Dubai , December 8

["Steph Teeter" <step@fsr.com>]

Hi group,

30 degrees this afternoon (I'm not real sure exactly what 
that is in Farenheit - I think around 85 -  it feels *hot*). 
Prediction for the next few days is the same. There's 
a constant breeze near the coast, but in the rolling dunes 
it is much stiller. It will be hot. On Leo's ride this morning
he observed his horse, Orfeo, at the canter - on the firm 
surface his heart rate stayed at about 108, when he 
cantered at the same speed in the sand it shot up 
to 150. Hard work!

The chef d'equip meeting was a little less than hoped for.
The answer to all of the questions was 'you will find out
tomorrow'. But they did distribute maps. And of course
the map is unlike any I've ever seen at any ride. The King
had them done by the army. They cover a huge area, and
have an incredible level of navigational detail - I'm not sure 
what the army thought they were for ... but they are 
beautiful enough to frame. (a far cry from the photocopied
topos and line drawings with different colored markers for
each loop that we're used to :)

I spent this morning shopping for supplies. Darcy Bean was
at breakfast and had no other plans so she went with me to the
UAE co-op where we searched the aisles for familiar items
such as sponges, strings, buckets, etc. Found almost
everything we set out for, ...plus a few cool things that weren't
on the list but couldn't be passed up. When we got back
to the hotel I bumped into Hal Hall who was looking a little
dazed - he had just arrived this morning after landing in Dubai,
then put back on the plane since the flight was destined
for Abu Dhabi (along with his luggage) - they arrived in Abu
Dhabi but there was nobody to greet them, finally got the
visa straightened out and had to take a bus back to Dubai. 
Oh well. Hal is with the Japanese team - he helped them
purchase horses last year for Tevis, and he and Ann have
been training the horses, and helping other Japanese riders
get qualified for this event. They have a team of 4 horses - two
from US, and 2 from Australia. 

I saw Teddy today (Runningbear) - her shipment still hasn't
arrived and she is really really mad. She spent all day yesterday
at the docks, never got a straight answer. She was supposed
to set up her stuff today, and many riders were counting on
her for items they had ordered or planned to purchase. Ooooh
she's mad! I'm glad I'm not her shipping agent...

More rigs went out today to try to better understand the
course. Since they now have maps, they should be able
to figure out how the loops, vetcheck and p-stops are
designed. And of course most countries have gps units
which will be quite useful. Cell phones also abound - even
the riders will be carrying them if their team was able to
procure enough. They're becoming in short supply. 

I heard from Lone (chef d'equip for Denmark) that there
were 6 rigs that broke down yesterday from their romp
in the desert. So now the rental agencies are insisting
that the rigs have a native chauffer. I don't know that
this is the greatest thing since the natives have a reputation
for being a little over-zealous behind the wheel ... but
at least they have more experience in the sand. Lone
also told me that two of the Swedish riders were injured
during the course drive - from being thrown around
in their rig. One suffered a broken rib, the other injured
her foot (maybe a broken bone also). I don't know the
current status - should find out more this evening, but
I think they'll still be able to ride.

Tonight there is a general meeting where all answers
will be given - and probably 1000 anxious people in 
attendance ... let's hope the answers are the right ones!

I heard a story about the Russian riders ... there are only
two. They had to travel through Poland before leaving for
Dubai and when they got to Poland did not have the proper
papers so they were thrown in jail for 5 days, while their
horses were left on the truck. True?? Hard to say, but
it seems to fit with all the other wild things happening!

Well... I think that's about it for now. I ordered a pot of
coffee before I started typing. The pot is empty, I'm totally
wired, and think a jog on the beach is in order before
I explode!

later,

Steph