The boys are holding strong in spot number nine. With 144:00:23 hours of road time under their belts (and an entire day lost to a breakdown) they are a mere 11 hours and 53 minutes behind the leader - a Holden EH.
They are still ahead of Garrick's father - Car #97 in a Volkswagen Beetle - by 5 minutes and 35 seconds, a tentative lead at best.
With only 16 days left in the race, anything could happen. Stay tuned for further updates!
Click Here to See the Official Results
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Country Number 5!
As of today, the rally has now entered country number 5. Uzbekistan.
That should make for an interesting passport stamp. I know very few people who even know where Uzbekistan IS, let alone have a stamp in their passport from such an exotic locale.
There hasn't been any direct news from car 106, so all I know is the location of the little red dots as per SkyTag - the satellite tracking system that has been installed in many of the cars (click on the link just below the photo above to see for yourself).
Car 106 does not have SkyTag installed, so for all we know, Garrick and Robert have succumbed to a yak attack (highly unlikely as there are no yaks in Kazakhstan OR Uzbekistan).
What I CAN offer is some information on Uzbekistan - thanks to Wikipedia...
Uzbekistan is classified as a constituent republic
It's a dry, landlocked country; one of two doubly landlocked countries in the world i.e., a country completely surrounded by landlocked countries – the other being Liechtenstein.
Partially conquered by Alexander the Great in 327 BC
Completely conquered by Genghis Khan during the 13th century
Conquered by Russia early in the 20th century
Declared independance in 1991
Ostensibly, a democratic republic
Approximately 90% Islamic
Noodle and mutton-based dishes characterize the majority of Uzbek Cuisine
45% of the population live on less than US$1.25 per day
I bet they have really cool passport stamps.
That should make for an interesting passport stamp. I know very few people who even know where Uzbekistan IS, let alone have a stamp in their passport from such an exotic locale.
There hasn't been any direct news from car 106, so all I know is the location of the little red dots as per SkyTag - the satellite tracking system that has been installed in many of the cars (click on the link just below the photo above to see for yourself).
Car 106 does not have SkyTag installed, so for all we know, Garrick and Robert have succumbed to a yak attack (highly unlikely as there are no yaks in Kazakhstan OR Uzbekistan).
What I CAN offer is some information on Uzbekistan - thanks to Wikipedia...
Uzbekistan is classified as a constituent republic
It's a dry, landlocked country; one of two doubly landlocked countries in the world i.e., a country completely surrounded by landlocked countries – the other being Liechtenstein.
Partially conquered by Alexander the Great in 327 BC
Completely conquered by Genghis Khan during the 13th century
Conquered by Russia early in the 20th century
Declared independance in 1991
Ostensibly, a democratic republic
Approximately 90% Islamic
Noodle and mutton-based dishes characterize the majority of Uzbek Cuisine
45% of the population live on less than US$1.25 per day
I bet they have really cool passport stamps.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Day 10 - Breakdown in Mongolia
I'm rewinding a bit because the story in Mongolia hasn't been told...
The first day in the dirt was in Mongolia. Since we were still new to the timing procedure, we screwed up and came in 14 minutes late for no good reason. We were just futzing around in the desert taking pictures and stopping with other cars. We had a minor fuel filter problem but it wasn't a big deal.
The next few days brought the first test stages where we get to race through the desert as fast as we can and get a chance to reduce our time. We were doing very well for a few days with a time that would have been first place if not for our 14 minute penalty.
Robert and I were high with confidence and feeling competitive. I was having the time of my life exploring the car's limits and moving quickly very day over the what passes for roads in Mongolia. The camaraderie with the other competitors was strong as we all spend the evenings with beer and story shivering in the cold Mongolia nights.
Then tragedy struck when the right rear wheel nearly fell off the car. I had just accelerated slightly in a smooth area (by Mongolian standards) to pass a few pioneer cars when I felt the back end drop. When we coasted to a stop, we found the trailing right arm had just broken in half and pulled out the CV joint. It had simply fatigued from the hundreds of miles of Mongolian washboard. I knew our time at the top of competition was over and I felt responsible. I had driven the car too hard and too fast. I had let excitement overrule good judgment and I broke the car.
Alone in the desert we found ourselves at the base of a hill on top of which was a family's ger (a ger is a smaller, more mobile yurt). The four kids appeared first. Bright eyes and wind-burned cheeks they explored us from a distance for a few minutes. Once they decided we were friendly, we could hardly get rid of them. The grandmother eyed us as she was walked past us to fetch water from the river further down.
