The sun peeked out over the Kansas City skyline Monday morning just as Steve Keuny set off at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers inside a 1,293-pound pumpkin.

"Our plan is to float this pumpkin down the Missouri River," Keuny said. "We're trying to break the Guinness World Record for longest distance float in a pumpkin."

Wearing a wet suit to protect him from the chilly water and morning air, Keuny launched from Lewis and Clark Park at Kaw Point bound for Napoleon, Missouri. He estimated the journey would take around eight hours, putting him 38 miles downstream before sundown.

The Midwest's version of "James and the Giant Peach."