Donna joined the early morning birds chirping at 0530 saying, "Well, after a month of logging on to check scores and what we need to do today......I was about to post a message to Dan that he is behind again with the standing points, then I realized It's over." . . . Dan laughed, "It's okay - I really had to think myself … what were the priorities of the day … been easy for the last month" . . . Holli said, "I was wondering where you were!!" . . . Helen said, "Esme, your speech covers all the pot holes for most of us...Thanks to everyone for making July fun... Let's see what August brings… looks like Dan has already started another TRIVIA game! …BTW, was fun to be able to congratulate Rita immediately on IM last night...had to leave that party early ...jury duty calls AGAIN this a.m." . . . Explaining what he meant earlier by the soccer coach story, Dan said, "Had to do with a new soccer coach – 'he had his team practicing, each kid kicking his own ball at the goal, etc - about 20 kids - he called them all over for a pep talk, sat them down and stood in front of them -"okay let me have a ball" he said, and within seconds 20 soccer balls were flying in his direction'… At 5:55 pm local - I was within minutes of being current - just a couple of messages behind - I started typing furiously - adding scores sending clues - next thing I know, in what seemed like only 5minutes - an hour had passed and I was an hour behind in my e-mails - if ever I do this particular exercise again - I WILL have to think it through with a lot more precision - so I don't get hit with 20 soccer balls all at once!" . . . Holli was standing and cheering everybody! "APPLAUSE!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats to all of you, and a BIG THANK YOU to all the racers!! You made the race a wonderful event once again! … AND A REALLY BIG HAND TO DAN!!! … WOOO WOOO!! YOU'RE THE MAN!!! … Thank you so very much for taking the time out of your busy life and creating this experience! YOU'RE THE BEST!!... THANK YOU ALSO TO TRACY!! For putting up with this for a month! :)… Thank you RUTH!!!!!!!!!!! Ruth......... It was so very kind of you to stay up to all hours so we would have EARS ready to share the next day!!!!!! YOU ARE A GEM Ruth!!...AND A BIG HAND FOR RITA!! …CONGRATS LADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! … And I want to thank the racers who never hesitated to send Dan and me emails asking questions and suggestions! Only had 305 emails this morning! … BTW music has changed on the Home Page... :) TTYL" . . . (Wonder why she is so shy … we must draw her out a little!) Describing Tracy during his final scoring of the race, Dan said, "She literally was looking over my shoulder - checking the results as they came in!" . . . adding, "Thanks - she appreciates the comments - and I appreciate her!" . . . Dan sent a note about the final scores. "Morning racers - shortly after falling asleep last night - the alarm people called and I had to head out the door - gonna smack somebody up the side of the head this morning - as Donna would say SHEESH!... Anyway - I'll be working my way through the 650 e-mails in my in-box this morning and getting all the scores up to date - when I'm done I'll post a message that the final standings are posted." . . . Donna turned to Holli saying, "and thanks to you also Holli... without you none of this would have ever happened…hum.... happened... was it real or just........" . . . Holli replied, " Thanks Donna, but ummm I really don't want to remind Dan of that day I told him I wanted some fun around here!... I must say he took the Bull by the horns...or was it the mouse by the balls? OOOPS LOL" . . . "Now cut that out, "said Dan, "I used up my laughing quota in July!" . . . Esme laughed, "Dan, you would be laughing even harder if you had been in Vera's room in Chicago!" . . . Responding to Dale's comment of thanks to Tracy for doing her own laundry, Dan said, "Careful - she could be the next one to fall out of her chair laughing!" . . . Vera was also cheering, "Bravo!!! Special congrats to Rita...Judges - and assistants - Outstanding job!... Racers - What a ride! … Withdrawal today?" . . . Answering Dale's comment for information regarding his placement, Dan said, "The lease on the HUSTLE II - has expired as of 04:00 ZULU - hope you are not stuck on their next cruise - in the laundry room!" . . . Examining last night's messages, Dan tried to quickly reply to each…to Donna's comment that if he's staying up til mid-night he must have tomorrow off, Dan answered, "Nope - just should be committed - errrr I mean dedicated!" . . . to NPS 's standing ovation for Tracy, Dan and Holli, he said, " Thank you, thank you very much!" . . . to PattyBo's yeah for Ruth, kept us informed and in stitches for the whole month, he replied, "Double YEAY on that one!" . . . to