HELLO Annapolis!!

We made it! It's 11:00pm local time and we are in Annapolis. We are heading to the finish line right now (yes I'm in the van blogging!) Can't wait to see the riders coming in throughout the night and all day tomorrow. All the excitement and emotion is going to be amazing!

Lunch with Danny from West Virginia

We took a right off of race route US 50E just past the sign for Belgium, down the narrow paved road to Danny Harbert's house. He was expecting us. We were greeted with smiles, hanshakes, and hugs as he welcomed us into his home. He had 'supper' prepared and waiting (it was 12:30pm).

Ryan met Danny during Ryan's bike trek across country last year and they have been in touch ever since. When we entered West Virginia, Ryan gave Danny a call.

We heard stories of Danny working in the West Virginia coal mines and looked at the nature photos he takes (amazing photos of bald and golden eagles)-- and of course ther was much laughter the entire time. With our belly's completely full, we reluctantly left Danny's house. It was hard to leave as he made us all feel so welcome. Danny said he had two rules for guests, feed them well and give them something to take with them when they leave. He made and gave Rafiel and I necklaces similar to the one he had given Ryan a year ago (Ryan hasn't taken it off since). Back to RAAM work. But what a wonderful and unexpected surprise. I won't forget it.

Tree Tower in Decatur County Courthouse

Decatur County Court House near Greensburg, Indiana.

Locals say that this is not the original tree, it is the third offspring of the original tree (which was cut down). When officials were talking about removing the tree as part of the court house restoration, the kids in town petitioned against it and got enough signatures to save the tree.

When asked how the tree got there to begin with, one local responded, "If you’re a far right Christian you believe that God put it there."

Big Timing Board at Time Station #39

Time stations vary in RAAM. Some are fully stocked with people, food, and festivities. While others are next to a cornfield on the edge of a small town. The purpose of the time stations, which are every 30-70 miles, is so that RAAM officials can track the pace of the riders. This particular time station (photo) was at time station #39 in Bloomington, IN. Times are posted for all to see...quite literally! Crew must call in to RAAM race headquarters in Tucson, AZ to let them know the exact time a rider passes a time station. In the case where the time stations are "personned", the RAAM volunteers will mark the rider time but the rider still has to check in.

There are a total of 55 time stations from west coast to east coast. We are currently at time station 44 in Athens, Ohio. 446 miles to Annapolis!

Rider Inspiration - Beer, Donuts, and a "Pitchfork"

We in media van #3 are all about working hard and having fun which seems to be the same motto as many of the teams and riders we have had the fortune to travel with over the past week. It’s day six for the relay teams and day nine for the solo men’s teams and they certainly have been working hard. So we took the opportunity to pass some fun onto the riders today. First, Ryan
donned hawaiian leis and carried a red rake (it was supposed to be a pitchfork - we were going for Tour de France devil costume - best we could do at the dollar store). Ryan ran alongside Team Summit rider David Ophel (photo)and got a big smile from David. Then we dangled a beer can on a string in front of solo rider Holger Roethig. We think he found his "happy place". And finally tempting Team FARA's John Lockwood with powdered donuts. We're pretty sure he still has powdered sugar on his face ;-)

Link to YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQbkxcdROWs

Mission accomplished - smiles all around for riders, crew, and media team!

I'm Comin' Lizbef!!

This one goes out to my friend Laura (aka: Lizbef). Thinking of you in Bloomfield, Indiana!

Shout Out: Joe Sippers Cafe in Effingham, Illinois

This shout out goes to Joshua Loy, Alexander Evans, and everyone working at Joe Sippers Cafe on 4th. I found them on my phone navigator (thanks Lucy!) and thanks to Joshua's killer veggie egg wrap, I got a great start to my day. And Alexander's 16oz americano coffee got me through the entire state of Illinois. Thanks guys!!

How does media team 3 start each day?

Beer and doughnuts baby!

OK, not really - but check back here later today...we have some plans to help boost rider and crew morale!

Pics from the Day

Some random photos from today's events. It was a great day racing across Missouri to chase down some of the relay teams. Truly a great day! We are heading across Illinois now and it is 10:15pm race time on Thursday.

Hotel we stayed at Wed to Thurs. Guard cat keeping watch as we wake the proprietor up to check in at 11:30pm.

