Marty Koch's Outdoor Adventures

WELCOME TO MARTY'S WORLD

Thanks for dropping by!   If you scroll down this page you will be viewing my travel blog.  Every time I go out and about on a photo shooting trip I post my experiences and pictures of the area I visit.

Below is an easy Navigation List for my full site. 

Just click an link at the top of each category to go to the desired page.

   Books By Marty

    A variety of books are available for purchase at Marty's publisher's website.  New titles are being added all the time so check back often.

    Purchase Fine Art Photo Prints by Marty

Prints can be ordered framed, mounted and matted, or as a print only.  Prints are of the highest archival quality and will enhance your home or office.  Use this page to select your print size, framing options, mat board options.  The site will show you exactly what the finished product will look like.

Upcoming Classes and Appearances

   

Click on the link above to see what upcoming programs and appearances are on the schedule.

      Boat, Sport, and RV Show Programs and Service

  Marty appears nationwide as the "Paddling Gourmet" as well as presenting a variety of outdoor and travel related programs.  This page details his many offerings.

.

.

.

Programs and Services For Parks & Recreation Departments

A wide variety of outdoor programs are available on a contract basis.  Click the image on the left to see a list of programs that are offered.  Consulting services are also available.

.

FREE PADDLING GOURMET RECIPES

Click the link above for Marty's favorite camp recipes.

Some Strange Deer

This past February I took a ride up near Alton Illinois and while not much was worth photographing I did stumble on these deer.    The black outline markings on their ears and chest is very unusual.  

 

 

 

The only other things that caught my eye on that day was a few sea gulls.   While it was good to get out of the house it was not a very successful photo safari.

 

 

Down By The St. Francis

While driving the back roads near the St. Fancis River in SE Missouri I came across this most unusual round barn.

 

The dandilion seed pods were just waiting for the breeze to send them on their way.

 

 

While out driving I came across this beautiful scene of Ozark simplicity.

 

Next I headed over the the St. Francis River to watch my whitewater paddling friends shoot the rapids.

 

One last barn on the way home.

Buffalo River Country

In early may I took a weekend trip down to the Ozarks in Arkansas.   I stopped in Mountain Home and viisited a couple of very dear friends who, even though I arrived unannounced, put me up for an evening.   It was great to see Ron and Carol.

The wildflowers were in full spring bloom.

 

 

 

I headed over to the Buffalo River.  Water levels were very, very low.,   Even on the middle and lower river it was barely floatable.  An outfitter told me that the river was at late August levels.   What a difference a year makes.   Last year the river was at very high levels due to record setting rains,

 

 

Next I made a stop at the former Mining town of Rush.   There was a big copper boom here in the 1800,s.  Only a few buildings remain.

 

 

The old general store is barely hanging on.

 

At rush I saw this stunning wildflower along a creek.

 

Next I headed to Kyles Landing on the Upper Buffalo River.   There the gravel bar was alive with hundreds of butterflies.

 Up at Loat Valley I braved a tick infested hay field to photograph this old homestead,

 

At Lost Valley I dorve up the hill to the old Beachwood Church and cemetery.  The interior of the church looks like the people have just vanished.

 

 

 

The Cemetery has many old gravestones.

 

A drive up the Boxley Valley afforded this beautiful old oak barn,   So few of them are left.

 

This fine oak barn was found on the road in Boxley Valley.

 

More butterflies were on the beachs all along the Buffalo River.

 

The upper Buffalo River was as low as I have ever seen it in May.   The canoe outfitters on this stretch of river must be having a less than profitable season.

 

Down at the Ozark access this bluff was most beautiful.  Some bluffs on the Buffalo tower 500 feet and more above the water surface.

 

 

 

Otter Slough & Horseshoe Lake

Took a little ride down to Otter Slough, one of the few remaining remnants of the vast swamplands that once covered the Bootheel of Missouri.  

This is a delightful area to paddle.   It is surrounded by thousands of acres of artificial wetlands that are seasonally flooded for duck hunters.   The actual slough, however is very fine indeed.

 

The area is well suited for exploration by canoe or kayak and has many interlaced chanels ane water courses to explore.  We saw lots of Great Blue Herons, Egrets, and a variety of waterfowl.   We also observed two Cottonmouth Water Moccasins.  

In places the Tupelo's and Cypress Trees are too thick to paddle through.   An amzaing area of swampland only two hours south of St. Louis.