Rita for her thanks in her acceptance speech, he said, "You are entirely welcome - congratulations again!" . . . to SuzyQ, the non-racer cheering at the edge of the party, he said, "You know you are always welcome at any of our virtual parties!" . . . to Esme, who summed up the thanks of all the racers, he said, "Thanks Esme - ZUKU's to you too! You folks are a wonderfully unique set of individuals - I doubt this would work as well as it does with any other group of folks!" . . . Holli added, "Add me to the ZUKUS!!! I agree this probably would never have worked with any other group of kids! Pat yourselves on the back for making this a ONE OF A KIND SPECIAL GROUP OF KIDS!!!" . . . Dan stepped to the podium and posted The Day After Dispatch – Final Standings…"The final standings for VSRR II have been certified as official and complete and can be viewed at http://dtlima.com/VSRR%20II/Scores/VSRR%20II%20Scores.htm … Congratulations again to all - and special thanks to 'The Udder Judge' … all of our affiliates, sponsors, subsidiaries, cousins and most importantly the VSRR Racers - without you there wouldn't be a race! … Thanks. Signed, Hollidan, Inc - Best Yodelers Ever! (HI-BYE)" . . . He added laughing, "Trivia !!! … That location is there for anyone who wants to play anytime…Anyone have a preference for a category?... HOWEVER under no circumstances will I keep score on anything!" . . . LOL . . . Allyn said, "Adding my thanks to those responsible for the most interesting race I've ever run! and Congratulations to Rita who has proved that the Illinois Tribe were right all along! Rita should be designated the Designated Driver of the Year!... I have some personal thank you' s to hand out...to my secret circle partner Helen, who helped me out of a couple of jams... to Fred and George, who only got us lost once...to Kiri, who struggled mightily with those trivia games (and honestly DID do some of them herself)...to Bingo who took up the trivial slack when we were out of town...and to our cheerleader Billy, who never let us give up even when we were sliding inexorably toward the bottom of the rankings…He has mentioned that heads will roll if this happens again next year!...but I can't wait to see what next summer brings….Signed, Allyn (your resident MATM)" . . . She followed with, " Okay...when do the true confessions start? Who has been to Nova Scotia? and why didn't they invite me? Time to start the second half of this race...the easy part!" . . . Dan posted the final episode of Ruth's EARS. . . "Today's Final Episode: "RUTHIE, RUTHIE, RUTHIE, RUTHIE ------- RITA!!" . . . Snoopy injected her 'few cents worth', I would like to congratulate Rita again and offer my thanks to Dan, Holli, Ruth, Tracy, Kiri, Dale, and all of my fellow racers....... many of which helped me out several times! It was quite a wild ride but definitely worth the hefty price. No doubt there will be an adjustment period of knowing my time priorities… Don't forget that those of you who have visited the places we visited are supposed to report! I think the only places we went that I have been to are New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Hawaii. I can't find a list anywhere...... I think we need that! Anyway, I'm not a world traveler so hoping to hear a little more about some of these places… CitySue, did you find a new vacation destination?? "… Enjoy the rest of your summer everyone!" . . . CitySue said, "Played trivia this morning. With no mental stimulation on the horizon for today, it seemed like a way to ease back into reality at a gentle pace! The game was a fun way to dig into the memory banks... Still wondering where I was in the late 70's and early 80's??? Mind must have been cluttered with too much real life to pay attention!" . . . Turning to Allyn, Helen said, "You're welcome, Allyn… You also rescued me a few times, to say the least, as did the other secret racer, PattyBo...and Donna who saved most of us from too much unbearable embarrassment with respect to our lack of computer skills. Can't wait to see what comes next.....I just got relieved of jury duty. It seems the DA didn't have sufficient evidence to convict...for which I was thankful...after hearing his first 3 witnesses, I was certain that the guy was innocent....Now, I can find the grocery list and see if I can't get the week started on a better note." . . . Dale wrote, "Thank you Dan and you to Holli- It's been a fun month… I would also like to congratulate RITA for running at such a fast pace. but taking the time to help out when she could. Special thanks to Barney for holding me back, he took too long in finding the answers for me… Then there's Kay who laughed every time I ask her if my AA's were correct… Wanted to know where in the world I came up with such answers. Thanks Kay for setting me back on track. Sly for all