Random luck (or lack thereof) played a major role this week. Transportation allowed the teams to bunch together and arrive in Outer Mongolia all even, and the team positions changed pretty frequently from there depending on whims of taxi drivers, automobiles, and animals. It's not clear that any team did anything to deserve the bad karma. It was the cardinal "no-no" of driving in the wrong direction that ultimately eliminated one team that I thought looked like a contender. That team probably would have had more adrenaline to actually complete the final task faster than some other teams if they had not fallen so far behind.
Driving the wrong way seems to kill one team in every race. I suppose keeping one's sense of direction is easier said than done when finding oneself jet-lagged, stressed, and in a completely foreign environment. Either that or future teams will have to make sure one at least one member spends as much time honing navigation skills as working out in the gym.
Other random thoughts:
I still find myself cheering for the coalminers. It was humorous how they admitted that this is the first time that they had met ... gay people ... and liked them.
David also described his wife as blunt and always correct - the two traits he loved about her. Peter and Rob will have to learn to see their respective teammates in the same way if they expect the relationship and participation in the race to last much longer. Sarah picked the better task for her team at a detour while Kimberly recognized when Rob had taken a wrong turn. One of my favorite quotes from White Men Can't Jump is, "Billy, I have four words for you: 'Listen to the woman.'" I guess for most of us guys, that is something that is easier said than done.
I don't know if it was Tom or Terry desperately trying to intimidate a horse.
I forgot to note who proved to be the Jerry Maguire expert, by pointing out it was dogs and bees that smelled fear rather than horses.
Getting thrown off a horse cannot feel good (ouch!), but I suppose one cannot expect to fly around the world without paying some sort of price for it along the way. Fortunately, the horses were pretty short and the ground was pretty soft, otherwise the next stop would have been a hospital.
There was a very brief scene of a many riding a plain old black bicycle outside the train to Mongolia. I forgot to mention it last week, but I saw a similar scene from a tour bus in Beijing but could not pull my camera out quickly enough to capture it. A man, who I figured was in his 60's or older was hauling a half-size refrigerator on a trailer attached to his bicycle on the shoulder of a highway, and pedaling up a slight grade. I saw others hauling large loads of coals with bikes similar to the one pictured here. I wondered how some of those riders would fare in Le Tour de France.
Sarah and Peter may become the sequel to Flo and Zach who one a previous race.
The male models appear to be the much reformed version of Eric and Jeremy.
I would have enjoyed doing the archery challenge. It was fun seeing those targets explode. But I imagine it was much easier said than done.
[Like how I employed one recurring them in this post? Yup, achieving that is much easier said than done -- for me anyway]
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My Bicycle Tour In VermontSeveral years ago, a friend took me on a bicycle tour in the Sonoma Valley. Ever since that trip, I have been hooked on the idea of active vacationing. I save money every year specifically earmarked for a bicycle tour.Last year, I chose to do my yearly excursion to Vermont. I found a company that specialized in bicycle tours of the villages in Southeast Vermont. I am so glad that I chose this trip. I think that it exceeded my every expectation and was quite possibly the best cycling experience that Ive ever had.Bicycle tours are really great only if the support team is helpful and courteous. The scenery will fade away if the breakfast is bad or the beds are lumpy. It is a lot of work to cycle around to see sights instead of driving around to see them in a rental car. After this bicycle tour, I will recommend the company that ran it to anyone.I think that Vermont may be the prettiest state Ive ever visited. While I was on my bicycle tour, I saw so many lovely villages. There were white churches and picket fences. I saw a brick federalist mansion that took my breath away. I stopped to shop at several craft shops and even a general store.I somehow felt connected to a past I wasnt a part of. There were people sitting on their front porches waving as our bicycle tour pedaled by. I was most surprised by the excellent accommodations that we were provided. We stayed two nights at the Kedron Valley Inn. That inn is 168 years old and has been selected by travel writers as one of the top ten inns in America.The next inn that we stayed at was considerably newer and had a few more amenities than the Kedron Valley Inn. I enjoyed the proprietors so much. They sat on the porch with us after sundown and told stories about various people that had stayed there over the years. I think I could have listened to them for hours, but I was tired from the days riding on the bicycle tour and turned in early.To learn more about everything bicycles vist my site at: BrensMartUSA Bicycles Have a geat day and stay healthy!Brenda Sue
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