Another Johah 4:8 day

Once the sunsets and night arrives on the river the temperatures cool down considerably and the effort to propel the canoe is much more bearable. There is still a large group of canoes and kayaks in our general vicinity which makes night travel a little safer because help is nearby if the need arises. Of course my partner, Daniel, can’t stand to have another boat in front of him so we are continuously pursuing and passing the other boats even in the dark.

As I have said before, night or after dark is my favorite time to be on the river. The stars are brighter and the full moon puts out a lot of light which is then reflected off the water. As we watch the surface sometimes a whirlpool or other funny current slips up on us and will give a few seconds of excitement just to remind us that the river is in charge. Our canoe “My Dianna” is sleek and quick but to get that she gives up stability so the funny water always give us some excitement but Daniel and I have adapted to her pretty well and are never close to capsizing.

The 26 miles between Waverly and Miami go by pretty quick and we pull in at Miami where Wayne and Jesse are waiting for us and we decide to take an hour nap. With the hot dry summer there is no need for a tent so we just inflate our air mattress’ there in the parking lot with the plan to take an hour nap.
I asked Wayne and Jesse to make sure some car didn’t run over us. In my mind I thought we should have stayed on the water but once I laid down the fatigues of heat and effort of the day brought sleep swiftly. In what seemed like a few minutes someone was kicking my foot to wake me to get us back out on the river. With landing our canoe and moving it up out of the way of the boat ramp, then getting set up for a nap, the nap, then repacking and a bite to eat took us two hours.

Of course, it’s still dark when we set off down river for the 36 mile ride to Glasgow. An interesting but sad fact about Glasgow, Glasgow was the home of the oldest bank in Missouri and it failed this past year. The bank had been in business since 1852 and was still managed by descendants of some of the original founders.

Sunrise on this stretch of the river reveals more sandbars and wing dikes that I haven’t seen before. The sandbars are inviting and they would make a great place to get out and stretch your legs while looking for treasures if one was not racing against the clock. Sunrise also brings back the heat, without a cloud in the sky today promised to be just as hot as yesterday. Its going to be hot, not as hot as Jonah experienced but nevertheless hot:
"And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live." Jonah 4:8
Some of the paddlers had the same fainting problem Jonah did, not that they wished to die, but several did get overheated and some passed out. The heat had a high attrition rate on this years race.

As the Glasgow Bridge comes into view I’m reminded of the crash there last year when “Goldfish Goddess” got caught up in strainers near one of the bridge piers and was sucked out of her kayak by the current. She talked about doing underwater somersaults as the current pulled her downstream before she could get to the surface and yell for help.

Once again, Wayne and Jesse were there waiting on us to arrive. The Checkpoint here is at Stump Island Park which was an actual campsite of Lewis and Clark when they were going upstream in 1804. The Park is maintained by the city and it has showers and lots of room to set up tents.

We won’t need a tent this morning because we will be "proceeding on" as soon as we get some coffee and breakfast burritos from the ladies manning the refreshment stand. From Glasgow it is a long haul to the next checkpoint at Kat Fish Katy's but first we have to navigate the dreaded "Lisbon Bottoms" which is just a few miles below Glasgow.

2012 MR 340 Update

                                     Read Matthew 8:23-26

Once again I signed up for the MR340 even though I didn’t have a partner locked in for the race. I was beginning to wonder if I had made a bad choice because everyone I asked couldn’t or wouldn’t commit to the race. Having done the event solo in 2010 I wasn’t excited about doing it solo again. There are a lot of demons on the river particularly after 40 plus hours of paddling without sleep. It is tough enough to deal with them when one has a partner so a solo trip really wasn’t on my radar for this year.


When my good friend, the Blacksmith, told me this spring his son was going to paddle from Boonville to the Gulf a light bulb went off in my bald head. I ask for his son’s phone number and then gave Daniel a call to inquire if he would be interested in the MR340. To make a long story short he was and we became a team, the latest variety of the Sons of Auxvasse Creek. This would be the 7th race for the Sons of Auxvasse Creek and each team has been made up of different individuals except for the two races Daniel and I competed in this year.


Daniel did make the trip from Boonville to the Gulf with Mark, a friend of his from Warrensburg, in 20 days. That was a pretty good training run to prepare for the MR340. Daniel and I scheduled a 30 mile trip on the Missouri River from Kaw Point to Ft. Osage to get used to my canoe and each other. My canoe is much more nimble and tipper than the canoe they took to the Gulf and I’m sure I paddled differently than Mark did on the Gulf trip. Nevertheless, it didn’t take Daniel long to adapt to the sleek canoe and me.

As a warm up for us Daniel and I entered the Race to the Dome on June 30, 2012, a 26.6 mile race on the Missouri River ending in Jefferson City. We took second in the tandem canoe division with a time of 3 hours and 40 minutes. Daniel pushed me the entire time but I managed to somewhat keep pace with him but I made it clear that I couldn’t maintain that pace for 340 miles once the big race on the river started.


At one point there had been 400 boats signed up for the 2012 MR340 but the hot weather and low water keep about a hundred boats away. On the morning of July 31, 2012 about 300 boats prepared for the start of the 7th annual MR340. For the first year the event was started in stages with the solo paddlers starting at 7am and everyone else at 8am. This was a good move and the start was much safer with fewer boats making that transition from the Kansas River to the swifter Missouri River.

With Daniel at the bow and me at the helm it became obvious to me that he was going to set the pace and I was along for the ride. In most of the previous races I have been in it was my goal to simply finish. Without realizing it, I had been paddling not to lose (which is a sure fire recipe for mediocrity) and I had set the pace accordingly in my prior MR340 events. A lot of folks drop out of the MR340 and I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t one of “them”. Not wanting to be a slacker I picked up the pace and decided I would stay as close to the pace as I could for as long as I could.

I had been working out at 5:30am 3 mornings each week with a good friend plus riding my bicycle on a regular basis to maintain some sort of physical fitness with the MR340 in mind. Within the first hour I realized that I hadn’t been doing enough to build up my core. I made a mental note to do more sit-ups and planks to prepare for the 2013 event.



That first checkpoint is always crowded because the boats are still pretty much bunched up and we took a tip from the “Anvil Toters” to make our first stop at the Corps of Engineers boat ramp, which is a few miles above the first checkpoint at Lexington, to avoid all that congestion. That was a good move they have indoor bathrooms with running water and air conditioning.



Because we were equipped with a “SPOT” GPS locater it wasn’t necessary for us to stop at the checkpoints. This was the first year for the “SPOT” option and it worked great for us. Not only did it free us up from physically checking in at the checkpoints our ground (crew which consisted of Daniels father, Wayne, and son, Jesse) could keep pretty close track of where we were on the river.



The river level is down because of the drought and I thought it was much more scenic than it had been in prior years. When I was going upstream with the Lewis and Clark boats it was a rainy year as well so the water was high then as it has been most of the time since. With the wing dikes sticking up out of the water and the sand bars it just looked more like what one might expect from a big river even though the view from the river above Boonville is mostly the back side of a levy.



