Upcoming in Kansas City, Mo.
“River Angels” – presentation and book signing
Presentation by author and adventurer Rod Wellington
Get ready to get inspired! Canadian Rod Wellington, who in 2013 paddled the Missouri/Mississippi Rivers from Source to Sea, will return to Kansas City to share his newly self-published book “River Angels”, a behind the scenes look at the people that make modern adventure possible.

Presentation by Rod Wellington, Author, Adventurer & Smiler
Tuesday, August 23, 7:00 p.m.
Where – Westport Coffeehouse Theater – 4010 Pennsylvania Ave. Kansas City, MO
6 p.m. – Social Hour
7 p.m. – Presentation. Presentation will be filmed – After 7 PM, Please enter through Green Room Burgers
PLUS – This presentation audio will be streaming live on KCDV.tv!
(See past videos here)
Presentation is FREE and open to the public!
In 2013, Rod Wellington paddled his way past Kansas City as the first North American to travel “Source to Sea” from Brower Spring near the Montana Continental Divide to the Gulf of Mexico. Inspired by that trip and others, he has self-published a book called “River Angels”. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the simultaneous organization of three separate self-propelled expeditions and the dynamic individuals who took part in those expeditions.
The book also introduces the world to a burgeoning network of altruistic “river angels”-riverside citizens who not only assist long-distance paddlers, but also help preserve and promote the rivers they love.
As owner of his own publishing company (Crow Books), Rod will also discuss the pros and cons of self-publishing. A Q&A will follow.
Rod Wellington spent eight unfulfilling years frowning his way through a landscaping job he despised. In 2011, he parked his lawnmower for the last time and enthusiastically began pursuing his true passion: adventure. Now he smiles every day.
On April 2, 2013, Rod became the first Canadian (and first North American) to kayak the Missouri-Mississippi river system from source to sea, a distance of 3800 miles/6100km. The solo journey took 256 days to complete. Rod’s triumphant arrival at the Gulf of Mexico marked the completion of Stage One of his Magnificent Seven Expedition, a personal quest to descend the longest river system on each continent from source to sea using only human-powered transportation (on foot, kayak and raft). He estimates it will take 15 years to complete the project. Rod plans to write a book about each of the seven journeys.
Rod will also be doing presentations in St. Charles, Parkville and Rocheport!!!
Directions
Westport CoffeeHouse – 4010 Pennsylvania Kansas City, Mo – www.westportcoffeehouse.com
The Westport CoffeeHouse is in the Westport entertainment area, midtown KC, south of downtown and north of the Plaza. The main intersection is Westport Rd and Broadway. From this intersection, go west on Westport Rd one block to Pennsylvania. Turn north (right).
OR you can get there from the intersection of Southwest Trafficway and Westport Rd. Go east on Westport Rd to Pennsylvania. Turn north (left).
Westport Coffee House is approximately one block down on the west side of Pennsylvania. Parking can be had either south of the coffee house in the large parking lot or just north of the coffee house alongside the building. Enter through Green Room Burgers or Westport CoffeeHouse.
Resources and Links
More info on Rod Wellington!
- Rod’s Website, with links to purchase books, his blog, speaking engagements, media and a ton more!
- Crow Books – Rod’s publishing house, where you can purchase “River Angels” and his previous book “Part Time Superheroes – Full Time Friends”.
- Video of Rod’s TedX Talk about his river journeys – “Say Yes More”.
- Check out the blog archive from his Missouri/Mississippi River Expedition.
- Interview with Rod on Explorersweb.
The Big Muddy Speakers Series in Kansas City
is hosted by these wonderful partners!
- Little Blue River Watershed Coalition
- Friends of Lakeside Nature Center
- Missouri River Relief
- Healthy Rivers Partnership
- Kansas City Digital Video
Thanks to all of our venue hosts for making this possible! Click here for a list of upcoming presentations» The Big Muddy Speaker Series is also held monthly in Rocheport and St. Charles.
Recordings of Presentations
Kansas City Digital Video has been recording Big Muddy Speaker Series presentations. These are available on their website at this link. Some contain synchronized powerpoint presentations. We will be posting these to the archived presentation pages on bigmuddyspeakers.org. Thanks Micheal Morgan and crew for putting this important archive online!