Day 16, Sunday, May 20, 2001
Safety Summary, All Teams

Safety Report, 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 discernable beneath the high water. John said they were all a little tired, but in great spirits and doing well.

Safety Report Received from Teams, 5-7 PM:

Updates/Comments Received, 5 to 7 PM Calls:
From Don Keller, official time keeper

Team Locations Sunday May 20 PM

Team Alaska 5:42 River Miles 389 - Fort Madison
Kerm called to say that they have only 802,800 paddles strokes till the Gulf. They had hoped for a 110 mile day, but storms and Lock and Dam #19 held them up. Everybody is fine.

Team Double Helix 5:45 Soon to be in Cairo (pronounced Kay-Row)
Jeff Romine notified us that paddlers, Kurt and Clark, left Commerce at 2:15. The support team is waiting at Cairo (pronounced "Kay row" by my steamboat pilot friend.) Earlier today the team was very graciously allowed to make a landing in Commerce on private ground by Merle Anne Williams. The location they landed at is pictured in the 1999 book "River Horse", on page 171. The book was authored by William Heath-Moon and is published by Houghton-Miflin.

The town of Commerce has only 300 people but it boasts 3 churches. Since the paddling team still has too much food, it was decided that some of the food would be left with Merle Williams to be distributed to the 3 churches. We are so glad to know this food will help some needy people.

Team Kruger 7:10 River Mile 0 - Upper Mississippi miles, River Mile 956 - Lower Mississippi miles
John Young called in to say that the paddlers have JUST arrived at an important milestone. Cairo- Fort Defiance.

They will be feeding them pasta and ice-cream. Two parties with pasta in two days...Yesterday's party was under the Arch at St. Louis That's CARBOHYDRATE LOADING ! They said that Team Double Helix is not in sight, but is due any time.

NOTE: On steamboat (mis)pronunciation Along with pronouncing Cairo, Kay Row, the steamboat/river people always pronounce a calliope "Cal E Ope" three syllables instead of four

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Webmaster Note/Event Organizer Mary Potter - Clark Eid from Team Double Helix called last night around 9ish....said that they had past the point of the confluence of the Ohio River, where the mile marker changes from 0 to 953. They were staying aground that evening. Clark said he saw Team Kruger go by just before he called :-) but also said he saw lightening in the distance and indcated he wanted the shore support to follow them in the boat at night due to the tremendous amount of boat traffic, the tugs and barges.

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Daily Updates

For More Updates, Photos and Videos please the main Race page.

* and ** - Note on Team Kruger and Team Double Helix - both teams were stopped 3 times during the race - 2 times by the Coast Guard, and 1 time by the Sherriff's office. See Race Delays for more information.

*** Note on Total Miles: For purposes of our site, we compile total miles as the total river miles the teams have passed. If teams take legal shortcuts, we note it on that date, but do not reduce total miles. Please see the May 9 report for more information.