Hello Paddlers –
We are just a few days out. We know you are obsessing about if you have enough or the right gear and thinking about how your next week is going to go. We are doing the same here at Race Headquarters! Plus we’ve been obsessing about rain. More about that in a second.
This dispatch includes some of our last updates on the race and a few reminders. We do recommend that you read and re-read the previous dispatches (http://www.rivermiles.com/forum/YaBB.pl?board=Race) as well. There’s a lot to know to do this race and those dispatches are a great source for good info. Share with your ground crews!
RIVER LEVELS
The river remains high but the latest river projections from Friday morning show the river staying below flood stage throughout the race course. We believe that we are in the clear. If anything does change we will spread the word quickly. No rain is currently forecast for the week of the race although that can always change and you should be prepared for rain. You can monitor all the river forecasts here - https://www.weather.gov/mbrfc/MR340support
KAW POINT
All racers MUST check in at Kaw Point on Monday, July 19 between noon and 8pm. You may also drop off your boat on the lower level. No electronics or expensive stuff, please.
Be sure to have watched the safety video before arriving. https://www.rivermiles.com/safety
Save time and pre-print and sign your waiver here: https://rivermiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2021-MR340-Waiver.pdf
We will have extra waivers as well.
Parking at Kaw Point on Tuesday morning will be very tight. NO TRAILERS or RVS will be allowed inside the park after 5am or when trailer parking is full. There will be limited trailer/rv parking along the curb of the property leading into the park. When that is full, all trailer/rvs will be circled around and sent to find parking back up the hill towards the hotel. Familiarize yourself with the area of 5th and Armstrong and the parking there as well as the easy walk down to the park from there. Read Dispatch 5 for more details on this. http://www.rivermiles.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1620314685/4#4
When all spots are full, all vehicles will be turned around and sent back up the hill.
RACE STARTt
Solos start at 7 a.m. All other boats at 8 a.m.
You must be upstream of an imaginary line directly across the river from the boat ramp at race start.
LATEST NEWS ON BOAT RAMPS
These boat ramps are handy between Kaw Point and Waverly:
La Benite – MM 352.6 Pit Toilets. No Water.
Cooley Lake – MM 341.2 No Amenities
Ft. Osage/Sibley – MM 337.2 – No Amenities. Very limited space for parking.
Napoleon – MM 328.6 - Parking at Napoleon is very limited this year. The ramp is located on Corps of Engineers property. They are doing some repairs on their parking lot and the gate onto the property will be accessible by pedestrians only. Parking in the grass in the park just upstream of the ramp will be allowed. If you very carefully park and double park 30 cars max can park there. DO NOT park on rock ballast next to train tracks. Be VERY careful around train tracks. In the past some people have parked on the side of the highway. Again, please be very careful. Napoleon will be very tight this year.
The Corps building at Napoleon will be open for people to use the bathrooms and there is water available outside.
Lexington – MM 316.4 - Pit Toilets, Food from a local boy scout troop! Parking lot is pretty big.
And here’s info on some of the remaining boat ramps.
Waverly - MM 293.5: CHECKPOINT Two ramps – one upstream and one downstream of bridge. Both have food/toilets. Please be very careful around the railroad tracks! There are no gates on the railroad tracks. Cutoff time is 8pm to pass the plane of the ramp before the Reaper.
Hills Island - MM 281.5: NO VEHICLE ACCESS. Only boats can get there. 11 miles downstream of Waverly if you need a break. Safety boat will be there all night.
Miami - MM 262.9: Great food. Very Crowded parking. Expect ground crew to have to walk on gravel road to park.
Dalton Bottoms - MM 239.1: NO ROAD ACCESS. But a ramp and a way to get off the river and up to a flat area for rest. We will start the night with a safety boat here.
Glasgow - MM 226.2: CHECKPOINT Food and pit toilet right by ramp. Bathrooms with water and shower are a short walk. Town with all the amenities is a short walk.
Franklin Island - MM 195.2: The road to Franklin Island reopened last night! Food will be available compliments of Trevor Tilton Insurance/Mortgage Services and distributed by Missouri River Relief volunteers. Toilets available.
