The Short Version

Many friends have been calling and texting to find out what it was like to attend the open casting call for the Amazing Race in Lake Oswego, Oregon. For the sake of ease, and for the fun of seeing everyone’s comments, I have decided to attempt to post this on a blog so that we can all have fun sharing in the experience. Special thanks go out to my brother, who at 5:21am bravely continued to text me from the warmth of his cozy home in Sebastopol to assure me that being out in a sleeping bag trying to sleep in a parking lot in 19 degree freak cold weather was worth the adventure.  For that, I give you deep heartfelt thanks.

I have also decided to post the short version here, for those of you that want to cut right to the chase. I may post the long version at some point...keep an eye out for more details!

There's a story behind why we wanted to be in the Amazing Race, and I'm sure it's probably much like all of the other stories out there- we met some very interesting people while waiting in line, and they seemed to all be motivated by either wanting to win a million dollars, or to prove something to themselves. For us, I think our shared love for crazy adventures and seeing how they push people to their limits made us want to test our luck. I also really loved the cheese wheel challenge- I would love to try my hand at something like that someday.



The Patron Saint of the Amazing Race : Mr. Travel Gnome



The trip started out on a sunny beautiful morning in  Los Angeles- we experienced no setbacks, drama or detours on our way to the airport. Our spirits were high, and we had no idea what to expect. Always good to start a journey that way.

Izzy tolerating my constant picture taking while he is trying to finish his breakfast

Although our flight was delayed by an hour, it didn't affect our trip- we left our schedule pretty open ended upon arrival- we just knew that we would meet my niece for a long overdue visit in the early afternoon. If we were lucky, we could have lunch together!

As luck would have it, we were able to not only meet for lunch, but to go for a great walk around Portland's Pearl District. We made a stop at the Ace Hotel, warmed up with some coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters and another stop at Canoe- where I was able to view the much talked about shade of blue painted on their back wall. It was well worth the effort, I felt like I was in design heaven.  And, fortunately for us, we were able to make new friends: Ron and Jaime, although we just met, it felt like we have been friends forever. It's so great when that happens! And no surprise at all that the one thing we have in common are two incredibly inspiring and beautiful people: Maya and Bryce. And I'm not exaggerating about the "beautiful" part. But I digress. We parted ways that afternoon, got into our super cool vehicle and sped off to the hotel with plans to meet for dinner later.

As we drove up to the hotel, my competitive nature kicks in: it's only 4:30 in the afternoon, the day before the race, but the line was already 20 people long. Who are these people? Don't they realize it's supposed to be 19 degrees out tonight? There are weather warnings for the cold temperatures on the news! Darn my competitve nature! We will not be outdone! At least, not until after dinner. We have plans, have to go back to our room and clean up and recalibrate the plan. Must weigh out pros and cons of : home cooked meal vs. standing in line outside in record breaking cold temperatures AND spending time with some of the coolest people we know vs. grizzly strangers who drove miles and miles to stand in line in cold temperatures with other strangers. It was a really hard decision.

So we get to Maya and Bryce's and were so pleased to find a crackling fireplace and chowder on the stove.

We had a great dinner and fantastic lemon meringue for dessert, but sadly had to move on. My brother had been continuously texting me that evening, only to leave me with his final text before our arrival back to the hotel:
"Hopefully you and Iz aren't just a bunch of talk". That was it, the gauntlet was thrown down.

When we arrived, I was stunned to find that the line was...shorter. We parked the car, jumped out and started to ask questions. When we left for dinner, there were about 60 people and tents set up all over the parking lot- now there were only about 30 people and no tents to be found. What was up? After further questioning, we got our answer: someone had come around from the news station and given out tickets as placeholders for line. It was going to be dangerously cold that evening, and they didn't want to have anyone spending the night. They passed out 143 tickets. The people standing in line now had arrived after that- and we did the math together. The average number of teams they could process the next day would be 200-300. If 143 teams are already accounted for, and we were number 38, we would be cutting it close- worst case scenario. That also meant one other thing: We were going to have to spend the night, so as not to lose our place in line. Thank god we were able to borrow a sleeping bag and pad, thermos of hot coffee and hats from Maya...if not for those items, our stay in the parking lot would have been guaranteed misery.

These pictures were taken the next morning after spending the night in 17-19 degree temps in a parking lot. The smiles were there because frankly, we were happy to be alive.

Iz and I took turns sleeping in the parking lot- we switched off in 2 hour shifts, because one person had to be there at all times to save our place in line. I text my brother at 11:58 pm: "I'm sitting outside on the sidewalk and it's 17 degrees out. I can't feel my butt." 12:29 am "I can't believe I'm doing this this is insane". The evening passed, and I received one lone text from my brother at 5:21 am.

