Re: Dubai , December 8

[Connie Hoge <connieh@aa.net>]

Steph,

You're starting to sound like Cronkite!  Keep up the good work, tell
them we're already starting to wave our little flags!!!
Connie H.



Steph Teeter wrote:

> Hi group,
>
> 30 degrees this afternoon (I'm not real sure exactly what
> that is in Farenheit - I think around 85 -  it feels *hot*).
> Prediction for the next few days is the same. There's
> a constant breeze near the coast, but in the rolling dunes
> it is much stiller. It will be hot. On Leo's ride this morning
> he observed his horse, Orfeo, at the canter - on the firm
> surface his heart rate stayed at about 108, when he
> cantered at the same speed in the sand it shot up
> to 150. Hard work!
>
> The chef d'equip meeting was a little less than hoped for.
> The answer to all of the questions was 'you will find out
> tomorrow'. But they did distribute maps. And of course
> the map is unlike any I've ever seen at any ride. The King
> had them done by the army. They cover a huge area, and
> have an incredible level of navigational detail - I'm not sure
> what the army thought they were for ... but they are
> beautiful enough to frame. (a far cry from the photocopied
> topos and line drawings with different colored markers for
> each loop that we're used to :)
>
> I spent this morning shopping for supplies. Darcy Bean was
> at breakfast and had no other plans so she went with me to the
> UAE co-op where we searched the aisles for familiar items
> such as sponges, strings, buckets, etc. Found almost
> everything we set out for, ...plus a few cool things that weren't
> on the list but couldn't be passed up. When we got back
> to the hotel I bumped into Hal Hall who was looking a little
> dazed - he had just arrived this morning after landing in Dubai,
> then put back on the plane since the flight was destined
> for Abu Dhabi (along with his luggage) - they arrived in Abu
> Dhabi but there was nobody to greet them, finally got the
> visa straightened out and had to take a bus back to Dubai.
> Oh well. Hal is with the Japanese team - he helped them
> purchase horses last year for Tevis, and he and Ann have
> been training the horses, and helping other Japanese riders
> get qualified for this event. They have a team of 4 horses - two
> from US, and 2 from Australia.
>
> I saw Teddy today (Runningbear) - her shipment still hasn't
> arrived and she is really really mad. She spent all day yesterday
> at the docks, never got a straight answer. She was supposed
> to set up her stuff today, and many riders were counting on
> her for items they had ordered or planned to purchase. Ooooh
> she's mad! I'm glad I'm not her shipping agent...
>
> More rigs went out today to try to better understand the
> course. Since they now have maps, they should be able
> to figure out how the loops, vetcheck and p-stops are
> designed. And of course most countries have gps units
> which will be quite useful. Cell phones also abound - even
> the riders will be carrying them if their team was able to
> procure enough. They're becoming in short supply.
>
> I heard from Lone (chef d'equip for Denmark) that there
> were 6 rigs that broke down yesterday from their romp
> in the desert. So now the rental agencies are insisting
> that the rigs have a native chauffer. I don't know that
> this is the greatest thing since the natives have a reputation
> for being a little over-zealous behind the wheel ... but
> at least they have more experience in the sand. Lone
> also told me that two of the Swedish riders were injured
> during the course drive - from being thrown around
> in their rig. One suffered a broken rib, the other injured
> her foot (maybe a broken bone also). I don't know the
> current status - should find out more this evening, but
> I think they'll still be able to ride.
>
> Tonight there is a general meeting where all answers
> will be given - and probably 1000 anxious people in
> attendance ... let's hope the answers are the right ones!
>
> I heard a story about the Russian riders ... there are only
> two. They had to travel through Poland before leaving for
> Dubai and when they got to Poland did not have the proper
> papers so they were thrown in jail for 5 days, while their
> horses were left on the truck. True?? Hard to say, but
> it seems to fit with all the other wild things happening!
>
> Well... I think that's about it for now. I ordered a pot of
> coffee before I started typing. The pot is empty, I'm totally
> wired, and think a jog on the beach is in order before
> I explode!
>
> later,
>
> Steph