Having a "Private Benjamin" Moment as We Approach the Finish Line

I have heard that there is "Rally Withdrawal" and I can imagine. We were off route for 24 hours and our re-entry was not pretty. I went to check into a hotel on my own the night before last, and I'm sure I looked like I was homeless and living out of our car, which, in fact, was true.

I wanna go to lunch. I wanna wear sandals. I wanna be normal again!

I want to get in a car and start it without wondering if it will start, and, for that matter, even use a key.

I want to have the car tell me when it needs fuel (it's not called gas anymore!), and not have to watch the kilometers and match that with fuel station locations.

I promise to never be a back seat driver again: "Entering roundabout at 6, exit at 12, missing 2..." 

If I ever see a clothing tag that says "dries overnight," that's not for me. I'm done washing my "outfits" in a bathroom sink or in the shower!

Buffets are dead to me. 

I will miss my rally friends every morning and evening, all of us with one goal and one destination, though many different paths.

I will miss the comfort of seeing those big, beautiful, red ERA Assistance trucks on the horizon. And, of course, everyone in them.

I am not "Car 58," "brown Porsche 356," "it's an 'A,' "Mrs. C" (xo Andy)... 

I'm JILL, Mrs. K, or, my favorite, Susette's Mom.

On the other hand. Java... that beautiful little brown beast did everything and more that we asked of him, and had a blast along the way.

Mongolia tried to take him out (us too!) and he has the scars to prove it. Java was just making sure we were paying attention to him.

Once he was taken back to the original Porsche engine, he was good to go. When we got to the Alps, he was ready to take them on. 

Java the dog was the same way, back to the basics except for an occasional down pillow. Windows down, a stream to go through, a big stick, and Jason were all he needed.

All of your words of guidance, encouragement, love and support these past three years are all part of this long and wonderful journey, and I wouldn't change a minute of it. See you on the other side.

Cheers and love,
Jill

The View from the Road on Peking to Paris 2016

Dust? Mud? Grass? Sand? Or concrete? Pick your poison!

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Mongolia Moved the Impossible for Tony, Jill and Java

Sorry to drop off the face of the earth; this rally is a bigger beast than we imagined!

We were told in Beijing that the roof rack would be a problem. They were right!

All of our fears have come to pass. Crazy bridges, water crossings, rocks, ruts, gullies, mud, washboard roads for miles, Tony driving on the rails for 8, 10, 12 hours a day (due to our low clearance), sand, dirt, dirt, and more dirt. All of that, but on steroids. Bigger and badder than we imagined.

Doing laundry at the campsite, China-style.

Sometimes we were so stressed and anxious that I forgot to take pics of some of our great successes. But Tony, Java and I will always have those memories.

Our first sunset in the Gobi Desert. Driving into camp in the dark was one of Jill's fears, but we did it... many times.

Mongolia is absolutely beautiful and I would return in a heartbeat... in a 4x4! That said, I wouldn't have traded doing this race in our car, Java, for anything.

Gave up on our tent; Tony and Nomad Tours to the rescue! 

What I've found on this road is that everyone is on their own rally and journey. Here's more of ours.

Finishing a time control (TC) racing section. This is when beating maximum lateness became our goal! 

The landscape is unreal. Everything is so clear. 

In the next week, we will be sharing many more updates from our time in Mongolia and Russia. You can also see daily reports on all of the cars remaining via the Endurance Rally Association team here. 

Much love, 
Jill

Stopping for Repairs Before Six Days of Desert Driving

Currently we are in Mongolia, near Khyargas Lake and approaching the Russian border.

Earlier last week, when we stopped in Ulaan Baatar, Java needed tons of small repairs. The suspension needed tightening, the front brakes were sticking, the oil was changed, there was grease all over the front components, and we tightened all the bolts and nuts on the car and engine. Not to mention cleaning up the car and fixing our broken roof rack.

ERA to the rescue! One of the ERA mechanics saw the rack and said we could land a helicopter on it! We hope he is right.

Some bumps hurt more then others. Damage to the skid plate was sustained on a big hit into a small ditch. That hit also moved our bumper higher on the right. We have been told to look ahead ALL the time! Tony took his eyes off the road to look at a bird and BAM.

Our rack is fixed and our spare tire is back on it. Our plan is to test the rack in the desert for one day and see if it holds, and then place a tire without a wheel on it and see how it does. If it fails, we will be doing the race down one spare. 

The Endurance Rally Association website has a daily report, which you can read here. We and Java made it into the Day 6 update, and it's definitely the photo OF the race! Java is airborne! 

As usual, don't forget to check the live tracker to see where we are and where we've driven since the start of the race! 

Taking It One Waypoint at a Time in China and Mongolia

We are heading towards the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar and the first rest day before we head back out into the middle of nowhere. It's beautiful, but also very stressful.

Java is dusty and muddy, but still running strong! Earlier this week our roof rack broke, and we were last into camp in the desert. Luckily, it was repaired quickly.

Our next start was stalled by a flock of sheep. So much for making our time trial on time!

We are making great friends. Matt Bryson, who has won the last two Peking to Paris rallies, has been our navigation guru. Marty and Kristine, too. We know having their help will make all the difference in the world! 

Onward we go... which road to choose?