Race Vehicle Preparations Compete!!

Race time is now less than 1 week away!

I'm feeling some great relief now that the vehicle preparations are complete. These last few months have been a frenzy of activity getting all the vehicles ready and packing supplies. For anyone interested in how the 5 vehicles are configured for the team, here is an update on what it takes to configure race vehicles:

Both the Xterra (Follow) and mini-van (Leap Frog) are outfitted with very strong flag holders on the roof, amber flashing lights, slow moving triangle, and wheel racks on the roof. Leap frog also received a 1,600 watt power inverter and 3 power strips providing 18 AC outlets in addition to the 3 existing DC outlets. Both have a tray style 4 bike rack on the rear to carry the 8 bikes. Leap Frog also received a reinforced bike rack, rear outside light, and center console compliments of Les Farago Engineering and Fabrication (Susan's Dad - Many Thanks Les!!! You're the Best!!)

Full synthetic oil and a premium K&N oil filter went into Leap Frog and in the 31' RV and a new serpentine fan belt. So far, the RV experienced a flat tire out on hwy 10 about 50 miles past Fort Stockton, TX. So we have had some excitement already last week. Thanks to the wonderful help, quick thinking, and logistical support of the RV donors Kathy McCaston and Mike Young, the RV was back on the road in about 4 hours. Our team is extremely fortunate to have such great supporters as Kathy and Mike!!

We'll be renting the gopher vehicle (full size Impala) from Hertz and another 31' RV from Cruise America. Both will be one way rentals that we pick up in California. Those will receive a RAAM race numbering kit and stickers and the Impala will also receive a trunk mount bike rack capable of holding 2 bikes.

Do to the demands of this race, I will not be updating this blog during the race, but hopefully the website updates video and tracking and updates will keep you informed. Thanks to all for your support as our team completes this grueling endurance race to help raise awareness of the #1 killer of women - Heart Disease and for our beneficiary Go Red for Women.

Leary

Spent most of the day doing recon for the RAAM Van. Supply list included wide angle rear view mirror, aluminum tubing for a light bar, driving lights, and another power outlet for the dash of the van. Installing the light bar nicely to the front bumper is the next step. The license plate mounts look like they might come in handy for securing the light bar. The PA system is still a puzzle for me. I had the idea of running a microphone through the auxillary port on the car stereo thus changing the speakers into a PA system. No luck with that! Could not find a microphone that had its own DC power source. Oh well, I will investigate other options. On an up note, I did order a 2" receiver hitch for the van, so that will get us one step closer to the bike rack installation for the 4 bikes. Bumped into some great 10 gallon gatorade water coolers that might work well for the event. Will check with the team to see if that is the route we want to go for carrying water. That's all the technical updates for now on RAAM-a-lama. Will blog again as things get installed.

Testing Out the RAAM Van

After considerable research into various mini-vans, the Chrysler Town and Country stood out as a great choice, so we bought one. The big seller was the Stow N Go seats that folded down into the floor and also the larger cargo space than the other models. Chrysler was the first to come out with the Stow in Go in 2005, then a few other brands followed with similar offerings a few years later. Luckily, we found a 2005 Stow N Go model with only 34K miles for a very reasonable price on Craigslist. Susan and I both liked it so we bought it. After top to bottom review and a trip to Cooks Automotive for confirmation of road reliability and some rear brakes, we took it on a trip to Palo Duro Canyon for a bike ride event with other RAAM team members and crew. The van performed perfectly during the 9 hour trip and we had a wonderful time practicing the cycling and crewing tasks that would be required for RAAM.

RAAM support vehicle 1 purchased - "Check" Next task, prepare the van with the needed racks, lights, supplemental power, and sound system for the riders. (This is the fun part!!)
Leary

The RAAM-a-lama Begins

The purpose of this blog will be to share the fun and enjoyment of a crew member's adventure in preparing for and crewing in the 2011 RAAM event. Our crew will be supporting is a 4 person all female team all the way to the finish. More to come!!