We planned to stop at the Waverly check point, which is 74 miles into the event, to get our boat set up with lights for night travel. We actually got there at 7:45pm just under 12 hours after the start. We refilled our coolers, got fresh water and ate a burger at the boy scouts food stand and headed back out on the river at 8pm. We had not made any firm plans to sleep so we decided we would just play it by ear. The next checkpoint would be at Miami and we could decide if we wanted to take a nap or proceed on when we got there.



Once it gets dark the Missouri River becomes a new world. The race is always scheduled during a full moon and the moonlight reflects off the water which creates more light than one would imagine possible. It is easy to see any kind of debris on the river or the buoys marking the channel. Night is my favorite time on the river. The stars are much brighter, one can see lights of the river towns off in the distance, and occasionally a train’s headlight will reflect out on the surface. This year the big benefit of night was the cooler temperatures. With 100 degrees and no shade during the day the darkness and cooler temperatures was very welcome.

Gateway Bike Tour 2012

Part of my training regimen for the MR340 is biking to build endurance.  There are a lot of paddlers that are much better and stronger than I am and they will get a great jump on me in the first 24 hours but after that first 24 hours we are all about the same.  Every year we have been in the position that we pass nearly every canoe we see during the last 100 miles of the race which I thinks makes "Sons of Auxvasse Creek" one of  the best of the worst and its where endurance makes a difference.

My adventure friend and long time buddy, Tom Young, and I are always planning some sort of adventure and this year we came up with the "Gateway Tour" which was a compromise to fit into our schedules and to see some new country.  We planned to start at the Arch in St. Louis hence "Gateway Tour".

One of the issues we had to deal with was the Missouri Bankers Convention which I had to attend since I'm on the committee that plans it and it started on Wednesday.  My wife and daughter were going to attend with me so it didn't make sense for me to take a vehicle to central Missouri then have them drive down in a different vehicle in a few days.  To get around the two vehicle issue I decided to ride Amtrak to Jefferson City where my son is in training at the Highway Patrol Academy.  I could send most of my gear ahead with him and meet up with him to load the bike up with my camping gear and other stuff I always think I have to have to avoid dealing with it on the train.

My beautiful wife, Dianna, took me to Independence, Missouri to catch the train which was a neat experience.  There was one other individual on the train with a bike, he was headed to St. Louis to meet up with a couple of friends and they were going to ride the entire Katy Trail out and back which is an annual trek for them.  The train staff were very accommodating of the bike and the trip was very enjoyable.

I departed the train in Jefferson City just below the Governors house which is a pretty good climb to get out of the river bottom where the tracks are.  I always head to the Lewis and Clark statue at the capitol when in Jefferson City to pay my respect to Corps.  Then off to a bike shop to get a new mirror for my helmet which I broke when getting off the train. 

The local bike shop is near Central Dairy which is a must stop when in Jefferson City but on this day I had to pedal past because I know a full belly of ice cream is not conductive to riding a bike for 40 miles.  The bike shop belongs to the family of one of the guys I became good friends with during our river travels for the Lewis and Clark reenactments during the bi-centennial.  I acquired my mirror and had a nice visit and then headed out to the Highway Patrol Headquarters to see if I could find Matt's vehicle to recover my panniers for the bike.  He was parked in a restricted area so I just moved on knowing I would have a chance to meet up with him in a few hours at my brothers house near Fulton.

Jefferson City has a few bike routes and I was able to find my way back to the Highway 54 bridge which recently added a bike lane at a cost of $5,000,000.  I'm support bike routes and trails but my opinion is $5 million is a little pricey for a bike lane across the Missouri River.  But its there and I will use it.  It hooks into the Katy and just north of Highway 63 there is a spur that gets on on the way north off of the trail onto old Highway 54.  There is still some traffic but nothing like the new 4 lane highway.

I pedaled into the Holts Summit McDonalds and was disappointed to see the 15 cent (I just discovered my computer don't have a cents symbol) hamburger sign gone.  It was and old sign from the original McDonalds in Jefferson City.  I guess too many folks came in for the 15 cent deal.  After a quick meal I got back on old Highway 54 and headed north into New Bloomfield where I had to cross over 54 before heading north again.  I was pedaling into a headwind which made for a little more effort but the sky was overcast and it was in the low 70's which made for a cool ride, sometimes even chilly ride.

Just a couple of miles before Fulton a small dog came out barking and chasing me, I didn't know he had a buddy until I felt him grab my right foot.  I wear a relatively heavy hiking shoe and the dog was unable to penetrate the shoe but its always a shock when a dog grabs you.  I have been dog bit on two previous occasions while bike riding and they both broke the skin so I guess I was fortunate this time.  I usually carry pepper spray and sometimes a pistol but in this case I didn't have either because of Amtrak regulations.  I got off the bike and threw a few rocks at the dogs and got back on my way.

I grew up near Fulton so I know my way around the little city pretty good except some of the streets are not there now.  Anyway I went by the Churchill Memorial to pay respects to the old "Statesman" and to look at the wall President Reagan made the Russians tear down.  Interestingly the west side of the wall is brightly painted in German graffiti while the east side is a dull gray. 

Then on to my brothers, Robert, house to get a shower and clean up to go to one of the grandsons ballgames.  Matt's girlfriend had driven down from Lawson so she, Matt and I met a Roberts house while he and his wife, Pat, were dining out in Columbia with friends.  The three of us took off for New Bloomfield where the baseball game was in progress when we got there.  It was a good game and my grandson, Grant, made some good plays.  One of the other grandsons, Chase, was there but he was pretty busy exploring since he not in the same league as Grant.  The oldest grandson, Dawson, was with his mom at another baseball game in Columbia.  We all managed to meet up at Aries Pizza in Fulton for a post game meal where I attempted to load up on carbs for my bike ride before heading back to Robs house in Calwood for some sleep.

The next morning I recovered my panniers from Matt's vehicle and Rob took me to Toms house where we loaded up our gear in his truck and headed off to meet his wife at the St. Louis airport where they would celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary very briefly before we hopped on the Metro.  Incidentally Dianna and I would celebrate our anniversary the next day by text message.  Do we have great women or what?

If you would like to follow more of this trip you will have to go to Tom's blog at:  http://bigmuddyriver.wordpress.com/

"O. The Joy! & More River Angels

Final approach at St. Charles!!!!!!!

Greetings from Lewis and Clark friends.


As I was looking for a spot to land to get out of the way of that big barge coming at me at a snail’s pace I noticed a gap in one of those wing dikes that run parallel with the river. From my view point it was like a huge upside-down uppercase L. To paddle all the way to the opening at the end would put me pretty close to the barge so I decided to take a shot at that opening in the dike.

