Saturday, February 9, 2008

Day 9

Today began in Unadilla at the Scottish Inn where the team stayed for free. The day's travel was expected to be around 22-23 miles to a town called Oglethorpe. The guys gathered their gear, strapping wet, washed clothes to the front of the jogger in hopes that they would be dry when they got to the next town. The left Unadilla shortly after 8 am.

About 20 miles into the journey, they arrived in the town of Montezuma, GA. The guys sat down at the local Huddle House for some impressive burger and chicken platters. After a short stay to eat and rest a bit, the team set out for the final 3 miles of the day's mileage. The team's GPS sent them a bit out of the way, and the team ended up about 3 miles from Oglethorpe. The team finally strolled into Oglethorpe, and found that nothing was open. There were few people in sight. The fire department and police station were both locked. The guys sat down and began to contemplate what they should do. After a long discussion the guys decided to keep the joggers moving and get as far as they could that day. The next town was Ellaville, and it was about 17 miles down the road. Looking at the GPS there were two ways to get to Ellaville. The first was down a road with a sign that pointed to Ellaville. The second was a different road marked by the GPS. The team decided to give the GPS one more shot, and followed its directions.

About 3-4 miles later, the team passed a sign that read "Pavement Ends." The road ahead was dirt, and showing no signs of civilization. This is where the trip became exciting for the guys. This unmarked road may either lead them to Ellaville or even further out of the way. Fears aside, the crew kept running. When I spoke with Durkin and Andy, they both barely had the words to describe the scenery they saw. Words like amazing, awesome, and incredible were all used. The guys said they had some awesome pictures to post including video of a crop duster, and they couldn't wait until they could find some internet access. Be on the lookout for them! Andy also set the first "Ghost Ride" record of 28 seconds! Ghost Riding consists of letting the Baby Jogger go unattended while the driver dances beside it. Durkin compared this dirt track to that of Coco Island on Super Mario Kart.

The guys made it off the dirt road about 3 miles later, and had about 10 to go until Ellaville. It was on this road that Durkin trumped Andy's 28 second record with a Ghost Ride of 1 minute and 3 seconds while singing "Ghost Ride It" by Mistah Fab! Around 5:30, the team strolled into Ellaville after a much unexpected 38 mile day. When they got into town, Andy spoke with a Police Officer about where they could set up for the night. He indicated that a small park down the street would be fine with him. The team then entered "The Pizza Place" for dinner. After talking with Ervin and Janiece Bauder, the couple offered up their grandson's backyard for the team to pitch their tents. They got their food, and even a free pizza!

The big story of the day was Mr. Ken Stannard. Ken has been real sore the last couple days, but all described him as a champ today. He was still sore, but was letting nothing stop him. On their way to Ellaville, he was quoted as saying, "We're getting to Ellaville, even if my bones crack!" Thanks to Ken's relentless high spirits, the team is resting happily in Ellaville tonight.

Tomorrow's mileage to Buena Vista is only expected to be around 14 miles. This will be a welcomed low mileage day after the monster day today. Check out the news links on the site for some more articles from Albany, NY and Macon, GA! Thanks for all the support, and keep checking back on the team!

- Rick

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