We have just completed the Long Day.  I am writing on 2 hours of sleep in the last 24 hours.  All competitors made it through, we had a total of 67. We are in the valley of the moon, Valle de la Luna.  It is really spectacular.  I have never seen landscape like this.  Last night around 2am I took a walk down the course.  The floor of this area of desert is white crusty shimmery salt and the moon was so bright reflecting off it that I actually had a shadow for the 2 hours I was out walking.  I really take advantage of the periods of quite time usually take a long walk.  I have a love hate relationship with the whether here.  During the day it is blistering hot and then right at 4pm the wind picks up (like 30-40 MPH)and the sun goes down at 6pm and it instantly gets cold, bloody cold.  I look like a puff marshmallow at night with 5 plus layers on top and bottom to keep relatively warm.  Tomorrow we go back to San Pedro de Atacama and the village hosts the finish line in the town square next to the Catholic Church.  Remember we are in a Latin country and there is a church in every town, village, city, pueblo.  On the 3rd day I was way out in the middle of the desert, (4 plus hours by a very bumpy car ride) and low and behold a church sticking up out of no where.  One very old leathery looking man lived there and rang the church bell everyday.  What a trip!  

Granty and I are tired and looking forward to coming home and seeing everyone.  We have moments of laughs, looks, and love, but for the most part both of us have been working around the clock.  This has been a hard  race for everyone involved. As I write I hear Grant next door in the Medical Tent telling jokes while he puts competitors shattered feet back together. I love that man, even when his jokes are bad.  

Love to everyone!  See and talk to you soon!  Love, Ash

We just finished the 4th day, this is a very hard race for all the competitors, medical team, and volunteers.  The terrain today and tomorrow is salt flats. Some areas people were sinking up to their waste in crystallized salt mud.  I really cannot imagine how these competitors carry their own packs, food, water and all supplies for 7 days running through the some of the most extreme desert terrain in the world. Atacama is the driest desert in the world.  I am amazed by the determination and courage of the competitors; ages from early 20's to 80 years of age.  The salt flats are white, it basically looks like a desert covered in white power, crazy.  It is very hot because the sun reflects on the salty white desert ground.  Humongous mountains here.  The mountains are so big that they look close no matter what location I am at.  We start the long day tomorrow, that means the race is approximately 47 miles and the competitors must finish in 24 hours.  This is a double marathon in 24 hours.  Most of them run/walk through the night with a trail of glow sticks to follow. Every night is cold, nothing I have will keep me warm and I am a cold blooded person anyway.  Looking forward to a warm bed and 2-3 showers to get the funk off.  I do not know if I will be able to blog anymore, because the log day will begin tomorrow and I will be at a check pint for up to 24 hours and not back at camp in the evenings.  Granty and I will call or write everyone on Saturday when we return the land of the living and clean.  We both miss you all and love reading your comments, it keep us going.  Can't wait to see you at the wedding a celebrate!  Grant still looks good today going on 5 days with no hygiene.  Can't wait to see what he look like cleaned up at the alter/chuppa.  Love to all, Ash

 

We just finished the 2nd day of the race.  Very HOT today.  Course was long with lots of water crossings through some deep canyons.  Tomorrow the course goes through salt flats which I am looking forward to, suppose to look like snow on the floor of the desert.  This desert like others I have been to has a deafening silence, that is why I keep coming back for more adventures with Racing The Planet.  The peace and quiet here is priceless, I plan on taking a little back to USA with me.  The stars are AMAZING!  People come from all around the world to geek out and star gaze here because they are the best in the world.  Everything in the night sky is crystal clear, we actually saw a satellite that continually moves trough space tracking "Space Stuff", it looked like a moving star.  Pretty cool.  The mountains surrounded us at all times, they memorize you with the red color and diverse terrain from water level up to 15,000 elevation and even higher in the distance.  
 
I thought today, WOW!  I am getting married in 1 month, what a life I live!  Famish to Feast.  My soon to be hubby, Grant the Doctor is a rock star, Medical has their work cut out for them this trip.  He still looks good even after days of no showers, no shaving, or no hygiene of any kind!  I miss my doggies, my bed, and a few showers that it will take me to get back to a women.  I will continue to update blogs every other day.   Both a Grant and I are well, working hard and having lots of laughs and making great memories.Love and miss everyone!  Cannot wait to get back and get married and have a great party!  Love, Ashlie

 

We have arrived at the first camp site. We took at convoy for 3 hours to the camp site this afternoon.  Long, dirt, bumpy, beautiful ride. The landscape here is none like I have ever seen, endless mountains on the horizon and clear blue bird day skies.  The Andes Mountain Terrain is always in the backdrop looming over deep canyons that are crystallized with salt.

The official race begins tomorrow, good adventure and lots of work ahead.  It is HOT during the day, COLD at night.  As I sit here typing my fingers are mistyping keys because of the cold temperature.    It will get to about 0 degrees Celsius tonight, I have all my warm clothes and toasty sleeping bag Grant bought me.  It is the least he can do in return for me gallivanting around the world with no showers, running water, or bathrooms.  But not to worry I am know as a Desert Diva and I have to keep up my reputation!  But after all I did volunteer for the spectacular scenery and great memories.  We hare having fun and laughing a lot.  This week will be busy but I will try to update every other day.  Love too all!  Ash

We have arrived in San Pedro de Atacama.  It looks like Mars, if you can imagine.  It is the driest desert in the world, there are places in this desert that rain has never been recorded.  It gets up to 100 degrees durnng the day and down to 0 degrees at ngiht.  The landscape is very diverse, with red sand dunes and white salt flats. Big mountains here....after all we in the Andes Mountains!   We head out this Saturday to start the race and start the fun!  I will keep you posted on our location and my state of mind as the event progresses.  Love to All!  Ashlie