RE: Help an old dog understand ...
My experience at Oregon Trail was very similar to what Dave Kean described. I think our team adapted quite readily to the new format, perhaps better than most teams; it did take a concerted effort on both the part of driver and co-driver.
I, too, was very busy, what with stopwatches, route book for transits, stage notes (2 books per day), timecards, video camera, resetting the TT303, etc. This was a first time for stage notes for both driver and myself, and, yes, the learning curve was stee-eep! I had to constantly read the road to both keep my place in the book and gauge my cadence for giving instructions to my driver. We used the descriptive format, which took a little getting used to. (I'm used to differentiating between an "acute" and a "hairpin", whereas they referred to all corners tighter than 90 degrees as "bad." "Bad turn, BAD!") We might try the numbered format next time.
I get get lost a few times, and had to use the referenced mileage or next route book instruction to get me back on track. I also had a couple of instructions sneak up on me, leaving little time for a clear call. But once we got the hang of it all, we had some stages that were sweet! Due in good part to the precise nature of the notes, and finding a rhythm that just clicked for us. For each instruction between "into" and "50" I tried to insert an "and" to indicate this medium quick transition.
At the conclusion of the event, when it dawned on my driver and me that notes would NOT be available at our next event, we found ourselves a bit depressed at having to go back to the "old" standard route book. We look forward to our next opportunity to run notes. Notes are our friend!
Kathryn Hansen
Co-Driver
#286 Dodge Colt
