East Coast City Hopping

From Philadelphia, Caitlin traveled to Norfolk, Virginia to tackle task #36--With One of the Mermaids on Parade.  Norfolk has mermaid sculptures all over the city that have been "sponsored" by residents and businesses.  Part of the Norfolk challenge for its residents is to actually FIND the mermaids.  It's a big deal in the city when a new Mermaid is unveiled and everyone tries to go find her.  This photo was taken in the  Norfolk airport by Delta agent Danielle--who is a good friend of our teammate, Megan (Megan used to work in the Norfolk airport).  Danielle will reappear in a later story, so don't forget her name...Oh, and we earned 10 points for this.

The Norfolk Botanical Gardens are right across the street from the airport, and apparently there is a Mermaid nestled in the trees and shrubs somewhere.  Caitlin wandered around the gardens in hopes of finding the sculpture but...alas..she never found her.  So, we'll just have to settle for this photo.  Hey, 10 points is 10 points, right?

From Norfolk, it was off to Washington DC.  Remember waaaaaayyyy back in Blog Post "The Home of the Braves" and the quest for the train station photo?  And our friend TJ took one look at the clue and said what we were looking for was in DC?  Well, he was right!  Caitlin completed Task #15 for a whopping 15 points!  Thanks, TJ!  Photo credit goes to train passenger Amy and her friend "Other Amy".  They were absolutely intrigued by the Non-Rev Challenge and wished our team the best of luck!

But now Caitlin's weekend was winding down, and it was time to return to work in Bozeman.  Meanwhile, our teammate Megan was on a HUGE quest!  Can you say.....Dubai!!?  Stay tuned....

The Philadelphia Story

With only 6 days left in the Non-Rev Challenge, it was time for the Bozoners to kick things into high gear and complete as many of the remaining tasks as possible.  Caitlin headed to the City of Brotherly Love for her adventure.  She approached the information booth at the Philadelphia airport to inquire about transportation options to her assigned task.  The information booth lady did her one better--she GAVE her a free day pass!  Apparently, someone earlier that morning had purchased a day pass, used it, and then gave it to the information lady to "pay it forward".   Caitlin boarded the train with her FREE day pass and city map.

She struck up a conversation with her seat mate (who took the above photo), who is an AirTran Airlines employee named Charles.  On their ride into the city center, Charles gave Caitlin the "run down" on downtown Philadelphia and pointed out locations on the city map.  He was extremely helpful and very funny.  When the train arrived into downtown Philadelphia, Charles gave Caitlin these words of advice before he went on his way:  "Watch out for the downtown traffic.  They WILL hit you!"  Thanks Charles!

It was an absolutely beautiful fall day in Philadelphia.  Caitlin made her way through the downtown streets to complete Task #53--With the Liberty Bell (point value:  10, photo credit to German tourist Stephan)

Before heading back to the airport for the next Challenge task, Caitlin spent some time in Philadelphia.  She went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art because of its famous steps.  These are the steps that Sylvester Stallone ran up in "Rocky" when he was training to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World!  Caitlin decided running up steps would be very cool (more specifically, just the top 3-4 steps).  Notice all the other "runners" around her!  Thanks to Philadelphia resident, Tim, for taking the photo.

As you recall in the "Rocky" movies, Rocky's training diet consisted of a lot of raw eggs.  Caitlin considered this, but then opted for a different training diet--an authentic Philly CheeseSteak from Sonny's.

 The employees of Sonny's were very funny and very gracious.  When I told them I had never had an "authentic" Philly CheeseSteak, there was a lot of dramatic throwing their hands up in the air and "Oh my Gawd"-ing.  It was DELICIOUS and a million times better than raw eggs.

But enough dilly-dallying.  It was time to head back to the airport for more adventure.  Stay tuned...

Aloha!

While Krissey shivered in the Alaskan cold, Candy basked in the calm breezes of the Hawaiian islands--Honolulu to be exact. Upon arrival at the Honolulu airport, she must have looked a bit in distress because "a handsome gentleman in uniform" asked if he could be of any assistance.  His name was Officer Ron Miller, and he works for the Federal Department of Agriculture.  They started chatting and, as Candy puts it-- "in my best southern drawl"--she explained the Non-Rev Challenge to him and her quest to complete her task.  He was just getting off work so he offered Candy a ride to the challenge task location since he knew right where it was.  Off they went, and completed Task #87--On Don Ho Street (point value: 15).  Just as a side note: this may seem like an easy task, but Don Ho Street is a very obscure, very short, very easy-to-miss little street so us Bozoners were very thrilled she found it.  When they arrived at the street, Officer Miller double parked, got out of his car, and took her picture.

Candy said Officer Miller was "simply wonderful", and gave her a great narrative tour of Oahu as they drove around. He loves his job with the Department of Agriculture and his challenge of keeping pesky insects and critters from entering the US.

Officer Miller, thank you for helping a Bozoner in distress!

