River Rats

This past weekend we headed out for SE Missouri for a family adventure. The five of us, Bret (my bro) & Angie and their four boys (plus one friend of Austins) and my parents embarked on this trek. The fourteen of us all stayed in a 5 bedroom cabin in the middle of nowhere! It was just what we needed. We even had a big front lawn for a 7 on 7 game of kickball Sat. eve. after dinner. We left bright and early Sat. morning for Jack's Fork River for a day of canoeing. We rented 6 canoes between our 14 people and traveled 8 miles down the river. Maggie and Reagan (5 yrs) were freeloaders hanging our in the middle spots, eating all the snacks and give instructions on what we should do next! We all had a blast! The weather was perfect for our activities. It was sunny and 90 degrees. The water was crystal clear and cool ~ perfect! Everybody's favorite activity for the weekend was cliff jumping (no diving allowed). Allie and her cousin Ethan were jumping buddies! The big rock at the bottom is not as close as it appears. It was totally safe! Maggie could not get enough of the cliff jumping experience. She'd fly off yelling, "bombs away" over and over again! Stand back ! Mason and Austin's friend Tyler jumping off the cliffs. We spent the day, yesterday, at Westover Farms in Steelville, MO. They raise trout (rainbow and brown). The owners have purchased this prime property (over 500 acres) filled with streams, trails and ponds. They have built a conference center and are in the process of building 5 or 6 large cabins that will be availible for rent. They are an Orvis Outfitter, providing fly fishing and trap shoots for their customers. This place is a family dream! We will be back to spend some time, once the cabins are complete. The kids were each able to catch some fish. We had them cleaned and bagged and will have a fish fry in the near future. The property was gorgeous! It reminded me of a mini-Colorado, with all the rocky streams and wildflowers. The cool waters were refreshing on this 90 plus degree day! Next time we have to bring Tilly (our dog). She'd love this place too!