We've had a wonderful first day at Centennial. Mountain time (compared to central) is a bit of a change, and we both woke up quite early. After a quick breakfast and checking in with Robin (Robin, we can't thank you enough for all of your help!), we headed to registration. We were quite surprised to find that though we are some of the youngest and lowest-time pilots we have some of the highest ratings......but we have EVERYTHING to learn from these experienced women!

After registration one of the Ninety-Nine volunteers drove us from our hotel back to Centennial airport for the maintenance inspection. We can't thank K-State Mx enough for providing us with a perfectly maintained aircraft, and the thorough inspection was a breeze. The hardest part was parking the plane after we finished the static run-up and inspection. The wind picked up and made it extremely difficult to push our plane back into its tie-down spot!

At tonight’s opening reception we talked with our Mother Birds, Carolyn and Barb. They are so friendly and helpful, and we feel much more confident and prepared. This is Carolyn's 17th race, and she entertained us with previous race stories and clarified our questions concerning the ARC rules. Tonight Merritt and I will prepare for the first day's legs of the race.