2001 Race - May 20, 2001, Sunday
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 to Safety Officer between 5 and 7 AM
Updates/Comments Received from Elizabeth Tynan, Safety Officer, 5-7AM calls
Team Alaska: Kerm called from camp at an exotic location this morning: the Loud Thunder Forest Preserve, river mile 457, near Lock and Dam 16 at Muscatine, IA. Just dreaming out that name must have been enough to crank up the crew at dawn without complaints, for they all awakened early. (I guess Kerm will have to experiment with the "gong" some other day.) Kerm said they haven't seen any rain yet, but I warned him, as I did all the teams, that severe thunderstorms are due to move in to that entire area later today. I also gave him the number of some friends who live in Burlington, IA, who would like to meet the team when they arrive there sometime around 4:00 p.m. Team Double Helix: Andrew M. Gribble is slipping. :) He slept in this morning until 6:00 his time, then called to say that they were at river mile 81.5, near Wittenburg, MO, expecting Clark and Kurt to arrive there at any moment. A Clark-and-Kurt sighting is nice, but not the real attraction at that lovely location this morning. It's the fantastic feast that's waiting! It seems that the support crew--sans Edith, who is in seclusion getting some sorely needed sleep at an undisclosed spot farther upriver--arrived at the landing around 1:00 a.m. and attracted the attention of two local residents, Jeff and Debbie. Upon investigating the source of the lights they had seen and being told of the noble adventure our race participants had embarked upon, they went back home and returned with bountiful gifts: According to Andrew, two large slabs of ham, a large link of homemade sausage, ground beef, two loaves of bread, a slab of bacon (these are large, Midwestern-size SLABS, folks, not slices), and two bags of chips. I have to admit, my eyes teared a little, and the famous line from "Field of Dreams" came to mind: "Build it, and they will come." Our race is the Rett equivalent of that baseball diamond in an Iowa cornfield, an event built with faith and hard work that personifies the hopes and dreams of all who fervently wish to see Rett Syndrome wiped out. And yes, "they have come,"--those who will help in ways large and small to help achieve our goal. As I hung up, I wondered if Andrew realized the magnitude of what he had witnessed: not just the generosity of warmhearted Midwesterners, but a larger truth of which they were a living example: that if we try hard enough to accomplish something good and have faith, a swell of support will come. Team Kruger: John checked in at 7:30 to report that Verlen and Bob were currently at river mile 80, and that they and Team Double Helix were together--for the moment. :) Yesterday's trip was calm and uneventful after they left the Arch in St. Louis; even the "chain of rocks" that normally pose quite a challenge to paddlers were barely discernible beneath the high water. John said they were all a little tired, but in great spirits and doing well. END OF SAFETY REPORT Webmaster's Note : Team Double Helix and Team Kruger left together this morning.
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