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They Made It

  Congratulations!

On the Dempster  Highway

Day 4- Thursday, 8-17-06.

Last night at the drivers’ meeting we learned that two of the four options for the day (North Canol loop and South Canol loop) were appropriate for motorcycles but not for our vehicles.  The third option (stay in Whitehorse in the Yukon) involved a point penalty, so this too was not an option for us.  The fourth and final option involved a trip to Skagway, Alaska: 220 miles round trip with no TSDs—an easy day for us.  By washing the cars before the trip, we apparently caused a cold front to move in, dropping the temperaturhttp://teamd-rally-news.blogspot.come about 10° F and bringing rain for most of the day.  The rain added ambiance to our route past amazing lakes with a variety of colors of water.  The border crossing back into the US was uneventful, except for the border guard flirting with Car #7.  Upon arrival in Skagway, we met up with the other Alcan car teams at a pizza restaurant.  Apparently, they had expected us to catch up with them earlier, en route, due to our reputation of getting to both TSD and transit goals ahead of schedule.  Question: How many people on the Young Guns Consulting team can fit into a two-person booth at the pizza restaurant?  Answer:  Seven.  We visited several shops in Skagway. Our favorites included the Gathering of Spirits rock shop and Dejon Delights, which had fantastic smoked salmon “with attitude.”  Shopping also included fudge, a ylu (see photo), and two Alaskan mosquitoes (see photo—it’s better in person).  Returning into Canada was surprisingly uneventful after Linda in Car #7 was asked “what do you have in the back of your vehicle,” to which she replied: “you know, just our luggage, our cameras, and our race paraphernalia.”  Upon returning to Whitehorse, Yukon, we embarked on a futile quest for pecan pie.  We discovered, instead, the Alpine Bakery.  Very tasty!  We prepared calculations that evening in anticipation of success in the demanding TSD on Friday.

Aloha,

Young Guns Consulting

Three teams from Scottsdale, AZ will be competing in the 2006 Alcan 5000 Rally Aug, 14-22.  The Rally starts in Kirkland, WA just outside of Seattle and ends in Anchorage, AK.  Along the way they will travel through British Columbia, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and finally finish in Alaska.  On Day 6 they will travel the Dempster Highway to the Arctic Circle before returning to Dawson City where they will get much needed rest before driving the Top of the World Highway to Fairbanks.

Challenge Driving Events was pleased to help train these teams for their adventure.  They will be competing in Class II S comprised of SUV's and Trucks using very limited navigational equipment.

The three teams are:

    Neil & Linda Nash

    Phil & Teresa Stonich

    David Porter / John Stonich /Michelle Henrie

The pictures below are the three teams during a practice rally run in the Tonto National Forest.  Yes folks that third vehicle is indeed a huge dump truck.  Phil did a remarkable job hustling that critter through the 60 miles of gravel and 16 controls.

Watch this space for reports and scores from the teams during this great adventure.