March 22, 2014 Shoshone, California

Today is the first day of the Baker to Vegas  Challenge cup race. The race has 250 teams of 20 policemen from all over the world. Each team has 30 support people and all of their families along.  It is a relay race.

Metal sculpture in the Shoshone sculpture park. My sister Judy volunteers as am EMT on the local ambulance. For the big Baker to Vegas race the Tecopa/Shoshone emergency team staged at the the helicopter landing zone. Here is Judy with one of the three helicopters.

Judy with the ambulance. The team (they told me there would be a test of their names afterwards, I hope I don’t flunk) Billy, Gary, Carl, Larry, Judy, Danny and Angie.

This is the command/communications incident control  center for the race. It is tied in with other units including 360 degree  cameras (so in a disaster  know what is going on) and communication.  Looks like overkill to me, but this is a police race and Judy says this center is a training exercise for their units. Baker to Vegas medical supervisor.

I liked this huge double walled tent with a generator run air conditioner.  This is one of the helicopters landing. One of the  Tecopa Fire Dept’s  job here is to wet down the landing zones to keep the dust down. I’s hate to see it if it was dry.

Each runner has a chase car with blinking lights. There are only 250 runners at any given time, so there are only 250 of these chase vehicles out. Lots of cars, people, motor homes and  support stations all along the way. Here is a relay runner change station right outside of Shoshone.

After viewing the race I made some hula hoops. Notice the glass of wine in the coil of poly pipe! These are exercise hula hoops and are supposed to be good for the abs and the core muscles. I tried one just like this out when the Time Traveling Gypsies (with the castle motorhome) were in town and got instructions on how to make one. It is cheaper to make 8- since the pipe comes in 100 foot rolls than it is to buy one  ready made exercise hula hoop. Plus I knew I liked this kind, so look out, people are going to be getting hula hoops as gifts.