her IM wanting to find the answers I could not give her. She said I was holding back. CitySue never did let me pass…Ruth for taking the time to do whatever it was she did. It must have taken up a lot of her time but she still came in ahead of me… And all the others for creating a great month of fun" . . . CitySue answered Kay, "Didn't we have a wonderful time visiting places we've seen before and those we yearn to visit someday? Dan's route around the planet was filled with such great destinations near and far. The stop in New Zealand makes me want to visit someday; however, without the HUSTLE and Captain Dan, I'll have to be content with the movies and Travel Channel. About 22 hours too many in a plane! Once again, the VSRR provided the inspiration for an upcoming trip in October which will include Seattle, my first time there, San Francisco and a few undecided stops along coastal California. The remainder of the stops will have to stay in the "dream trip" category for now. Looking forward to hearing about the racers' real life adventures in our ports of call." . . . Kay answered, " Aw, you've done good then!... I've never been to Seattle but San Francisco and coastal California are hard to beat. Beautiful, beautiful country! Do you think it will be above or below San Francisco or both? All are great from what I've heard. I've only done below SF. How about Vancouver Island while in Seattle area? That's high on my list of places I "need" to go. Have a wonderful trip!" . . . Answering Allyn's query about who went to Nova Scotia, Helen answered, "I did not submit Nova Scotia… Did do the northern island road, wonderful rocky views and waves crashing from the Atlantic..It's where I learned the remedy for black flies.. nor Bay of Fundy Provincial Park..which is actually in New Brunswick. It was one of the stops on our honeymoon/vacation in August 1970...Our wedding was in May, but Dennis had 3 weeks vacation from his med school studies in August, so we camped around the lakes to the ocean, east on the Canadian side, west on the US..It was in this provincial park that one of the resident racoons tried to come into the tent..after being cracked on the paw with a flashlight, the next we heard was the gear at the next campsite being evicted from the picnic table..and crunching of what was probably chicken bones.. Am certain someone else has a more picturesque story." . . . Answering Rosann's question 'where's the party', Rita said, "The party is here in "Key West FL, Duval Street." Most of the night was spent at Hogs Breath Saloon, where Holli, wearing her hula skirt, was dancing on the table along with Ruth. No, Ruth didn't wear her gold lamé bikini. Wasn't much of it left after Dale washed it… Dan was sitting in the corner with Tracy shaking his head and trying to get all those numbers to stop rattling around in his head. Come join us as we celebrate the Circle friendship." . . . Rosann quickly said, "Count me IN!! Got any watermelon martinis?????" . . . Joining in Kay and CitySue's travel talk, Rosann said, "Been to San Francisco twice...love it!! Started out in San Diego & drove north with stops in LA, Lompoc, Solvang, Big Sur, Monterey & San Jose along the way. Also,went north into Muir Woods...Beautiful!!" . . . slygranny talked about the race, "Did some private emails, but just wanted to publicly add my thanks to all of the people who were involved with the race this year - congrats to Rita and thanks to: the judges and their families, Ruth and her ears, and all who helped (by whatever means) to make this a month to be remembered... Also have said that I found this was one way that, as a new person to the list and game, I was able to get to know people a little more and a little faster - maybe even at the speed of light sometimes, as we rocketed across oceans… Thanks to all!" . . . Holli asked, "Just wondering if anyone watches Hells Kitchen? I fell asleep last nite and missed it… He sure makes Simon look like an ANGEL!" . . . Allyn answered, "Chef Snoopy and I prefer his old show, where he took failing restaurants in the UK and beat them into shape. I'm sure glad Gordon Ramsey was never my boss...don't know whether the yelling or the cussing would get to me first… (Oh...no, I didn't watch last night. I stayed on the computer and watched the race results!)" . . . " . . . Dan answered, "Is it anywhere near the laundry room - Dale may have caught it!" . . . Maddie took a deep breath and exhorted, "Wow what a month!!!... WOW....what a fun, interesting, exhausting, enjoyable, intoxicating, nerve-wracking, educational, etc. etc. month this group had. We are the best!! And so too were our monitoring crew...DAN THE MAN … Hopping Holli… 'Rite away Ruth… Delighting Dale!! You all provided us with about the best darn trip/race around... for the second time, no less. And with all the