Clark got on the phone and said they are 150 miles ahead of the 1984 record and he thinks they stand a good job of breaking 20 day mark at this time. He said they are "pumping" and that the whole team is "jelling" well (hope I spelled that correctly). He also said he is paddling this next section and Bob will be sleeping a little bit.

Clark said they had a couple of paddlers (friends of Bob's) who came out with them yesterday and paddled with them for a big part of the "pond" - Pond 8 he said - basically a pond of stiller water above the locks and dams that have less current that is usually slow going for the paddlers. The paddlers very much appreciate the company of the many paddlers who have joined in with them from time to time!

Clark also mentioned Angie and the kids were leaving for now, and they were sad to see them go. While we were talking he was being offered food from the crew. He said he is being fed very well - I suspect largely due to Janet's cooking and making sure everyone is as comfortable as possible. If any of you ever meet Janet Bradford, you know she is an incredible cook and team player. When Bob and Janet came to our home last New Year's eve (to deliver Clark's boat) Janet was such an incredible help in our home that I asked her if she wanted to live with us! Unfortunately, she declined, citing she would miss her family and the grandkids too much :-). She cooked, she cleaned, she played with Noah, she read books to Amanda, she walked the dog - every day - and she even folded our laundry and put it away. It was amazing to watch her energy and kindness. I can only hope to be such a hard worker some day!

Back to the food - Clark said they burn about 10,000 calories a day and really have to eat constantly to stay physically well enough to continue paddling hard. I remember from his last trip down the Mississippi he lost substantial weight and muscle, especially in his arms, even though he had plenty to eat on that trip too. I hope Clark and Bob can stay ahead of the calorie burn this time. Sounds like Clark has not to eat the wrapper on any food item yet.

On a note "closer to home", my daughter, Amanda, who has Rett syndrome, is fairing well. She has been home bound since last October with seizures, but is doing very well in the last month due to new med - Keppra if you are wondering - and is like a whole new person. Walking again, talking again, demanding chips for dinner and calling me a "meanie" when I flip on the news for a minute when I should be letting her watch Nickolodean.... basically back to her old self. It's nice to see. We even went through the drive through at MacDonald's yesterday, and she was quite happy for that. We still have to go slow and take one day at a time, as she is recovering from 6 months of being home bound. Many thanks to all our friends who are helping us out while Clark is away!

I told Clark that our son Noah, last night, while building his new lego race boat (670 pieces, ridiculous) announced he was going to be the first 6 year old to go down the Mississippi and he would set a new world record. I told him he was just the 6 year old to do it. Like his father, he has great dreams and aspirations. I remember when he was 4, he told Clark and I when he grew up he was going to raise the Titanic. When we told him how big it was, and where it was, he actually worked through some of the logistical problems - he had clearly thought it through prior to the conversation. He had even thought about how to put it together again - duct tape. He seemed very concerned about getting the people out who were stuck in there, which is another story of course. Bottom line, like his father, he clearly works on trying to help others by doing something kind of crazy and unusual....

Good luck to Team Hope, and good luck to all of you out there who are doing what you can to help those suffering from Rett Syndrome and Leukodystrophy - and may you all be wildly successful in your dreams!

posted by Mary at 7:23 AM

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Just spoke with Stan. New thoughts to be added to what's below -- They already miss Angie, but she indicated she'd try to come back on Thusday or Friday! Don Bradford (Bob's brother) has joined them. I'm sure he is every bit as helpful as Angie -- but he will have to prove his mettle first! The paddlers left Commanche, Iowa, at 7am -- 6:58 according to Andrew! Guess Andrew is probably right, as that puts them another 2 minutes ahead!

Bob drew up a tentative schedule for this trip - where they wanted to be when. It only took a few days before Clark started calling him sadistic! Clark mused that only a mad-man could come up with such a grueling schedule, as they are already 14 hours behind the "wannabe" list. Bob says he just doesn't know where he could have gone wrong! But regardless - they ARE 160 miles ahead of the world record, which equates to being at least one whole day ahead! And they have about 1,450 miles to go!

Their next scheduled stop is at Lock & Dam 14. Two years ago, the river was flooded. A concerned citizen at this location called the local sheriff and told him he'd seen what he believed to be a capsized canoe in the middle of the flooded Mississippi River. The sheriff called out the rescue helicopter. Clark was woken up from a sound sleep inside the "bubble" of his hand-built kayak (a beautiful piece of work) by the helicopter hovering overhead! They were all landbound -- both Team Double Helix and Team Kruger -- for several hours explaining what was going on. Hopefully they won't encounter that delay this year, as they're armed with letters from the Coast Guard supporting their endeavor! Good Luck Team Hope!

I just want to remind all readers that Mary is always honoring other folks with her words. But everyone needs to know how truly dedicated she is, both to this cause and to her family. She's truly a remarkable woman, handling everything on her own while Clark is gone. Her stories of Amanda and Noah give you only a small glimpse into her life. But her family is the center of her life! Thanks, Mary, for all you have done to put the wheels into motion, enabling us to experience two of the greatest races of all time -- the Mississippi River Challenge of 2003 for Rett Syndrome and Leukodystrophy, and the Great Mississippi River Race of 2001 for Rett Syndrome.
Thank you, Mary!
posted by Dana at 7:53 AM

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Finally got cought up with stuff around home. Lisa and I spent part of the day thursday near RedWing and I caught up with team hope on friday morning in LaCrosse. What a fun time and to feel so welcome by everyone. Thursday we took rhubarb pie and the famous rice krispie bars everyone was happy. We left team hope about 2pm to get our rett angel from school.

On the way home i was coming up with a plan for desert at Wabasha .So when I got home I called a cousin of a cousin who owns the DQ, he wasn't there but the crew made treats and delivered them to Team Hope under the bridge. I talked to Neal Hedquist on sat. and he was gracious enough to donate the treats so a big thank you to neal and the DQ staff. Friday morning I left town and found the crew in LaCrosse.

I followed them to Lock&Dam 8 were I got to say goodbye to Bob & Clark and the road crew. I told them if they needed anything or help in anyway to let me know. They all teased me and said we will call just before the end and you can bring something and join them for the party . I will end this for now my two fingers are getting sore. To TEAM HOPE keep up the great work and we'll chear you on from here. We love you guys! Chuck,Lisa,Jill Evert
posted by Lisa at 10:13 AM