Making truck arrangements with nothing but a satellite phone is a frustrating experience. After a few hours wait, we learned that our truck had picked up another car and that they had run out of trucks. More time passes and the sun is moving steadily across the sky. We had stopped early in the day and the next town, Khovd, was 500km ahead of us. Going backwards is never an option. We learn that a truck has been dispatched from Hovd and will take 5 hours to arrive.
While Robert stressed away his time, I was having fun with the kids. The eldest, of about 12years, was a beautiful girl that was flirtively shy and smily. The two boys were typical boys. We ran around the hillside doing kungfu moves and wrestling. The youngest, a toddler, just around all of us.
They had a sweet dog that quickly learned we were friendly, vulnerable, and required protection. He started barking at passing cars to keep them away from us.
I pulled out my Iphone to show them a picture of my dog, Linus, but they were stunned at the sight of swiping through pictures on the phone's touch display. I'll never forget these kids' excitement at being able to finger swipe through pictures. Maybe this was their first exposure to a computing device?
Of course, eventually I started taking pictures of them which was a concept that they understood. But their excitement doubled when I showed them their own pictures!
The girl understood how to use the camera features first. The boys were too excited and eager to pay attention, but she was really bright. Our play fully reenergized by the addition of a camera, we ran off into the fields and hillsides again.
As the sun was getting low in the sky, two guys in an SUV come by and, understanding our position, pour us some vodka and give us beers!
With our mood adequately lubricated, our truck arrives. If you are imaging a AAA tow truck, get that image out of your head. It resembles closer to an agricultural truck to carry sheep. Having a flatbed truck is nice, but how do you put a car into it? Tow the car to the top of steepest local hill, dig a hole large enough to swallow the back the truck, back the truck into the hole, and roll the car onto the truck!
The car is now on the truck, the sun is setting, and we have a 5 hour drive over Mongolian washboard ahead, and there are 3 people in the cab of the truck. Where do I Robert and I sit for this journey. In our car of course! The trip was long, slow, and bouncy.
I played with 4 kids for 9 hours in the Mongolian desert and am glad it happened. I will always remember those kids.
The first day in the dirt was in Mongolia. Since we were still new to the timing procedure, we screwed up and came in 14 minutes late for no good reason. We were just futzing around in the desert taking pictures and stopping with other cars. We had a minor fuel filter problem but it wasn't a big deal.
The next few days brought the first test stages where we get to race through the desert as fast as we can and get a chance to reduce our time. We were doing very well for a few days with a time that would have been first place if not for our 14 minute penalty.
Robert and I were high with confidence and feeling competitive. I was having the time of my life exploring the car's limits and moving quickly very day over the what passes for roads in Mongolia. The camaraderie with the other competitors was strong as we all spend the evenings with beer and story shivering in the cold Mongolia nights.
Then tragedy struck when the right rear wheel nearly fell off the car. I had just accelerated slightly in a smooth area (by Mongolian standards) to pass a few pioneer cars when I felt the back end drop. When we coasted to a stop, we found the trailing right arm had just broken in half and pulled out the CV joint. It had simply fatigued from the hundreds of miles of Mongolian washboard. I knew our time at the top of competition was over and I felt responsible. I had driven the car too hard and too fast. I had let excitement overrule good judgment and I broke the car.
Alone in the desert we found ourselves at the base of a hill on top of which was a family's ger (a ger is a smaller, more mobile yurt). The four kids appeared first. Bright eyes and wind-burned cheeks they explored us from a distance for a few minutes. Once they decided we were friendly, we could hardly get rid of them. The grandmother eyed us as she was walked past us to fetch water from the river further down.
Making truck arrangements with nothing but a satellite phone is a frustrating experience. After a few hours wait, we learned that our truck had picked up another car and that they had run out of trucks. More time passes and the sun is moving steadily across the sky. We had stopped early in the day and the next town, Khovd, was 500km ahead of us. Going backwards is never an option. We learn that a truck has been dispatched from Hovd and will take 5 hours to arrive.
While Robert stressed away his time, I was having fun with the kids. The eldest, of about 12years, was a beautiful girl that was flirtively shy and smily. The two boys were typical boys. We ran around the hillside doing kungfu moves and wrestling. The youngest, a toddler, just around all of us.