Because of the high water I couldn’t really see the wing dike but I could see the water going over it except for the gap where the water was smooth. As I closed in on the opening the current became swifter than I had anticipated and I missed that gap by about 4 feet which put me into that rushing water that was going over the top. In the few seconds I had to prepare for the “white water” I pull all the effort I could muster in the paddle strokes and when the canoe cleared the rough water the canoe actually fell a couple of feet into the trough that had formed behind the dike. The landing was rough but I managed to keep it upright and coasted into the calm water and was able to land uneventfully on the shore.

As I watched the big barge go by I ate a bagel and some spam. I was amazed by how well those bagels held up and how good they were with that spam. I couldn’t remember spam tasting that good. I finished my lunch off with the last of the peaches I had purchased from the real “river rat” on that first evening out.

Once the beast passed by I headed back out to the river thru the opening at the end of the wing dike. Back out into the current I could feel the wind building like it did last year. It seems to be much more difficult for one person to paddle into the wind than two and it takes a lot of effort and concentration to keep the canoe moving in the right direction to obtain the maximum benefit of the current.

In a few minutes one of the safety boats staffed by a couple of “river angels” pulled alongside me and said “we saw how you jumped that wing dike” and then asks if I would like to drop in behind them so they could break the wind for me for a while. I don’t think it’s legal to draft on a motorized boat but since I wasn’t a contender for one of the top spots I figured (correctly) no one would care. I thought they might let me follow them for a mile or so but they stayed out in front of me for about 10 miles which was a great relief other than the smoke from their cigarettes which seemed to hang around my canoe when they would light up. Despite the smoke it was a good tradeoff.

When we went under the Washington, MO Bridge they had to peel off and go back upstream to cover their section of the river. I think the wind may have been just as bad as last year for this stretch of the river so I really benefited from the break afforded by paddling in the draft created by the second “River Angel(s)” I encountered on this trip.

The final checkpoint is Klondike and it’s just a couple of miles below the Washington Bridge so I pulled in refreshed but about 10 hours behind schedule. I didn’t get out of me canoe. After a brief discussion I headed downstream for the final 27 mile dash to the finish line.

This final 27 miles it the best part of the route. There is more current here because of all the tributaries have entered the Missouri River by this point. With the added current and the extra adrenalin this last few miles go quickly. I arrived at the finish line at about exactly the same time Chad and I did last year. Of course I had the benefit of the extra current because of the high water and we started an hour and half behind schedule in 2009 because of a storm in Kansas City.

To paraphrase Captain William Clark of the original expedition: “Boathouse in view! O! The Joy” I had been in contact with one of my re-enactor friends earlier in the day by cell phone so several of my buddies with the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles (Lewis and Clark re-enactors) were there to meet me at the river below the Lewis and Clark Boat House. They helped me out of my canoe and some carried it over to the staging area while I was getting hugs and congratulations from the rest.

One of the re-enactors Colonel Ed Scholl, USAR, Retired gave me a copy of his book, Lewis and Clark in the Twenty-First Century, which he had published about his experiences on the 8,000 mile 4 year journey with the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles as we re-enacted the journey on its 200th anniversary. In it he inscribed “To Russ: A fellow crew member and now a friend for life. You traveled & paddled 340 miles for my book. Ed Scholl as Pvt. Hugh Hall.”

Casey and one of his sons was there to haul me and the canoe back to Callaway County where I met Dianna the next day for the ride back home after the annual Wright/Potts reunion.

I consider the solo MR340 one of my greatest achievements and I thank God for the ability to do it. However I have traveled a trail much more important, it’s called the Romans Road. It’s a group of verses from the Bibles New Testament book of Romans which tells us:

All of us are sinners and all of us fall short of His Glory

I deserve death for my sins

I can be saved from my sins, I can’t earn salvation but I can simply ask for it

Jesus paid the price when he took on my sins and died for me—no matter what I have done nothing is so bad that he has to get back up on that cross and die again. He died for me while I was still a sinner. His love saves me not religion or a church

Romans 10:9,10 "...If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."-

Anyone could get in a boat and paddle down the river but it takes a real man or woman to admit they are in need of forgiveness and to pray the sinner’s prayer. If you are not sure where the trail you are on is going to take you I would be happy to give you directions to the ultimate checkpoint.

Who is that in your boat and what is he doing?

These thoughts were inspired by a devotional I heard a few days ago and at the time I thought this really applied to us MR340 types. The biblical reference is Luke 8:22-25.

After a hard day of teaching the masses Jesus asked the disciples to take him across the lake so he could get some rest. The disciples were fishermen, comparable to today’s longshoremen, strong and tough; they were seasoned boatmen, used to being on the sea at night and had absolutely no qualms about taking off the 7 to 14 miles to cross the sea that night. After all, Jesus was in their boat.

Once out on the sea Jesus fell asleep and a storm came up, the waves were coming over the gunnels and the boat was filling up but Jesus remained asleep. These hardened longshoremen were afraid. It must have been one bad storm to scare these guys. Even though they had Jesus in their boat they were in jeopardy and they were fearful.

Is Jesus in your boat? If Jesus is in your boat and just along for the ride he can’t be of much help to you as the disciples have discovered.

These tough boatmen went to Jesus and told him, “We are afraid and we need your help, save us”. When they went to Jesus and ask him to help he responded by calming the sea and wind. He saved them and the fishermen were amazed.



Jesus saved those tough old boatmen, all they had to do was ask. If Jesus is just along for the ride in your boat you might want to consider asking him to save you. If he could save those longshoremen of long ago he certainly could do it today.

If you would like to invite Jesus to get into your boat and to save you contact me or someone you trust.

Herman

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4-14



When we were returning the Keel boat to St. Charles we encountered some early morning fog in Herman, Mo as shown in this photo from August, 2005. Five years later in August, 2010 we were going to get to experience some of this fog again.

When I landed in Herman the fog was beginning to form on the river. It was my plan to take a quick nap here in Herman so I wouldn't hit the "wall" as I did a few days ago. Since it was going to be a quick nap I didn't want to put up the tent so I just lay down on a picnic table with my light sleeping bag under the shelter there at Riverfront Park in Herman. My plan was to head back out to the river in about an hour.


It was after 3:30 when I woke up cold, hungry and confused. Even if it was August the night was really cool and it was the cold that woke me up. My one hour nap had been stretched into 2 1/2 hours. I picked up my bed and headed back to my canoe, the boy scouts were selling coffee at the checkpoint but breakfast wasn't going to be ready for another hour so I gulped down a cup of coffee and prepared to proceed on. The person manning the checkpoint said the fog was going to get heavy at daybreak so I decided to get in as much distance as I could before then.

The fog was settled in but it looked like there might be 100 yards or so of visibility. One other canoe was preparing to depart so we launched together to aid each other if the fog would get thicker. Once back on the river we encountered another canoe and the three of us headed downriver. Once we were away from the street lights of Herman the fog really closed in around us and that 100 yards of visibility turned into 20 feet of visibility or less.

Within a mile our three canoes were separated and I never did see them again. I don't know if they fell behind, went ahead or simply moved over in the channel. With the heavy fog it seemed my canoe we sitting still. I'm not one that minds being alone but at this point I was more alone than I wanted to be. I knew there was debris, wing dikes and other boats out on the river but being unable to see them sure raised the tension level.

