Crossing the Mississippi from Illinois to Missouri: St Louis
Tina Mike Murray & Trish
Trout Fisherman Mike & Murray 
Flick that Line
Cleaning the Catch After we said our goodbyes to Andrea and the girls, and Randy rang from Iraq in time to say goodbye, we crossed the Mississippi and parked in Mike (ex-US Army) & Tina’s driveway in St Louis, Missouri. That afternoon we headed to Mike’s dad’s place to celebrate his dad’s birthday and got treated to a delicious BBQ. A cold front had moved down from Canada and so we had a hot, humid day one day, and the next we were wearing winter clothes! We had a photo taken of Mike, Tina, Murray & I to send to friends Mike & I had worked with together back in Australia, but when I saw the photo I was shocked to see how tired Murray & I looked compared to the refreshed look of Mike & Tina – we were the retired ones! Then I remembered our 2am debacle with the fridge the night before, followed too soon by the 6am wake up call from Hurricane Ike!
Next day Tina went off to work, but Mike was very keen to show Murray his favourite trout fishing spot at Montauk State Park, about a three hour drive from their home and SW of St Louis. Mike drove his car and we followed in the RV as we would continue from here to Kansas City. We had got a late start from St Louis, so by the time we reached Montauk SP and got a site backed right onto the Current River (within the Ozark National Scenic Riverways), the chaps only had about an hour to fish but caught no keepers. Mike lit a great campfire while Murray cooked some fish he had caught previously, and we sat out under the stars and the full moon as we ate dinner and sipped on an Aussie red wine. Some of the local animals decided to check if we had left any food scraps, and Murray and I were thrilled to see our first ever skunk and armadillo alive in the wild, not even 30 feet away from us. Both animals seemed large for their species and looked very healthy, so this area must be very kind to them. The skunk had a huge bushy tail which we hadn’t expected but we didn’t get up to get a closer look just in case it sprayed us! The armadillo seemed a lot bigger than those we had seen squished on the roadside in Texas & Missouri. They never used to be this far north when Mike was a lad, so they have extended their territory. We also heard an owl hooting. Mike bought a sleeping bag and slept on our divan which pulls out to a mini-double bed and re-charged his batteries ready to take Murray fishing again at 7am yesterday. The plan was to return at 9am and head to the nearby lodge for a big breakfast. 10am came and there was still no sign of them…
Next day Tina went off to work, but Mike was very keen to show Murray his favourite trout fishing spot at Montauk State Park, about a three hour drive from their home and SW of St Louis. Mike drove his car and we followed in the RV as we would continue from here to Kansas City. We had got a late start from St Louis, so by the time we reached Montauk SP and got a site backed right onto the Current River (within the Ozark National Scenic Riverways), the chaps only had about an hour to fish but caught no keepers. Mike lit a great campfire while Murray cooked some fish he had caught previously, and we sat out under the stars and the full moon as we ate dinner and sipped on an Aussie red wine. Some of the local animals decided to check if we had left any food scraps, and Murray and I were thrilled to see our first ever skunk and armadillo alive in the wild, not even 30 feet away from us. Both animals seemed large for their species and looked very healthy, so this area must be very kind to them. The skunk had a huge bushy tail which we hadn’t expected but we didn’t get up to get a closer look just in case it sprayed us! The armadillo seemed a lot bigger than those we had seen squished on the roadside in Texas & Missouri. They never used to be this far north when Mike was a lad, so they have extended their territory. We also heard an owl hooting. Mike bought a sleeping bag and slept on our divan which pulls out to a mini-double bed and re-charged his batteries ready to take Murray fishing again at 7am yesterday. The plan was to return at 9am and head to the nearby lodge for a big breakfast. 10am came and there was still no sign of them…
I’m happy to report both guys caught some lovely trout before returning to the RV to pick me up for brunch at 10.30am. We had a big breakfast at the lodge before returning to the RV after which they waded into the river behind us to have another fish before Mike had to head back to St Louis. I baked some blueberry muffins for afternoon tea. Murray & I decided to stay one more night here in the woods without phone, internet or TV, but such a lovely spot. Dinner last night was fresh trout, butterflied a la Mike! Thanks for a great experience.
Dear Sha, how did you cope without phone or internet?? Looks liek a great spot, very pretty and I loved the trout fishing photos. Commiserations to Murray for his beloved St KIlda, a disapointing end to a fair season. At least you have beautiful surroundings and good friends to ease the pain! Hope you are both well, looking forward to seeing you home in Australia again soon.
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