BRAG Day Seven......

It feels strange for BRAG to be over so suddenly. We plan for it for months (not to be confused with TRAINING for it, mind you), talk about it incessantly, and then **poof** it's over with. I will post about some of the wonderful people I've met through the years. I only see them once a year during the week of BRAG, but we consider each other friends. I tried to take some pictures today of a few special folks, but I haven't downloaded them yet.

Katydid and I have come to the conclusion that taking the RV on BRAG is absolutely the way to go. I told Hubby on the phone today that if we never used it for anything else, it was a worthwhile purchase just to use it for BRAG. But we probably WILL use it for other trips.

This is how our post-ride routine used to go, back when we tent camped:

• Get into camp from a 60-mile ride in 90-degree heat.

• Look for the luggage truck.

• Search among 4,000 bags (that's not one of my classic exaggerations either, since there were 2 bags for each of approximately 2,000 riders) for our bags, on which we had tied colorful, distinctive ribbons or bandannas so we could identify them. Never mind that 1,998 other folks had ALSO tied colorful, distinctive ribbons or bandannas to THEIR bags.

• Drag our bags to whatever spot we could find to pitch a tent. Shade was preferable but usually non-existent. Near a tree or a fence (to use both as a bike leaning point and a clothesline) was also good, but not often available.

• Pitch our tent in the heat.

• Go in search of something to drink. Pay for a water or a Gatorade at a booster club concession stand.

• Find a snack, usually at same concession stand.

• Return to tent and get clean clothes.

• Find the shower truck.

• Shower and return to the tent, by which point we were sweaty again.

• Search for a cool place inside to take a nap, or crawl into a sweltering tent and try to sleep with all the noise and heat.

• Search for the computer lab, if the school allowed us to use them, to check email.

• Get up after a short nap (or an attempt at one) and find the shuttle to take us to a nearby restaurant.

• Return to camp and wait for sundown so it would be bearable in the tent.

• Make our beds with sleeping bags and air mattresses and hope the mattresses held air all night long. If they didn't, get up numerous times in the night to pump them up again. Endearing yourself to all your neighbors.

• Sweat until we fell asleep.

• Wake up just as tired as when we went to bed and do it all over again.

This is how our post-ride routine was this past week with the RV:

• Get into camp from a 60-mile ride in 90-degree heat.

• Find where Rozmo parked the RV, unless she has already called and left a message about where to find it.

• Park the bike and unlock the door.

• Start the generator and turn on the air conditioner.

• Put up the curtain and pull down the window shades.

• Reach into the refrigerator for a cold Gatorade.

• Reach into the cabinet for our choice of snacks.

• Gather our clothes for shower.

• Find shower truck or indoor showers.

• Return to the RV, where it is now cool and comfortable.

• Get out the laptop and sign on to the internet using a connect card.

• Take a nap in cool, air conditioned comfort.

• Wake up and play a video game.

• Reach into the refrigerator for a cold .... beverage.

• Have another snack from the cabinet.

• Investigate dinner options.

• Find the shuttle to take us to a nearby restaurant.

• Return to the RV and find something on television (where we had reception).

• Go to sleep in a comfortable bed, having to use a blanket because of the air conditioning.

• Wake up rested and prepare for the next day's ride. After the coffee finished brewing.

This year we had enough fresh water left in the tank for us even to shower in the RV, avoiding the lines and the masses of people who would be showering in the school. It was only an hour and a half home, so coming home without showering wouldn't have been devastating, but it was nice to come home clean. It was a little weird, however, showering in a parking lot. At a Catholic high school, no less.

It's good to be home. The RV is unpacked and laundry is COMPLETELY done. When Hubby gets home tomorrow, all will return to normal.

Thank you for tolerating my tunnel-visioned blog posting for the past week. I'll try to be a little more original. Until BRAG 2011.