above an armadillo, really. I sure shot plenty of them when I was a kid growing up in the hills of McDonald County, though I’m ashamed to say it was wasted meat because I have yet to try possum. Don’t think I ever will, either. One time I fired at a momma possum with a shotgun, and aimed a little low. If you didn’t already know, possums are marsupials and carry their ugly little babies in a pouch like a kangaroo
nuisances. And all three edible. If you’re adventurous. (Wes Franklin can be reached at 417658-8443 or cato.uticensis46@gmail. com.)
River Hills Traveler (except most possums don’t hop around on their hind legs, or at least they better not!). Well, after that blast there were tiny naked possums scattered everywhere. The scene was as gross as you imagine, and I sort of regret it now. There is an old Ozarks fiddle tune – originally from Appalachia, I imagine – titled “Possum Up a Persimmon Tree,” though other variations and titles of the same song exist as well (including the better known “Bile that Cabbage Down”). One verse goes: “Possum up persimmon tree, Raccoon on the ground, Raccoon says to possum, ‘Won’t you shake them ‘simmons down.’” There is an old Ozark superstition that goes when a man feels a sudden chill, it means that a possum is at that moment walking over the exact spot of ground that will later be his grave. Why a possum, I don’t know. It could also be a rabbit or a goose, though, says the superstition, preserved for us by Mr. Vance Randolph. There is another superstition about possums that Mr. Randolph recorded but it isn’t exactly printable. Another interesting varmint in the Ozarks is the groundhog. Other parts of the country call them woodchucks. But they are a rodent by any name. Ever wonder why we don’t mind squirrels, and even like to watch them, and that we sometimes find groundhogs mysteriously interesting, but are revolted by mice and rats? Why? They
are all rodents. I’m not judging. I hate mice and rats, too. Don’t ever shoot a groundhog, by the way, or it will bring bad luck. Or so says another old Ozark superstition. Did you know groundhogs climb trees? Most people don’t believe me when I tell them that, but I saw one do it. I was about 12 or 14 and in the middle of the woods, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a tree move. I turned and squinted and stared real hard. And sure enough, about 20 yards away, this big lump on the side of a tree started to slowly make its way up the trunk. I stared harder and edged a little closer to the moving gray lump. When I got close enough I saw it was a groundhog, and it was halfway up an adult oak tree. Most of the time they’re after pawpaws or some fruit, but maybe this one wanted green acorns. I don’t know. But I saw it with my own eyes. And this native Show-Me Ozarker is big on seeing before believing. Look it up on Youtube, or some other online video site. You’ll believe too, even if you don’t get a chance to witness it live for yourself. Armadillos, possums, and groundhogs. Three species. Three sometime
On the Cover Tent campers enjoy a quiet, beautiful night at Lake of the Ozarks State Park.
(photo courtesy of www.funlake.com)
212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850 Phone & Fax: 800-874-8423 www.riverhillstraveler.com Email: jimmy@riverhillstraveler. com Owner & Publisher Jimmy Sexton Managing Editor Madeleine Link Circulation Manager Amanda Harvel Staff Writers Heath Wood, Wes Franklin, Mike Roux, Bill Wakefield, Bill Oder, Bill Cooper, Michelle Turner & Dana Sturgeon Advertising All of us River Hills Traveler, established in 1973, is published monthly by Sexton Media Group and Traveler Publishing Company at 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850. 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. COPYRIGHT © 2017 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.