2001 Race - May 17, 2001, Thursday
The Great Mississippi River Race for Rett Syndrome, May 2001
We are Going the Extra Mile..... The Extra 2,348 Miles to Find a Cure!
The Great Mississippi River Race for Rett Syndrome, May 2001
We are Going the Extra Mile..... The Extra 2,348 Miles to Find a Cure!
Teams called in to Safety Officer between 5 and 7 AM
Team Kruger and Team Double Helix are paddling together on closed sections of the Mississippi River per a decision from the Coast Guard.
Updates/Comments Received from Elizabeth Tynan, Safety Officer, 5-7AM calls:
I'm afraid our two teams on the cutting edge of this race will be deluged with a combination of thunderstorms, wind, and lightening as another strong storm front moves across the lower half of Iowa today. Team Alaska: In stark contrast, Kerm and his crew were preparing to paddle in "beautiful weather" this morning, starting out from lock and dam 7--river mile 637--about 15 miles above Prairie du Chien, WI. He said they "moteled it" last night in Prairie du Chien "for only about the second time on this trip." I asked him if the hot shower felt good, and he replied that they've had hot showers all along, anywhere, because they have a special "truck-tailgate version" rigged up "piggy-back style" on his pickup. Seems this special shower hails one with heated, pressurized water and even comes with a shower curtain on a ring! At last, the great unsolved mystery--why paddlers have been clamoring from all sides to join the Alaska Team--is a mystery no longer. And now you know. . . the REST of the story. :) Team Double Helix: Andrew called at 5:00 from Nauvoo, IL (river mile 377), to report that Clark and Kurt were at approximately river mile 403, hopefully "holed up somewhere" because of the heavy rain and lightening already over the region. I am confident they took the proper steps to protect themselves from the lightening. Team Kruger: John reported that at 6:38, his team was at approximately river mile 403, the same as Team Double Helix, because they are not yet out of the closed section of the river where our teams must travel together per the instructions from Coast Guard Commander Ramirez, who granted us special permission to paddle the river. Their phone cut out soon after John called, and he tried two more times to reconnect, but the storm evidently was playing practical jokes with the satellite. END of Safety Report
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