Windy's Canoe Rental

Now taking reservations for the Air Bed & Breakfast for 2021. Cafe will be open soon with the Cowgirl Boutique to follow.Now taking reservations for the Air Bed & Breakfast for 2021. Cafe will be open soon with the Cowgirl Boutique to follow.

Just wanted to say thanks for a great first year to everyone that floated with us!! We officially close on the 15th but have decided with the beautiful fall weather and the colorful fall leaves that we will be open Saturday the 17th for anyone that wants a fall float If we don’t see you we’ll be looking forward to seeing you next year!!

A post by Jeff Brown about starting early to avoid dangerous obstacles in Ozark streams prompted me to post this here. His video was excellent advice. Having ...floated streams across the country for more than 55 years, floated in just about every kind of paddlecraft in existence, floated rivers up to Class 5 in rafts, solo rafts, solo inflatable kayaks, and driftboats, and spent tens of thousands of hours floating Ozark streams (mainly in solo and tandem canoes), I know the importance of always looking and planning ahead, giving yourself a plan to avoid obstacles and time to execute that plan. As I said in his post, I've flipped a canoe a few times on Ozark streams, and inevitably it was because I was complacent and thought it would be no problem, and waited far too long to make the move I needed to make. But sometimes you just don't have much time or room to maneuver. THE most dangerous obstacle in any Ozark stream is the sweeper or strainer tree on a sharp bend in fast water. And these sweepers happen in those spots regularly because the current is always fastest on the outside of the bend, eroding the bank on that side and undermining the trees so that they lean or fall into the river. They are the most dangerous because the current goes THROUGH them or under them, sucking you into them and pulling you under. They are to be avoided at all costs, and the best way to avoid them is to walk the boat around them, but as Jeff pointed out, if you scouted every riffle you'd never get down the river, yet sometimes you won't see the danger until you don't have much time to get out and walk. So look at the diagram I drew below. It shows you the BEST way to get past a strainer tree in fast water. It's called ferrying, and it is counter-intuitive to many, but it has several benefits compared to the usual way that paddlers try to avoid strainers. The usual way, I've labeled "incorrect" on the diagram though it is just fine in situations where you see the problem in plenty of time and have plenty of room to avoid it. In the diagram, you're coming down the river into a sharp bend to the right, fast water, with a tree down on the left that the strongest current is flowing into. As is usual, the current is slower (there might even be a back eddy where the current if flowing in reverse) on the inside. So you see the tree, and realize you have to get around it by paddling to the right. You angle your boat so that the front end is pointing to the right and paddle like heck. That's number 1 in the diagram (the little arrow is your paddle stroke--you are forward paddling on the left side to turn the boat toward the right). But...in many situations this just gets you into trouble a lot faster! Look at how the current in the incorrect diagram is hitting the angled canoe on its right side, PUSHING IT TOWARD THE LEFT, exactly the direction you don't want to go--number 2. You're paddling hard, but the current is working against you, and the current is nearly always stronger than you are--number 3. But...even if you have the time and the strength to avoid the tree, look what happens. Your front end slips into the slower current or back eddy on the right, while the rear end is still in faster current. The current spins you around and you end up in the eddy backwards--number 4. It's a whole lot better than crashing into the tree sideways, but it's work to get turned around again and out of the eddy. Now look at the way I've labeled "correct". You see the tree on the left as you are coming into the fast water. But this time, you ANGLE THE FRONT END OF THE BOAT TOWARD THE OBSTACLE--number 1. And you BACKPADDLE, while maintaining the angle of the boat. Look at how the current is hitting your boat...it's pushing against the LEFT side of the boat, pushing it toward the right and AWAY from the tree--number 2. You keep backpaddling while maintaining the angle of the canoe or kayak, keeping the front end pointed toward the obstacle and backpaddling away from it--number 3. And as soon as your front end clears the obstacle, THEN you forward paddle to straighten the canoe out--number 4. Note that even at this point, the current is helping you, because the FRONT end of the canoe is in faster water, and the canoe wants to naturally straighten out! You not only avoid the obstacle but you look good doing it and don't have to work as hard. Another place where this works so well, though not nearly as common on Ozark streams, is a rock garden run through fast water with boulders scattered throughout it. You come to a place where your only choice is to go between two boulders, but downstream and not very far is another boulder in your path. You don't have much time to avoid the downstream boulder. Try to forward paddle to avoid it and you're likely to crash into it sideways. But backpaddle while SLIGHTLY angling the boat to whichever side you think gives you more room, again keeping the front end of the boat pointing TOWARD the boulder, and the current naturally pushes the boat sideways and you avoid the boulder. Because this can seem crazy to point the boat toward the thing you don't want to hit, you should practice it in wide open places that aren't too fast, to get used to doing it and to see how the boat reacts to your angles. Get some confidence you can use it effectively before trying it in a dangerous place! But it's my most often-used technique in fast water with obstacles.

