Ride Across Arizona (RAAZ) Preparations

• We are making the final preparations for RAAZ, starting Monday 1 May.  Today is food organizing day.  Most of the camping stuff is prepared.  Our original plan was for Cathy and Napa (our greyhound) to do RAAM-style leapfrog support and dispersed camping in the National Forest, BLM, or State Trust land in route.  But... with the heavy snow load most or all of the forest roads in the Coconino are still closed, and may not be open yet.  This leaves several 50+ mile segments unsupported (not a big deal, I do that all the time), but also limits the camping en-route.  Nothing like a last minute re-planning scramble, and making sure I have enough self-supported equipment to overnight if I have a major mechanical or other issues behind the motor-vehicle closures.
• Like I usually do, most of my planning is on the web site, and if the public can find it, they can see it too.  On the web, its easy to update, and gives the crew quick click access to everything they need... assuming they have cell phone coverage.  As the best of plans are in the planning... just writing it down and studying it helps commit it to memory.
• After RAAZ (a ride, not a race, I keep trying to remember that), it will be a bit like returning from training camp for my return to the Flint Hills on 3 June 2023 for Unbound Gravel 200, where I started my ultra-journey back in 2014.  Jack, Cathy, and Napa will crew me at a much bigger, much crazier event than my 2014 DK200.