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To everyone out there trying to follow Randal's ride, there's hope in sight. Next month Randal's daughter Kimberly and I are going to meet Randal in Italy and I'll take the global software with me. That's not why we're going, but it's an added plus. My visit wasn't part of the original plan, but really just a spur of the moment decision and Kim's was a nanosecond decision! Kim teaches the 3rd grade and the Virginia Standards of Learning include the study of Rome for the 3rd grade. So Randal and I will have our own guide with us as we make our way around Italy. Randal will get to Italy March 12th and will be there until April 14th so he'll see everything. Kim and I will arrive on April 3rd and return on the 10th. Definitely not enough time to see Rome, Vatican City, Florence, and hopefully Venice; but at least we'll be able to be with Randal and hear all of the travel stories first hand. By the time we added Kim to the trip she and I almost had to fly home on different planes. But Janet at Travel Professionals was able to find a ticket on my flight and even provided the 800 number for a passport expediter because Kim needed one in a hurry. Today, March 12th Randal is in Cape Town at the Harbour View Cottages. Their web site is www.waterfrontvillas.co.za and the pictures are great. He's in cottage 8 B and you can see that too. He had gone on ahead of the Odyssey tour to try to see part of a 30,000+ rider bike race. The winners, racers who had been sent off first were already done when he got off the bus in Cape Town, but he did see thousands of other riders waiting their turn. I don't really know anything about the race, and it wasn't Randal's main reason for wanting to be in Cape Town. He was going to take a tour and go on a tram ride up the huge mountain outside the city. You can see it on the cottage web site (if that's the right mountain.) He was also going to visit several body shops. Some of them are called panel beaters…I guess because that's what they do! My facts are getting fuzzier and fuzzier about where he is and what he is seeing. We speak short hand when we talk and try to say everything fast, often overlapping so we both stop, start over, and overlap again. Where Randal goes, so goes his bike. He had a tough time talking the Greyhound Bus authorities into taking his bike on the bus to Cape Town, but ultimately convinced them to do it. It goes with us every where in Italy too, so that will be really interesting. If anything noteworthy happens before Kim and I return from Italy, I'll post it. If not, Arriivederci ! FYI When Randal stopped riding every mile and bused ahead to East London that left only 9 riders who had ridden every mile, 8 men and 1 woman. Because lots of riders wanted to get to Cape Town early there may be even fewer 100%ers. Ruth at home 3/12/2000
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