Luke,
I run that part of the river pretty much every weekend except a few that I am on the Gasconade. All I can tell you is, the water is getting REALLY skinny in those parts. I would strongly advise you NOT to run down river from the Sandford put in. That first riffle labeled "Juergens Riffle" has totalled more boats than most any other part of the river. Unless you are with someone who knows that riffle, it can get you BAD. I would hate for you to have an issue, especially with wife and kids in the boat. If you run up from the Sandford access, it is pretty smooth sailing...but still low. The first riffle you come to below Meramec Caverns is no big deal at all...plenty of water. The problem is right infront of the gravel bar as you come up on Meramec Caverns. That entire stretch until you get above the Caverns is very shallow. If you have much weight at all, you will want to make sure and stay on plane here. The tricky part is sometimes it is choked full of people standing in the water who WON'T move. I give them a blast of the horn and if they don't move I just run through the middle of them. On top of watching for all this, make sure to stay on the right side of the river in that section, as you will see a wall of rocks that juts out from the left side when you run past (remember this on the way down also). Once you get through there...it is pretty smooth sailing. Not sure how far up you want to run...but if you go about a mile or so there will be another tricky riffle called "Canes Bottom". This is a great area to hang out with kids, usually a bunch of locals and right above that riffle there is a nice deep hole that you can fish and watch crazy people jump off bluffs! Another word of caution is the riffle just above this deep hole & cliffs. It is a blind riffle where you can't see the top, and once you commit you really don't want to shut down in it. The later in the day it gets, the more floaters you will have and if you get in that riffle and there are floaters at the top you are screwed...this generally means bouncing the boat off some rocks on the bottom. If you get above that riffle, make sure you keep on the right side of the river as you run up...you will notice HUGE truck size boulders on the left bank of the river/cliff bluffs as you run up. Don't hit one of these, or you won't be taking the boat home with you. If you have any more questions let me know. Don't mean to scare you will all that, it is a really nice and fun part of the river, but with it being as low as it is, if you don't know what you are doing or have some guidence...bad things can happen. Later in the day you will also have to contend and fight with floaters...if you see a group of 50 coming around the bend...you best stay in front of them or it will be way late by the time you get back to camp. Unfortunately I am going to be out of the Country that weekend, or I would offer to be your tour guide!
