Photo: Getty Images
A Nebraska man celebrated his 60th birthday breaking an unusual record: Paddling over 30 miles down the Missouri River in a pumpkin.
Duane Hansen of Syracuse, Nebraska, climbed into his makeshift boat on the banks of the Missouri River in Bellevue on Saturday (August 27) and spent 11 hours paddling 38 miles to Nebraska City. He fashioned the boat, which he named "Berta," out of an 800-pound hollowed-out pumpkin.The goal of the voyage was to break the Guinness World Record for longest journey by pumpkin boat, which was set at 25.5 in 2016 by a North Dakota man named Rick Swenson.
Hansen invited Bellevue city officials to act as witnesses for his journey. One official, Phil Davidson, said (via River Country), "I did not realize he was going to be sitting in the pumpkin, riding in the pumpkin all the way down there. It’s a big pumpkin, it’s kind of crazy, but … I’ve never seen anything like it."
Morgan Buchholz, Hansen's daughter, was also also amazed by her father. "I’m so proud of my dad," she said (via River Country). "He has always said that you can do anything you want and how can you not believe somebody who goes out and does exactly what he wants and I’m just so proud."
Check out some photos of the event below.