"you still there?"

I was, but barely. Actually, that's not true. I was filled with a mix of euphoria and anxiety that translated into a rush of adrenaline in my system. I have camped in snow before, in 30 degree temperatures, and I thought that was intense, but now- what could I possibly do to beat a night of 17 degree weather sleeping in a parking lot full of strangers all for a chance to make it on a reality tv show? I mean, what are the odds? Strangely enough, I wasn't the only one with the crazy ideas.

I walked around to see the crowd that had gathered during the night. What was about 200 by the time we fell asleep had grown to over 1000 by the next morning at 8am. I have a video that I have taken, walking the perimeter of the line, but I couldn't down load it. It's great footage, because it showed so many different types of people. Hope has no bounds. It was really nice to see. I especially loved seeing the older seniors hanging out with the younger (twentysomething) kids. The older people had it together: they knew what they were getting into. They brought their RV's, outdoor heaters, generators, tents. The young kids were the ones that were laying on the ground, in blankets they pulled off their beds, wrapped in numerous layers of clothing, looking like they've been runover by a truck. Iz and I were pretty minimalist about the whole thing: we packed some snacks. Dressed warmly. Hopped around to keep warm.



The next morning passed very slowly. We stood in line and waited. And waited. And waited. As we were approaching the front of the line, someone stepped out from the restaurant to inform everyone that the line would be stopped at 260. There were boos and cheers from the crowd, people started to leave. We stayed in line and waited. The closer we got, the longer it seemed to take. Two women approached people in line and offered them money for their spots close to the front. There were no takers. Next, two beautiful women with tiaras walk up and offer two men money for their spots. The men had had it. They looked tired, dispirited, worn out. I guess their number was $800. They took the money, and the beauty queens assumed their place in line, while a woman behind us heckled them. Two minutes later, someone walks out from the restaurant and informs us all that the official cut off is Team 205. We all turn around and look at the beauty queens- they had to have been #250 or so. The men who had taken their money walk quickly to their truck, faces beaming.

I can't begin to describe what it's like when you've been standing outside in freezing cold temperatures for 16 hours to then find yourself inside the door and 1) actually included in the fortunate few to receive a spot in the casting call and 2) to be surrounded by a temperature that is higher than 20 degrees. Not only that, but we were in AN ENCLOSED ROOM WITH A ROOF OVER OUR HEADS, SAID ROOM IS IN A RESTAURANT which had A BAR, EVERYONE AROUND US WAS EXCITED AND HOPEFUL, and they were passing out FREE COFFEE AND TEA.  I didn't know what to do first: run into the bar, run into the bathroom or run into the room where they were filming in order to get in line again. Thank god Izzy was there. We put our heads together and made a plan: I was to beeline it to the bar and grab some drinks, he would then go to the room where they were filming and process our paperwork, I would then meet him at a table next to the room they were filming in and we would order some food. Done. It was a great plan, executed with marine-like precision.

It was soon our time. We were up. We briefly reunited with our fellow line standers, hi fived each other and wished each other the best of luck. We were able to watch the others as they ran through their auditions...my mind was completely blank, all of that adrenaline and excitement and exhaustion hit me like a wall. The only thing I could think of was to keep smiling, like Izzy told me to. We managed to introduce ourselves, I think. The cameraman then asked us a question. I can't remember what it was, my mind was blank. Then the cameraman asked us a second question. "How do you think being in the Amazing Race will help your relationship?" I had no answer for that. There was nothing wrong with our relationship...I felt like a robot. I just kept thinking "That does not compute..."

Izzy has taken the lead and is answering the question. "It was her idea to be in the Amazing Race. I think it would be good for our relationship because I can show her how much I love her by all of the crazy things I would be willing to do every day because I think I don't tell her enough, every day, how much I love her." I stop, face frozen in a smile, and look at him sideways.

The producer looks at him and goes, "GREAT answer."

Overall, the trip rates as one of the greatest in my life. This one is definitely one for the books, and I wanted to be able to share it with everyone consistently, to be able to share what happened and not have abbreviated versions for phone conversations. We did so much, I woke up smiling every day. How often do we get the chance to do that? And much thanks and love to Pamela and Bill, who met us on our way to the airport, just to get a hello in there, to catch up and chat and to make sure we knew that Portland was going to be a regular destination for us in the future.

Please think good thoughts for us; while we're happy with either direction that this could go, the Race is not over yet. We should hear in two weeks if we've made to the semi-finals or not. If that is the case, I'll defnitely let everyone know!