Great help this morning!!

Starting Friday September 4th, all in store merchandise 25% off!!

We're selling all of our black rubber tubes!!! $15 per tube and you can float or relax on the river anytime you want! Send a message, stop by, or give us a call 573) 226-3404

Here we go again the guys are going to get the big head

Due to a cancellation this evening we now have 3 rafts and 8 kayaks available for tomorrow (Saturday)!!Due to a cancellation this evening we now have 3 rafts and 8 kayaks available for tomorrow (Saturday)!!

UPDATE: BOTH OWNERS OF THE PHONES HAVE BEEN. I STILL HAVE THE KEY FOB IF ANYONE KNOWS WHO'S IT IS! HELP ME FIND THE OWNERS!! Found 2 Iphone 11s on the Jacks Fo...rk. One was found approximately 1 mile down from Alley Springs in a dry bag. The other phone was found approximately 3 miles down from Alley Springs in ziplock bag. Here is the picture of the screens of both but they are locked and no contact information on the screen. I also found a key fob that someone might be looking for. If you think any of these items might be yours please contact me. Also please share to any other pages that might help in this search! See more

Love to get these type of messages about our great staff!!

They change the weather like I change my mind NO RAIN TODAY FOLKS!! Come see us

Post your pictures if you had a great weekend on the river!!!

We have made the decision to go ahead and open for the 2020 season beginning Saturday, June 6th! We are not 100% ready so until further notice we will only... be selling ice cream and dessert type items that are available as well as drinks. Our kitchen is still in the works but not there yet. A few things to know so PLEASE READ: We will be running a skeleton crew on our first day back. PLEASE BE PATIENT AND KIND. (what are we thinking?!) It always takes some time to get back into the swing of things. We have not had a chance to do a major test run on everything so if something isn’t right just kindly ket us know. PARKING IS NO LONGER IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING!!! We now have a pull through gravel parking lot on the south side of the building. Please enter our lot from 19 highway. When you are ready to go please exit onto the back street behind the Shack. We are working to get parking markers but they are backordered. Durring this crazy time we will have limited seating to try and comply with the 6’ social distancing. As things change we will be adding more tables. Also we have to ask that, at least for now, please do not move the tables. They are placed to comply with the 6’ spacing. PLEASE RESPECT THE SPACE OF OTHERS WHILE IN LINE!!! We do not have our menu boards in at this time but we have most everything we’ve always had in the past. We will make it work somehow until our boards come in. Just be patient!! Remember we are a TOBACCO AND ALCOHOL FREE BUSINESS!!! We do not allow ANY open alcohol containers. If we see it you will be asked to throw it away. If you refuse to comply we will get authorities involved. We also ask that you please not smoke while visiting the Shack. We realize that its outside but you will be fine for the short bit of time that you are here. If we see you smoking we will also ask you to put it out. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!! DO NOT FEED THE DOGS!!!!! DO NOT FEED THE DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT FEED THE DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With all that said, we are ready to see you all again!! We hope that you love the new Shack but can still feel the good times from the old one. As we stated in the past, its not the building that makes the memories! One thing that is missing but is coming soon is the painted Dairy Shack on the back concrete wall. Weather has not been our friend to get this done but it IS coming back!! This journey has been long and difficult and not without tears and frustration!! It’s still not over, but when we come to work every day and see each of our handprints in that concrete... we wouldn’t change a thing!!!