 

 

On the way home we crossed the Mississippi and toured what is left of Cario, IL.   What a sad state of affairs the downtown area is in.   A majority of buildings have ceased to exist and thost that are left appear to be in danger of collapsing.   North of Caio we came on this really nice old barn.

 

An isolated thunderhead was really special as we drove north.

 

 

One last stop before we headed to St. Louis.   This is Horseshoe Lake in Southern Illinois.   Quite a beautiful place with lots of Cypress Trees.

 

 

Some of my images are available on Zazzle.

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Took a little trip to Mingo National Wildlife Refuge

 

 

 

 

 

I'm getting the travel bug real bad.

Now that I am working full time again I am really getting the bug to get back on the road.   So for now I will just have to be content with things close by home.   Here are a few shot all within  miles of St. Louis.

While lost on a maze of farm roads in rural Missouri I fount this lone tree standing guard over an old hay field.

 

Last spring I was wandering aournt the Missouri Ozarks when I came across this old manure spreader.

 

 

In July a friend of mine and I went to Canada on a fishing trip.  This beautiful waterfall is just outside Atikokan, Ontario

 

 

 

 

An old barn near Hillsboro, MO.

 

 

In August I stopped by a St. Louis area conservation area and found a pair of mating butterfiles.

 

 

Some nice wild sunflowers near Montauk State Park in Missouri.

 

 

We have had one hell of a lot of severe weather since January,  These storm clouds were observed during a short hike in central Missouri.  A funnel cloud was spotted about five miles from where I was.

 

Tnis really nice red winged black bird was at the bird sanctuary near Alton, IL.

 

An egret takes flight in the Leech Refuge along the Mississippi River north of St. Louis.

 

A lonely country road in fall near Carbondale, IL.

 

Blue Springs on the Current River

Earlier in September I spent a few days in the Current River country in Missouri.  This is one of my favorite places in my home state.  It is home to the National Park Service's Ozark National Scenic Riverways.   One of the most beautiful spots on the river is Blue Springs.  While there are a number of springs named "Blue Springs", this one is by far the best.   You can access the area by three routes.   First you can paddle down the current river to the spring branch, however there is no easy landing place for your canoe or kayak.   You can hike about two miles from the Powder Mill campground or you can drive a very rough and very steep road to within a half mile of the spring.   It is an amazing place.   The spring issues forth from the base of a bluff.  The water is indeed cobalt blue due to its depth (over 200 feet) and the mineral content of the water.  Best viewing is in the mornind during the summer.

This view is looking downstream towards the Current River.

Click on the image to purchase fine art prints.

 

 

Amazing Old Home

Last March an old friend and former ranger buddy invited me down to his new place near Montauk State Park in Missouri.  It was a wonderful five days of reliving the old days on the force with him and a couple of other old dogs.

One afternoon, he and I took off on a road trip.  After many turns and twists we came on this old home.  It is ten times the size of the usual home of that era in the Ozarks.  Most homes were simple one and two room buildings.  Life in the Ozarks has always been a hardscrabble existence.  The two chimneys were built with amazingly large solid stone blocks.   While the home itself is not long for this world, I am sure the chimneys will stand for many a year.

Click on the photo for fine art prints or note cards of this image.

 

A bit closer to his farm I ran across the old oak barn below.  I love preserving this old bit of history as images.   Most of the beautiful old barns constructed of native oak planks and tin roofs have either fallen down or  been removed.  Not too many years ago I could take a days drive and shoot ten or so beautiful barns.  Recently I took three one day trips for barn photography and could not find even one,

Sorry to have been away so long.

Now that I find myself working full time again and running a couple of business ventures I am afraid I have been ignoring this blog for far too long.   I have not made any major trips so the story opportunities have been a bit sparse. 

I think it is time to post a few of my favorite photos and tell the story behind taking them.  If you are interested in fine art prints or note cards of any of these images just click on the photo.

