Alaska to Mexico Marathon. Day21. 17th September 2023. Bluff to Springdale.

Just before diner last night at the Bluff Dwellings hotel and Spa the competitors were called together to receive a verbal advice in respect of the coming days activities. For those that had not yet checked their road book there were to be a number of “Time Control” events on day 21, tomorrow.

These exercises involve timing from the start of the event, for a given distance in a given time. To ensure that you arrived on the exact time the clock in the car needed to be watched closely for at arrival at the time check at the end of the event the car needed to be stopped at 1. A yellow time control and not enter to the 2. The red time control at more than 60seconds later. At that point you are to hand your time card book at the allocated time as given at the start. Early and you’re penalised, late and you’re penalised.

Sounds convoluted. Hope you understand.

Something to mull over at dinner and to sleep on overnight.

Our start time was allocated at 8.43 am starting out at 42, second to last. We thought this was good as in anticipation of how we were going to manage the Time control events because we were afraid that the road conditions may not be conducive to keeping Betty fit for the roads on the days ahead. ie if the road conditions the previous day were to be replicated today, we were going to opt out.

We headed out on a 32km run to a passage control then on gravel, A very rough 39kms of roadway to the Time Control section, at the exact given time.

The thought that this road would be rough was erased, when it turned out to be tarmac. Great. We’ll partake! It was a 118km run and we needed to be checked in as required in the exact time, at the yellow card and at the red card. We did. On time as planned.

But directly following were 4 more short Time controls on dirt roads. The road dirt here is red like the Australian bull-dust.

We managed these well as well. And we enjoyed the experience. Betty purred along. She had had the air cleaner washed the night before. It was filthy full of the red dust prohibiting free air inflow to the engine, so she was purring. The last one was a long 111km run mainly on seal to the end at Grand Canyon Brewing, where we had lunch. Pizza. And good too. Everyone was hungry. Pizza to burn. Many took the left over home to eat for breakfast. mmm

From here, the end of the events, it was back tripping through the canyons. So many configurations of rock formations. Amazing. Driving through the Zion National Park. Jaw dropping scenes.

So many photographs were taken of so many of these formations. It’s truly amazing countryside

Headed for the hotel, diner and sleep after a long interesting day!

Tomorrow, 497kms from Springdale to Flagstsff.

5 Time checks and two regularity’s. It’ll be another hard day