Re: Applegate Lassen

[BMcCrary27@aol.com]

Hi Karen ... Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!  
No, we're not going to have A-L this year.  Something quite unique has come 
up and we're going to take advantage of it while we can. We're going on a 
3-week study-tour of China, particularly a cruise up the Yangtze River to see 
the construction site of the Three Gorges Dam. When it is completed and the 
river starts to fill it in 2003, it will create a lake 550 feet deep and 420 
miles long. It will be the largest dam ever created in the history of the 
world and will have the largest locks and elevator (to raise ships up to the 
lake and return). It is imperative to see the Three Gorges soon, as they will 
be inundated within a few years. This trip is being guided by a local college 
history instructor whom we have known casually for many years.  His expertise 
is Chinese history and this trip will feature the history, culture, religion, 
and literature of the Chinese people.  You know how Lud & I love history 
(it's the history that keeps us so enthralled with the A-L Trail). Also on 
the itinerary is a tour to see the Terracotta Army.  There are excellent 
articles in recent issues of National Geographic magazines on both the Three 
Gorges and the Terracotta Army.
The trip begins June 1st, the very last day of the A-L ride, as we had 
planned to conduct it this year, and finishes June 20th, unless we can 
encourage the tour director to extend the trip about 3 days and do a side 
trip to the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. (Keeping our fingers crossed 
that there will be at least 10 people to sign up for the extension).
This opportunity came up quite suddenly and since Lud expressed interest, I 
seized the chance and RAN with it. (Lud has been known to be a dedicated 
stay-at-home, and I've been dying to travel for the past 50 years).
Castle Rock 30-50 will be on May 20th and Swanton Pacific 100 will be on 
August 12th, if you can join us for either. We almost were going to abandon 
A-L because of the disappointing entries last year (5), but then thought we 
would give it one more try.  Then came China ....  Perhaps we'll try A-L 
again next year.
Thanks for your inquiry.

Barbara


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