From the San Bernadino Mountains east of Los Angeles. Feeling oversized. After a huge, delicious meal out with Laura and her husband and our wonderful new driver Rob, it was tough to sleep last night. I hope not to resume American eating habits, although the margarita before dinner was yummy. Don't think I'd had one since margarita night at Julio's with my friends before leaving Vermont in May.

I'm on Team Green at least as far as Vegas. On Day 65 we drove to Glendale where we met my ultra friend Deb Clem who gave us and our driver free massages. Deb has amazing hands. Glendale is a newish, clean suburb resplendent with crepe myrtle, palm trees and well fertilized and sprinkled sod lawns. I took Deb out for lunch on yummy California salads. Then it was nap time before heading out to start our new shift from 3am to 9am. I like this shift far better than the 9pm to 3am shift. On this one you run into the light, get to see the sunrise, and get to eat a good breakfast when done. On the other graveyard shift you run into the dark and nothing is open when you finish. Each has its sleep issues but our bodies have no time clock any longer. We sleep when we can, wherever we can, for as long as we can. Again, our goal is to get in the REM cycles, as many three hour cycles as possible, for recovery.

I listened to my second NPR interview with Scott Simon which aired on Weekend Edition this weekend. I sound really tired. Part of that is my head cold. Hopefully those hearing the broadcast will realize what an odyssey we are in the midst of, that we ought to be tired, and hear my call to support the cause. Tomorrow Simon and I are scheduled to be on a live NBC broadcast out of Vegas. That means makeup. I like the live casts. They are challenging.

I ran into David and Emmanuel in the hotel and they are now the team ahead of us so we have lots of encounters. I miss them so very much. They handed off to us tonight so we promised each other to make a huge cheering ruckus. Unlike Team Silver, the Green Team is much more reserved and a bunch of independents. Each team has its culture and the personalities of the teams have changed during the run. At the risk of raising some eyebrows, the original teams which are now back together can be categorized as follows: Green - the independents; Silver - the cheerleaders; Blue - the party team; Orange - the superstars; and Yellow - known as "Mellow Yellow" but now the disabled. I sure hope they all recover soon. It's hard for me to read updates and get reports about runner injuries and illnesses. I want us all to be tip top and performing at our best. I want everyone to be well in order to fully enjoy this opportunity of a lifetime.

Team Silver had a guest runner last night, an ultrarunner named Kevin from the area who just qualified for the Western States 100. He ran with David. Also last night, the Sun Observer sent some reporters to interview us at our 6am exchange. They were very interested in the water cause and talked with Simon at length, then with Laura the incoming runner and myself the outgoing runner. We are in San Bernadino County, the largest California county. The first six miles of my run was pretty bleak. I ran along railyards through a waterline reconstruction project. Blue collar workers and security dogs behind chain link fences lined what is left of Historic Route 66. yes, the Route 66 made famous by Steve McQueen!

At about mile 2 our EMT Mark jumped out of the pilot van to run with me. He completed the 10 miles with me and provided fun company and a diversion from the ugly part of my run. After six miles we hung a right up a long grunt hill. When we crested the hill we had a long and lovely downhill through horse ranches with the San Bernadino mountains as our backdrop. It reminded me of my deceased friend Susan's ranch in Orange, California, which I visited last year. An early morning biker cruised by to talk with us about BPR. We weaved back towards the main road and finished on the remains of the original Historic Route 66. Jason then took over to run 3,000 feet into the mountains only to find it was more highway than mountain pass.

When we finished we were greeted by the day crew with a couple of surprises. First an invitation to be treated to breakfast at a Route 66 historical diner full of memorabilia, including Marilyn Monroe photos. They were even selling Emu eggs the size of small footballs for $8 each. Breakfast was delicious and huge. Our second gift was a new pair of running shoes for each runner. We gave our makes and sizes and we'll have them in about a week. I'll have new cushy shoes again for Chicago to New York. We are clearly appreciating the benefits of being back in the States. Our laundry is being done in a timely manner. Communications are improving daily, and we have the food we need. I'm also enjoying the pools.

We are resting in Barstow, California. Laura is my roommate again. Our next run is in the Mojave Desert and then off to Las Vegas before heading into Utah.

Water is life. Pass it on!