Kayaking in the Ozarks
Monday morning the three (Adam, Cliff, Nick) of us left at 5:30 for the Ozark Mountains. As we pulled out of the driveway the rain was pouring down and there was plenty more in the forecast. About 2 hours into our four hour drive the sun began to rise and it seemed to be pushing the storms back to the west. Our drive was full of boy jokes and weird smells. As we passed through small towns we would read apostolic prayers and intercede for the towns. It was so awesome to pray over people we don’t know. At one point we turned off the main highway and took a small state highway through the hill country of Missouri. The views were incredible with large valleys and beautiful trees. At one point we were entering a sharp curve a little to fast and I decided to lean out the window and hold my arms up like I was on a rollercoaster, as I let out a loud YEE HAW my hat flew off my head on to the road. Cliff being the nice Canadian that he is, turned around so I could pick up my cap.
When we reach our destination at the Sunburst Ranch we meet the owner Justin. When we pulled up Justin was on his tractor carrying a 55 gallon barrel that had a baby possum in it. After he disposed of the possum he got us rigged out for our first day on the White River.
The first day we took a canoe and a kayak down the river for 12 miles. The weather was so beautiful for the first hour of our trip until a huge rain storm blew in. Adam being the genius of the group put on his poncho and stayed relatively dry while Cliff and I got soaked. The rain came down for most of our 12 mile paddle. Monday evening about a hour before dark we made it down river to our camping spot. Cliff and I set up the tent as Adam prepared our campfire fajitas for dinner.
After dinner we sat around the campfire and shared our stories and cracked jokes about one another. As we talked by the campfire, we roasted marshmallows and instructed each other on the best techniques. After hours of laughing and story telling we turned in for the evening. Oh, I almost forgot we also had our own myth busters experiment. We were debating if a can of lighter fluid would explode or not when placed in the fire. So being the pyro that I am, I tossed a bottle of lighter fluid on the fire and nothing happened.
Tuesday morning we woke up and cooked an amazing breakfast. Adam instructed us on how to cook omelets in a zip lock bag. After bringing water to a boil on the camping stove we placed our bags filled with eggs (from free ranging not steroidal chickens), bell pepper, onion, and ham into the pots. Minutes later we had fully cooked omelets that we cut up and placed in flour tortillas along with salsa, cheese, and sour cream. It was awesome.
After breakfast we packed all of our stuff up and headed back to the river for another 17 mile paddle. As we were being carried up to the drop off spot (Twin Bridges) Justin (our outfitter) proceeded to call Cliff a communist because he is Canadian. I am not sure how much Justin knows about the Canadian government.
When we got on the river in three separate kayaks the weather was perfect and the water was crystal clear. As we paddled down river we could see schools of rainbow and brown trout everywhere. God blessed us when some of the most beautiful scenery and wildlife that I have ever experienced. Every 5 minutes one of us would say, This is Awesome!
Well I hope you enjoy the pics!
Monday morning the three (Adam, Cliff, Nick) of us left at 5:30 for the Ozark Mountains. As we pulled out of the driveway the rain was pouring down and there was plenty more in the forecast. About 2 hours into our four hour drive the sun began to rise and it seemed to be pushing the storms back to the west. Our drive was full of boy jokes and weird smells. As we passed through small towns we would read apostolic prayers and intercede for the towns. It was so awesome to pray over people we don’t know. At one point we turned off the main highway and took a small state highway through the hill country of Missouri. The views were incredible with large valleys and beautiful trees. At one point we were entering a sharp curve a little to fast and I decided to lean out the window and hold my arms up like I was on a rollercoaster, as I let out a loud YEE HAW my hat flew off my head on to the road. Cliff being the nice Canadian that he is, turned around so I could pick up my cap.
When we reach our destination at the Sunburst Ranch we meet the owner Justin. When we pulled up Justin was on his tractor carrying a 55 gallon barrel that had a baby possum in it. After he disposed of the possum he got us rigged out for our first day on the White River.
The first day we took a canoe and a kayak down the river for 12 miles. The weather was so beautiful for the first hour of our trip until a huge rain storm blew in. Adam being the genius of the group put on his poncho and stayed relatively dry while Cliff and I got soaked. The rain came down for most of our 12 mile paddle. Monday evening about a hour before dark we made it down river to our camping spot. Cliff and I set up the tent as Adam prepared our campfire fajitas for dinner.
After dinner we sat around the campfire and shared our stories and cracked jokes about one another. As we talked by the campfire, we roasted marshmallows and instructed each other on the best techniques. After hours of laughing and story telling we turned in for the evening. Oh, I almost forgot we also had our own myth busters experiment. We were debating if a can of lighter fluid would explode or not when placed in the fire. So being the pyro that I am, I tossed a bottle of lighter fluid on the fire and nothing happened.
Tuesday morning we woke up and cooked an amazing breakfast. Adam instructed us on how to cook omelets in a zip lock bag. After bringing water to a boil on the camping stove we placed our bags filled with eggs (from free ranging not steroidal chickens), bell pepper, onion, and ham into the pots. Minutes later we had fully cooked omelets that we cut up and placed in flour tortillas along with salsa, cheese, and sour cream. It was awesome.
After breakfast we packed all of our stuff up and headed back to the river for another 17 mile paddle. As we were being carried up to the drop off spot (Twin Bridges) Justin (our outfitter) proceeded to call Cliff a communist because he is Canadian. I am not sure how much Justin knows about the Canadian government.
When we got on the river in three separate kayaks the weather was perfect and the water was crystal clear. As we paddled down river we could see schools of rainbow and brown trout everywhere. God blessed us when some of the most beautiful scenery and wildlife that I have ever experienced. Every 5 minutes one of us would say, This is Awesome!
Well I hope you enjoy the pics!
