Minnesota III For Sale

The 3 Dudes are selling the 20' Kevlar Minne III. She was purchased in January of 2010, used for training and the 2010 MR 340. We have added a Wenonah foot rest to the center seat position as well as three jug holders. The canoe does not contain any repairs and the hull contains minor scratches from normal use. This boat should be considered very good condition. We are asking $2100.
Please reply to the forum listings or to Jeff at 3dudesinacanoe@gmail.com Thanks.

2010 MR340 Documentary

The video is finally complete thanks to the creative efforts of Dave Moore.

Success!

After a grueling 45 hours and 53 minutes, the "3 Dudes" slammed into the shore at Frontier Park and into the arms of our faithful friends and family. Our efforts gained us 1st place in the team division and 13th place overall. Our experience (complete with all hallucinations) will be captured in an upcoming final video that should be posted within the next few weeks. For now, a simple thank you is in order to all the friends and family that encouraged us to keep going. jm

Less Than A Week to Go!

In one week from this moment, the 3 Dudes will have already traversed a majority of the fine state of Missouri. We'll be tired, sore and blistered (well maybe not Jeff because he's smart and wears gloves) but nonetheless we'll be steadfast in completing the MR340 in fine form.

Recently we finished modifications to the boat that added a Texas Water Safari style hydration system that allows ice cold water to be readily available to us at all times while allowing for easy replenishment at each checkpoint. This will minimize clutter in the boat and minimize our times checking in.

We also added all of our decals from our sponsor ZRE, our boat numbers and our boat name, the Kathy Lou. Check our Facebook account for photos!

The 3 Dudes are ready to go in just 6 days time and we're always thankful for everyone's support!

Race Update: MR340 POSTPONED until August 24th

Due to high waters and potentially hazardous race conditions, race officials, along with guidance from the U.S. Coast Guard, USGS, and the National Weather Service, have decided to postpone 5th Annual Missouri River 340 until August 24th, 2010. While the 3 Dudes are disappointed, we understand that this decision was made for our safety as well as the 339 other boats participating.

We plan to use the extra four weeks to become stronger, faster and put every finishing touch on our boat as we can. We've discussed it as a group and we'll be putting in one more long paddle prior to the race, probably upstream of Jefferson City to make more of the Missouri feel like home turf.

Again, although the race has been postponed a month, The 3 Dudes will still be competing and will be stronger than ever come race day. Thanks again for all of your continued support and we'll be racing August 24th!

South County Times Article

The 3 Dudes have taken their story to the local community through the South County Times. Thanks to Beth Cross, Director of Community Relations for Lindbergh Schools, the article was submitted and published. To read the article go here. jm

First Paddle at Night

Always trying to increase our skill level, we decided that we needed a night paddle on our local stream to help us get accustomed to traveling quickly during the adversity of continued darkness. We choose to put in on the Meramec River at Pacific Palisades and take out at the HWY 30 bridge in Fenton, a distance of 32 miles. By 10:38 pm we pushed away from shore and waved good-bye to our gracious shuttle driver Matt Wagener. The swift current took us down and away quickly from the inviting bonfire party. We lit the headlamps to spot the many trees that were in the channel, but as our eyes settled we began to use our freshly created instinct. 13 miles in we slipped under the HWY 44 bridge at Route 66 State Park and the water slowed tremendously. What once was a quick pace slowed as we paddled through the stagnant concrete-like Meramec. As we rounded the bend of the Cresent Valley, the lightning storm that had been in the distance was on us. The wind began to pick up as we moved to the side of the channel gaining a block from the increasing storm. The lighting stayed in the clouds and we didn't feel that there was much danger so we pressed on. Approaching Castlewood State Park, the wind died, but the rain started. Only 3 bridges and 8.5 miles to go. We cruised past 141 and then on to the second HWY 44 bridge. The lights of the HWY 30 bridge seems to have the same pace we did but we eventually hit dry land...at 4:30 am. Even though we misjudged the time it would take us to complete this paddle, the amount of experience we gained was invaluable. jm

