You can get some down by the river, but be sure you boil it and soak it good before you put it in your tank. It won't be as clean as that you find in the LFS. It could contain disease and will probably release quite a bit of tannin that will make your water look a lot like a really big glass of tea. So, pretreatment for disinfection is a necessity.
I also heard that someone else found some down by a lake.
You do have to check the type of wood as somne will just rot in your tank.