They had a sweet dog that quickly learned we were friendly, vulnerable, and required protection. He started barking at passing cars to keep them away from us.
I pulled out my Iphone to show them a picture of my dog, Linus, but they were stunned at the sight of swiping through pictures on the phone's touch display. I'll never forget these kids' excitement at being able to finger swipe through pictures. Maybe this was their first exposure to a computing device?
Of course, eventually I started taking pictures of them which was a concept that they understood. But their excitement doubled when I showed them their own pictures!
The girl understood how to use the camera features first. The boys were too excited and eager to pay attention, but she was really bright. Our play fully reenergized by the addition of a camera, we ran off into the fields and hillsides again.
As the sun was getting low in the sky, two guys in an SUV come by and, understanding our position, pour us some vodka and give us beers!
With our mood adequately lubricated, our truck arrives. If you are imaging a AAA tow truck, get that image out of your head. It resembles closer to an agricultural truck to carry sheep. Having a flatbed truck is nice, but how do you put a car into it? Tow the car to the top of steepest local hill, dig a hole large enough to swallow the back the truck, back the truck into the hole, and roll the car onto the truck!
The car is now on the truck, the sun is setting, and we have a 5 hour drive over Mongolian washboard ahead, and there are 3 people in the cab of the truck. Where do I Robert and I sit for this journey. In our car of course! The trip was long, slow, and bouncy.
I played with 4 kids for 9 hours in the Mongolian desert and am glad it happened. I will always remember those kids.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Boys Are Back !n the Race!
I just checked today's race results and the boys are back on the road. They've even moved up already - from 10th to 9th place. Their performance today wasn't earth-shattering, but certainly a lot better than the broken-down-on-the-side-of-the-road speed they were attaining on Monday. They've gone from 10 seconds behind the first-place car to 10 hours behind the first-place car...but they still have another 25 days of rally racing to go. Will the boys pull out from under the pack? Will there be more breakdowns to come? Tune in next time for another episode of "One-Third of the Way Around the Globe With An Old Car and Some Duct Tape!"
Monday, September 20, 2010
Day 11 - fixed in Khovd
In the morning, we were faced with finding a welder and figuring out what to do with my CV joint. The CV had been torn apart dropping ball bearings in the desert.
Ladybird was still on the truck from last night. The driver took us over to the garage in charge of helping rally cars. Unfortunately it was already swamped with cars owned by people smart enough to get there early. The driver took us to "the best welder in town" who was, not surprisingly, his cousin.
In this guy's backyard, we had both beetles and Hayden with his Porsche. The right rear corner of Ladybird was quickly stripped and a cacophony of mongols set about prying and hammering the wheel back into position. While the welder did a good job, we ended with a wheel with a bit too much camber and toe-in.
Now we turn our attention to the CV joint. While we were waiting in the desert, we were able to recover 5 of the 6 balls. Someone went to a local used auto parts shop to look for another CV and ended up finding a matching ball in a random bucket of random bearings!
These stories are always a series of emotional highs and lows. At this point in the story, we are at a high. We reassembled the CV, with much difficulty as the cage was bent, and bolted the car back together.
Now the low... the CV wouldn't articulate! It was apparently too badly bruised to work anymore.
Having run out of day, we trucked back to camp. Hayden brought up the idea that the CV had been incorrectly assembled with the inner dog out of phase with the outer race.
me: "but that is impossible because the balls can't be inserted if it isn't in phase, right?" Hayden: "well, with a hammer, you can get them in."
me: "Oh shit, those guys used a fucking hammer."
Hayden: ...
me: ...
And I ran back to the truck to pull off the half-axle again. Once I got to the CV it was pretty obvious that they had done it wrong! This is where our moods go high again. I quickly repacked the CV and Ladybird was back in action!
While I didn't have any problems with the CV over the next few days, we couldn't ignore the fact that the CV was badly bruised and I had to keep the speed down.
Ladybird was still on the truck from last night. The driver took us over to the garage in charge of helping rally cars. Unfortunately it was already swamped with cars owned by people smart enough to get there early. The driver took us to "the best welder in town" who was, not surprisingly, his cousin.
In this guy's backyard, we had both beetles and Hayden with his Porsche. The right rear corner of Ladybird was quickly stripped and a cacophony of mongols set about prying and hammering the wheel back into position. While the welder did a good job, we ended with a wheel with a bit too much camber and toe-in.
