Ragnar Florida Keys: Getting There!

Confused?  Here's a link to my earlier post about Ragnar - Pre-Ragnar Florida Visiting.

On Thursday, 2/7, Mom and I woke up and did a bit more prepping before Uncle Doug showed up (delicious chicken biscuits in tow!).

Making turkey wraps for the team

After he arrived, we proceeded to pack his SUV full of coolers, sleeping bags, water, food, safety gear, pillows, blankets, his and Mom's things (since they were vacationing in Key West as well), and anything else we absolutely needed for this adventure.  

And that's just the hatch.

There was more stuff in the backseat and at all of our feet, as well.

Knowing we'd be picking our teammate Scott up in Port Charlotte (he flew in ahead of time to visit his dad), I endeavored to squish some of the softer items in the small holes left by the more rigid coolers.  I was able to clear a bit more space, but I did ask Uncle Doug to lock the tailgate first, just in case my efforts sent everything flying out of the SUV as we were hurtling down I-75.  No bueno.

After collecting Scott, meeting his dad very briefly, and having a great lunch at BrewBurgers, we hopped back on the road for the rest of the journey to Fort Lauderdale.  

Mom and I sharing the backseat with the bear.

OMG PONIES!!!!!!

As we were heading southeast and crossing Alligator Alley, the rest of our van - Murph, Erin, Taira, and Chris - were flying the friendly skies.  Initially, we figured a connection through Atlanta would be a good idea, and thankfully, no ice storms hampered their flights.

Murph and Erin, represent!

The driving crew beat the flying crew to Fort Lauderdale, and after 4-5 passes around the airport, we checked into our lodging for the night, the Hampton Inn and Suites on Stirling Road.  Mom cracked open some of the food she brought along, and we snacked while we waited for the frequent flyers and the van to appear.

"This looks like a suitable spot to hibernate!"

Before too long, the van drove up, everyone greeted one another, and we started unloading both vehicles and rearranging them properly.

Erin and Chris packing their plastic drawers.

One of the better organizational tips we've learned from doing other Ragnars is the use of two three-drawer plastic cabinets (about $10 for each cabinet at Wal-Mart).  Everyone has their own labeled drawer, and it helps keep everything handy and easy to access in the van.  Also, as you can see in the pic above, everyone also places each set of their running clothes in a gallon ziploc; it's a great space saver, since you can squish them down and push out air, and after the run is done, all the sweaty grossness goes back in the bag.  Then, smelly clothes don't contribute to the overall funk in the van.  Fair warning, though - by the time you open the bags to wash the clothes post-race, those things have developed their own weather systems.  It's hardcore, man.

Since everyone was staying in the Keys a few days after the race, most of us had larger suitcases with vacation clothes in them.  To avoid taking up room in the van, Mom and Uncle Doug were awesome enough to store our suitcases in the SUV (along with the back van seat, which we removed to allow for more space).  Everyone brought a smaller duffel bag for just Ragnar gear, and that went into the drawers and under seats as needed.  

We also used this time to decorate the van with the paw prints, signs, and Arizona state flag pattern.  The flag on the side of the van was made out of painter's tape, which is great, since it's really easy to remove later.  It's also adhesive on its own, so it sticks nicely to the side of the van without marking or flying off.  We've used painter's tape to make designs on several of our vans for Ragnars, and I highly recommend it.

Cutting out paw prints at home, pre-race

Chris and Scott in deep consultation over the proper placement of the tape

Taira working on the yellow tape

After finishing the major design elements and packing up all necessities into the van, we waved goodbye to Mom and Uncle Doug (they were staying just a bit further down the road in Florida City), threw what we needed that night in the hotel room, and walked to dinner, just down the road.  We dined at Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine, which was awesome - homemade and delicious!  After dinner, we hit the hay, ready for our first day of running!

More soon!

Amy