Due to internet issues, this is a blog entry from two days ago, but you can still enjoy it now!
Hi everyone this is Dan Kim & Ellen Acree. We just wanted to update you on what the past couple of days have been like for the team. On Wednesday we finally arrived in Las Vegas for a much anticipated day off. After a beautiful 79 mile ride in from Tecopa, CA past Red Rocks National Park, we made our way to the Imperial Palace hotel and casino. The hustle and bustle of Las Vegas was definitely a stark contrast from the desert camp grounds that we had been staying at for the past two nights. Check in went relatively smoothly save for a broken elevator and a somewhat convoluted path through the casino floor. Everyone found their way to their room and took full advantage of the hardwired electricity by charging an assortment of electronic devices and the plumbed water by taking badly needed showers. I felt human again after giving myself a haircut and shaving the stubble off of my face. It was almost strange seeing everyone in casual clothing with their hair brushed and their faces clean. I must admit, we looked pretty sharp.
The team gathered again to grab a quick bite to eat before heading out to Treasure Island to see Cirque De Soleil’s show, Mystere. We booked tickets beforehand and got great seats in the center section. The production value of the show was incredible. The actual stage revolved, rotated, elevated, folded, and retracted while what seemed like an endless line of performers in brightly colored costumes simultaneously flung their bodies through the air across it. It was as if the set itself was also one of the performers. The constantly changing light schemes complemented the stage perfectly, and the music, which was all performed live by a fully costumed band, was phenomenal. A few of the more memorable performances included a group of acrobats that used a series of tall metal poles to perform unbelievable feats of strength and balance, a pair of Herculean men who were able to balance themselves on each other in the most impossible series of poses, and a meddling clown who would periodically peruse the crowd and dump popcorn on unsuspecting audience members. Despite the high level of energy surrounding us, most of the team was understandably a wee bit tired and periodically dozed off during the performance. Needless to say, we all slept very soundly that night.
The next day we had two events: one at a medical school where we did an interactive activity on resource allocation and another event at a high school. Both events were successful & filled with inquisitive, interested students. Dan actually volunteered to do the team’s laundry with Brenden. He never realized how bad traffic can get on the strip because he’s never had to drive a car down it, let alone a huge cargo van. It felt like it took as long to get back to the hotel as it did to actually do the laundry! Our last evening in Vegas was free; many of us had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant, others ate at the Venetian and a few of us saw the amazing Chihuly artwork & fountain show at the Bellagio.
Today (Friday), we took off for Alamo, Nevada – the closest inhabited place to Area 51. We had hoped to see some crashed alien spacecraft along the ride, but sadly we had no such luck. The ride however was nice & smooth with mostly gentle downhills and gorgeous desert scenery. Some of the riders averaged around 23 mph for the entire 70+ mile ride. Those of us on Support Team had a slightly more eventful day. It started with a trip back to the laundry mat to pick up a bag of R4WH clothing that had been accidentally left from yesterday (much to the thrill of those of us who were missing clothes!) and followed with a flat tire on SR-93 between Vegas & Alamo, right where cell phone signals begin to drop out (fantastic!). Fortunately, Dan has changed many tires in his life so it was as simple as figuring out where the scissor jack was and how to get the spare out from under the van. It took about 15 minutes to switch tires and we were back on our way. Our final destination was Paranaghat Valley High School who graciously offered up their gymnasium and multi-purpose room to us for the night. We are also setting up a health fair in the gymnasium for anyone in the town who is interested. All in all we’re glad that we made it out of Vegas in one piece and that we were able to overcome some of the obstacles that got in our way. We’re really looking forward to riding tomorrow since it’s been two days now that we’ve been off our bikes. The ride tomorrow also consists of a lot of climbing, which oddly enough Dan has come to love. Should be a blast!