AdventureCORPS Presents
CORPScamp Death Valley, Feb 27 - March 3, 2010

Slideshows: Click Go! to see slideshows, or click thumbnails below for selected shots

	Video of CORPScamp Highlights: Give it a few minutes to load, and turn up speakers!
	Slideshow 1 by Chris Kostman: Feb 27 (Sat): Artist's Palette / Feb 28 (Sun): Emigrant Pass, Yoga, and Dinner at the Furnace Creek Inn
	Slideshow 2 by Chris Kostman: March 1 (Mon): Zabriskie Point & Death Valley Jct, Hiking Golden Canyon - Gower Gulch, Yoga
	Slideshow 3 by Chris Kostman: March 2 (Tue): Scotty's Castle
	Slideshow 4 by Chris Kostman: March 3 (Wed): Mud Canyon to Hell's Gate, Borax Mining, Dinner at the Inn
	Slideshow 5 by support team Steve and Karen Gray: Feb 27 through March 3

A wonderful annual AdventureCORPS tradition continued in Mother Nature's Greatest Sports Arena when 49 cyclists and 3 supporters converged for CORPScamp™ Death Valley on February 27 through March 3, 2010. Participants came from AZ (1), CA (19), CO (1), FL (2), ID (1), IL (3), MN (2), NC (2), NV (4), NY (3) OH (2), OR (5), WY (1), one from Taiwan, three from the UK, and three from Canada!

CORPScamp Death Valley is our annual cycling lifestyle camp based in Furnace Creek and featuring up to 400 miles of epic, one-of-a-kind cycling in and around “Mother Nature’s Greatest Sports Arena,” Death Valley National Park. We've been producing events here since 1990 and never tire of sharing one of the world's most dramatic, inspiring, and unusual landscapes. From the first few desert flowers of spring to snow-capped mountains, we saw it all by bicycle during this camp! Mother Nature gave us good stories and adventures this year, with a steady light rain day on the first day, a character-building head wind one day, and perfect, cool, clear weather the other three days.

Each day began with the Ron Jones Dynamic Warm Up, then featured a wonderful ride in this beautiful, traffic-free National Park with fueling by Hammer Nutrition, dates from nearby China Ranch Date Farm, and more. Each afternoon included a CORPSyoga class, a perfect way to unwind for each day's ride and prepare tired muscles for another day of cycling and adventure the next day. These Yoga For Cyclists classes were folllowed by "Low Tea": post-yoga social time with herbal tea at 180 feet below sea level. An "Anti-Oxidant Recovery Program" one evening included wine and chocolate served along with the herbal tea. We also enjoyed an incredible hike through Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch on Tuesday afternoon, with some making an extra dogleg to stand in awe beneath the Red Cathedral. Social time also included two dinners together in a special, private room at the Furnace Creek Inn with a spectacular view of the Valley.

Several riders got re-fit to their bikes by Chris Kostman during Low Tea, with great results and increased comfort across the board. A few riders completed their first ever centuries at the camp. Relaxing in the spring-fed pool was another bonus, as was further unwinding at the Corkscrew Saloon. It was also neat to see everyone get stronger as the week progressed. By the end it seemed most of us didn't want to leave!

Eight riders stayed through the rest of the week after the conclusion of the camp to ride the Death Valley Century & Double Century - Spring Edition on Saturday, March 6. (Results and photos.)

Everyone seemed to really connect with one another, perhaps mking life-long friendships, and with the specialness of the Valley this year. That made it a true pleasure for us to ride, practice yoga, and socialize in Death Valley for five days. Thanks to everyone! We also received some excellent feedback on the camp and we are working on implementing these changes for next year to make it even better We hope to see you back in Death Valley again this year and/or at CORPScamp 2011!

Thanks to the wonderful team who made it all happen!

SAG Support: Steve and Karen Gray; Steve Barnes

CORPSyoga Classes: Elizabeth

Sponsors: Infusions of Tea and Hammer Nutrition

Dynamic Warm Up: Developed by Ron Jones

Special thanks are also extended to the wonderful people at the Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Resort and the National Park Service.

Roster (CCDV veterans are listed in bold)

Awesome and Totally Appreciated Feedback!

Just wanted to drop a note and thank you guys for a job well done and a great experience during the Corpscamp Death Valley 2010. We enjoyed every day we spent from bicycling in the park to Yoga in the afternoons. It was a perfect vacation for us in one of the most interesting places in North America. Along the way we also met and made friends with incredible people. We will see you in the near future. - Aylin & Ali Albayrak

I had a GREAT time at CORPScamp Death Valley!! The people and adventures were lifetime souvenirs I will always treasure. I thoroughly enjoyed ALL the activities and appreciated the thought put in to blending cycling, yoga, hiking and the best comraderie. The support teams were awesome also and I especially appreciated the chance to "go for it" on the double century. Thank YOU!! What bliss that tail wind finally was! Hope to be able to join you all again next year! Hugs and warmest regards, Theresa Carrara

Now that I'm home (and sort of back to normal) I wanted to write you guys a note and thank you for a wonderful CORPScamp Death Valley. I was blown away (almost literally) with the landscape. Thanks for getting me out and seeing one of America's most beautiful national parks (I am seeing more of our natural environment with you than ever before). Great camaraderie at the camp and well organized as always. Elizabeth, thanks for the yoga (I still try to do more). And, a wonderful double on Saturday-my first one! All in all I had a great time and look forward to seeing you guys again (probably won't be until next year though). - Cheers, David Pacey, Taipei, Taiwan

Well what can I say but thank you from all three of us for a superb five days of cycling in a truly awesome (I know that word is so overused but it really does apply in this case) place. We arrived not knowing quite what to expect and were made most welcome by yourselves and the great bunch of people that you had managed to assemble. Everything was so well organised and we found our days were full of activities (never did manage to make it to the Ranger Programs though!)

Thanks goes to Elisabeth for introducing us to Yoga, I for one was very sceptical about its worth at the start but it proved to be somewhat of a revelation in that it alleviated so many of the aches and pains from the tough riding. You may have started something as I have been looking at classes in my area. Anyway thanks once again for a great start to this seasons cycling, all I need to do is build on what you guys have started and my big ride for this year should be a doddle (still think I might struggle a bit though!) Be sure to look us up if you are visiting the U.K and don't be surprised if you see us again next year, I'm still sore about having to leave before the Century and Double Century. All the very best. - Robin, Tony, and Michael

The Death Valley 2010 CorpsCamp was great. The beauty of Emigrant Pass was a reward for the 98 miles required. The brutal winds of the 108 day century day presented presenting Hiroko & myself a challenge which initially we never thought could overcome. But with help from Steve (Protoceratops) we did it! We actually believed Steve when he told us that at the junction the wind changed direction and would be at our backs! But we kept going and finished! Steve knew what he was doing! Elizabeth’s proficiency at Yoga and biking is an inspiration to us! Thanks for the opportunity. - Dick & Hiroko Lambert