In parts of my country, it is considered fun to don ugly clothing and try to kill dinner. (But sometimes you don't so you go to a birthday party and eat lobster rolls instead.) #murrca
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Today's Document
noise dept.
cherry valley forever
YOU ARE THE REASON
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Janaina Medeiros

Kaledo Art
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda

if i look back, i am lost
Jules of Nature
Xuebing Du

oozey mess
$LAYYYTER
Cosmic Funnies
art blog(derogatory)

blake kathryn

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ellievsbear

shark vs the universe

seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States

seen from Canada

seen from Singapore

seen from United States
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seen from Germany

seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Brazil

seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from Singapore
seen from United States
@meeshrides
In parts of my country, it is considered fun to don ugly clothing and try to kill dinner. (But sometimes you don't so you go to a birthday party and eat lobster rolls instead.) #murrca
My birthday cake and I having a moment. Worlds End, Horton Plains National Park, Sri Lanka
The ride
We found horses! #srilanka
Jumping on Lion Rock, Sigiriya #srilanka
Cheeky bit of ballooning
When your tiny hands can't quite reach the clutch lever but you make it happen anyways. (Look out guys, I got my motorcycle license...)
Had to air it all out before considering bringing it into the house. #mongolderby2015
THE TRACK IS UP http://tracking.theadventurists.com/#mongolderby/mongolderby15
Yesterday this man taught me how to ride a horse
Tourist things.
Ulaanbaatar
FOLLOW THE RACE
Last post before I return from Mongolia in three and a half weeks! Race starts the morning of August 5, Mongolia time–that’s the evening of August 4 in America. We have until the 15 to finish! Fastest the race has been completed is 7 days, though this year’s course is the longest and toughest–no one is expected to finish faster than 8 days. The finish line will take us near Khovsgol, where reindeers are still ridden and wolves are still hunted with eagles. Extra incentive to finish early! (Though after 650 miles on horseback, I’m not sure how I’d feel hopping on another critter…). We are also finishing quite close to where I traveled through by train in January 2013–that is to say, SIBERIA.
TO FOLLOW THE RACE LIVE: Tracking.theadventurists.com Theadventurists.com/the-jibber Twitter @mongolderbylive
Last week was a hectic blur of fundraising and packing. We managed to raise over $1,000 last Tuesday at La Cocina in downtown Tucson. They generously donated 10% of sales, and we had a killer silent auction of local art. Couldn’t have done it without my many talented and selfless friends. There wasn’t much time for a going-away party, so I’m expecting quite the barn burners upon my return.
Finally, THERE IS STILL TIME TO DONATE! Gofundme.com/meeshrides
SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE
Managed to look like a girl last night AND raise a thousand dollars! Special thanks to La Cocina, my talented performers and donors, and to everyone who made it out to support me, NAMI, and Cool Earth! Couldn't make it? Still time to donate at gofundme.com/meeshrides
OUT OF TOWN
The last few weeks have gone by so quickly, I haven’t had time for my anticipated freak-out about perishing in the remotest reaches of the steppe. I ditched many of my responsibilities at home in Tucson to visit my dad at home in Colorado, where I had four glorious horse-free days laying in bed for hours because I COULD. I still woke up at 5 am sans alarm--I’ve got myself trained--but rolled around in blissful boredom for several more hours before finally getting vertical (and then after hefty breakfasts, sat on my derriere for more hours and hours of doing nothing in front of a screen). I did bring a litany of things to do from my never-ending To-Do List, and thoroughly ignored them.Â
Except for the evenings. For four nights in a row, I attended a gym class series called Tribe--think a watered-down CrossFit meets Boot Camp class with a ridiculously peppy instructor who must secretly hate humanity because of the things she made us do. Now, I am reasonably fit after months of 5 am weights and spin classes, hiking, and spending hours and hours and hours (and hours!) out with the horses. I pushed myself to surpass everyone in the class (except, at times, my gym rat dad who came along some of the days) in weights, reps, and speed--after all, I’m the Mongol Derby Girl. I had to prove--mostly to myself--that I am tough. But four days in a row (regular participants attend, max, two classes per week because of the intensity) left me feeling like someone beat the crap out of me in a dark dirty parking lot. It hurt to breathe.Â