Time station 34 in Washington, Missouri. I got a free bike shirt! But left them one of my RAAM shirts as good will.



The mighty Mississippi at West Alton just before crossing over into Ilinois.















Amy Xu of Team Strong Heart - solo rider who withdrew from the race at time station 35 due to safety issues. I met her at the RAAM crewing seminar in Austin in March. Amzing and inspirational woman! She also lives in Plymouth, MN.














Crew chief Michelle Pearl for Team Strong Heart - creative as ever in "making" a seat for Amy.

New Meaning to You "Go Girl"

Team Strong Heart solo rider Amy Xu has many sponsors, one of which is a company called "Go Girl". According to their websie, "GoGirl is the feminine urination device that lets you go anywhere. Because life's greatest adventure shouldn't be finding a bathroom."


Don't get me wrong, I'm all about trying new stuff. But really? I talked to Michelle Pearl, crew chief for Team Strong Heart. She said it works. Well I certainly wouldn't want to get it confused with, say, a kitchen funnel.


Ryan and Rafiel were somewhat confused with the concept as well. "But it doesn't really work like THAT for guys", says Rafiel when Michelle demonstrated how the GoGirl works. Ryan didn't get it at all (see photo).

Thanks Team Strong Heart for the samples...we think ;-)

Dillo Death Road

We are not sure what is going on but there are a LOT of armadillo carcasses on this particular stretch of US-54E in western Missouri. Lucky for us, media crew #3 photographer Rafiel Chait is an armadillo expert. Sort of.


"I watched a show on Discovery once...a long time ago...and they said that armadillos jump when a car is just about to drive over them. The armadillos are low enough that the car could clear them BUT apparently the armadillos freak out and jump straight up to their demise. We call them...suicide dillos."

Another interesting fact about armadillos is that they are the only species (aside from humans) to have identical twins at birth.

This learning moment has been brought to you by media van #3. Thanks Rafiel!

Sneezy

Rafiel and I are not entirely sure what's happening with Ryan but he just finished an EPIC sneezing fit. I thought it might be the hay fields when we were driving through Kansas. But now we are well into Missouri and he just got done sneezing...and I'm not kidding...about 23 times. I'm glad he's not driving! He's cleaned out the glove box of our spare napkins but luckily we have an unopened 4-pack of toilet paper in the back.


Says Ryan, "I think I'm good for now. I'll let you know if it happens again."
Trust me...we'll know.

It's Midnight in the Van - What's that SMELL?

We thought we made it through all the smelly farm feed lots relatively unscathed. Thanks to Rafiel's quick response, he could usually close off the vents quickly enough so we wouldn't smell the "cow smell" at full force.


Then lo and behold we are just about to Yates Center, KS and Rafiel kills a stink bug. For those of you who don't know what a stink bug is, they (as the name would imply)...stink. But they only stink when they are squished. Rafiel didn't know this was a stink bug until it was too late. Stink bug: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentatomidae

Media van #3 crew responses:

"It smells like bad foot stink!" - Rafiel

"Damn." - Ryan

I got the giggles so badly that I didn't have a comment so decided to blog instead. The smell is starting to discipate but wow - that was bad!

Photo: Rafiel sticking his hand out the window to get rid of stink bug body and smell.

On The Road Again...heading to Yates Center, KS

What a day for RAAM! We got to interview some amazing teams - Team FARA (4 man relay, 2 of the riders have ataxia - a neurological disease that impacts the brain's ability to "talk to" the body - photo) and Team Operation Progress (4 person mixed team includng two women - one who is turning 60 soon and the other who was former LAPD shot in the line of duty and is now paralyzed from the chest down - photo.) We also found out that one of the teams was in a car/rider accident and the rider is hospitalized in serious condition. Lots going on but the relay teams continue their way across the crazy windy Kansas state and into Missouri.




I am having a great time but working hard. I wrote my last two articles while sitting on a curb in a gas station parking lot or in the van at time station 27 (photo). It was convenient because I could talk to a couple of the people featured in the article as they were right there waiting for their team to come in. And then through the miracle of internet connection...voila - article posted. OK it took a little more than that but you get the idea. My favorite quote of the evening comes from Mary C. (one of the women I was interviewing) - "I just got yelled at for calling this a rest stop. It's a time station!"


