2001 Race - May 19, 2001, Saturday
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!
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Teams called in for Safety Check between 5 and 7 AM
Updates/Comments Received from Elizabeth Tynan, Safety Officer, 5-7AM calls
You can even feel the South seeping into their voices now, as the two teams in the lead prepare to leave the Upper Mississippi behind. Team Alaska: Kerm and his crew hadn't had any pie either, but Bud is cooking up delicious "surprises" for supper. One of the hundred-member-crew, Eric, a former Rebel now fighting for the Alaskans, said one of his favorites is a main dish Bud makes with wild rice and sausage. My mouth waters just thinking about it. .. Kerm was bright and cheery this morning too, when he reported at 6:50 a.m. that they were just preparing to leave from river mile 523, near Lock and Dam 13. He said it's a little hard to rouse the troops in the morning, but decided he'd get them going with a "gong" from now on. I'd be a little groggy too after paddling hard all day, then feasting on Bud's wild rice and sausage at night. When I asked about adventures on the river, Kerm said that Tony--our biologist birdwatcher--has now duly documented over 100 species along the river. Seems some of them are a bit querrelous, two blackbirds having been witnessed "fighting to the death," with the victor sending his victim over the falls at a dam. Surely the stakes couldn't have been worth such violence--unless it was sausage they scavenged from Bud's stew. "Grackle murder," according to Kerm. Team Double Helix: Having been awakened by a booming loudspeaker system blasting "Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits" at 4:30 a.m. in the workhouse at Lock and Dam 25, river mile 240, where they were kindly allowed to spend the night, small wonder that Andrew M. Gribble was so chipper when he called me at 5:00. I, on the other hand, was grasping about half-awake in the near-dark of 6:00, Florida Saturday--made-for-sleeping-at-least-till-7:00-morning time. Had there been some mistake? Had one of my children been in an accident during the night? Another sheriff's raid? Slowly the fog lifted, along with the light outside, enough to remember Andrew saying everyone was doing great, and that Clark and Kurt took off around 5:00 a.m from "Chateau 25," a segment in that most unique chain of Mississippi Riverfront Bed-and-Blasting Music Inns they have grown to love. Whatever happened to the "Breakfast" part of B&B's? That used to be the best part, but Andrew said not even Mississippi Mud pie was on the menu. I'll try not to wax so nostalgic. Team Kruger: At 7:45 AM, Stan reported that his team is still traveling with Team Double Helix, the paddlers having decided to stay together until after their "press conference" under the Arch at St. Louis. (They too left from "Chateau 25" this morning at 5:00, river mile 240.) Stan said he has contacted as many of the media as he possibly can, and that he expects at least three TV stations to meet them there. At the same time, some land crew switches will take place, before they take off to navigate the "chain of rocks" on the river just below. END OF SAFETY REPORT
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