Canton Camera Club Kayaks the Salt River

Canton Camera Club Kayaks the Salt River

Five members of the Canton Camera Club recently took to their kayaks, hoping to capture some fall colors along the Salt River.  Though the lack of rain slowed their progress and muted the colors somewhat, they still enjoyed a fun-filled outing.

Members enjoying the trip included Club President Bob Benton, Jamie Bowles, Joe Coelho, and Jim & Marcia Lewellen.  Jim grew up in the area, knew its history and lore, and that made the trip special as he regaled the group with stories of a plane crash, water skiing in corn fields during floods and Indian paintings on the cliffs.  They put their kayaks in the stream at the Spillway Recreation Area, just below the Clarence Cannon Dam which forms Mark Twain Reservoir.  The flow on the Salt depends on how much water the Army Corps of Engineers is letting out of the dam.  This day the flow was low, which would make for almost no current.   The lack of current resulted in halving the speed of travel as compared to two months ago when the water was up considerably.  The upside was that exposed banks and gravel bars provided a break for legs, backs and rear ends.  It was a sunny, cool day, but the wind was against them almost all the time.  

Fishermen in bass boats were patrolling the shores, as it appeared a bass tournament was underway.  Fishing was poor, as none of the bass fisherman were seen to catch any.  Coelho tried his hand at fishing and caught only a small white bass.

Birds seen included Bald eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Great Blue Heron, Common Coot, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, several Pileated Woodpeckers, and many migrating Turkey Vultures. 

Jim knew that some Indian pictographs were located up on the bluffs, but the stream had changed over the years, making it difficult to determine the exact spot where the paintings were located.  He stopped at the site where he believed them to be.  Coelho made the steep hike up and along the cliffs, but found no obvious paintings.  

The stream was very scenic, having very few signs of human use. Otherwise, it was heavily tree-covered, and beautiful.  There are a few cabins on the banks and bluffs.  The fall colors were not the most vibrant, perhaps because of the dry fall.  However, plenty of scenic photos were taken and the group had an excellent time.  They completed the 7 mile stretch in 5 hours, and enjoyed a hearty dinner at the Rustic Oak afterward.  Information about the club can be found at CantonCameraClub.info.