Katfish Katy's - MM 180.2: Breaking News – The gate to the boat ramp will be open! Enter at the restaurant and drive to the back of the parking lot. Go through that gate and a gravel road will take you to the ramp. Stay on the gravel…the mud can be treacherous down there. The ramp will have porta-potties and may have some water. This ramp will not be staffed by volunteers but we will often have a safety boat there and it is a good place for ground crews to meet their paddlers and avoid the very crowded parking at Cooper’s Landing. Please do not leave your boats on the ramp. This is a private ramp and they are allowing us to use it. Please respect other local boaters that pay to use the ramp.
The restaurant will be open Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. They may stay open later if there are people still coming by. Great food.
Cooper's Landing - MM 170.2: Food trucks and MoRivCC volunteers will have food. Parking will be very busy here, Expect to walk on gravel for parking. If you are coming from Katfish Katy’s, there is a very obvious detour from Route K to Old Plank Rd. If you are coming from Columbia, the normal way to get there is closed. We have a PDF with recommended directions. Google maps should reroute you. https://rivermiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/MR340-2021-Road-Closure-Map-to
-Coopers-Landing.pdf. At the levels we are expecting for the race it can be difficult to land at this ramp. You will need to go slightly past the ramp to avoid wing dike then paddle hard up to ramp to avoid the dock and boats tied up to the dock.
Hartsburg - MM 160 – No amenities.
Jefferson City, Wilson’s Serenity Point at Noren Access - MM 144: CHECKPOINT Food! Missouri American Water will have water onsite. Sponsor UST Gear will be helping at ramp. The “beach” that is present some years downstream of the ramp some years is pretty much nonexistent. Will most likely need to land on the ramp. There is a wing dike on upstream side of ramp that will likely be underwater. Please limit parking to the marked spaces in the parking lot and on the side of the road to the parking lot. Road from the parking lot to the ramp is for motor boat launching only – No Support vehicles allowed. Paddlers be aware – there is a construction barge tied to one of the bridge pilings.
Mokane - MM 124.7 - no amenities
Chamois - MM 117.9– Bathrooms and showers nearby.
Hermann - MM 97.7: CHECKPOINT Food! Town is right there! Water and bathrooms at pavilion. There are two boat ramps right next to each other with a peninsula that juts out into the river between them. With expected higher water, that peninsula can be underwater and creating pretty crazy water extending out into the river. Racers are welcome to land on upper ramp then portage to the lower ramp to put in and avoid that. If you are passing by or plan on landing on lower ramp, give that peninsula plenty of room.
New Haven - MM 81.4: Local BBQ restaurant is planning to have food from 11-4 on Thursday and Friday. Bathrooms a short walk.
Washington - MM 68.3: Easy access to town. Ramp can be tough to land at during high water. Plan ahead for your landing.
Klondike - MM 56.3: CHECKPOINT Food available courtesy of sponsor The Nature Conservancy. Last stop before the finish!
FINISH LINE at Lewis & Clark Boathouse - MM 28.9: Please land near the boat ramp just downstream of Boathouse Museum building. An official finish is recorded when the nose of your boat hits the mud anywhere within 20 feet of either side of the concrete boat ramp.
FINISH LINE PARTY FRIDAY:
We'll be partying all week at the finish line with great beer, margaritas and hard lemonade sold starting Thursday! On Friday, it really gets going with live music by Hazard To Ya Booty starting at 6pm and awards recognition for all podium finishers at 7pm! Followed by more music! Try to make it!
This party is sponsored by Schlafly Brewing, Big Muddy Adventures, Terrain Magazine with huge help from Lewis & Clark Boathouse & Museum.
MOSQUITOS –
Reports from all along the race course about mosquitoes are intense. Worst year in recent memory for many locations. Both racers and ground crews need to be prepared. As long as you are on the river you should be fine. On land…not so much.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
MR340 Resources page, with links to RaceOwl, course map, dispatches and much more. – https://rivermiles.com/mr340-resources/
Mandatory Safety Video – https://www.rivermiles.com/safety
Course Map – https://rivermiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/mr340checkpointmapmatrix2021.p...
Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/188849561244166
Waiver (print, sign and bring to Check-In) - https://rivermiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2021-MR340-Waiver.pdf
MR340 Live Webinars - https://riverrelief.org/mr340-live_2021/
"How to RaceOwl" Webinar (race tracking) - https://youtu.be/83CSjLoEiPY
We can't wait to see you at Kaw Point!
Be safe and stay pumped!
Scott Mansker and Steve Schnarr
