Big Niangua River Trail Maiden Voyage

"Take nothing but photos, 

Leave nothing but paddle wakes, 

Kill nothing but time."

August 26, 2014 was the first time Missouri Master Naturalists set out together to mark the points of interest established for the proposed Big Niangua River Trail.  Niangua translates to "Big Winding Stream of Many Springs" by the Indigenous Osage People.  This project is jointly sponsored by Lake of the Ozarks Watershed Alliance (LOWA), the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Division of State Parks, the Lake of the Ozarks Chapter of the Missouri Master Naturalist Program, and Ameren Missouri.

Although this trail starts at Ha Ha Tonka State Park and goes up river instead of down river, either end can be a put-in site.  The total distance is 11.5 miles from the Kayak Steps at Ha Ha Tonka to the Whistle Bridge.  It is partly a flat water trail and the boundary between Lake of the Ozarks and Big Niangua River will be one of the 20 points of interest that will be posted with a sign because harvest regulations differ above and below this point from the standpoint of fishing.  Currently, the final draft of the brochure, the information sign boards, and the actual points of interest signs on each site are in the final stages and likely will be ready and in place for the public late 2014 or early in 2015.  This Maiden Voyage by the Missouri Master Naturalists was to visually determine the best locations for the signs at the interest points and mark them with a bright pink plastic tie until the metal signs are completed.  Also, permission letters to place the signs are being mailed to property owners.  Many photos and notes were also obtained before the final drafts are made.  It was a productive and fun seven hours on a beautiful, hot summer day for the 14 kayakers!

Here is some of the information we have so far which shows the points of interest in bold type followed by a music photo album I made for fun for our Maiden Voyage:

The Whistle Bridge is a low water crossing and is considered an access point but there is no public parking.  For this trip, we skipped this point and put-in at the west side of Mother Nature's Campground 2 miles from the Whistle Bridge going north which is down river.  There are two good fishing holes, Nettle Hole and Flat Rock Hole before the second access point of Mother Nature's Campground on the east side of the peninsula; all owned by the campground.

The first stop we made and got out was at Tunnel Cave.  This cave is a natural cave system connecting one part of a loop in the Niangua to a second part of the loop almost seven miles down river.  When the cave was flooded to generate electricity with Tunnel Dam, too many side passages provided too many leaks and a new tunnel for generating electricity had to be drilled.

Tunnel Dam and Gauge House was constructed in 1929 and is located about 6.5 miles downstream from Tunnel Dam.  Water from the lake arrives at the powerhouse through an 800 foot-long tunnel constructed through the ridge.  There's a 40' drop in elevation from the lake surface to the powerhouse which contains two hypo-turbines capable of producing three megawatts.  The old gauge tower, located .3 miles downstream from the powerhouse was decommissioned in 1969.

There is an outcrop of large dolomite boulders extending out from the left bank of the river providing a significant eddy downstream and is a good place to catch bass and the occasional walleye.  It is known as Susie Rocks.  The story behind the name remains a mystery.

In the 1800s-1900s, settlers cut lumber for railroad ties.  The Tie Bank and Wetland Area is where rafts of ties were launched into the river on their way to market.  Up to 50,000 ties were stacked at one time and sent down the river as rafts up to 2500 ties.  The cutters were often paid in scrips or IOU bills for the stores owned by the tie buyers.

For a little excitement, the left-hand channel at this split in the river provides a short, narrow, fast-flowing, and somewhat tricky chute.  It is known as the Gauntlet.  There is only room for one water craft at a time so be sure to listen for jet boats before entering.

A good time for a break would be Casa de Loco Winery.  It has a very interesting history you can ask the staff about whether you take-out and hike up the hill or drive here off Highway 54.  Kayaks and canoes are available to rent as well as shuttle service.  For more information see their website:  casadelocowinery.com 

Rodgers Ford was designated as a "populated place" in the 1800s with a scattering of buildings and permanent population.  It later was designated as part of the area, Hahatonka quadrant, and was abandoned.  Slough Area is a smaller, alternate channel for the river to follow often formed during flood times as the river cuts new paths.  On the Niangua, sloughs generally are found in areas of islands and are often narrow and provide good fishing.  Next is the Boundary LOZ and BRN which is the accepted boundary between Lake of the Ozarks and the Big Niangua River.  