80 Mile Results

On June 6th, the 3 Dudes mounted our steed in Washington, Missouri and headed west bound on the Missouri River. Our ultimate goal was to be at the Riverfront within 10 hours, giving us an average speed of 8 miles per hour over the 80 mile distance. The morning went well, covering the 38 mile distance to St. Charles in 4:16. Every hour we took a 5 minute break to discuss things about our training and to eat food. Food choices consisted of bananas, trail mix, cliff bars and water. As we rounded the bend at the Missouri & Mississippi confluence we began to really feel the heat of the day. We traveled out to the main channel and headed for the Arch. Upon nearing the riverfront we were confronted with multiple obstacles; there was a large tow boat on our right and a tow boat pushing barges on our left, both motoring upstream. We went to the middle to avoid direct contact and got to ride some huge waves, taking on some water in the process. We landed at the riverfront in 9 hours 32 minutes. It ended up being a great run that produced results we were happy with. We still need to get the hydration system completed and get the new foot rest installed for the center position. Check the short video. jm

80 Miler

Tomorrow morning the 3 Dudes will be setting off on our second major training run on the Missouri. We're going after the 80 miles between Washington, MO to the confluence of the MO and the Mississippi, then continuing down to the riverfront of St. Louis. I should already be asleep but I'm preparing food and getting my new PFD (thanks Grant and MYles at the Alpine Shop!!) ready for the adventure.

Also, if you haven't noticed, our live tracking widget is live and broadcasting. It will be updating our position every 5 minutes so be sure to refresh your screen if you feel like tracking us. I'll be working on an auto-refresh do-dad to prevent that in the future. Until then, wish us luck!

Old & New

3 Dudes In A Canoe Promotional Video

Our resident filmmaker and youngest of the "3 Dudes", Dave Moore,  has completed our promo video for the upcoming MR340. This short film identifies the reasons why we are attempting this adventure and shows some great footage from the training sessions. jm

Colon Cancer Foundation Donation Letter

Dear Friends and Family:


On July 27, 2010 at 8:00 am, Jeff, Kevin and David Moore will begin a 340 mile paddling race down the Missouri River that will start in Kansas City and end in St. Charles. Under the team name “3 Dudes In A Canoe” we will be taking part in the 5th annual “MR 340” in which over 330 boats will be making their way downstream in a test of mental, physical and emotional strength. We will be supported on the ground by our dad, David, and his brother, Steve, who will provide us the necessary resupplies as we make our way to each of the nine checkpoints. Our Wenonah Minnesota III canoe, aptly named the Kathy Lou, has already logged over 100 miles in training sessions on the Meramec River but, in the months to come, will log hundreds of additional miles as the “3 Dudes” build strength and competence as river travelers.
We have decided to participate in this race as a tribute to our late mother, Kathy Moore, and her battle with colon cancer. Kathy was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2005. Following surgery and a long chemotherapy program, mom was thought to be free of cancer. However, one year later, she was again diagnosed with colon cancer and quickly began a new round of treatment that proved to be ineffective against the aggressive disease. Mom died June 30, 2007 and is survived by her husband of 32 years, three sons, one daughter-in-law and two beautiful granddaughters.
The 3 Dudes have teamed up with the Susan Cohan Kasdas Colon Cancer Foundation to help raise money for colon cancer awareness and research. “Susie’s Cause” was founded as a way to help stop this disease from affecting more families. As the second leading cause of cancer death, colon cancer incidents can be drastically reduced through early detection screenings. It is our mission to further Susie’s Cause.
Over the months of training, we have been documenting our experience through various social media outlets. The most in-depth source can be found at our blog, http://3dudesinacanoe.org, where we have posted pictures and videos of the training events. This outlet has allowed us to establish a networking base through which we can get the colon cancer screening message out. This site can be used by all to monitor our progress during our training as well as during the race.
We are asking our friends and family to help us raise money through the Susan Cohan Kasdas Colon Cancer Foundation in memory of our beloved mother Kathy Moore. This can be accomplished simply by clicking the link and providing your information on their secured donation page. Please use the “In Memory” function so that we can track the total amount raised for this event.
It is through this challenging event that we pay tribute to our late mother and help educate others in the fight against this preventable yet deadly disease. A donation towards prevention education is an investment in helping to save a loved one or yourself. While those of us who knew Kathy have already suffered and continue to suffer her loss, being able to save others from this hardship is absolutely worth the blisters and sore muscles we will endure in our epic adventure. So, as we paddle along this race and through our daily lives, we will always remember how lucky we were to have had a mother like Kathy and how fortunate we are to have such overwhelmingly supportive friends and family.

