In the August 2010 issue of

River Hills Traveler

Remember the favorite outdoor places, businesses and people readers voted for last September and October? The winners in Traveler’s second annual Readers Choice Awards are profiled in this issue. Make this section your guide to outdoor enjoyment in Traveler Country.

Other Page 1 stories:

Cool rivers pull crowds on hot weekends — Bill Cooper
His Meramec River fishing trip went awry, so Bill went people-watching and came up with some surprising observations.

Clearwater project may finish in 2013 — Jo Schaper
Jo casts a trained geologist’s eye on the $93 million cutoff wall project at Clearwater Dam. Find out exactly what your money is being spent on and why.

The rest of the paper
Letters to the editor have been flying thick and fast. Al Agnew, Norm Leppo and Ken Elfrink all weigh in on the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance proposals to grow bigger bronzebacks in the state. Other letters address cave closings for WNS, conditions at Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park campground, a trip to Dillard Mill and e-coli levels at north Missouri lakes.

Water fowl prospects remain ducky — Bill Cooper
Wetland conditions are well above the long-term average, boding well for waterfowl hunters. Wappapello Lake duck blind registration is slated for Aug. 21.

MDC eyes elk restoration at Peck Ranch Conservation Area — MDC news release
The Missouri Conservation Commission has asked biologist Lonnie Hansen to address certain considerations for restoring this Missouri native species in one particular area. The Commission also awarded a $1.395 million bridge and structures contract for Duck Creek CA and handled a number of other items of business.

Sudden service on catfish dinner request — Charlie Slovensky
Charlie’s brother John requested a channel catfish for supper from his pond. Find out how long it took Charlie to fill the order.

It’s tough work, but somebody’s gotta do it — Bob Todd
We think Bob is rubbing it in a little here as he tells about a spur of the moment float from Watercress to Big Spring on the Current.

Companions adds new dimension to hike — Melissa Gilliam
The Small Town Girls Guide blogger continues her Ozark Trail hiking adventures. This time, she leads eight companions on Miles 22-33 of the Courtois Section. Learn the pluses and minuses of hiking with friends.

Don’t forfeit your right to carry — a camera, that is — Howard Helgenberg
Howard recalls the greatest photo he never took and offers camera suggestions.

Whee! Zipline mania spreads over Missouri — Barbara Gibbs Ostmann
Barb criss-crossed Missouri riding every zipline she could find and brings you the lowdown on what each has to offer.

Bluff collapse on upper Meramec startles neighbors — Rock Talk, Jo Schaper
Sometime during the night of July 10, about 250 linear feet of rock, 80 to 90 feet tall, sheared off Black Bluff south of Bourbon and crashed into the Meramec River. Jo talks to geology experts and neighbors to find out what caused the landscape-changing event.

August is get-ready time for fall hunting — Seasons, Bob Todd
A hunter’s blood begin to stir this month. It’s not to early to prepare.

Southeast Missouri’s swampy beauty showcased in pictures
Winners for the 5th annual Mingo Swamp Fauna & Flora Photography Contest have been chosen, though their names are secret. The first exhibit is coming up.

For eclectic eaters: French toast sticks, waffle iron brownies, more — Iron Kettle, Pat Todd
Pat ran onto a bunch of old recipes stuck back in the files. Learn how to cook spinach swirls, Mexican rice, savory nuts and more.

Mad dogs in the Ozarks were no joke in summer of 1951
In our “Through the Years in Traveler” column, we review a Jim Featherston story about a rabies epidemic when he was sheriff of Ripley County.

Year-round outdoor education came naturally for Indian children — Our Indian Heritage, Kathleen Brotherton
Native Americans learned outdoor survival skills from an early age

Hen turkeys in straw are like women in mall — Jim and Donna Featherston
Jim draws a dangerous human parallel after observing female turkeys churning straw mulch in a feeding frenzy. Donna has her own insights.

Life is short, so bees must stay busy — Nature’s Corner, Aaron Horrell
Aaron photographs a honeycomb up close and shares fascinating bee lore.

Maps in this issue: Clearwater Lake • Lower Current & Eleven Point Rivers • Lower Meramec River • Niangua River & Bennett Spring • Parkland/Arcadia Valley/Black River • Upper Current & Jacks Fork Rivers • Upper Meramec River, Huzzah & Courtois Creeks • Wappapello Lake

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Here’s a complete summary of articles in the July 2010 print issue of Traveler:

Belly boats — Bill Cooper
The coolest, wettest, most relaxed way to fish in summer

A piece of river history — Rick Mansfield
Vintage jon boat, 24 feet long, 32 inches abeam, has plied the Current for 50 years.

Past shadows reservoir dedication — Jo Schaper

As much as Ameren UE touted the opening of its rebuilt Upper Taum Sauk Reservoir as a new beginning and the structure as an engineering marvel, the past was on the minds of Ameren UE officials.