Rooffener Tie Slide is a bluff where the remains of a chute where logs were cut and slid down the hill to the river.  The forests were heavily cut in the late 19th century for railroad ties.  Woodlands Park Landscape is part of Ha Ha Tonka State Park.  It has three primary natural communities that work together to form a harmonious mosaic that stretches for over 3700 acres.  These three communities: dry chert woodland, dolomite glade, and upland flat woods represent some of the best remaining examples of these environments in Missouri.

Wetland Area is a good observation point for water birds including herons, osprey, ducks, and geese.  Aquatic life includes turtles, carp, gar, and gar.  The vegetation includes rose mallow, lizard tails, Paw Paws, and an assortment of sedges and rushes.  Wetlands are the beginning of the food chain with invertebrates which clean the water and are food for fish and other water species.

Onyx Cave entrance is right on the river and is easily accessed by boaters who can float about 70' into the cave.  Onyx mining in Missouri caves was tried as an industry in the late 20th century and there is some interesting history here…not so much onyx though.

Another outdoor venue is Sugar Loaf Winery with good access from the river and also by vehicle off Highway 54.  Good food and wine are available as well as kayak rentals and shuttle services.  It is just upstream from the Ha Ha Tonka State Park and would be a great destination in itself if parked at Ha Ha Tonka and putting in at the Kayak Steps and return.  For more information about what the winery has to offer see their website:  sugarloafwinery.com

At Spencer Creek and Bank Branch Creek, two spring fed creeks combine with Ha Ha Tonka spring which add depth and clarity to the water.  Larger boats have difficulty navigating because of the shallow water and submerged logs.  Between 1830 and 1835, a gang of counterfeiters operated in this area using the steep terrain and local caves to hide their operations.  Bank Branch was named because this is where they deposited their counterfeit money aboard barges for the trip East.

Bobi Kitty's First Year Adventures

Like Alice and the Cheshire cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, adventures in your own backyard can lead to big changes in life.  A stray young American Bobtail cat came into our yard just as summer began in 2013.  He was immediately challenged by the next door neighbor's Hemingway cat named Tuffy.

We didn't mind having Tuffy come around our yard although he was not all that friendly as he scratched us when we tried to pet him and menaced my bird feeders and bird houses much to my irritation.  So I tried to get the new cat to go back to wherever he came from so as to potentially not increase the problem.  I tried yelling at him with a broom in hand gently pushing him away.  He would not leave and knew I would not hurt him.  After about a week of this persuasion, I began admiring his persistence and left out food and made a bed basket for him in the dry carport.  Soon he let me pet him. I say "him" but at that time he was too young to identify either way.  I gave him the neutral name "Bobi" and later "Bobi Kitty" as he showed up while I was tending my gardens.  I repeatedly told him, "You can be my Garden Kitty but you are not coming inside!"  So we got used to each other.

We didn't need to trap him like so many wild critters that came into our gardens which we then relocated to "lakefront property." Bobi Kitty didn't bother the birds but loved to sit with me and watch them.  He must have felt comfortable enough in our yard and carport to decide to call this place his home.  He was definitely a "people kitty" as he would like to be around us and watch what we were doing and he seemed to like us by letting us pet him.  Of course, feeding him everyday and treating him with kindness helped.  Also, he was very young and not set in his wild ways yet.

Then it got cold.  Bobi was definitely a male cat by the first freezing nights in mid-October.  He defended his new home from Tuffy and there were some cat fights.  Bobi held his own but Tuffy had always been much bigger and had 6 claws on each foot tipping the scales in his favor.  Bobi learned to fight but not after some deep scratches to his face and head.  From the amount of orange fur remaining in our yard, Tuffy got his share too.  Finally, I said enough was enough and decided that if Bobi wanted to come inside and be more of a family cat, he would have to be neutered.  I began to leave the door open a little longer each time I went inside to see if he would follow.  He finally chose to come inside a little bit farther each time with me letting him outside whenever he wanted.  Then he let me clean his scratches and brush him regularly.  Getting him in a carrier inside my car for a trip to the vet was a wild time!  He made some howling sounds that made the hairs on my neck stand up!  So after that procedure on November 25th, Bobi started to settle down some.  Bobi also got all his recommended vaccinations.