 

This is a little shut-in along a creek in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in the Missouri Ozarks.  An old mill sits just up the hill to the right.  Klepzig Mill was a small local operation using the water from the creek to power the grindstone.   It is a bit difficult to find.  Many years ago I trying to find it while riding with one of my bosses from the park rangers.   It was spring and the gravel roads were covered in large puddles.   Driving into one of these puddles the car just sank up to the floorboards in muck. After a couple of hours of fruitless efforts to remove the car I hiked about five miles back to the paved road, flagged down a pick up whose owner graciously allowed me to ride in the back with is very odoriferous coon dogs.   Back in Eminence, MO I engaged the only tow truck in town.  He began to immediately apologize for how much it would cost.   He drove me the 25 miles back to the stuck vehicle, slithered around in the mud for a half hour to attach the cable, and pulled me out.  Back in his garage in Eminence he again apologized for the charge and told me because of the distance he would have to charge me $25.   Such is the nature of the Ozark people.  I gave him double that amount, which was still less than half of the charge up in the big city.

A Wonderful Five Days In Current River Country

An  old ranger buddy of mine recently purchased a nice home about five miles from Montauk State Park and the headwaters of the Current River.   He was gracious enough to invite myself and a couple of other park employees down for a stay.

 

Just down the road from his place is an old abandoned church in the woods.

 

This is the old mill at Montauk State Park.

 

While out on a drive to do some business with Akers Ferry Canoe Rental I came across this old truck abandoned under a large tree.

 

Down at the river we interrupted two Common Banded Water Snakes in the middle of spring passion.  They seemed irritated for some reason.

 

Down the road a bit from Jim's place was this magnificient old barn.  Most of the old oak Ozark barns have met their end.  It is harder and harder to find these beautiful structures.

 

While the rest of the group went to go golfing, Jim and I took a road trip.   We found this amazing old house.  It is much bigger than the usual and may have been a hotel or boarding house.

 

Next I took Jim over to see Rocky Falls, one of my favorite locations in the Missouri Ozarks.

 

Then we went and checked out the Kelpzig Mill and Shut-Ins.

 

Eagle Everywhere, Except Close To Me.

I made 3 trips to Alton, IL over the winter in hopes of photographing some eagles, but alas, they all stayed way far away from my lens.   I did see lots of other interesting things to photograph however.

 

The Lewis and Clark Bridge across the Mississippi makes for some fantasic geometric shapes to capture.

 

The legend of the Piassa Bird is representd by a huge painting of the mythical creature on a bluff just north of Alton, Illinois.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LEGEND OF THE PIASSA BIRD

 

In the very beautiful town of  Brussels, IL there are many historic buildings.  We always eat at the Whitman Hotel.  You would swear you are dining at the hotel from Petticoat Junction.  The only thing that is missing is Betty Jo, Bobby Jo and Uncle Joe.   The hotel has been serving the same family style dinners since before the Civil War!    Elsewhere in town I found this old general store.  

 

On another ill fated attempt to photograph eagles we ended up in Clarksville, MO.   This sleepy historic river town is just charming.

We ate at a very unique bar owned by some laid off auto workers.

 

Did I mention is was very wintery in Clarksville.   Does Amy look cold or what.

 

In three trips up to the river this is as close as I could come to the eagles.

 

I did find this neat looking tree in the middle of a farmer's field on the way home from Clarksville, MO.

 

On yet another attempt to photograph the wintering eagles I went over to Horseshoe Lake State Park nerar Granite City, IL.   Saw three eagles fly overhead, but once again they stayed out of range of my lenses.  There was a really nice formation of ice along the lakeshore.  Sometimes you have to photgraphy what you get.

 

There were also some ducks in a small opening in the ice.

 

As I headed home from this day of shooting I was treated to a fantastic sunset.

 

On my last visit to get the elusive eagles we only saw two, but I did get to see aflock of several dozen Trumpeter Swans and hundreds of show geese.  It was really cool.

 

 

The Third Degree Glass Woks

Several weeks back we had our we had our weekly happy hour at the Third Dgree Glass Factory.  On the thrid Tuesday evening of each month they have food and drink, entertainment, and lots of glass to look at.   I took a couple of shots that turned out kinda nice.

 

 

 

 

A Typical American's Income Tax Contribution Towards National Parks Is Little More Than The Cost of A Latte | National Parks Traveler

A typical American shells out more to see one movie than their annual income taxes contribute to the National Park Service, according to the "taxpayer's receipt" calculated by a non-profit think tank.

via www.nationalparkstraveler.com

The national parks seems like a pretty good bargain.

More Eagle Photos

Been out shooting locally and have had some luck with eagles.   Enjoy!  You can order prints, framed prints and notecards of these images by clicking on them.

