I haven't been in the proper spirit lately to do any blogging due to the continued issues with my foot. I thought I would save everyone (the one or two people who actually follow it) the agony of reading all the foul thoughts and words that were on my mind over the weekend. But now I am in a better mood and have something cool to talk about.Wellness Camp is for all children ages 8-12 years old who
are interested in healthy living! This is a six day/five night
camp program that focuses on healthy eating, exercise,
and making positive choices in daily life!

WELLNESS CAMP DATES: July 19—24

For questions please contact Kate at 317.241.2661 or kate@jamesoncamp.org

I kind of knew what to expect going into the volunteer job at PA24/Old School this year when Mike said plan on being there for a pretty long time. That got me thinking about what exactly Monty and I could do to make our time, waiting for teams, more comfortable and enjoyable. All it took was an email and Monty was on the job. Monty and I decided to car pool (since Mike was already in Rusk and gas prices have raised) as well as caravan with some friends. We met Rachel at her house and once we diagnosed a terrible oversight with the tire/wheel services she had performed on her car days earlier (the lug nuts holding the wheel on were loose enough for me to remove them with my fingers), we decided to take her with us to Carrie's house. We stuffed and crammed all of our things into Monty and Carrie's cars. It was like playing the video game Tetris but with solid objects that didn't have nice flat sides. The rear view mirror in Monty's car was virtually useless and we looked like the Beverly Hill Billy’s (I just needed a rocking chair tied to the roof). We managed to get all the doors closed and were on the road. After some pit stops and Monty's need to stop by a few of his friends houses (wink, wink), we finally made it to Rusk with a little time to spare before we were needed at our CP. The Old School course started just after 12:01 am and we were able to watch the teams leave. Mike then was kind enough to escort us to our CP; he didn't want Carrie's car stranded and figured we would need help finding the location since there were none of Monty's friends in this neighborhood, just a cemetery (ooh... spooky at 12:30am). Upon arrival we set the foundation for our little oasis; we found a nice flat spot for my tent, set up the table, pulled out the travel grill and Monty proceeded to surround our little area with citronella candles. A fire and camp chairs quickly followed the candles, as did food and spirits (adult beverages not disembodied souls) and we were all set for our first teams to roll through. About one and half hours after our arrival the first team came in to our CP and about twenty hours later the last team left. Wow was it a long haul, but Monty is a great volunteer/partner and we had numerous visitors spend some time congregating with us, above and beyond all the teams we saw. All the teams were having a great time with the exception of a few who were obviously not happy about all the trekking. Double shots, Rockstars, and coffee were the most drank beverages and boy did that grilled chicken sandwich really hit the spot (the hot dogs and cheddar sausages were pretty darn good too)! Overall CP3/4, or CP2/4 if you were on the School course, was nice and ran smoothly. Since Monty and I did such a great job at our first assignment we were moved to the last o-course of the race and set up shop in the shelter. Our trip there took us by the boat take out, to drop off a trailer full of team gear, which was a nice change of scenery. Once we got to Martin State Forest I realized I was pretty happy that we didn't have to move all of our stuff out again, as there were tables, a fire place and electricity in the shelter. After another hotdog and one sacrificed to the race gods (my stick broke!) we settled in for one more night of bleary eyes and scratched up dirty teams looking for some end to their race. Mike stopped by and helped us get a bit of sleep and that was most appreciated! The best thing was being able to leave the last o-course and get a shower! Had I been racing I wouldn’t have noticed the filth until after the race was over. The race wrap up was pretty quick once all the teams arrived and all were fed. Way to go John, Mike, Jerry, James, Paula, Sumitra, Sue, and all those volunteers and team crew's who helped make this years race so great! The weather couldn't have been much better all weekend and I am grateful for that! Thanks to the Elk Ridge Lodge and all the land owners who cooperated with race management, and thanks/congratulations to all the teams who stuck it out and braved the course. It was good times for all!