I determined to land the canoe and wait out the fog and began paddling very gently in the direction of the river bank. When I was within a few feet I could make out some trees hanging out over the water and headed to them. I grabbed an overhanging branch and eased my canoe up to the bank.

Once I had my canoe tied up I got out and gathered up some driftwood and built a fire. With cool damp air the fire felt good and I thought it might be a beacon for some others that might be out in the fog. With sunrise still more than a hour away I pulled up a rock next to the fire and waited for the fog to lift.


When the sun came up I was totally amazed. It seemed to me the sun was rising in the west. Instead of landing on the bank of the river I had actually landed on a island and my internal compass was turned around 180 degrees. As the sun began to warm things up I could make out a canoe going by once in a while out on the river as they moved thru the fog. I was going to stay put until visibility opened up because I didn't want to encounter any unexpected objects out on the river.

Once the fog lifted I loaded up and headed downriver again. I must have lost about 4 hours but I did get in another hour of sleep so it wasn't a total loss. Once I got out into the current visibility was much better and it improved by the minute as the sun burned the moisture out of the air.

Last year we encountered some of the worst winds below Herman and this year the winds were still there. Perhaps not a bad as last year but being solo I didn't have the power that Chad and I had last year so I think I must have struggled as much as I did last year.

A few miles above Washington I could see a huge barge that actually looked like a factory building or something coming upriver very slowly. I knew this beast would be putting out a huge wake so I started looking for a landing spot to wait him out.

Hugs, Pizza and River Angels

The departure from Jeff City quickly takes me past the state capitol on the port side and I am soon past all signs of the settlements. This area of the river is familiar to me and the high water is beginning to go down. Which makes the wing dikes much more visible. They are still underwater but they don’t have as much water over them as they have had which makes them even more treacherous with whirlpools, rough water and occasional rock poking up out of the water. It is best to stay away from them.

Its about 20 miles from Jeff City to Mokane. Mokane is not a scheduled stop for the MR340 but it is my favorite stop because I usually meet someone there with one of the famous pizzas from
Wright Brothers Store in Calwood. This year Casey, Becky and the boys meet me there at about 6:30 with lots of pizza and fresh drinks. I took about a 45 minute break eating and visiting with them. They live just up the road at Toledo so its not that farm from home for them but they had to go to Calwood to get the pizza first.

While at Mokane Scott Mansker, the promoter of the MR340, is there taking a break in his safety boat. In spite of his T shirt I allow him to take a photo of Casey, Becky, Dawson, Grant, Chase and I before I head back out on the river. I get my hugs from the boys and head on down river.

Once back on the river I soon come to the most significant milestone for the entire trip, the Auxvasse Creek. The Auxvasse Creek is joined by the Crows Fork Creek a few miles up in the heart of Callaway County and its here where they form the Missouri River. When the “Sons of Auxvasse Creek” meet up with the Auxvasse Creek it is a joyful event. Shortly after passing the Auxvasse Creek or Big Miry as translated by William Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame) it begins to get dark.
When darkness fell one of the largest full moons I have ever witnessed came up out of the trees. It was huge and provided plenty of light to avoid river obstacles. At 8:31 I posted to my journal, I got peace like a River, God is good, 250 miles no flats.
I always like travel on the river when nightfall comes. Somehow it seems to make one blend in with the flow of the current. Once the night is established I go to my usual routine of hanging out in the middle of the river to stay away from those hidden wing dikes.

As I proceed on in the darkness a few wisps of fog are starting to appear. At about 10pm is seems I’m headed straight into a bluff which must be about half a mile straight ahead. I really don’t remember this from my prior trips on the river so I get my 1 million candle power spot light out and shine it downstream and I see this long wing dike with water going over it stretching across the river just in front of the bluff. For some reason this just wasn’t making any sense to me. I switch the modes on my GPS and I can see that I’m approaching the confluence of the Gasconade River. Even knowing this I still a little concerned about what to do next when I encounter my first River Angel.

I don’t know where she came from but a lady in a bass boat eased up beside me and asks if I’d like for her to lead me thru there. I quickly replied yes ma'am and fell in behind her. When the river is at normal level that big wind dike sticks up out of the water and it is very obvious where the river is going but with the water going over the dike I was very happy to have a River Angel escort me thru that pass particularly with the wisps of fog that were sprouting up on the river.

It seemed like no time before the bridge over the river at Herman came in view. I paddled my canoe into the boat ramp at Herman at 12:05 am on Friday August 27, 2010 which would have been my Grandmother Wright’s 117th birthday.

2010 MR 340

Katfish Katy’s Thursday Morning

Rob and I at Cedar City.

When I awakened from my nap it was nearly 6:30 am. It was daylight but foggy and everything was wet from the heavy dew. Once I was up I took a walk down the road abut a half mile and back to my tent to get all of the kinks worked out. Last year I had some issues with my shoulders and blisters but this year my shoulders were pain free and I didn’t have a blister yet. I did get cortisone shots in my shoulders on Monday and I was wearing paddling gloves most of the time this year. Between the shots, gloves and the prayers of my brothers in Christ my body was holding up good considering the last 50 or so hours.

Last night I would have quit if I could have worked out the logistics but this morning I’m a new man and ready to get back on the river as we approach Callaway County. I have my breakfast of a caned Starbucks drink and a bagel from Panera. It was a good idea to bring the bagels, it’s a good change from the energy bars and they make a tasty and quick meal. With my restored energy a Bible verse came to mind:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Phillipians 4:13

As well as this poem by my favorite author:

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win, but think you can't
It's almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you've lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will:
It's all in his state of mind.
If you think you're outclassed, you are:
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You'll ever win that prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can.
Anonymous

I took my time taking down the tent because of the heavy dew and the fog because I really would like to fog to lift some before I took off. Once I had everything packed up and cleaned out my canoe one of the safety workers helped my carry “My Dianna” back down to the water, I mounted up and departed Katfish Katy’s at 8am. There was still some spotty fog but within an hour it was all clear.
Once back on the river it doesn’t take long to get back in the rhythm. There were some foggy spots but for the most part the river was clear.

It felt really good to be back on the river. No aches or pains and back in an area of the river I’m a little more familiar with. A few hours ago I was ready to quit but now its hard to imagine it even crossed my mind. My advice to anyone that ever might think about quitting the MR340 would be simply “take a nap”. Of course if one were experiencing a medical issue one must use common sense. Which reminds me of something I heard a while back, “common sense is not all that common”?

Once back underway I placed a call to my older brother, Rob, who had agreed to bring lunch to me at Jefferson City. I gave him my ETA and put in my order for a Big Mac and large ice tea. Somewhere about this time I entered into the waters of the Kingdom of Callaway so with the rest and now the energy from the Kingdom I was paddling as good as I had at any time on this trip. This is the same area that Matt and I paddled in the “Race to the Dome” a few weeks ago. We were fortunate to place 2nd in that event.

