Kansas City artist makes it home after paddling all 2,341 miles of the Missouri River

Steve Snell encountered rough weather, angry cows, swarms of mosquitoes and hard paddling. The paintings and videos that he made along the way tell the story of his adventures on the Mighty Mo.
Artist Steve Snell spent this summer paddling the Missouri River, the longest in the United States. Beginning in June, he took 88 days to paddle 2,341 miles — from the headwaters in Three Forks, Montana, to Saint Louis, Missouri, where it merges with the Mississippi River.

Along the river’s gravel bars and lakes, Snell encountered rough weather, angry cows, swarms of mosquitoes and hard paddling. As he traveled, Snell created paintings and videos that tell the story of his adventures on the Mighty Mo.

"I met so many people and I made more friends, I think, over this last summer than I probably have over the last five years, which really surprised me, being alone as much as I was," Snell says.