Matthew calls in from Pueblo Contado

Hey! My family and I got to meet Matthew in Salida, thanks to the SPOT. We were on a big family road trip and I hadn't been following the race (due to road trip distraction). As we started to drive into CO I suddenly recalled that the action might be happening and I fired up the laptop at a hotel parking lot wifi hotspot and, hokey pete, it looked like we'd cross paths with Matthew! Sure enough, we did! What a gas! He looked and sounded strong. Sure, he was in the Special Zone, but it was neat to meet him after only emailing with him before. Our kids were fairly impressed, too. ("OK, we're going to find a bike racer...") It was also nice to see Absolute Bikes after reading about it in so many TD/GDR reports. I took a few pics and some video. It's up at my http://OutYourBackDoor.com site. I hadn't listened to podcasts before now. It's a nifty way to follow a race. Hearing about the Rainbow people was a gas! : ) (Tracey sounds darn fresh. Maybe tandem is a good way to go!) We just finished our own sort of ultramarathon: 6000 miles in 18 days for a family of 4 in a Cutlass! $1800 ... Tented half the time. : ) Best wishes to all you outback people! --JP