options you provided us, you still were able to stay sane (or maybe a little insane)...amazing! Thank you just doesn't seem to cut it. but please believe we all owe you folks not "one" but "many"….Rita.... way to go girl!! And to the other racers, following Ruth's daily diary of the our goings on, well you can see what a fun, creative, wild and crazy bunch we are.... and I'm glad to know you… Maddie's will be open for decompression... so come on over!! We have added a Godiva chocolate area, complete with a chocolatier to serve their truffles, cheesecakes, cookies, frozen delights, ice cream and their ultimate flourless torte. Martinis are waiting and calling for you. Hope to see you there!" . . . NPS breathed, "Maddie, the Godiva area sounds heavenly! Can I have one of everything?" . . . Allyn said, "Chocolate? I'll meet everybody at Maddie's as soon as I find my other flip-flop!!" signing, MATM" . . . A message from Dan included a link and the following words, "As has become tradition, after a long month of racing - Hollidan, Inc. through one of it's subsidiaries - acquires a property suitable for the exquisite caliber of all racers. This year's "Racer's Lounge" is a humble abode - which all racers, past present and future are welcome to stay at and enjoy until we meet again on the virtual highway! Hollidan Ostensible Maneuverable Environments - (HOME)" http://dtlima.com/VSRR%20II/Lounge/master.html It was good having Sue1, last year's reigning winner, drop by to congratulate new winner Rita in the racer's lounge. Sue1 graciously said, "WOW!!! Another great race!!! I happily pass the diamond tiara on to Rita with my congratulations!!! Let me also say congratulations to all the racers for hanging in there. I got lost on day one and decided to just be lazy and stay put. I kept an open ear to the traffic jam in the heavens as so many cars flew back and forth screaming down messages as to where you all were and who was in the lead. It was very exciting to watch you racing up, down and around the globe. With this terrible heat wave, you all deserve a nice cold one...heck, how about several cold ones. Enjoy the party. Dan and Holli need some champagne poured over them to cool off. They have been working hard these last 31 days." . . . "Thanks," said Rita. "I will keep it shined up, and take special care of it … and happily pass it on to next years winner! . . . .Donna took one look at Dan's lounge and exclaimed, " OMG, I am there....Maddie bring the chocolates with you!" . . . Maddie was already speaking, "I am having a Godiva chocolate sculpture made of the Illinois Tribe Shopping Van with a model of Rita standing next to it... for our consumption and eating pleasure. Waiting at "Maddie's" for you, Rita." . . . Esme exclaimed, "Well, now, that is virtually sinful! ... I'll be there in a few minutes for a bite." . . . Holli huffed, "Geesh.... I am really getting tired doing this Hula! I'll have another please~!" . . . Rita smiled, "Thanks, I'm on my way. All those chocolates, a martini and friends. What more can a gal ask for." . . . continuing she said, "Great! Be sure the van is piled with shopping bags so it will seem like home sweet home." . . . Dan replied, "Like we've said before - people will go to virtually no expense to provide the greatest stuff there is!" . . .Taking a more blasé look, Allyn said, "Nice place Dandow, Where's the village set up? Signed, MATM" . . . Donna said, "That's for us to do while relaxing.... silly girl" . . . Continuing, Allyn said, " Gee, the prizes get better every year too!" . . . Maddie queried, "Say, maybe some time in August, could we please get the answers to the AAs and locations, especially Day 31 clues?? I'm willing to send the email every day starting some time this month to see who has been to that day's location and any comments or stories they may have. Sort of a decompression exercise after this grueling race. Any thoughts out there??" . . . Dan shrugged, "Works for me - in many cases locations were of either a place people had been or were near… the locations sent in were an inspiration... Larry had a bunch of places he's traveled to - although I don't think he had to escape any dressed as a nun." . . . Donna answered, "Well I haven't been anywhere we went.. so....But sounds like a lot of exciting places... wouldn't mind hearing about them." . . . Answering Donna's exclamation, Dan said, "I've been told it's Tiger Woods home - although I haven't confirmed it -- but heck in a virtual word I doubt he'd mind!" . . . Answering Allyn about the Village setup, Dan replied, "Wouldn't you love to set one up in there - I know I would!" . . . slygranny took a second look at the new Holidan lounge and said, "Definitely will hit the spot - love the architecture - and those lights … (imagine a Halloween village under those lights!) …I could