Out of the starting blocks and then some...

So, we're in Prescott, AZ and chillin' at Starbucks and resting our "nachas". Scott and Scott just finished a 4,000+ foot climb out of the desert floor and passed the baton to the "Js" where they'll carry it to Flagstaff and send us back into the dark of night and cooler temps. Yesterday, day #1 was exhilirating and intense. We had LOTS of climbing out of Southern Cali skirting Mt. Palomar and up, up, up to the top of the "glass elevator" and then hurtling down into Borrego Springs. It felt a bit death-defying actually as I dropped the tail car at the top and hit sustained speeds in excess of 50+ mph through hairpins and a 4000+ ft. loss of elevation. I missed the hand-off in Borrego Springs and continued on before the rest of the team found me another 10 miles down the road. Little did I know, they were contemplating initiating a search and rescue mission for fear that I'd gone right over one of the guard rails during my white-knuckle descent. Oh well, Hans will have to keep crewing -- you can't get rid of me that easily!