Northern Exposure

Krissey and her husband, Tom (aka Tom Terrific) journeyed up to the great state of Alaska for a little Non-Rev Challenge adventure.  Because we are doing this Non-Rev Challenge on a budget, Krissey and Tom scoured the internet for cheap hotels when Tom  had the great idea to check rates on the Army base right on the outskirts of Anchorage.  They agreed they couldn’t beat the low price of 39.00 for a room and grabbed it up! 


They got up bright and early to start their adventure in the cold mountain air (25 degrees), and as they drove to breakfast, they could see "Moose Crossing" signs every half mile.  Krissey said to Tom, “maybe we will see a moose!” at the exact time they rounded the bend and ....LOW AND BEHOLD!...there stood two moose friends by the side of the road!  She started jumping up and down in her seat screaming, “oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I just can’t believe this!”, and hurriedly grabbed her Non-Rev Challenge Tee-shirt from the backseat.  She quickly shoved the camera into Tom's hands, hopped out of the car, and captured this photo.

She was a bit frightened because, as us Bozoners know, moose are just about the most dangerous of wild animals.  This action by Krissey is akin to the Yellowstone tourists we hear about all summer long who get out of their vehicles to pet the bison with disastrous results! But Tom calmly and quickly snapped and photo, and Krissey dashed back into the car.   So while Megan and Caitlin "faked" their way through a moose photo (see blog post "A Big Points Trip"), Krissey actually GOT the photo and the points for our team.  No more wondering if this task is legit or not!


Riding the high of their success, Krissey and Tom proceeded into downtown Anchorage to complete Task #88--At the Bear & Raven Adventure Theatre (points earned:  15).  This is a small 35-seat theatre that show locally produced movies all about the great state of Alaska.

While Tom and Krissey enjoyed their trip to this non-contiguous US state, our teammate Candy headed to the other one.  Stay tuned...

Candy and Peggy = BIG POINTS!

Bozoners Candy and Peggy headed off for an East Coast adventure, and came home with stories to tell.  I'll do my best to capture their spirit in my words.

First stop:  Chicago.  They hit the town, and headed straight for the Skydeck of the Willis Tower, where they captured their photo standing on the glass ledge (Task #48, points earned:  14).  Peggy was quite smitten with the view and enjoyed looking DOWN and seeing the ground many stories below.  Candy was terrified, and wanted off as quickly as possible.

The next morning, they boarded a Delta Shuttle flight (Task #44, point value:  14) and flew to New York City.  Candy said that Delta agent Sally R. was quite the sport in assisting everyone.

When Peggy and Candy arrived in New York City, they were able to complete task #52 in no time flat--eating marshmallows in front of the GhostBusters Firehouse (better known as NYFD Hook and Ladder #8).  Candy said that New York Fire Fighters Bryan and Andrew were most helpful and most accommodating in their Non-Rev Challenge quest.  Points earned:  14.

Once their task was complete, Candy and Peggy headed to the airport to catch a flight to Boston. They easily completed Task #27 with the added bonus of it being a SUNRISE photo--With both the Trinity Church and John Hancock building in the photo (Point value:  14).

Candy told a great story of the photographer of this photo--a man named John Luray.  She said he was quite a character and wanted both Candy's and Peggy's advice regarding his new girlfriend.  As Candy said, "I think we have him straightened out."  Here's to you, John Luray!

Tomorrow's update:  Krissey's big adventure to ALASKA!

Tasks not worth anything, but SHOULD be!

With just a few minutes to write, I thought I'd highlight a few tasks that the Bozoners completed and yet these fine tasks earned us ZERO points!  These tasks were purely for fun, laughs, and the thrill of the Challenge!

1.  At a driving range

2.  Sleeping on a train

3.  Enjoying a picnic lunch at the deepest lake in the U.S. (Crater Lake)

4.  Using your Delta co-worker as a pull-up bar

5.  In front of the John Hancock building in downtown Chicago

6.  Gathering abandoned golf balls

7.  Searching an airport directory

8.  Asking for assistance about the Non-Rev Challenge from a Delta Platinum Medallion flyer (thanks Dave!)

A true travel update is coming soon.....

Mr. Allow Me

Task #30 had been eluding the Big Sky Bozoners since Day 1 of the Non-Rev Challenge.  The task description reads as follows:  "Taking cover from the rain with the help of Mr. 'Allow Me.'"  When you Google the words "Mr. Allow Me", you get all sorts of strange hits--song lyrics, websites of questionable taste, and pieces of famous speeches just to name a few.  Us Bozoners had pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that we might not be able to solve this strange riddle.

Until Caitlin's friend, Jonathan, came to town.

This is the same Jonathan that helped the solve the Bonus Point task of the inside-out umbrella sculpture in Seattle.

Jonathan settled in a did some digging.  And more digging.  Until finally his research yielded a viable hit--"Mr. Allow Me" is a sculpture in Portland, Oregon!  Clearly, he has proven to be a valuable asset to the Big Sky Bozoners.

Caitlin dashed off on her quest.  After much searching, success was found at Pioneer Square Park in downtown Portland.

With only 15 minutes worth of change for the parking meter, Caitlin and Mike (her boyfriend and honorary photographer for the day) scoured the park and were able to snap the Challenge photo before dashing back to the car to avoid a ticket (points earned:  10)

And they were off to the next photo destination!