Now we turn our attention to the CV joint. While we were waiting in the desert, we were able to recover 5 of the 6 balls. Someone went to a local used auto parts shop to look for another CV and ended up finding a matching ball in a random bucket of random bearings!
These stories are always a series of emotional highs and lows. At this point in the story, we are at a high. We reassembled the CV, with much difficulty as the cage was bent, and bolted the car back together.
Now the low... the CV wouldn't articulate! It was apparently too badly bruised to work anymore.
Having run out of day, we trucked back to camp. Hayden brought up the idea that the CV had been incorrectly assembled with the inner dog out of phase with the outer race.
me: "but that is impossible because the balls can't be inserted if it isn't in phase, right?" Hayden: "well, with a hammer, you can get them in."
me: "Oh shit, those guys used a fucking hammer."
Hayden: ...
me: ...
And I ran back to the truck to pull off the half-axle again. Once I got to the CV it was pretty obvious that they had done it wrong! This is where our moods go high again. I quickly repacked the CV and Ladybird was back in action!
While I didn't have any problems with the CV over the next few days, we couldn't ignore the fact that the CV was badly bruised and I had to keep the speed down.
Day 17 - Almaty
I spent the entire day inside of a Nissan dealer in a rented work bay replacing my bruised CV with a brand new chinese CV and repacking the other CVs.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Update From Mongolia
This morning at 12:29am I received the following text:
"I'm broken down in Mongolia!
Rear axle broke. It took out the lower cv joint. This sucks."
Then at 4:41pm another text arrived:
"9 hours waiting in the desert. Waiting in the desert with a lovely Mongol family. On a truck now to Kovd"
And at 6:37pm this post:
"On my way to the welder!"
It's a shame, because this incident has dropped "team ladybug" from a very respectable 2nd place down to 10th place in the rally. With the roads so bad, we can only hope that the remaining 40 percent of cars who haven't yet experienced mechanical difficulties, will also have a breakdown at some point so as to even out the playing field and allow "team ladybug" to catch up again in the overall total time.
"I'm broken down in Mongolia!
Rear axle broke. It took out the lower cv joint. This sucks."
Then at 4:41pm another text arrived:
"9 hours waiting in the desert. Waiting in the desert with a lovely Mongol family. On a truck now to Kovd"
And at 6:37pm this post:
"On my way to the welder!"
It's a shame, because this incident has dropped "team ladybug" from a very respectable 2nd place down to 10th place in the rally. With the roads so bad, we can only hope that the remaining 40 percent of cars who haven't yet experienced mechanical difficulties, will also have a breakdown at some point so as to even out the playing field and allow "team ladybug" to catch up again in the overall total time.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Rally Update And News From the Front (Of the Pack, That Is)
At 2:30 am, my phone rang. I must have been fast asleep because I wouldn't normally answer a phone at 2:30 in the am, but suddenly, the phone was in my hand and I was groggily rasping a "hello" into the receiver.
It was Garrick! Hooray!
Through a choppy satellite connection, he was able to give me some news of his exploits in Outer Mongolia.
He says it's cold. Crazy cold. And the yurts and tents they have been camping in have done little to keep the cold out.
He also says the roads are horrible. Worse than anyone had ever imagined. So bad in fact, that the rally association had to create a day off today since over half the entrants had broken down in the last 2 days. The support team is spread out over 100 miles of road in an effort to get everyone to the staging area in one piece and not lose any motorists (remember what happened to cars 088 and 062?). Garrick's father's car was one of those that broke down yesterday and part of the reason for Garrick's call was to recruit my services in obtaining replacement parts.
Aside from all this, he says he's having the time of his life and claims that he has no intention to do this ever again (he emphasized EVER)
He and Robert are currently in second place and a mere 10 seconds behind the winning vehicle.
Go team ladybug!
It was Garrick! Hooray!
Through a choppy satellite connection, he was able to give me some news of his exploits in Outer Mongolia.
He says it's cold. Crazy cold. And the yurts and tents they have been camping in have done little to keep the cold out.
He also says the roads are horrible. Worse than anyone had ever imagined. So bad in fact, that the rally association had to create a day off today since over half the entrants had broken down in the last 2 days. The support team is spread out over 100 miles of road in an effort to get everyone to the staging area in one piece and not lose any motorists (remember what happened to cars 088 and 062?). Garrick's father's car was one of those that broke down yesterday and part of the reason for Garrick's call was to recruit my services in obtaining replacement parts.