 

 

 

 

 

Took a Little Trip to the Curent River

Last weekend I took a little trip down to the Current River to take care of some business with Aker's Ferry Canoe rental and I got a couple of photos.  Aker's Ferry is just about the oldest and among the biggest outfitters in Missouri.  I highly recommend them to anyone planning a trip on the Current or Jacks Fork rivers.

 

The Current is such a beautiful river.  This is on the upper river near Welch Spring Access

 

 

Below is the low water bridge at Cedargorve Access.

 

As I was standing at the Baptist Camp Access a creepy mist rose from the river for about ten minuets.  This is looking downstream from the landing.

 

This one is looking upstream from the landing.

On the road out of Baptist Camp I came across some nice butterflies.

Fouth of July in St. Louis - Fair St. Louis

The heat and humidity of St. Louis is really something!  I worked outdoors in this soup for thirty years and I swore I would never voluntarily spend another summer in the gateway city.  Well, financially I must be in town for a couple of years so I decided to take the opportunity to photograph the fireworks down at the arch.  Below are the results.

 

 

 

 

On my long walk back to my car I stopped at the new City Garden Park.  It has a very interesting multi-colored fountain consisting of a  couple of hundred individual water jets that change color.  Long exposures made for some interesting photographs.

 

 

 

Finnaly Got Outside: Greer Spring in the Ozarks

As I have started a new fill time job my outdoor times is increasingly limited.  This weekend I finally got away and visited my beloved Ozarks.  I headed down to photograph Greer, Turner, and Falling Springs.  My first stop was at Falling Spring Mill in the Mark Twain National Forest.

This mill is built along side of a bluff where the spring issues from a crack.  When last I visited in the early 1980's the flume from the top of the spring to the top of the overshoot wheel was still intact.  It has since rotted away.   The mill was in use until the early 1920's. 

It is now protected by the US Forest Service and a major rehab of it will begin next week.  The first time I tried to find this mill I spent two days without luck.  Everyone knew just where it was but couldn't give accurate directions or I could not successfully follow their directions.  I toured many many miles of rough forest service roads to no avail.  A couple of months later I returned and again could not easily find it.  I eventually stumbled across after I had once again given up hope and was trying to get unlost!

This is a view from behind the mill and the waterfall from the spring.  In a couple of weeks this shot will not be possible as the flume will be replaced.  The size of the mill is deceiving.  The first floor is barely six feet high and the second story is only about 5 feet high.    Inside the mill there are still several pieces of equipment.

 

Next I headed over to the Turner Mill access on the Elevenpoint River.  This is a stream I have not paddled in over 30 years.  I must get back on it.

Here you hike up a bit to a beautiful multi-outlet spring that is just beautiful.  It is a hard one to photograph, though, because you cannot get a good angle on it.

 

There once was a mill here as well as well as a church, school and post office.  The school still stands but the rest of the buildings are long gone.  All that remains of the mill is the gigantic (25 foot tall) mill overshot wheel.

As  the day was about spent we headed to the nearest town, Winona, MO.  There we stumbled on a very unique motel.  We almost missed the sign.......

 

It is your typical low end mom and pop motel but the check in really surprised us.  We were not asked for one piece of information.....no name, address, license number......nothing!  Just given the key and told to pay up at the restaurant next store.  Really Strange.

On Sunday it was a challenge to find breakfast as this is the bible belt and everything was closed.  We managed to find some passable briskets and gravy at the local supermarket deli.  Then off to our main objective of the trip....Greer Spring.  This is just about the most beautiful place I have ever been.  It is a short one mile hike into the spring.  The story of this area is interesting to say the least.  For most of the 20th century the Denning family owned the spring and 7000 acres surrounding it.  They were good stewards of the natural treasure they had.  It was protected, but they allowed visitors to go in and view it.   It was quite interesting as Mrs. Denning would give you the rules, allow you one hour to view the spring and then keep you to the hour allotted.

Snow Plowing Begins in Glacier National Park

The annual snow removal effort has begun in Glacier National Park.  This video from 2008 gives an idea of what they are up against.   I was camped at Columbia Falls, MT waiting for them to finish the job in 2008.

ORCHIDS, ORCHIDS, AND MORE ORCHIDS

On Wednesday I drove down to an outfitter on the Current River to discuss employment opportunities for the summer.  Along the way I saw this typical rural Ozark scene.

Today I went out to the Missouri Botanical Garden to photograph the annual Orchid Show.  It was a stunning display.  Here are a few of the shots I took.