I woke up at the Tiki Bar campsite and began packing up. Just as I was set to push off, my phone rang.

My cousin Lara and her husband John, who live in St. Louis, were on the line. We had been trying to connect for a few days but with poor cell reception and low phone battery, a few texts were all that was exchanged. Unfortunately, the pair were out of town for the weekend, however, John had planned on setting me up with his business partner, Mike, who owned a duck club on the banks of the Mississippi.

As John described the location of the club I realized that the Tiki Bar campsite I had stayed at was less than a half mile away, just across the river and separated by Cuivre Island. With the location of Richfield now dialed in I paddled 15 minutes past Cuivre Island, then turned upstream for another 20 minutes.

As I pulled up to the concrete steps I was greeted by Dennis, the grounds keeper. Following some small talk and tying up the boat I hopped in the gator and the two of us drove up towards the house. Dennis showed me around the place, helped me put in a load of laundry and even put a frozen pizza in the oven. The house was gorgeous, filled with all kinds of mounted game, including numerous duck species, pheasant, and a lions hide. Black and white photos of old time hunts along with artwork depicting hunting dogs and hunting scenes lined the hallways. I noticed that several photos included President Eisenhower, noted in the photos as General Eisenhower (not sure if there was a connection to the Club or if the photos just looked good on the wall).

After settling in, the owner of the Club, Mike arrived. Wanting to see my canoe and gear, Mike, Dennis and I hopped in the gator and cruised back to the water. After a photo of the two of us and the boat, we took a cruise around the property, inspecting the fields and blinds that were being prepared for the duck opener in a few weeks time.

After looking at fields and hearing Dennis explain his rational and plans for each field and blind we headed to the trap course. Mike and I shot clays as fast as you could load as Dennis fired off the machines. Following a few boxes of rounds we worked back to the house.

Mike had guests at his home in St. Louis that he needed to get back to, however, he offered to let me stay at the Club for the evening; an extremely gracious gesture. Dennis provided chicken breast and a sweet potato for me to grill. With a cold one, a delicious dinner and the house all to myself I kicked up my feet and took in game 6 of the ALCS (Justin Verlander is a beast).

A great day off the river at a spectacular location. Unfortunate that I missed Lara and John, but thankful for them connecting me to the Club.

St. Louis soon.