Aside from all this, he says he's having the time of his life and claims that he has no intention to do this ever again (he emphasized EVER)
He and Robert are currently in second place and a mere 10 seconds behind the winning vehicle.
Go team ladybug!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
The Little Red Dots Are On the Move!
The cars are now well within Mongolia. Although they have stopped for the evening, you can see the red dots of the cars with the "Sky Tag" system clustered near a town - the spelling of which closely resembles "YakAttaque". Click the link just below the photo at the top of the page and see for yourself (be patient as the 'Sky Tag' system seems to be running on hamster-power. You may need to try a few times). Cars 008 and 066 are well behind the bunch and it appears they either have mechanical troubles or are terribly lost. Let's hope they remembered to bring their yak spray and some extra water.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Day 0 - Scrutineering and Orientation
Today was a bit slow with getting the whole group of 100 cars through all of the initial checks and necessary approvals. Our mandatory equipment like the first-aid kit and fire extinguisher was verified. The car's necessary controls and FIVA status was verified. Our GPS was verified and loaded with the waypoints and maps. Our health insurance was verified. It seemed endless.
Then a long briefing with the route overview, hotel guidance, time card instruction, emergency procedures, etc.
Ultimately we spent far too much energy running around trying to gather all of the necessary documents and equipment. I think we were expecting more bureaucracy when the procedures turned out rather reasonable.
Tomorrow is the first day and I am excited to get started. We leave Beijing at 6am to drive 60 miles where the rally will officially start at the Great Wall. The appointed time is 7:30am, but the first car will leave at 8am and we won't leave till around 9am. We will get there early to wait the longest.
Then a long briefing with the route overview, hotel guidance, time card instruction, emergency procedures, etc.
Ultimately we spent far too much energy running around trying to gather all of the necessary documents and equipment. I think we were expecting more bureaucracy when the procedures turned out rather reasonable.
Tomorrow is the first day and I am excited to get started. We leave Beijing at 6am to drive 60 miles where the rally will officially start at the Great Wall. The appointed time is 7:30am, but the first car will leave at 8am and we won't leave till around 9am. We will get there early to wait the longest.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Day -1
I landed in Beijing at 4:50 this morning, waited forever in immigration, and hopped on the express train out of the airport. Most people immediately get a taxi, but Rui instructed me to get the train because it was cheaper and for the "experience". The local Chinese looked rather surprised to find a "round eye" on the train and gave me rather long looks; otherwise, it was a perfectly normal light-rail train. The taxi from the train station to the hotel was uneventful, but long in the morning traffic.
The Shangri-La hotel is a legit 5-star hotel that is beautiful. It serves as the home base for the rally for the first few days before we get started. I was directed to the big ballroom where breakfast was being served where I found my dad's navigator, Gernald. After an hour, my navigator, Robert, came in, shortly followed by my dad. We mingled with the other participants before moving off and dealing with hotel rooms. We were all discovering neat little tidbits of China like how google.com and blogspot.com were censored!
At noon, all of the participants met in a different ballroom for a briefing by a traffic officer regarding driving in China. It was a fluff piece that pushed the ideals of "harmonious traffic flow". Then we got our Chinese driver's licenses and were herded on to buses to go pick up our cars. Of course, the bus driver got lost but a bus-load of navigators armed with GPS devices set him in the correct direction. We were taken down to some warehouses and found our cars packed in like sardines. Once reunited with our beloved cars, smiles were shared by all around. My car started up instantly and we started our first test of navigation: getting back to the hotel. But first we had to fill up the gas tank. It was a hilarious mob scene at the first gas station as countless vintage cars jammed up the place. The local attendants worked furiously to service everyone as fast as possible.
Dad and Gernald followed us as Robert navigated our way back to the hotel without incident. As we drove through the streets, the locals were watching in awe; often with cameras. All of the cars were directed into numbered parking spaces and everyone began inspecting their cars. Most everyone seemed pleased and an easy camaraderie spread among the participants. I checked the tire pressure, oil blow-by filter, oil level, and everything was correct. Everyone was milling about for a time enjoying the tell of their cars' stories. This was when people started having fun.
After a few drinks, dad suggested we find some taxis and get genuine Peking Duck at a fine restaurant across town. I was very excited to have real duck in Beijing and I was not disappointed. This stuff was legit. In China, duck is important enough that each duck carries a unique serial number that is delivered to the customer in the form of a Commemoration Card". This serial number can be used to trace the life of that particular duck. The skin was incredibly light and slightly crispy. The meat was eaten mushu style. I stuffed myself silly along with some veggies and Chinese beer.