When one rounds that bend in the River above Jefferson City and can see the State Capitol building on the bluffs on the south side of the river and the Highway 54 Missouri River Bridge its time to start paddling to the Cedar City side of the river and the boat ramp which is almost under the bridge.

As I approached the boat ramp I could see Rob and Lewis Baumgartner, “The Worlds Worst Farmer”, coming down the ramp with my lunch. As a rule the officials at Cedar City don’t like for us to land at the boat ramp but they could see that Lewis was having a hard time navigating (due to a stroke a year or so ago) so they allowed me to pull up there on the concrete ramp. I devoured my Big Mac, restocked my cooler with ice and G2 which Rob and Lewis had brought for me and launched again at 2:22 pm. At this point I was about 4 hours behind schedule. I was also very grateful for the help from Rob and Lewis. There are no services available here so it would have been a long haul to the next stop to restock.

Next stop Mokane.

Wednesday at Glasgow

Matt and I installing plastic over the bow of the canoe.....
Dianna and I.... Glasgow paddle salute.........





By the time I got my tent set up and ready to take a nap it was about 9:30. I expected to get about 3 hours sleep and Dianna and Matt would wake me when they arrived to resupply me at about noon. However, I couldn’t sleep. I was tired enough but with the daylight, cars going in and out, and folks walking about I just couldn’t sleep. I did lay still and rest but sleep just wouldn’t come.

They have shower facilities at Glasgow so I walked over to the shower house and took my shower. After the clean up I still couldn’t sleep. With Dianna and Matt scheduled to arrive at noon I need to wait for them to restock my cooler and food supply. Once they arrived with my lunch we ate, then put a plastic cover over the front of the canoe to help keep some of the water out and to help cut down on some of the wind it was catching. Matt helped me tear down the tent and repack and I shoved off from Glasgow at about 1:45pm just 15 minutes behind my schedule.

I wasted several hours in an attempt to get some sleep. In hindsight I should have shoved off down river and had Matt and Dianna meet me somewhere else. I could have covered an extra 20 or so miles and they could have caught up with me with little extra road travel for them because of all of the turns the river makes.

Just below Glasgow is Lisbon Bottoms noted for its treacherous cut off. With the high fast current I just stayed to the left side of the river and didn’t even notice the cut off. If one gets sucked into the chute leading to the cut off I understand it gets real interesting.

For the first 15 or 20 miles I had a tail wind and even in the August afternoon the heat was not an issue. It was a grand time to be on the river and this area is one of the most scenic parts of the river we have been on up to this point. With the tail wind and absence of heat I was making some of the best time I ever made on the Missouri River at times my GPS was consistently registering 8 mph. It was during this segment of the river I was able to overtake 6 or 8 boats.

Franklin Island is at the base of the Arrow Rock bluffs which marks about the half way point. Having once lived in Arrow Rock on one of the bluffs overlooking the river I often would look out on the mighty Missouri River and imagine what it would be like to travel on her. At the time I never had any idea I would actually one day be out here solo in a canoe. Including the travels with the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles, the MR 340’s and training runs I have now logged nearly 2,000 miles on the Missouri River.

It was here near the Lamine River and with the approach of nightfall that I was beginning to experience some real fatigue. It’s been nearly 40 hours since I slept and every stroke was becoming a real effort. Not that it hurt or anything just that it took a lot of effort to make each stroke. I attempted to just let the canoe drift but if I let it drift more than a minute it took much more effort to get back into the current.

I decided I would pull out and take a brake when I got to Boonville. When I paddled up to the boat ramp at Boonville there was one power boat tied off at the ramp and it was otherwise vacant. Because of the high water the landing area was covered with sand and debris and I had a very difficult time making the landing but eventually did which took a tremendous amount of labor.

I got out of the canoe and walked around the area for a few minutes and decided to set up my lights for night travel and then proceeded on. Just to get out of the canoe and walk around a bit reenergized me. As darkness fell it cooled off again and I needed an extra layer on my upper body to be comfortable. The canoes were really strung out now and I could see a few in the distance ahead of me when the conditions were right but for the most part I was alone in my section of the river.

I don’t mind traveling alone. In fact it’s very difficult for me to talk with others on the river because of the difficulty I have in hearing them. As a rule when I come into contact with another canoe I tell them right off that I’m hearing impaired because I don’t want them to think I’m rude if I don’t respond to them. Most of the time I just don’t understand what others are saying so it’s just simpler for me to travel alone.

Once the darkness set in I again began experiencing extreme fatigue. If I could have quit the race I would have done so. I thought if I could just get to a boat ramp I would call someone and have them take me home. I was thinking about just tying the canoe off to a limb or something and taking a nap but couldn’t find a good spot to do so. I also thought about landing at Rocheport but then remembered that the boat ramp at Rocheport it about a mile up the Manitou Creek. At this point I didn’t want to paddle an extra 2 miles.

When I passed under the I-70 bridge I knew I was getting close to Katfish Katy’s, which was the next checkpoint at river mile 226. I didn’t know where I was in relation to river mile markers. I attempted to use my spotlight to find the mile markers but once I found them I couldn’t make out the numbers because fog was starting to build and I just couldn’t focus my eyes. I didn’t want to get too close to the river bank for fear of running over a wing dike. I knew in my exhausted state I would most likely swamp it I did encounter the current from one of those underwater wing dikes.

Apparently my spotlight attracted the attention of a safety boat which eased up behind me on the starboard side of my canoe. A couple of Conservation Agents were out there making sure everything was okay. They ask if I intended to stop at Katfish Katys and I made it clear that was my intention if I ever got there. They told me it was about 5 more miles which I found discouraging because I was hoping it would be closer.

At last I could see the light marking the check point at Katfish Katys and I found the energy to land there. A couple of guys at the check point helped me move my canoe up out of the way and I unpacked my tent and went looking for a place to set it up. It was 10:30 and I was actually about an hour ahead of schedule but my sleep bank was totally empty and I would have to sleep before proceeding on.

I found my spot to set up the tent but I just didn’t have the motor skills to get is set up. Its just a small one person backpack tent and usually I can set it up in 2 or 3 minutes but when I would get one end of it secured the other end would fall down. Someone standing nearby saw I was having difficulty and they helped me get the tent up and I crawled in and immediately fell asleep just a few miles from the hollowed ground of the “Kingdom of Callaway”.

Miami Departure

Wednesday 8-25-10 3am

Once I get underway again the little light at Miami quickly disappeared in the distance as I crossed under the bridge. It was just me and Amos (my sandbag ballast) out on the river under the early morning moonlight.

Even if we are alone we know we really are not alone:

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9

I did eventually catch up with a few others who were out on the river during the early morning hours but like last year it was hard for me to go at the same pace they were going so soon I pulled away from them. I did notice someone had pulled up to the river bank and built a campfire somewhere along this stretch of river and it looked awfully inviting compared to the coolness out on the water.