The vet aged him at 6 months giving him a birthday of April 15, 2013 which means he must have been 6-8 weeks old when we first met near the end of June.  Bobi still went outside during the day and came inside most nights and whenever he was hungry or was lonely.  When we were home, he was usually around.  It was a nice Christmas with Bobi here as we had no family around that year.  He got lots of presents and attention.  He found several comfortable places including the basement when he wanted to be alone, sitting by me on my hassock, looking out the window at birds, or sleeping in a basket near our bed.  Bobi Kitty was truly a part of our family now.

For our 40th Wedding Anniversary in May 2014, Keith and I went to Hot Springs, Arkansas for a week.  We left Bobi outside with a neighbor boy across the street coming over twice a day to feed Bobi and check if he is okay.  Everything went well and he said Bobi never missed a meal and he saw him regularly.  Bobi truly wanted to call this house his home even when we were gone.

A couple weeks after we got home, Bobi didn't come home.  I kept looking for him and calling him every evening and morning for his meals and watching for him in the yard during the day.  No Bobi Kitty...I was sad to think something happened to him or he decided to live somewhere else.  After 5 sad days, I almost gave up.  Then, there he was!  He was hopping on 3 legs across the front brick patio all skinny and scruffy with a wound in his side!

Bobi came inside and ate two bowls of food and a whole bowl of water before going to sleep on his blanket in the living room.  I let him rest as I was on my way out the door to run a 5K race nearby below the dam.  Keith was here to watch Bobi.  When I got home a couple hours later, it was decided that we should take Bobi to the vet to see how bad he was as he put no weight on his back leg.  The vet X-rayed and it showed Bobi was shot!  The bullet entered his gut but miraculously didn't do any internal damage there.  The bullet splintered his femur (thigh) and shattered his knee.  We saw in the X-ray that there were dozens of bone fragments and bullet pieces.  The vet said that cats do better than dogs with such an injury as their bones will heal faster but the leg would not be normal and the pieces of bone and bullet could not be removed but would have to work their way out or stay in which could cause future problems.  The other option would be to completely remove the leg and healing would be faster and likely no future pain unless arthritis sets in the good leg for excess use by old age.  The vet suggested we leave Bobi overnight to see if setting the leg in a splint is tolerated; if not, then removing the leg would be best.  We went home and the next day, the vet said Bobi had a rough night fighting the splint but there was no infection so removing the leg at this time would be best unless we wanted to take him home and see if Bobi learned to tolerate the splint.  Even if Bobi did get use to the splint for 6 weeks, the likelihood that the bones/bullet pieces would likely cause more future problems and probably pain, we decided to leave him at the vet for the leg amputation.  We love Bobi and decided he was a commitment we wanted to make.  After another day, Bobi came home and got a new bed that I kept close to me.  He used a litter box.  He got better very fast!

After 10 days, the vet took out the stitches and Bobi was barely tolerating the harness and leash.  I followed him around the yard as he re-learned to balance as he used a scratching log, did his business in the mulch, drank water from the fountain, and walked up and down the steps around our terraced gardens.  It wasn't long before he was seen showing off how he can still run and even climb 4' up the trees!

Three months later now, Bobi has found new safe places in the yard and so far has not got any new scratches from Tuffy.  Keith and I make a stronger effort to chase Tuffy away whenever we see him as he still seems to be a bully and backs Bobi into tight spots although Bobi still shows aggression enough to hold his own.  I don't really think they are friends but Tuffy is much older and Bobi hasn't forgotten what he learned; Bobi may be the tougher cat now as Tuffy backs off and goes home.  No new scratches so far!

Bobi Kitty loves and appreciates his home more than ever and is a happy cat.  He even comes when I call him each evening and he stays inside at night as we are more protective and want to be available as he needs us.  After reading about the American Bobtail breed, I believe we have one of the best pets ever.  After our first year with Bobi Kitty, I'm not sure if we own Bobi Kitty or he owns us.  Either way, the first year has been a real adventure for all!

I just learned how to make a musical album and I chose to use Bobi's First Year photos.  Check it out: