enough to fry an egg on the pavement. It is a tough day for Arvid.
Keeps me regular, and, I think, makes me sleep a little better as well. Buy tamoxifen online? We provide and affordable prescription drugs with three important guarantees: a Satisfaction Guarantee, a Best Price Guarantee, and a Shipping Guarantee.
Last week we received a donation in the mail which included a postcard with the verse from Deuteronomy 31:6, Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid; for The Lord your God, He is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. We claimed that as the verse for this journey on RAAM. Yesterday morning, just before we headed to the start line, we received an email from Mueni, the Mulli’s biological daughter, wishing us well. She included the same verse! Isn’t God’s timing amazing! We were so encouraged. God is with us. levitra online shopping
After a long period of very bad cell coverage, we’re in Blythe, CA, and treating ourselves to four hours of sleep. Meanwhile, Arvid rides on.
He’s down quite well, still trekking on the same tubes he rolled out of Oceanside – quite a feat for the support crew and mechanics back home. He’s in good spirits and had, last we checked, made 380 km total since Oceanside.
As a first-timer, I can now safely agree that nothing can prepare you for what happens. The physical inactivity in the vehicles is countered hard by the mental intensity, and as the media person on this trip, I’m realizing that the best is the most streamlined and minimalistic for a reason.
But dont let that dash your hopes of great photos and videos. We’ve for some phenomenal shots ready to come your way, so keep checking back. Now I need to go to bed before I fall asleep at the keys.
***UPDATE – Arvid’s start time is 1:00 PM. Be sure to click on the stream link a few minutes ahead of time.*** Arvid is setting off for RAAM today. Watch it live here. In the event that RAAM’s stream is unavailable, we will be streaming it on Ustream.
***In the event the stream does not proceed as planned, we will stream from our UStream at http://ustre.am/ZTTN
It’s finally happening! This is where it all of the magic begins tomorrow, June 11th, just after noon time. Scroll down for more info on live streaming.
Arvid and the Rest of the RAAM and RAW (Race across the West) racers will, one by one, start from this square. Each rider will complete the first leg of the race solo – they will not be followed by their support crews – until they reach Borrego Springs, where they will be rejoined by their crew.
We’ll see how full these stands get!
Charles and Esther Mulli will be there at the starting line to cheer on Arvid alongside the support crew as he kicks off RAAM 2013.
To watch a live streaming of Arvid’s race start, find it on this page or here on Ustream on June 11th (Monday) at 12:30pm California time. (2:30 pm Winnipeg time.)
All riders and support crew from each and every team are gathered in the gym to go over tomorrow’s routine for the race start. Over 25 counties are represented here.
Tomorrow is a particularly unique day because tomorrow’s riders will begin and complete the first section of the race solo, without support vehicles. Follow and support vehicles will join their riders at Berego springs, just ahead of the first time station. From there, vehicles will accompany until the last leg of the race, where riders will once again ride solo, crossing the finish line where they are met by their crews.
We’ve also met up with Charles and Esther Mulli, who will be spending time with us today and tomorrow for the start of the race!
Thanks to the hard work over the course of the past couple of days, we have successfully passed RAAM’s set of tests and examinations. Every team must pass these tests to compete on Tuesday. Check out the video recap!
Here are a couple of pictures of the weekend’s activities! This poster was at our hotel, where a good number of RAAMers are staying as well.
Oceanside has been absolutely wonderful. Cool mornings and evenings, and hot in the day time. Throngs of people flock to the beaches to surf and spend time in the water and on the sand, and the smell of the sea mingles with the aromas of homemade ice cream stalls, hot dogs, burgers, and fries.
With almost timely frequency, pelicans fly in formations between the palm trees, dipping down on occasion near the water.
It isn’t hard now to understand why people come to SoCal and never want to leave. The Beach Boys didn’t sing and write about some fictional world – they were the travelling minstrels of a tangible and real subculture with roots that still go very deep. Waldon and I found ourselves realizing the same thing – that surf culture is an embodied, fleshed-out culture still real for people, even those who are older. We couldn’t count the numer of times we spotted people in their 50s and 60s ridng cruiser bicycles in surf shirts with old tattoos, hanging around surf shops with each other, often some with their families. There are pictures of surfing and old surfboards in restaurants and shops – we talked to one guy who remembers having surfed with board designer Jim Weldon back in the day. Turns out it wouldn’t be difficult to find our Weldon a board with his name on it!
After so many American films and so much American this and that – all coming out of Hollywood and political news coverage – I can only wonder what other glimpses of real embodied American culture we’ll encounter in the next two weeks between here and Maryland.
All crew have converged on the beachside for a meeting outlining race rules and addressing potential issues, concerns, and questions. There are teams from all over the world here – all with unique goals and race objectives, riding for different causes and organizations. Another step towards the big start on Tuesday.
After a little bit of prep on the cars yesterday and our first night spent all together here in Oceanside, we caught a little breakfast at the Harberhouse Cafe.
Look what Weldon found! Turns out that Jim Weldon is a surfboard designer. We talked to someone else in the surfboard who not only knows the guy, but surfed with him way back
Oceanside is very aptly named – there are proud references to the ocean, marine life, and surf culture in every little shop and restaurant in this town.
To read the full project description, download the PDF.
Participate
To participate by riding your bike in support of MCF, download the PDF.
GrandpasCan 2020 Training
Arvid's stats are updated daily in an online spreadsheet. Click here.
Prayer Requests
May 20: As the ride begins, pray that we will have strength equal to the task ahead!
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About MCF
Charles Mulli is a former street child from the slums of Kenya. He became extremely successful in business, but then God called him to give it all up and care for the orphaned and abandoned children still on the streets in Kenya. Charles Mulli is the founder and CEO of Mully Children's Family. To learn more about MCF, click here.
Arvid's Role
God has called me (Arvid) to be an ambassador for Mully Children's Family. I have chosen to use ultramarathon cycling as my platform from which to fulfill this calling. You can follow my ride, here, at www.grandpascan.com/ride. To read more about me and my story, click here.
I am asking you to help. I am trying to raise funds for the ongoing and capital expenses for the child mothers program at MCF. This program provides the critical life skills the young mothers need. To learn more about donating, click here.
