KarunaNews Story

When Gary Kristensen of Happy Valley paddled nearly 46 miles in a giant pumpkin along the Columbia River earlier this month, his journey of 73.50 km was a world record, says Guinness World Records. He battled 30-35 mph winds and intense waves for part of the trip in “Punky Loafster,” which he grew. Fellow giant pumpkin grower Jim Sherwood won the National Pumpkin Weigh Off in California this year with “Hank the Tank,” which tipped the scales at nearly 2,500 pounds. Sherwood is also a founder of the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta where boaters attempt to cross a manmade lake using a giant gourd as a vessel. After Kristensen returned from the Columbia River, he raced in Tualatin’s regatta, which attracts people from all over the world to the Portland area, and placed second.