After a couple of hours I realized that I hadn’t hand any real food since the hot dog back at Waverly and with the chill and dampness of the early morning air it was actually too cool to be comfortable. It seems to always cool off as the sun creeps up in the early morning and this morning was no exception. I put the following post on my facebook page: tired, cold, hungry….appreciate prayers….keep praying…..proceeding on.

I knew some of my brothers in Christ would be checking on my progress and would respond to my request and as the sun rose above the eastern horizon so did my spirits. It’s great to be on the river at sunrise.

With a burst of energy with the new day and the better view of the river and channel markers progress improved and before I could think too much about it I could see the new bridge over the Missouri River at Glasgow. I also noticed a kayak beached on a pile of debris up against one of the bridge pilings. I thought it strange and when I landed at the checkpoint I ask one of the officials how the kayak ended up there and he told me a lady got dumped out when her kayak got tangled up with the debris.

At is turned out what could have been a very bad crash had a good ending. You can read “Goldfishgoddess” account here:
http://rivermiles.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1283050380

If it would have been me that took that spill I’m not sure I would have been as clear headed as she was. Reading of her account of the incident will help me should I ever find myself in a similar circumstance.

I arrived at Glasgow at 8:40 am just 10 minutes behind schedule. Glasgow is a milestone in this marathon canoe race because most of those who drop out will do so before Glasgow. Glasgow is 141 miles from the start which leaves 199 miles to the final check point at the Lewis and Clark boathouse in St. Charles.

With the help of one of the check point volunteers’ I carried my canoe up out of the way and unpacked my tent and gear. I found a shady spot in the park, set up my tent and crawled in for a nap before Dianna and Matt’s expected arrival at about noon. I didn’t know it yet but my plan, which was going very smooth up to this point, was just beginning to fall apart.

Going Rogue

Tuesday Afternoon August 24, 2010

I was at Lexington and about an hour behind schedule but overall very pleased with my progress. I had planned a short break at Lexington and then back on the River for the next stop at Waverly. The trip from Lexington to Waverly was uneventful. The boats had spread out a lot but I did catch up with Pat from the safety meeting and he was disappointed with how his kayak was handling, this being only the third time he had it on water and the first time on the River. I arrived at Waverly at 8:03 pm which was about sunset where this photo was taken.

Waverly was a little more crowded than Lexington but still not as crowded as last year. I purchased a hot dog from the boy scouts. A local guy was there selling his home grown peaches and I purchased a few to take along. I visited with him for awhile and discovered he was a real “River Rat” that had a lot of knowledge about the river. I told him of the constant battle with the wind and he gave me a tip to help keep my canoe going with the current in spite of the wind. I didn’t have what I needed but I did make a mental note to be sure to have the needed supplies for next year in the event the wind is an issue again.

I set the lights up for night travel and headed off downstream for the next check point at Miami . The high fast current we had been hearing about was in fact contributing to the progress I was making and I was very thankful to have the extra boost of about 1 and sometimes up to 2 mph. Once it gets dark (it’s not really that dark with the full moon) the river takes on a new personality.

The trip on into Miami was as uneventful as well. Uneventful may sound boring but never fear river travel at night in a canoe is never boring. There will always be something to keep one on their toes particularly when many of the wing dikes are underwater. The best advice is to just keep the canoe in the middle of the river to avoid any unseen dikes lurking just under the surface.

I arrived at Miami at 1:28am 28 minutes behind my schedule, which I was pleased with. Miami was more crowded than Waverly with many spending the night there. After spend the most of the last 15 or so hours in my canoe I needed to get out and walk around a bit. I had scheduled a half hour stop here but needed more time to walk about. It was much cooler now as well, I dug out my jacket and wool sox to ward off the chill of the early morning.

Very few people were up and about at Miami since most were sleeping and this may be the first time I realized I was on my own hook, alone and unsupported, going rogue as some say. With a partner or ground crew one has the opportunity to discuss various options and get feedback but when one is “going rogue” there is no one to bounce ideas off of. I took an extra hour here to reflect on the challenge and drink a couple of cups of coffee before heading back out onto the cool moonlighted river and shoved off downstream for Glasgow at 3am still a little behind schedule.

To be continued…………….

2010 MR 340

This years MR340 is in the record books and if one goes far enough down the list of those that finished you will find my name. I'm way behind the quickest and just a little ahead of the DNF's.

The race was postponed 28 days because of the high water in July and the date change really decimated the turn out for this years big show. A lot of folks just couldn't manage to work the change into their schedule as evidenced by my own team in the loss of my partner and ground crew. Despite the rescheduling there were more than 200 boats, down from the 340 originally expected. At the safety meeting on Monday night before the race began there was plenty of room to sit close to the front (necessary for the hearing impaired) unlike last year when we had standing room only way off to one side.

Dianna attended the safety meeting with me and she caught just a little bit of the excitement that goes with the race. As the race promoters went thru the high and fast water warnings, fog warnings and the do's, dont's and deadlines we scarfed down the pasta buffet (which was made available to the race teams for an additional charge) with our new friend Pat who was a first timer who had only been out in his kayak two times. After the meeting we headed back to Maysville to make last minute preparations and get some sleep.

The sleep was short as we had to get back on the road before 6am to make connections with Chad, who was going to help us launch "My Dianna", then get down to Kaw Point so we could get the canoe unloaded, packed and on the water before the scheduled start at 8am.

Chad and I unloaded the canoe and arranged my cargo so it would be properly balanced once we got her on the water. With my tent, sleeping gear, food, water, Gatorade and other items in place I still needed a sandbag in the very front to keep my trim where it needed to be. This sandbag became my partner. I drew a face on it, placed some buffalo hair on top and named him Amos after the Old Testament prophet.

As it turned out we had plenty of time and I was on the water waiting for the lady to sing our National Anthem prior to the gun that would start us on our 340 mile river journey. As one is sitting in the canoe surrounded by all the other canoes the realization of the magnitude of this event sinks in with over 200 boats staged to travel 340 miles, the news helicopters overhead and all the people lined on the river bank its an impressive sight. This is a time when doubt slips in and makes one wonder why they are out in murky water surrounded by all the sharp looking canoes and kayaks but then the gun goes off and the only concern is the next paddle stroke.

With the sound of the muskets fired by my good friends from DESC another ultra marathon race is underway. The water is choppy with the other boats and the merging of the Kaw and Missouri Rivers. Once the nose of the craft hits the Missouri River current one can feel the awesome power and the river take control for a few seconds while we adapt to the current. I didn't like the feel when I hit the current so I turned my canoe into the current to get a better feel then did a 180 degree turn to get on with the race. Two of the canoes capsized when they entered the Missouri which I'm sure put a damper on their day.

Once in the Missouri the current was swift and choppy but with the adrenalin boost one has at the start of such an event we made a quick trip thru Kansas City. There is a new bridge under construction and they had half the river blocked with construction barges which still left us with plenty of room to get by but a small boat must be wary of any obstacle's on the river including barges. A few years ago a canoe ran into a stationary barge and was immediately sucked under and came out the other side. Shaken, the crew was able to proceed on once they rescued their stuff and reloaded.