We officially hit the half way mark between time stations 26-27 (Pratt - Maize) with 1,502.5 miles down and same to go. I have to say that the whole "crossing the half way mark" was very anticlimactic. We were greeted with corn fields, road, and construction dust (photo). So much for fanfare.

I gave a quick call to my parents so they know I'm not stuck in the middle of a corn field (that was a few nights ago - ha-ha!) My Dad, being the map guy he is, pinpointed my exact location. I told my Mom to tell him I was waving at the sattelite overhead so he should be able to see me - an inside family joke. My Mom was full of questions and wonderful support - thanks Mom and Dad!

We plan to hit the road hard tomorrow and make tracks to get to some of the relay teams farther up. I'm off to write one more article before calling it a night. Oh, and by the way...I'm off the curb and back in the van. Armed with coffee in my spiffy new "KwikShop" travel coffee mug, we are off. And no, I'm not driving right now ;-)

Ulysses, KS for 18 Hours

We have been hanging out un Ulysses, KS for most of the day awaiting the arrival of two teams so we can interview them. They are scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning. It has been anything but a relaxing day - although I did sneak in a quick 30 min nap after we checked into the hotel. AND BONUS - another night in a hotel!




Ulysses is a small, quaint town and we were greeted by huge grain mills when we came into town. After starting the shell of some stories, I headed back over to time station #23 by the McDonalds in town and talked to Team Type 2 crew chef Jenn and a few of the awesome women from Team Kalyra.

I took the media van and drove through the town looking for a cafe or local restaurant to have dinner. Everything was closed by 9:30am except Subway. Another veggie sandwich it is. I had dinner with Leary (over the phone). It was great to talk to him!

I'm going to do a little more writing and then head to bed. Hopefully we'll be on the road and make tracks tomorrow through Kansas - approx 350 miles until Missouri.

Photo of welcome sign for RAAM and Team in Ulysses.

Race Updates and Stuff - Mile 1,284

The race is into its 3rd day and the wear and tear is starting to show on the riders and even some of the crew. One four man team from Spain – Team COANFI - only has four support crew – compared to other 4 person teams who have up to 19 crew members. One of the race officials was telling me that their crew hadn’t slept at all and so when they pulled over for a quick nap, they missed their rider because they all fell asleep. But each time we see the riders on the road, they are all smiles. Plus they are all very short and have legs the size of my waist. They are all so cute I just want to put them in my pocket.

We just crossed over into Kansas and the roads are flat and the horizon is dotted with towering grain mills. Here are a few odds and ends from the race so far:

We got lost or missed a turn three times – and all within the last day. Either we’re whizzing along at 75mph and fly by the turn we are supposed to take, or in one case we were following a couple of teams through twisty turny canyon roads and we came to a fork in the road - one team and rider went straight, and the other team and rider kept going straight. We went straight and 30 seconds later we were all turning around.

Crews are not getting sleep and I don’t know if it’s because they are still too hopped up on the race activities or what but I think we’re going to start seeing some interesting things in the next few days.

Weather has been perfect. No rain, snow, wind, or dust storms. The solo men riders have had terrible weather and storms were following them from Colorado through Kansas. Fingers crossed weather stays this way.

Cutting this short…we’re off to hit the next city – Ulysses, KS. We are going to sit and wait for relay teams to show so we’ll likely be there for the afternoon.


Photo: Time station 22 at Kim, Colorado. Teams checking in.
Photo: What the riders see for 71 miles leading up to Kim, CO.

Trinidad Motor Inn - My New Chateau

In 2000 Leary took me to Paris, France to celebrate the new millennium. We stayed in a Chateau (Domain Belsbat) just outside of Paris. It was absolutely lovely! Since then, Domain Belsbat has been my benchmark for lodging. However, perspective is a funny thing. After two nights of van camping, we finally got a hotel last night. We pulled up to the Trinidad Motor Inn (in Trinidad, CO). While waiting at the front desk, a guy with long hair and a LOT of tattoos ran out from another room where Bryan Adams music could be heard in the background. "Sorry about the wait," he said. "It's karaoke night and we were just singing away in the back room." My friend MJ would love this place!