really enjoy a few days there, just doing nothing - and a wading pool for non-swimmers like me - Terrrific - not sharks swilling under my bed this year, so I can relax and look out over the ocean last thing at night, and first thing in hte morning - thanks Hollidan for such a great spot to get together." . . . Allyn decided, "I don't care much for swimming either and I just HATE it when sharks swill under my bed… Tiger Woods, huh? I got off on the wrong foot. Should have learned to bang a ball around in the grass with a stick….MATM!" . . . Ruth admiringly gasped, "Magnificent! While they apparently can't afford a hanger for the picture over the bathtub, we're going to have to pay for Braille lessons to learn the shower knobs. Don't pay them one cent more than $20,000 a month. And we'll bring our own laundry soap. Thanks for the great find!!" . . . Dan laughed, "Now if we could just find somebody with enough experience to do that laundry! ... Not a problem on the price with the left over TP we've got it covered." . . . Holli radiated, "DAN??????????????????????YOU'RE THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" . . . After studying the pictures some more, she added, "HOT TUB!!!!!!!!! WOOOO WOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" . . . .(… someone really must perk up this lady!) . . . Helen thought a bit and added, "Fancier than my usual seaside digs...I'll take the room with the ocean view...btw, where is it???? " . . . Ruth wrote, "My thanks to all of you who read and enjoyed the EARS of Ruth - as Dan called it. It was a pleasure for me! … Helen sent me a note last evening about my write-up a couple of days ago on the island of Andros. Apparently I had us on the wrong side of the world … off of Mexico instead of the Bahamas. I'm absolutely horrified and have no idea what happened. I will retrace my steps and try to correct it. I wrote Dan today explaining and asking about the difficulty of replacing a paragraph or so. In his usual calm, accommodating way he said -- no problem – just send him the finished episodes and he will replace them. I will do it in the next day or so, having no idea what happened until I go over the material… There was another boo-boo I mentioned briefly... During the race following the Vatican visit, I wrote about arriving in Istanbul, thinking that was our destination. Shortly thereafter I became dizzy - big time-- could barely hold up my head - but plucked at the keys from time to time. When the race finally arrived in Lisbon I was so glad it was over I failed to go back and edit myself out of Istanbul… Drat! ….I'm working on today's VSRR II post mortem …. just isn't easy to stop – is it!! …We seem to want the race to go on even when we know that there is another life and all good things really do come to an end… Dan and Holli are so talented and creative and imaginative! I have had a wonderful time!!" . . . Rita said, *Kewl*. We'll grab the chocolates and martinis at Maddies and hitch a ride there with Chitty." . . . slygranny gave us a taste of the heat. "Well, I went out to get a few things nearby, and am sure glad to be able to be indoors in AC today… local weather info describes it this way …temp 35°C = 95F… FEELS LIKE 48°C = 118.4 F… WIND S 22 km/h gusts … RELATIVE HUMIDITY 56% … and we are supposed t be in a TEMPERATE climate!! At this rate palm trees will be popping up in my front yard!! Someone said this is something we have been sent from the Gulf of Mexico - I say - please don't be so generous - keep it - those "gusts" feel like being steamed. Last night we had another thunder storm, and I am sure we will have a whopper after this heat too" . . .Holli laughed, "Well. I can relate…. it is over 100 or something like that.. I have a load of teenagers being dropped off or just stopping by ringing the bell....We never had this before… And I have to say it probably was one of the happiest days I have had here in this house in a long time…My home CAME ALIVE AGAIN!!! … We even had girls!! And a Girl for Max,. although Max was NOT interested at all!! And her Name was HOLLI!! …Anyway.. all but Chris went home.. and he is leaving in a few minutes… Then I will be cooking.! . . . Helen said, "Sly, the temp here on my deck was 102 at noon...It's now 100 at 5pm..I need to do a little chemical regulation of the pool, but will wait until dark, otherwise all the acid will evaporate before it hits the water...Meanwhile, it's been a good afternoon to get back to my needlework, which has been in limbo since the beginning of July... and I see everyone has been talking up a storm today, even when we're not searching for "stuff" or places in the sun....btw, humidity matches at over 95%" !" . . . NPS came in and suggested, "Just tell Dale to take off his stinky socks before he jumps in the pool… He was so busy washing the other