And She's Off!

Hello Followers! Jennifer Proxy Blogger here! 

So Kirsten called last night and the conversation went something like this:
K- "what the heck?!"
J- "what?"
K- "there is no fuel log!"
J- ....stunned silence.... "what do you mean?"
K- "seriously - no fuel log, and we basically have all the bonus locations!"
J-....more stunned silence, and a realization that I'm breathing the in and outs of rally mode almost as much as she is.  Shock!  No fuel log?!

So the big news of the IBR 2011 is kind of an old school, "level the playing field" type of rally.  There is no fuel log, but a passport to put a receipt in for every state visited.  And in order to be a IBR 2011 finisher- you MUST visit every state.  Bonus points if you get the state capitals!  If you're following along - read the official daily reports from the IBR staff.  In true rally fashion, they teased the riders a little last night with some information at the rider's meeting and then the rest of the rally packs after the banquet.  Kirsten said it was like Christmas when you can't open the presents until everyone's finished dinner and people are taking very, slow, bites (family - you know who you are!).

So plotting and mapping post-dinner began.  For a great article on this process, read Jim Owen's (IBR 2009 winner) article in the Spring 2010 Iron Butt magazine- like I did during dinner tonight.... see what I mean.  It's a sickness.

This morning - last minute packing before bike impound and lots of shaking of hands and good-lucks.  Check out the fresh rally book on the top of the case - just wait till we see it at the end!


So she's off along with all the other IBR riders on Day 1 of The Big Dance.  This will be a LOT of miles over the next 10 days.  She'll have been in all 48 states, and hopefully a fair number of state capitals too, by the time this is done.  So... what are YOU doing in the next week and a half?

USA States and State Capitals