For an extra ten bucks ($70 total) we got a deluxe suite with two king beds. After taking a much needed shower (loved the gold tile but apparently shampoo and hair dryer were not part of the delux package), I fell into my own bed - the boys had to share theirs :-)

Perhaps Trinidad is my Colorado version of Domain Belsbat! But don't tell Leary ;-)

Continential Divide - Wolf Creek Pass at 10,857 feet

I'm freezing my who-haas off on the top of Wolf Creek Pass Summit - the location of the continential divide and thei high point of RAAM 2010. We are following eight teams as they slog their way up the 8 mile climb. There is some snow in the rock crevaces and the air is definitely thinner.


I just got done eating a chocolate chip cookie and I have to go to the bathroom. Just keeping it real!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...

...or can leave you completely speechless.

Can't say that I've ever seen a henna tatoo here!
Photo by Rafiel Chiatz - RAAM media crew #3.
From Team Equipe Schwarz.

Quickie...In Durango, CO

I'm sitting in the car outside the house of some friends of Ryan's (parents of his best friend). They have been gracious enought to invite us in for lunch today - a welcome change from restaurant food. I just finished posting my latest story and wanted to send a few quick updates out here:

We van-camped again last night in Monument Valley. It was cold outside but I slept in the van in my spiffy new sleeping bag. We awoke to beautiful scenery (photo). We pulled off the side of the road around midnight and the photo was taken around 6:30am. On and off all night we heard cyclists and caravans riding past us. Photo has one of the cyclists from Team Charlie's Hope. I actually got some rest and am feeling pretty good.

We are out of the deserts of Arizona, took a quick dip into Utah, and are now in Colorado.

Not sure where we'll end up tonight but I know one thing for sure - WE ARE STAYING IN A HOTEL!

More later!

Help from Time Station 6 in 2011

Thanks to the hospitality of Susan Snow (photo #1), she said that whatever Team Galaxy wants at time station #6 in Congress, Arizona for 2011 RAAM, to just let her know! She and her husband are part of the local time station staff and their stop was by far the most fun and festive. A fellow long distance cyclist, she is planning a 1,000KM bike race in a couple of weeks so she understands endurance cycling. She said there is a big climb just past time station #6 (which there is) and she wants to put people on the hill cheering and supporting the cyclists (photo #2). She said she'd even do naked men if that would help us. I truly believe she'd hook us up if that's what we wanted!


We are winding down day two and the teams have been fantastic, fun, and just a blast to be around. We just drove through time station #9 in Flagstaff and heading to TS #10 in Tuba City, AZ. Probably try to grab dinner en route but not much here but beautiful vanilla sky and landscape at 6,000 feet of elevation as we enter Cononino National Park (photo #3). Not sure where/when we are sleeping. There is talk of hotel and also revisiting "van camping" again. I'm starting to want a shower :-)

I Don't Want Any Crap About Camping!

I spent last night sleeping in a van in the middle of a hay field on the Colorado River Indian Reservation with two guys I barely know - one was in the van with me and the other was on (yes ON) the roof.

After spending 20 minutes trying to figure out how to remove the two back seats, we finally went to bed around 2am. At 6am I woke up to a very strange machine noise. It was a farmer in a nearby hay field "making hay while the sun shines".

30 minutes later and teeth brushed, clothes changed, and van remantled (we left the two seats outside), we were on the road and within a few minutes we crossed the Arizona border and into Parker and time station #4.

So to all my friends who give me crap about not camping...until you've slept in a hayfield on an Indian reservation with two people you barely know, I don't want to hear about it ;-)

It's 12:48am and I'm Eating Cookies

We just pulled in to time station 3 in Blythe, California. The race has been going on for almost 11 hours and the teams are looking pretty good. This is their first night of riding and although there have been a few hiccups, nothing major.

We are all over the place - pulling up alongside riders while Ryan video tapes them. Or stopping alongside the road while Rafiel takes pictures and I write notes about which team is doing what. We stopped to talk to Team Connor's Hope-Team Donate Life. They are an upbeat relay team of 8. They offered us cookies. Who are we to decline? This, of course, came on the heels of Team Summit feeding us lasagne a little earlier in the night. Maybe we look like we need to be fed?

Blythe is the closest we will get to Mexico and if it weren't dark, we could actually see across the sand dunes into Mexico without trying too hard. From here we swing up to Parker, Arizona.