Tomorrow is the all-important "scrutineering" where our cars are inspected against the regulations. Any infractions must be corrected or the car will not be allowed to run.
The Shangri-La hotel is a legit 5-star hotel that is beautiful. It serves as the home base for the rally for the first few days before we get started. I was directed to the big ballroom where breakfast was being served where I found my dad's navigator, Gernald. After an hour, my navigator, Robert, came in, shortly followed by my dad. We mingled with the other participants before moving off and dealing with hotel rooms. We were all discovering neat little tidbits of China like how google.com and blogspot.com were censored!
At noon, all of the participants met in a different ballroom for a briefing by a traffic officer regarding driving in China. It was a fluff piece that pushed the ideals of "harmonious traffic flow". Then we got our Chinese driver's licenses and were herded on to buses to go pick up our cars. Of course, the bus driver got lost but a bus-load of navigators armed with GPS devices set him in the correct direction. We were taken down to some warehouses and found our cars packed in like sardines. Once reunited with our beloved cars, smiles were shared by all around. My car started up instantly and we started our first test of navigation: getting back to the hotel. But first we had to fill up the gas tank. It was a hilarious mob scene at the first gas station as countless vintage cars jammed up the place. The local attendants worked furiously to service everyone as fast as possible.
Dad and Gernald followed us as Robert navigated our way back to the hotel without incident. As we drove through the streets, the locals were watching in awe; often with cameras. All of the cars were directed into numbered parking spaces and everyone began inspecting their cars. Most everyone seemed pleased and an easy camaraderie spread among the participants. I checked the tire pressure, oil blow-by filter, oil level, and everything was correct. Everyone was milling about for a time enjoying the tell of their cars' stories. This was when people started having fun.
After a few drinks, dad suggested we find some taxis and get genuine Peking Duck at a fine restaurant across town. I was very excited to have real duck in Beijing and I was not disappointed. This stuff was legit. In China, duck is important enough that each duck carries a unique serial number that is delivered to the customer in the form of a Commemoration Card". This serial number can be used to trace the life of that particular duck. The skin was incredibly light and slightly crispy. The meat was eaten mushu style. I stuffed myself silly along with some veggies and Chinese beer.
Tomorrow is the all-important "scrutineering" where our cars are inspected against the regulations. Any infractions must be corrected or the car will not be allowed to run.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Phase One Complete
I dropped Garrick off at LAX last night and everything went according to plan...except that the newly opened, LAX branch of the World Famous Pink's restaurant was closed, so the sendoff was a little less greasy, bacon-y, chili-cheese-dog-y than we had originally intended. Can you find bacon chili cheese dogs in Mongolia?...probably not. So with the wise words of, "Don't run into any yaks...but if you see one, for God's sake, man, take a photo!" I left him in the hands of China Airlines. One backpack and a relatively small duffel bag just doesn't seem like enough gear for weeks on the road in the middle of nowhere, but that's what he's got. That, and a full helping of wits, gumption, mechanical aptitude and what the old-timers would call "horse sense".
He'll be fine.
He'll be fine.
Monday, September 6, 2010
About to leave...
It is 9:15pm in Los Angeles as I write this. I am leaving for LAX in a few minutes. Soon I will be starting the biggest adventure that I will have, and will likely to ever have, in my life.
I would like to thank my dad for making all of this possible. I think we are going to have a blast racing out in the deserts of the eastern world.
Also big thanks for Michelle for her support. I am a bundle of nerves and she is helping a great deal.
I would like to thank my dad for making all of this possible. I think we are going to have a blast racing out in the deserts of the eastern world.
Also big thanks for Michelle for her support. I am a bundle of nerves and she is helping a great deal.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
almost ready
It is now just a few days before I get on the plane to Beijing. I leave LAX late Monday night. The car should be waiting for me. I have finalized my travel bag. Insurance. Currency. Visas. Endless Paperwork. I have buttoned up everything at work. I have left behind access to endless dog food, rent money, and paid all of the bills. This weekend I will buy a few last minute items, change the oil in the bike, get Michelle's bike running well, and then say goodbye to everyone.
Did I plan and execute everything correctly? I don't know. I'm nervous.
Did I plan and execute everything correctly? I don't know. I'm nervous.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)