Except for a headwind the weather was perfect for being on the river. Once in a while the sun would pop out but mostly it was overcast which was a tremendous help. With the headwind or even a cross wind it becomes very difficult to take any kind of break from paddling, within moments after the last paddle stroke the canoe nose begins to take off to the right or left which slows one down and requires extra effort to get back in the channel and on stride. This is where having a partner pays bid dividends by allowing one of the paddlers to take a break once in a while for a minute or two.

When I arrive at the first checkpoint at Lexington I'm about an hour behind my schedule but for the most part am very satisfied with the progress. The landing at Lexington was uneventful and compared to last year very few boats were there which allowed for choice landing spots.

More to follow.

Countdown

We are down to the final weekend to prepare for the 2010 MR 340. I plan to get “My Dianna” back out on the local lake this weekend to make some final adjustments to her balance to compensate for my missing partner. I'm going over my list to be sure I don’t leave anything behind that I must have while paddling down the Missouri River. I’m disappointed that I don’t have a partner now, but at the same time I excited about a solo trip.

With the race postponed a month it will create a few new issues for us to deal with such as the earlier sunsets and later sunrise which translates into more hours of darkness and cooler temperatures which is conductive to producing heavy fog. We can deal with the darkness but the fog will put a stop to safe river travel.

There are too many hazards to even consider travel on the river during heavy fog. I can use my GPS to keep the canoe in the middle of the river but it will not pickup the buoys, wing dikes or debris that one must be careful of. Also sound is distorted in the fog (even for the hearing) so something that sounds like it’s on the port side may actually be anywhere. And then there are the barges both moving and stationary. If a heavy fog socks in the only option is to pull over and wait it out which more than likely will be several hours.

Last year we had a ground crew which is a great help but this year we have lost our ground crew too because of the date change. Without a ground crew I will have to carry additional baggage on the canoe so I can support myself. My wife, Dianna, is going to meet me at the 4th checkpoint which will be about 22 to 28 hours and 140 miles into the race to restock my supplies and once close to Callaway County I will get some local support from friends and relatives in the area. So I may not have a full time ground crew but will still have some support.

Last year we did it in 82+ hours so this year I’m shooting for 72 hours if the fog stays away. I will be at least a day behind the winners of my division but I have already decided that I’m going for the adventure not necessarily the win. We will know in a few days.

No partner, no ground crew, no problem!!!!

No partner, no ground crew, no problem!!!!

Just a few days to the postponed start to the big dance and I'm adjusting to a solo and unsupported run down the Missouri River. The date change has caused a lot of issues for a lot of teams but the Son(s) of Auxvasse Creek will continue on despite the loss of my partner and ground crew due to scheduling conflicts. I do have friends and relatives in Central Missouri who might come out and offer a cold drink of water in the Masters name so once I get close to Boonville I should have some ground support for a few hours.

I made a few adjustments and took "My Dianna" out on our local lake today to try to get her trimmed for a solo run. I attempted to simulate the gear and stuff I would have on board for the MR340 and made a couple of trips out on the water to see how it all worked out. I'm close to where I need to be. I going to pack an extra sandbag and move it forward as I consume liquids in an attempt to keep her trimmed and her nose down in the water.

Now down to making a list of the essentials I will need then cutting out about half to get to the actual amount of stuff I will need.

SONS OF AUXVASSE CREEK
MR 340 Projected Schedule
TUESDAY
08/24/10 Lexington trip 50 miles -7 hours -ave speed 7.1- 50 total
in 15:00
out15:30
River Mile 317
TUESDAY
08/24/10 Waverly trip 23 miles- 3hr 30min- ave speed 6.5- 73 total
in 19:00
out 19:30
RM 294

WEDNESDAY
08/25/10 Miami trip 32 miles- 5hr 30min- ave speed 6- 105 total
in 01:00
out 1:30
RM 262
WEDNESDAY
08/25/10 Glasgow trip 36 miles- 7hr- ave speed 5.1- 141 total
in 08:30 *5 hour break
out 13.30
RM 226
WEDNESDAY
07/28/10 Katfish Katy trip 46 miles- 9 hr 30 min- ave speed 5.9- 197 total
in 23:00
out 23:30
RM 180

THURSDAY
07/29/10 JeffCity trip 36 miles- 5 hours- ave speed 5.2- 223 total
in 04:30 *6 hour break
out 10:30
RM 144
(Mokane RM 124.7 may do 30 minute break???)
THURSDAY
07/29/10 Herman trip 46 miles- 9 hours-ave speed 5.1- 269 total
in 19:30 *1 ½ hour break
out 21:00
RM 97.7

FRIDAY
07/30/10 Klondike trip 42 miles- 7hr 30min- ave speed 5.6- 311 total
in 04:30
out 05:30
RM 56
FRIDAY
07/30/10 StCharles trip 28 miles- 4hr 30min-ave speed 6.2- 339 TOTAL
in 10:00
RM 29
74 Hours Total Time
Overall average speed 4.58 mph

Of course the speed of the current, my level of endurance and my mental attitude will impact the actual times but this will be my goal for each checkpoint and I may do a quick stop at Mokane just to step on the firm soil of the Kingdom once again before "We Proceed On".

13 days

But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Amos 5:24 KJV
The river is still high but seems to be going down. If the wing dikes are underwater it could make for some interesting night travel.

Here we are counting down the last few days, again. Kyle couldn't change his vacation, Jeff has other obligations, Chris can't change vacation either, the other Chris has to go to a meeting, Tom will be Seattle, Chad will be starting class and Matt will be away at school. I do have a couple of other options out, we just need to see if Steve or Glenn can make it work. Otherwise, I will go solo.

Next I need to recruit a new ground crew. We will have to see what shakes out the next few days.

"Well blow me down!" -- Popeye

Last year the MR340 was delayed by 90 minutes because of a storm, this year it is being delayed 28 days because of a storm. Because of all the rainfall we have had here in the Midwest and the releases from the dams up river the Mighty Missouri has been flooding or running near bank full all spring and summer. Last night about 4 inches of rain fell in the Chariton River valley and that has pushed her above flood stage so (ironically) the MR340 is being postponed because of too much water.

This is the right decision. With 300 plus canoes and kayaks on the river in flood conditions it wouldn’t take much to create some tragic events. With the high water most of the boat ramps will be underwater as well as the levies and the buoys. Then add in night travel on a flood stage river and one comes up with even more obstacles.

A lot of effort has been made for next weeks race both by the promoters and the entrants and many of the entrants will be inconvenienced but we won’t be having any funerals at sea. My schedule is pretty flexible but I know Kyle has to put in for his vacation well in advance so it is to be determined if he can reschedule next month. Our ground crew has other obligations so we will need to find a new ground crew.

As Popeye would say “It is what it is”!

