South of I-70

So, it finally happened...I wandered into the depths of southern Missouri this weekend...something that has never been attempted before (by me at least). Be glad to know that I lived to tell the tale and came away with a much different perspective of the great state of Missouri than I had before.

The reason for me to travel so far south was to volunteer for an expedition adventure race. This is something that is new to me and I thought the best way to find out more about it would be to jump right in and see a race close-up and personal. Unknown to me at the time...it turned out to be THE biggest AR (adventure race) in MO with a couple of the nation's best teams competing (Nike!!!, Silly Rabbits, Dart-Nuun). Well, I guess I realized this after my first day there. I was put with different pairs of volunteers, most who were racers themselves...and they have their own crazy stories of past races and caught me up to speed on the teams participating.

It was basically a 4 day camping trip which involved manning some checkpoints, transporting some kayaks, helping in any way possible, and of course encouraging the teams as they came through...all this while meeting some amazing people and getting aquainted with my Ford Taurus (as I slept there the whole weekend). Overall I had such a great time and southern Missouri is indeed beautiful.

Some highlights:
"It was the bravest and stupidest thing that I've ever seen" - Jason from Dynamic Earth describing his teammate's retrieval of a paddle stuck in a strainer on class III rapids

Silly Rabbits stopping to help someone in a car crash (because one of them is an ER doc) and still finishing in second place despite the hour delay

"I probably saw 10 banners today" - Anna from Dynamic Earth talking about her hallucinations caused by sleep deprivation...the banner indicated the end of the race...so that's what she really wanted to see!

"It's the best single track that I've ridden in a long time" - Ian from Team Nike describing the mountain biking (take that all you outdoor lovers that hate on Missouri...oh wait...that's me sometimes!)

Now where is the closest bike shop? I've been inspired to try a new hobby...