laundry that he forgot to wash those socks!" . . . .Dan thought and said, 'Hi Helen - don't know for sure - but looks like Hawaii - with that open air design! What do you think?" . . . Doris said, "I was just a ride-along-map reader so I'd just settle for one of the lounges by the pool… fantabulous place!!!" . . . Dan said, "All team members welcome Doris! Over-looking the ocean and mountains -- what a combination!' . . .Holli called, "OMG!!! I was in the HOT TUB and for some reason My coconut bra... SLIPPED!!!!!!!!!!!!... I cant find it…so I am stuck in the HOT TUB!! SOME ONE THROW ME SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!... Or DONT LOOK!" . . . Dale's laugh responded to Holli and her hot tub problems. "At least she knew who to call! … My ears are covered!" … Holli continued, " Doris isn't it the most beautiful place!!!!!!!!!...Dan's The MAN!! …Too bad my top melted with this heat!" . . . Rita asked, "How about what's left over from Ruth's gold lame bikini? ... and what are you doing in a hot tub on such a hot day?" . . . Rita how could I resist that HOT TUB!!" said Holli, "Anyway, it is virtual… so it is much cooler there!" . . . Bev sent an article on dryers causing fires. "The heating unit went out on a dryer! The repairman pulled the lint filter… it appeared clean,… took it to the sink, ran hot water over it and saw that the hot water pooled on the mesh material without going through… An unseen film forms causing a film over the mesh… which causes heating units to burn out, which causes dryer units to catch fire, potentially burning your house down… With hot soapy water and a toothbrush, wash the filter every 6 months for efficient and safer drying and to lower electric bill. The water should run through easily. " . . . Rita turned to Bev saying, "As a fire investigator, I have worked on many dryer fires over the last 30 years. Not cleaning out the removable lint filter, not cleaning off the lint filter with soapy water, not cleaning out the dryer vent and not removing the front bottom panel and cleaning inside at the bottom are the usual causes of dryer fires. Everyone please heed this advice." . . . Holli described her CURIOUS question. "Ok, I was with a bunch of teenagers... we went to the movies.. me in the middle of them... The movie was a bit much at times although I really laughed (NOT TRYING TO)… Then I thought about what I was seeing and listening to at their age... And I would have never shared it with my mom. When we came back to the house…more pool party and hot dogs… girls hung out with me… and were so very comfortable with me… sharing a lot... confiding etc... so I was thinking... anyone else remember this off the wall stuff? …Does anyone remember "UP IN SMOKE"? ...Or the ALBUM "BIG BAMBU?" Or the Song "HAVE A MARAJUANA?" or the other cuts from that Album! Can't type most of it! ...I am just wondering." . . . Esme laughed, "No, but then you're so much younger than I." . . .Karen called out, "Hi Dan, Holli and gang …*waves*…I am a) ready to move into the lounge and b) I am ready for the next road race. Are we ready to rumble our engines again????... More Aggravating Acronyms …(Hey I think I spelt it right…if not right then some what right! . . . NPS said, "It's called the Golden Conch on Maui." And included the link … http://www.fabulous-homes.com/gold/ … http://snipurl.com/u8t9 ". . . Holli examined the link and said, "Well, I promise you all this... If I ever hit Lotto... I will send everyone of you a plane ticket and we will rent that sucker out!!... Hey, anyone want to go into a weekly Lotto pool..?? LET me KNOW privately... Hey ya never know!... Lets see... ummm 4 bucks a month... may just work out!" . . . Karen said, "Hi Dan and Holli … Love the lounge….Can my sea cow go into the pool? he needs to cool down and needs an oil job too... I am leaving my sea cow in the capable hands of my fellow racers as I will soon head off to this city… a) contains the Freedom trail… b) as 2 professional sports teams that play in it and a third that plays in the suburbs… c) home of the Paradise rock club/lounge… d) has duck tours… e) has whale watches… more clues to follow" NOT! . . .SPOILERSPACE Boston, MA!" . . . Helen added, "It's in the North Maui area of Kapalua…. This area was still pineapple plantations the last time we were there....in the 90's' . . . Donna told Helen, "Well go back and don't forget to do a report for us who can't afford to go." . . . Dale's final answer to NPS 's complaint of his stinky socks?... "I got rid of the socks, NPS… They were supposed to be lucky racing socks…didn't work. I only packed two pair, the good ones were for dancing!" … Ah, yes! … just another fascinating day in the life of the VSRR II racers!! . . . Will they race again? … there's so much unexplored world for them to see … another year … who can tell! . . .