Sincerely,

3 Dudes: Jeff, Kevin and David Moore

River Des Peres

On Sunday, 3 Dudes In A Canoe, thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of the elevated state of the River Des Peres and get in a good sprint workout. We put in near Broadway, just upstream from the waste water treatment plant. The mud at the put-in was thick,gray, smelled and the amount of trash floating downstream was very discouraging from an environmental standpoint. We started upstream and immediatly noticed how fast the current was moving. We bared down and made it just shy of the Interstate 55 overpass before calling it quits and pulling a 180. We were able to quickly spin the boat in the torrent from the Gravois Creek confluence. The only positive thing about the outing was that we got to fine tune the rear camera mount so that it captures our entire bodies, the boat, and our paddling cadence. Check it out. jm

Ten Rules of the Canoe

Expeditions - The Ten Rules of the Canoe

I. Every stroke we take is one less we have to make. Keep Going! Even against the most relentless wind or retrograde tide, somehow a canoe moves forward. This mystery can only be explained by the fact that each pull forward is real movement and not delusion.


II. There is to be no abuse of self or others. Respect and trust cannot exist in anger. It has to be thrown overboard, so the sea can cleanse it. It has to be washed off the hands and cast into the air so the stars can take care of it. We always look back at the shallows we pulled through, amazed at how powerful we thought those dangers were.


III. Be flexible. The adaptable animal survives. If you get tired, ship your paddle and rest. If you get hungry, put in on the beach and eat a few oysters. If you can't figure one way to make it, do something new. When the wind confronts you, sometimes you're supposed to go the other way.


IV. The gift of each enriches all. Every story is important. The bow, the stern, the skipper, the power puller in the middle, everyone is part of the movement. The elder sits in her cedar at the front, singing her paddle song, praying for us all. The weary paddler resting is still ballast. And there is always that time when the crew needs some joke, some remark, some silence to keep going, and the least likely person provides.


V. We all pull and support each other. Nothing occurs in isolation. When we aren't in the family of a canoe, we are not ready for whatever comes. The family can argue, mock, ignore each other at its worst, but that family will never let itself sink. A canoe that lets itself sink is certainly wiser never to leave the beach. When we know that we are not alone in our actions, we also know we are lifted up by everyone else.


VI. A hungry person has no charity. Always nourish yourself. The bitter person, thinking that sacrifice means self-destruction, shares mostly anger. A paddler who doesn't eat at the feasts doesn't have enough strength to paddle in the morning. Take that sandwich they throw you at 2:00 A.M.! The gift of who you are only enters the world when you are strong enough to own it.


VII. Experiences are not enhanced through criticism. Who we are, what we do, why we continue, flourish with tolerance. The canoe fellows who are grim go one way. The men and women who find the lightest flow may sometimes go slow, but when they arrive they can still sing. And they have gone all over the sea, into the air with the seagulls, under the curve of the wave with the dolphin and down to the whispering shells, under the continental shelf. Withdrawing the blame acknowledges how wonderful a part of it all every one of us really is.


VIII. The journey is what we enjoy. Although the start is exciting and the conclusion achieved, it is the long, steady process we remember. Being part of the journey requires great preparation; being done with a journey requires great awareness; being on the journey, we are much more than ourselves. We are part of the movement of life. We have destination, and for once, our will is pure, our goal is to go on.


IX. A good teacher allows the student to learn. We can berate each other, try to force each other to understand, or we can allow each paddler to gain their awareness through the ongoing journey. Nothing sustains us like that sense of potential that we can deal with things. Each paddler learns to deal with the person in front, the person behind, the water, the air, the energy, the blessing of the eagle.


X. When given any choice at all, be a worker bee -make honey!

The ten rules of the canoe developed by the Quileute canoe contingent for a Northwest Experiential Education Conference in 1990.

Taking the Minny III on its maiden voyage. This boat is incredibly fast, very stable and super comfortable.

Wenonah Minnesota III

We purchased our boat on Sunday from John Ruskey of Quapaw Canoe Company and Mike Clark of Big Muddy Adventures. The boat is a 20' Wenonah Minnesota III made from Kevlar and weighs about 55 pounds. A huge thanks to John and Mike for their expertise with the boat and for getting it to STL from Mississippi. jm

That's A Pretty Sweet Rack Ya Got There

Our hitch mounted rack was "completed" tonight as Jeff, Dad and myself (the 3rd dude is vacationing in Key West . . . jerk) put the final welds down to full assemble what will carry our winning vessel.

It's still not 100% complete but it's rock solid and will easily carry our 20' behemoth. Speaking of which, just over 36 hours and the boat's all ours. km

The Paddlephiles

Check out the Paddlephiles blog posts from last years race, looks like they had a fantastic experience. I have dropped them a comment and look forward to racing with them this year. http://bit.ly/85HbxS

All 3 Dudes in the shop welding up our boat support for our MN III's arrival next week.

