A quick update from the back of the Rav4
I (Marc) have a quiet hour in the back of the Rav4, so I thought I’d give a quick update on the race so far.
We are on Wall Street. In Fort Scott, Kansas. After about 1700 miles, here are some thoughts:
- Arizona: miserably hot. The thermometer in the car gave up at 125°F…for five hours
- “Sedona, 5 miles? Oh No!”: The wordsthat came out of my mouth when I realized that the route took us from Sedona to Flagstaff. Steph and I had done the drive in the opposite direction the week before. Seeing the climb, I had commented “this looks like a bad time”. Verily, it was.
- Utah: [slightly less] miserably hot. Temp topped out at a cool 122°F. If you think you can park your hot minivan on top of a patch of yellow grass on the desert, you’re gonna have a bad time. Kudos go out to Team RWB for continuing on after losing their minivan to a fire. Military badassery at work.
- Colorado: The Promiseland. Best weather (70-80°F and sunny), best scenery, longest climbs. The last mountain pass was the most beautiful. Overall, it was a tough state, but ny favorite so far.
Kansas: ahh, Kansas. Most boring state in the union. I almost fell asleep on my bike. “Crrshhh. Marc, there’s a stop sign in 15 miles. Nothing for sixty miles after that.” Quietest walkie-talkie section of the race. I did love two things. First, the town of Ulysses, although I have no idea why. It may be because it was the only town o had seen on eight hours. Second, the scenic overlook. It overlooked….corn fields.
- The Storm: I had my first experience biking in hail last night circa 4AM. Thank you Kansas!
We are now in Missouri. 273 miles to Louisiana says the road sign. We’re on US54, which presumably goes east-west. I have no idea how that takes us to Louisiana.
I’m back up in fifteen, so this is me signing off for now.
Marc
Bon courage !