The Big Show Starts in 11 days

We are getting down to the final planning stages for this years MR340. We need to check over our gear, supplies and equipment to be sure we have everything we need but not more than we need. I seem to always take more than I will need so I am attempting to downsize this year. I'm going to leave my tool box at home and instead take a pair of pliers and duct tape. We will have to see what other necessities I can leave behind to make ourselves and our canoe more efficient.

We will need to get "My Dianna" out of the barn and wash her off real good and then give her a good coat of wax to make sure her bottom is smooth and slick. The Missouri River is running high and fast right now and it appears the water levels may remain high for the race so with the swift current and smooth slick canoe bottom we should be able to cut some hours off of last years time.

We have done all we can do to prepare our bodies for the exertion it will require to get downstream. All of the workouts and bike rides will get us headed the right direction but its the mind that one must overcome to complete this ultra marathon canoe race. Its when we begin to wonder why is it that we are out here on the dark river with sore hands, back and bottom fighting misquotes, leg cramps and drinking warm water that the race is won or lost. Everyone that glides their canoe onto the beach at the Lewis and Clark boat house in St. Charles knows the triumph of high achievement and even if they place in the second hundred they are a winner because they have accomplished what few have even attempted.

Teddy Roosevelt said it best:

In the battle of life, it is not the critic who counts; nor the one who points out how the strong person stumbled, or where the doer of a deed could have done better.

The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who does actually strive to do deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends oneself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he or she fails, at least fails while daring greatly.

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those timid spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.

Race to the Dome

SONS OF AUXVASSE CREEK

Race to the Dome

JULY 3, 2010

Matt and I left Maysville at 4:04am Saturday and headed to Hartsburg which is the starting point for the Race to the Dome. We arrived at the Hartsburg Missouri River access at about 7:50 and unloaded our canoe and got her ready for the river. The finish line is actually Cedar City which is 16 miles downstream and across the river from Jefferson City and the state capitol building (which has a dome).

Our good friends Tom and Joy Young from Auxvasse met us there to shuttle our vehicle to the finish line. Tom and I both competed in the MR 340 last year but on different teams. I had a MR 340 skull and crossbones decal on my canoe from last years MR 340. The fact that we (actually it was Chad and I) had competed in the 340 last year created instant creditability for the Sons of Auxvasse Creek. A few other 340 boats were in this particular race as well but most had only heard about it or wished they could do it.

This would be the first time Matt and I had paddled on the Missouri River . We have canoed on the Auxvasse Creek and on a local lake but this would be our first time with a steady current. This took a particular amount of courage from Matt because the last time he and I had this canoe on the water I swamped him.

Unlike the MR 340 this race started in heats based on the class each team was entered in. Our class (men’s tandem) had 18 entries and was the second heat. When the MR 340 starts in Kansas City in a few days all 340 boats will start at once. Of course in a 340 mile race starting position is not as critical as it is in a 16 mile race.

When attempting to maximize ones speed on the Missouri River it is important to find the channel because that is where the best current will usually be. With the present high water conditions even the slow part of the river is faster than usual but it is still better to be in the channel.

At the start Matt and I headed downstream and across the river with a group of about 7 or 8 boats. The other boats just headed downstream which looks like it would be quicker but the extra push from the current more than makes up for the added distance once one gets in the channel which is usually at the outside of the bends in the river. In this 16 mile stretch we will need to cross sides 5 times to stay in the channel.

There seemed to be more whirlpools than usual and they can throw a canoe off course. When we would see one of the canoes ahead of us do an unusual move we would either try to avoid that piece of water or power thru it. This strategy paid off for us. While they were attempting recover we were able to paddle by them.

At about 5 miles out it was apparent that 5 canoes would be contending for the lead of our heat. A 16 mile river race would have to be considered a sprint. We didn’t paddle all out all of the time but we did frequently. Our maximum speed was 11.6 mph which is quick for a 2 person canoe on the Missouri River .

By this time we were catching up with some of the slower canoes from the first heat and we were being passed by some of the faster kayaks that started in the heat behind us so it was difficult to tell for sure what position we were in. I thought we were in 3rd place about 50 yards behind the next tandem canoe. Matt and I made a charge on the canoe ahead of us and they responded by picking up the pace. We couldn’t close the gap so we backed down to our regular pace and followed them on in to the finish line which was pretty chaotic with the current, other craft landing and taking off, high water and mud. I was pleased to finish in 1:51 with an average speed of 8.6 mph and in what looked to me to be 3rd place.

Matt has more strength than me but I have a lot more river experience so we made a good team. When we were doing those sprints I could feel the benefit of all of those push ups and sit ups I have been doing these past months. Once the MR 340 gets underway the extended bicycle trips should benefit when it gets down to endurance both physical and mental. The Race to the Dome was mostly power but the MR 340 will be about 30% power, 40% endurance and 65% mental.

After landing and loading our canoe up for the trip home we waited around for the awards ceremony. The Old Brickhouse deli was serving food to the participants so we had our polish sausage and kraut for lunch. While we were waiting around the “dragon boat” arrived for a test run from Jefferson City to Herman which is about 50 river miles.

The dragon boat is a new canoe that has 20 paddlers and a helmsman built to specifically compete in the MR 340 this year. She is a good looking watercraft. They had two openings on her for paddlers for the test run and it was tempting for Matt and me to take a ride on her. I would guess they could get that canoe up to 20 or 25 mph with the fast current and 20 paddlers. The dragon boat should set a new race record for the MR 340.

When the officials passed out the awards we were pleasantly surprised to find we actually finished 2nd in our class. Matt and I are looking forward to next year.

Next event: MR340 start at Kaw Point in Kansas City , Ks. @ 8am, July 27.

2010 MR 340 Test Run

Kyle and I launched “My Dianna” from the Kaw Point ramp in Kansas City, Kansas yesterday morning with the downtown Kansas City, Missouri skyline in the background. The launch ramp was nearly underwater and what wasn’t under water was covered in mud due to the high waters.

Once we were out in the Kaw the water was smooth but at the confluence we encountered our first of many whirlpools and some rough water. The current was moving fast and we quickly lost sight of the Kansas City skyline. The water was dingy but mostly debris free. The high water has cleaned every thing out except for the mud left behind.

We did face some stiff headwinds (nothing comparable to the Washington, Mo headwinds of last year) from time to time but all in all it was a very pleasant trip. While coasting with the current we could run 4 to 5 mph and with very little effort we could attain 7mph. Our average speed for the 30 mile trip was 6.5 mph and our maximum was over 12 mph.

Our canoe was the only craft on the river other than a sand barge which put up a nice wake for us to navigate. It will be much different on July 27 when 340 boats depart Kaw Point.

Chad was our shuttle driver and he was waiting for us at Ft. Osage where we landed on the mud covered boat ramp. It was a smooth ride and if the river is as fast for the MR 340 that dragon boat may get up to 25 mph while many of the others will set personal best for the 340 mile race.

warm up run

Kyle and I are going to do a warm up run on the Missouri River on Wednesday. Hope to put in at Kaw Point and paddle to Fort Osage. With the high water and fast current we may not have to paddle much but we need the seat time which will payoff when the big show starts.