CURRENT AND FORMER MEMBERS
OF THE FREEMAN
HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR WHOM WE
PROFILED FOR YOU IN AN
EYE ON KELOLAND THIS WEEK.
THEY PERFORMED AT
NONE OTHER THAN CARNEGIE
HALL IN NEW YORK CITY
TODAY. THESE PHOTOS COME
TO US FROM FREEMAN HIGH
SCHOOL CHOIR DIRECTOR
MINDEE BIRNSTIEHL.
THEY DECIDED TO RECREATE
HISTORY. BUT THE PRESENT
IN
SOUTH DAKOTA HAS HAD
SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT IT.
JETSKE WAURANN REPORTS.
PARKE SMITH AND HIS FRIEND
DOUG DORFF ARE BIG ON
BIKING! NATS SO MUCH SO,
THAT THEY CAME UP WITH A
PLAN TO REPLICATE
THE LEWIS AND CLARK
EXPEDITION FROM ST. LOUIS,
MISSOURI TO THE OREGON
COAST, ALL ON THEIR TWO
WHEELERS. PARKE SMITH:
"A TRIP THAT
SHOULD TAKE ABOUT 12
WEEKS."
BUT HEAVY FLOODING HAS SET
THEM BACK...
PARKE IS FROM COLORADO,
AND DOUG'S FROM VIRGINIA.
DOUG DORFF: "JUST
EXPERIENCING THE MIDWEST."
THAT EXPERIENCE HAS ALSO
INCLUDED
EXPERIENCING MIDWESTERN
WEATHER... AND ITS
EFFECTS.
THE TWO STARTED THEIR TRIP
IN ST. CHARLES,
MISSOURI... PARKE
SMITH:"AND
TWICE ALONG THE WAY WE'VE
HAD TO CROSS FLOODED ROADS
ON FOOT." ONE OF THOSE
ROADS WAS IN
MISSOURI... BUT IT WAS THE
ROAD AT THE JEFFERSON
BRIDGE ON 329TH STREET IN
SOUTH DAKOTA, THAT PROVED
TO
BE TOO DANGEROUS... WITH
THE SWIFT MOVING WATER
ACROSS THE ROADWAY. PARKE
SMITH: "INCESSANT
ORAIN, THIS SPRING, HAS
REALLY CAUSED US TO
RE-LOOK
AT WHERE WE STAY. THE
INTENT WAS ESSENTIALLY
WAS WHERE TO CAMP, BUT ALL
THE CAMPGROUNDS
ARE FLOODED OR VERY
MUSHY."
AND THOUGH THE RAIN HAS
MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR
THEM, PARKE AND DOUG SAY,
THEY'LL CONTINUE
RECALCULATING ROUTES UNTIL
THEY FINALLY MAKE IT TO
THEIR DESTINATION, SAFELY.
PARKE SMITH: "LOOK FOR AN
ALTERNATIVE ROUTE TO GET
TO OUR INTENDED PATH TO
THE NORTHWEST
FROM HERE." DOUG DORFF:
"THE PEOPLE
HERE ARE JUST ABSOLUTELY
INCREDIBLE. THE KINDNESS
THAT
HAS BEEN SHOWN TO US HAS
BEEN NOTEWORTHY."
RECORD FLOODING IS
INUNDATING PART OF THE
COUNTRY-- WITH UPWARDS OF
EIGHT- MILLION PEOPLE
UNDER FLOOD WARNINGS ALONG
THE