The first day, I essentially held a suspended plank position for an hour while contorting my body in ridiculous ways in an attempt to strengthen my core while also avoiding vomiting. The second day was a series of nonstop circuits that made me want to pass out, soil myself, and throw up all at once. It made me regret eating everything I ever ate, and I didn’t feel like eating for hours after the class (possibly the only time I’ve felt like that in my 25 years). The third and fourth days were a blur. More than the physical training, showing up for Tribe four consecutive days was excellent mental training: to keep going even though everything hurt.Â
I left Colorado early to jet back to Arizona and drive up to the White Mountains for elevation training with my new friend, Beatrice. She was training for Tevis, the famed 100-mile, 24-hour race in the Sierra Nevadas. Greer, Arizona is a completely different world from Tucson: forested mountains with sprawling meadows and valleys at 8500 feet. We rode for miles through gorgeous scenery and gorged ourselves on strawberry-rhubarb treats, and I continued to ignore my ever-present, ever-growing To-Do List.Â
Ahab and I check out the view:
What much of Mongolia may (hopefully) look like:
Navigating through the forest--GPS skills improving!
Magic, a neighbor’s horse, needed an attitude adjustment, so of course I hopped on (also had somewhat of a dress rehearsal--yes, I know I look ridiculous):
Afternoon activity:
A stroll in Greer:
I then left Greer early to pop home before a last-minute-decision drive up to Moab to visit fellow Derby rider Liz Brown (Canada), whom I’ve been in contact with since she interviewed me for an upcoming VICE article.Â
Liz has been training with endurance racing legend Christoph Schork at Global Endurance Training Center in Moab for the past six weeks. To give you an idea of how serious an endurance facility this is: you can rent a horse for the Tevis Cup from Christoph for $6500--and his horses always finish (Christoph himself finishes in the top ten consistently, and often wins). He and partner Dian’s impressive bios can be found on their website at http://globalendurance.com/about-us/.
Liz might think I’m a little nutty (though she’s into this insane race too): I brought only what I’m bringing for the Derby, didn’t change clothes or shower for three days of sweaty desert rides, and made her abandon her lush ensuite room in the house to camp out with me in the backyard. Surprisingly, the best conditioning for an endurance horse is hours of walking, though we did fast 10-mile rides daily and rode some youngsters as well.Â
My favorite of the several I rode in Moab, Christoph’s stallion Express. Riding him was like lounging on a couch. New visor compliments of Soless! Check them out if you want to avoid looking like an old lady or a deranged cowgirl, http://www.soless.net
Following Christoph on a fast ride:
Future endurance champ:
Sunset:
Liz and I fine-tuned our gear and timed ourselves packing up camp--I’m down to seven and a half minutes. Liz was a bit slower, as she’s operating with one hand--read about HER training adventures at http://www.horse-canada.com/desk-to-derby/--excellent reading, she’s a pro writer (google Liz Brown, Metro Canada for her celebrity interviews too!). She’s also one of those super-athletic types, runs marathons and such. Though she’s five inches taller, we weigh the same. I try not to hold it against her.Â
Having another friendly face on the steppe will be fantastic. I’ve invited her to ride with Team Bacon as much as possible, though she may take it easier than we do. After all, as with any big-time adventuring, to FINISH is to win (though, more and more, Kat and I are thinking that to win is to win...).Â
Quick zip through Arches National Park before the nine-hour drive home--though I spent as much time behind the wheel as in the saddle, the trip was worth it.
Now I’m back in Tucson, taking care of business and wrestling with that obnoxious To-Do List. It’s my final week of prep, which means I get to taper. No more five a.m. starts, four-hour rides, or serious workouts. It also means I’m scrambling to get my gear under weight, considering (too late) the pros and cons of rain pants, and fundraising my tail off. Overall, besides being perhaps the chubbiest of the Mongol Derby 2015 contenders (and I am by no means fat, folks), I’m feeling good about this race. To finish is to win, yes... but imagine if I won...
Training on endurance legend Christoph Schork's stallion for the #mongolderby2015
#TANAKATHISOUT (part II)
The love fest continues! Humongous, overdue thank you’s to:
My Summit Hut friends: What a bunch of intelligent, fun weirdos. Even my boss cracks me up (actually, ESPECIALLY my boss). You’ve all welcomed me straight into the fold and have not hesitated to donate your time, your money, your talent, and your creativity—so much so that I’m reluctant to disclose how little I actually had to do with the #tanakathisout campaign. I’ve been allowed to come into work late so that I can train with an endurance rider, hold my booth at the Farmer’s Market, await my Mongol Derby treasure box delivery, and even finish long-overdue laundry. You guys keep me happy and plump. I can’t wait to hang out with all of you all the time after my Mongol Derby victory.Â
Ray: Summit Hut’s Most Generous. Thank you for your donation to my ride, donating your incredible pottery for fundraising, for covering my shifts, for the chicken cheese crips and everything bagels. Thanks for also mixing the best margaritas north of the border.  You’re a good friend and a great man to have on my side!Â
Andrew: You were the first person to proverbially slap me upside the head and scream THIS IS A BIG DEAL. If you hadn’t, my fundraising campaign would be largely limited to my part-time Summit Hut paycheck, a lackluster Gofundme page, and a fat chunk of debt.
Ryan: If it weren’t for you, there’d be no Mongol Derby 2015 shirts, because it certainly did not occur to me that t-shirts could be designed and sold for fundraising.
Alexis: GENIUS GODDESS OF COMPUTERS AND STUFF! Thank you for designing my stickers, a shirt, and my gorgeous Mongol Derby info and event sheets. Thank you for also being a genius goddess of baking. I can’t wait for that cake.
Taylor—stalwart “Mama Taylor,” I swear you’ve witnessed every one of my space cadet moments. Thank you for entrusting me with your GPS (and continuing to entrust me with it despite my dismantling efforts) and for teaching me how to use the damn thing. Thank you for the knife, for sacrificing sleep to bring me a table for my farmer’s market booth, for your level-headed advice, and for your patience.
Logan and Emily: Where to begin? Thank you for loaning me tons of your adventure gear, for taking me out for relaxation and fun, for personal training, for laughter and hugs and general badassery. Thank you for always inviting me to hang out, even though I always say no (but really, that means a lot that you haven’t given up on me!). After the Derby, you won’t be able to get rid of me.
Tim: I can’t wait to see what gorgeous witchcraft you’ve come up with as a fundraising piece for my benefit. Thank you thank you!
JEREMY ASHER: You’ve saved my sanity more than a few times, and blown my mind with your selflessness just as many. I suppose I should start by thanking you for hiring me—no, wait, for being born. Thanks for that. Thank you for bringing me a bacon-wrapped filet mignon on my half birthday, and always making sure I have enough protein in the form of carne asada, vampire sausages, gourmet burgers, bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon. Thank you for your creative genius and magical technological/graphic design prowess. Thank you for designing a shirt with my face on it that everyone loves, and for spending hours making sure it’s just right. I owe you a fortune in royalties. Thank you for running errands that I couldn’t, for driving me around when I couldn’t, for tolerating my mini breakdowns over nothing in particular. Thanks for being a shoulder to cry on, literally and figuratively. I never thank you enough, and cannot thank you enough. You are my best friend, and I’d be a blubbering mess of nerves and despair without you. In your own words: “Thank you to Jemmy Ashuh fo havink wed hair, n fo alwaiz eateeng his vegebles.” WhatsApp.
Thank you to Food in Root and the St. Philip’s Farmer’s Market for donating space for my fundraising booth, which will be back SATURDAYS JULY 11 AND 18.
Gigantic thanks to La Cocina for not only allowing me to hold a benefit TUESDAY, JULY 21 FROM 5PM TO CLOSE, but for donating 10% OF SALES that evening.
Thank you to Troxel, Dover Saddlery, Da Brim, and EasyCare for donating gear.
Thank you to everyone who bought a Mongol Derby shirt! I hope you continue to rock my face on your chests long after I’ve returned.
A very special thanks to my new friend, Beatrice Hauss-Wegrzyniak, whose cabin I am now sitting in in the White Mountains of AZ, relaxed and content after riding four hours through stunning scenery, going to a movie, enjoying great company, and digesting a belly full of cheeses and homemade strawberry-rhubarb desserts. Beatrice, not only have you rescued my training since my guys are dying in the heat, you’ve given me a relaxing holiday at a time that would’ve been most stressful. I am so very happy to call you my friend!
Last but not least, Julie Youngblood, darling of the 2012 edition, thank you for your advice and mentorship, and especially for your enthusiastic belief in me, which keeps me going when I catch myself thinking “What did I get myself into?”!