Last one for today... Day 3

Day 3 – We are up and at breakfast by 4am. Today we pack up camp and head to closing ceremonies to drop off all of the gear. It is a cold morning. I am SO glad I started the day in my pants. Candi and I huddle together on the truck tailgate waiting for the walkers to start flooding over. We get our wish and moving bags helps keep us warm until the sun creeps over the horizon. There is a nasty pile of evil tents that came back in piece, missing pieces, or with a “I don’t know how to fix it”. No problem… we LOVE rolling tents! Jim saves us and says to just make them fit. Works for me!We now play the waiting game to head out to closing ceremonies. There is tasty rice cracker snack mix to help us pass the time. Finally it is warm enough to change into shorts and I do so in the truck cab ~ not an easy feat. Then there is Alex harassing me from the truck next door via Nextel.We get to the unload site which is woefully small and happens to be uphill to boot. Woohoo! Oh, and there is like 2 volunteers. Looks like another round of manual labor. We unload truck after truck… remember how it warmed up? Well now I am wishing for a breeze. Instead we get the exciting episode of the sprinkler system going off. We all start running for rolls of plastic and I go for a bag right in the line of fire. As I drag it out of the way the sprinkler flips over and nails me in the back. Hello chilly! I guess I got the cool off I was looking for. Alan (who I know think is the quickest thinking) says “Stand on it!” Ah, relief! But not for long, as Alan and Lisa keep the sprinklers in check dark clouds start to roll in. We take some time to cover as much luggage as we can before it starts raining. I have discovered that the rain (at least that weekend) is much lighter than any rain I have ever dealt with. If anything it is refreshing as we drag 50lb bags up the stupid hill.Once we get good ole Q unloaded we decided to break for out last 3-Day meal. After finishing our fruit cups, cookies, coleslaw, and mystery sandwich we find out that the sammich is actually the garden patty and wild rice from the night before. It had been all chopped up and mixed in with mayo and mustard. It was nothing to write home about, but when you are hungry, you eat. Once we were done eating we hear a cheer… apparently the last truck had been unloaded. I almost feel bad about not helping out more… almost.Candi and I manage to get a fabulous crew member to take our truck back to the airport for us. The boys catch a ride with Brandon to go get the rental from the fairgrounds. (Which saved us from a $50 cab ride, SCORE!) Candi and I hang out in the shade watching walkers from afar and enjoying sitting still for a bit. Eventully our ride arrives and we pack everything up. One last stop and we are on the road.We pop into “holding” which is where the walkers and crew hang out until closing ceremonies. It is festive and upbeat… some walkers are even dancing. How does one dance after walking 60 miles… not that is some spirit! We get our finisher shirts and say goodbye to our new friends. We have been told that we are required to come back next year. Candi and I wouldn’t mind walking next year… that way we can see San Diego this time!