2006
Sasquatchfest Eco-Challenge
The
weather was perfect for the 2006 edition of the Sasquatchfest Eco-Challenge,
which took place on Saturday, Oct. 7. This fun bike race/party/campout
takes place on and around the homestead of Marco and Christina Deshaies
in The Plains, Ohio.
I
had participated in my first Eco-Challenge on a rainy October day
in
2005, and enjoyed every minute of it. I waited with anticipation
for the following year's event, only to get super sick the week
before. Because I was still recovering on the day of the race, I
had to sit
it out, which made me pretty sad. But it was lots of fun to watch
everyone else participate.
After
all of the participants arrived, Race Director Marco Deshaies divided
people up into teams. Most teams had two people, but some had three
or more. After a lot of questions about the scale of the map and
some of the topographical features on it, Marco sent everyone off
the top of the hill.
Jason
Beckley was the first to emerge from the prologue lap, charging through
with the rest of his team-mates (Joey Boyle and Jeremy Krohn) trailing
off behind. As everyone made their way onto the course, the mood
was quiet but anticipatory back at the camp. Racers had to find their
way along a semi-marked, wooded course, aided by a map hand-drawn
by Marco himself.
I
had enough time to sample some of Marco's delicious home-brewed beer
before the winners
arrived: Craig "Mr. Fast" Watson and his team-mate Mike arrived
first and were announced the winners. Next was Jason Beckley, who
still
was hauling the mail out in front of his team-mates, who were doing
their best to match his blistering pace. After
everyone returned and cleaned up we enjoyed a big barbecue and potluck
dinner, campfire, beer, s'mores and lots of gabbing. I found a walking
stick on Saturday night and Sunday morning. It was a great October
weekend.
--
Meredith
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on the images below for larger images and captions.
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