It's Official

We are officially registered for the MR 340. Check here for the 2010 roster. We are in the team division at the bottom..."3 Dudes In A Canoe". The reality is starting to set in. jm

Weight Training and Endurance

I joined the gym two doors down from my apartment in Columbia, MO so that I can weight train for the MR340. Over the past two years I've learned quite a bit about weight training in general and how big of a role it plays in general fitness. An AMAZING book to really get your body into great shape is Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. It's smartly written and makes a lot of sense. It doesn't rely on any crazy diet but it does require a significant change in your daily eating and exercise habits.

Unfortunately I've been off my game for about 5 months now and have a lot of catching up to do. I plan to do my typical chest, shoulders, arms, legs and core routine but now I plan to get pretty specific when it comes to muscle endurance. That will require me to do a lot of high rep, low weight activities. I found a really great site that will help me develop a paddling specific weight routine and when I get it down, I'll post it here.

I'm pretty sure we'll be on the river this weekend, we'll post some pictures and updates while we do so. Hopefully the recent snows here won't cause any problems!

Keep paddling!

km

Our First & Second Training Day

Alright, these post are coming quickly due to the slight backlog, but here is an update of what has been happening on the water to date. On December 26, Kevin, David and I set out from Russel E. Emmenegger Nature Park (known from now on only as Emmenegger) and headed up river (Meramec) switching between the Wenonah Argosy and the Old Town Discovery 158. It was pretty obvious that I was in the most need of technique help, but we battled the freezing temperatures and overall paddled about 4 miles. The following weekend, Kevin and I set off from Emmeneger at 10:00 am where the temperature was a balmy 7 degrees. We again went upstream to the creek that flows from Simpson County Park and back, paddling about 5 miles. jm

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Aerial Map

The Beginning

The idea of the three Moore brothers attempting an epic adventure dedicated to the memory of our beautiful mother was cast soon after our mom passed away of colon cancer in 2007. Various ideas were discussed and eventually tabled as nothing really presented itself as feasible. Over Thanksgiving 2009, however, we were in Indiana visiting relatives when the subject surfaced again and the MR 340 was mentioned as the possible format. The MR 340 is a 340 mile river race down the Missouri River from July 27 thru July 30 in which competitors are allowed 88 hours to complete the distance. Immediately we got to work researching the event and reviewing the possibility of joining with a colorectal cancer foundation to raise money and awareness for this terrible disease. The team “3 Dudes In A Canoe” was born on January 4, 2010 and we were underway obtaining a boat and establishing a training program to get us through the 340 miles.

Our mother passed away from colon cancer in June of 2007 at the very young age of 54. She had successfully battled cancer after her first diagnosis in 2005 with surgery and chemotherapy but an aggressive version returned a year and a half later that she could not overcome. Kathy was raised in St. Louis and attended Cor Jesu Academy where she graduated in 1970. After receiving her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education at Missouri State in 1974, she married her college sweetheart, David Moore, and began her teaching career at Annunziata in Ladue until the school closed. Soon after, she taught at St. Lukes for two years before taking 15 years off to raise her boys. When the youngest son, David, entered 4th grade, Kathy returned, full-time, to St. Gerard Majella and then on to Sappington School in the Lindbergh School District in 1996 as a 5th grade teacher. During this time she earned a Master of Science in Education through Maryville University.

Kathy was a fantastic mom who prepared breakfast every morning and dinner every night for her family, made our beds, grocery shopped every week, helped with homework,” liked” all of the girlfriends we brought home, slipped us money on the way out the door during college, took us on vacations, loved her dachshunds, loved her granddaughter, loved her husband of 32 years, and loved teaching kids. She volunteered for numerous school events while wearing her teacher themed sweaters and somehow managed to be a wife during that time as well. She was missed from the moment she passed away and will continue to be missed for as long as we are alive.

The purpose of this undertaking is three fold. We want to bring attention to this disease since “colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States” according to the American Cancer Society. Early screening detections have increased and therefore have helped the numbers of people developing cancer decline, but many people still are not aware of this necessary prevention. The second reason for this is continued development in our family relationships. Our mom was instrumental in gathering the family together and that must continue in her absence. Lastly, we will be feeding our natural sense of adventure. The three of us bring different skills that have never been combined to attempt something of this scale. Our journey to ready ourselves for this event will be monumental…but, in the end, our mom would be proud of us and we are ready for the challenge. jm

3dudesinacanoe is ALIVE!

Hooray!