Have we learned from disasters?— Traveler editorial
Disasters occur naturally, but they are often caused or made worse by humans, who tend to ignore nature’s forces or mistakenly think we have tamed them.

Get in your outings now, before school starts — Makin’ Tracks, Emery Styron
If you’re going to get the kids on the water this summer, do it before school bells ring in August.

Catching channel cats by lantern light — Howard Helgenberg
Howard tell you how he likes to relax on a summer evening.

Traveler Mailbag: Pros, cons on new smallmouth regs, Traveler story reunites old school chums after 62 year separation Dan Kreher of the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance takes polite exception to Bob Todd’s views on creating “world class” smallmouth fishing in the Ozarks. Another reader is not so polite. Rudi Rudroff stands up for Bob. Earl Hancock of House Springs and Joe Mann of Sullivan connect after six decades thanks to Traveler.

Floating, fishing, feasting best done in one trip — Greg “Rudi” Rudroff
There’s a reason you never find fish in Rudi’s freezer. He’s found they taste much better cooked right after their caught. Learn the equipment he carries and how he cooks them.

Creativity fuels epic jaunt to early Clearwater Lake — Bob Brennecke
Dad and Cal started for the new Clearwater Lake one day in the early 50’s with young Brennecke in the back seat. They almost never got there. It’s amazing what an old Dodge will run on.

Mean brats born on the Fourth of July — Jim and Donna Featherston
Ol’ Jim is no fan of (expletive deleted) harvest mites, a.k.a. chiggers, but he tells how the tiny creatures work their torture and how to fight back.

Niangua-Bennett Spring area has a lot to offer — Barbara Gibbs Ostmann
From trout fishing in the gorgeous state park to leisurely floating and fishing on the Niangua to exploring nearby Lebanon’s many events and attractions, a trip to this mid-Missouri outdoor mecca is worth your time.

No reason needed for father-daughter float — Bob Todd
Bob Todd and daughter Kim float from Baptist Camp to Cedar Grove on the upper Current, and have time to talk without interruption.

Rock Talk: Proffit Mountain scour reveals 900 million year history in rocks — Jo Schaper
The upper Taum Sauk Reservoir collapse washed a strip of of Proffit Mountain clear to the bedrock creating an Ozark geology textbook showing rock layers in a long sequence.

Nature’s Corner: Hummingbirds compete with bees for nectar — Aaron Horrell
Just as smaller birds harrass larger ones such as crows, bumblebees sometimes chase off hummingbirds in competition for nectar. See Aaron’s photo of a bee-hummingbird encounter.

Indians knew plants uses; do we? — Kathleen Brotherton
Native Americans have long appreciated wildflowers and “weeds” not only for their beauty but for their usefulness in their everyday lives. Learn how they used such common plants as the lotus, yucca and jack-in-the-pulpit.

In praise of the old swimmin’ hole — Charlie Slovensky
There was a time when skinny-dippin’ was not only feasible but preferable in Ozarks creeks and rivers. Do you know about the “code of honor” among boys that protected their duds from disappearing but didn’t always apply to girls?

The Seasons: July fishing reliable on poles, jugs, limb and trotlines— Bob Todd
Can fish tell the difference as the days get longer? Bob thinks so and theorizes that is why fishing seems to get more predictable in mid-summer. See if you agree.

Young fishing buddy tests dad’s capability — Fred Ohrazda
This particular outing with his young son, John, stretched the writer’s character to the limits as a human and a father. Was that deep, burning pain in his chest a heart attack — or something else?

The Iron Kettle: Fresh, home-grown produce one of season’s joys — Pat Todd
Juicy cantaloupes, meaty strawberries, terrific blueberries, fresh corn make mouthwatering ingredients for summer eating

Through the Years in Traveler — From our files
25 years ago, a federal agency in Missouri held a public meetng to assess access to public water and develop a plan to improve certain roads and close others. Controversy and concern raged. This time it wasn’t the National Park Service and the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

Other stories:

• USGS offers real time water alerts from 9,500 sites
•Fishing rebounds in lower Taum Sauk Reservoir
• Conservation Commission pulls privileges for 28 Wildlife Code violators
•Lack of bidders stops Alley Spring Campground resurfacing project
•NWTF taking donations to remediate Gulf habitat
•Aug. 15 deadline to apply for 25th annual muzzle-loader and other managed hunts
• Polystyrene cooler ban dies in 2010 session committees

Travel maps in this issue: Big Piney & Gasconade, Clearwater Lake, Lower Current and Eleven Point, Lower Meramec, Niangua & Bennett Spring, Parkland Region, Upper Current and Jack’s Fork, Upper Meramac, Huzzah and Courtois and Wappapello Lake.