In the May 2008 issue of

River Hills Traveler

Sad stories abound from witnesses and victims of this year's flooding,w ith houses, businesses and farms along the St. Francis and Black River among the worst hit. Writer Tim Huffman reports that Wappapello and Clearwater Lakes are going to stay high for awhile. Bright spot, fishing usually gets better after a flood due to reduced fishing pressure and the flow of nutrients into the lakes.

Missouri native Reed Detring has been appointed new superintendent of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Detring, current superintendent of Big South Fork National Riv and Recreation Area, Oneida, TN, will assume duties in Van Buren June 22.

The First Annual Sheepeater's Greater Ozark Mountain Squirrel Hunt (and Luau), sponsored by the United Bowhunters of Missouri turned out to be more about food and fellowship than plinking bushytails, Jody Cozean Styron reports.

It's a great feeling to believe you may have had a positive influence on someone. You can easily get that feeling by taking a young person fishing, writes Howard Helgenberg, who accompanied his article with photos of youthful anglers from past Kids Fishing Days.

Floodwaters create a kind of unofficial season for catching rough fish such carp and buffalo by almost any means, writes Bob Todd in his Seasons column. Snagging and grabbing for non-game fish is in season until May 15. Bass season opens May 24. It's open season for coyotes and groundhogs beginning May 24, with a bag limit of six. In a separate article, Bob details a high-water, white bass fishing trip on the St. Francis and draws some parallels between white bass and armadillos, both non-native but now common species in the Ozarks.

In a few minutes, at a cost of pennines, you can create a beautiful, long-lasting bluebird house from a cedar log that will last for decades, write Jim and Donna Featherston.

Floating an Ozark stream and camping along the way is is the ultimate Ozark outdoor experience, writes Bill Cooper. He advises making the same float in a two-day camp trip that you would normally cover in a one-day float. That's so you can relax, enjoy the food and the scenery.

Rome wasn't built in a day, but a group of Boy Scouts and adult volunteers built a section of trail in one Saturday at Johnson Shut-Ins State Park. Rudy Rudroff supplies photos and details of the Scouts' "One Day of Service" project.

A father-daughter campout requires careful planning, reveals Charlie Slovensky. His 14-year-old, Shannon, insists on niceities like chips, salsa and toilet paper. Charlie says when it comes to camping and fishing, he'll take one teenage daughter over three preteen sons, any weekend of the year.

A 1,000-ft. wide meteor is believed to have slammed into what is now Crawford County more than 300 million years ago. Geologists cite rock layers brought up from 1,000 feet below the surface as evidence, according to Jo Schaper's Rock Talk. The crater is named Crooked Creek, for the local swimming hole nearby.

Community effort has kept the Markham Springs Campground open in the Mark Twain National Forest, west of Williamsville, Traveler editor Emery Styron reports. The campground is a beauty spot and attracting visitors once again.

Pike Run folks had their own special ways in the pioneer days. One of the oddest stories told was that old John Thomas Shannon had married his own mother back in the hills. Bob Lewis explains that it was actually John's stepmother, who was about his own age. It seems John's father, Valentine Shannon, had taken a teenage bride after John's mother died. Living with a teenage girl was apparently more than old Valentine could handle, but it is said he died happy. Pike Run is a stream about five miles north of Bonne Terre.

Indian women had the job of making and erecting tipis, writes Kathleen Brotherton. If you think camping is a lot of work nowadays, read her article and be thankful for modern fabric and lightweight frameworks that practically set up themselves.

There's a new cookbook out, Patterson Community Center Favorite Recipes, that full of good recipes. Members of the center came up with a great marketing plan. They cooked up a bunch of the dishes in the cookbook then held a Taster's Choice night at the Community Center. You pay $4 and fill up on samples. Pat Todd shares the strawberry pie and lasagna recipes from the book in her Iron Kettle column.

The May issue also includes travel maps for the Upper and Lower Current, Jacks Fork and Meramec and Black Rivers, Clearwater and Wappapello Lakes and the Parkland and Traveler regions.

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