The road-trip of a lifetime!

So far the month of May has been very eventful...

If you have been reading the blog up until this point - we've been to Michigan with the racecar, Haiti for a mission trip, and now my best friend that I met in college, Justin Moore, are embarking on an 8,000 mile roadtrip. We've been planning this trip for almost a year now. Back in September of 2011, we both agreed this would be the best way to end a grueling 5 year college curriculum. Just us, the open road, and wherever we can stay for free!

Late yesterday evening (around 7p eastern standard time) we loaded up a Jeep Liberty and began heading west. First stop, Chicago!

About 6 hours later we landed on the doorstep of the Windy city. Over the last 3 years I've grown to love this city, my life-long best friend, Zach Smith, moved here and has provided a second home for me at times!

Once we got to Chicago we threw on our dress shirts and headed out for a night on the town! This morning we woke up early to check out the city before we get back on the road at 1pm (Ohio time).

Well anyway, heading down the street to grab a quick brunch. Stay tuned, next stop Mount Rushmore!

--Ben

Hammers and Heartbeats!

Hey Gents!

Haiti - Days 3-6...

Fasten your seat belts because the past couple days have been one heck of a ride. In three days I've fixed laptop computers, worked on two vehicles, driven my first Haitian motorcycle, ridden in the back of a dump-truck, saw Jason spit up his lunch over the side of the dump-truck, experienced some amazing views, and been involved in a health Clinic. Yes. A health clinic...My mom would be proud, I was taking blood pressures and everything. You'll be able to read more below! Feedback on the blog would be great :)

 So, where to start? Well the other day I explained in the blog that I had been working on some Haitian electronics. Simple stuff like replacing hard-drives and general servicing. As I worked my way through the stack of computers, it continued to grow. For a minute I was nervous half of Haiti would bring their computers to be fixed...(Okay - a bit of an overstatement, but you get the idea).

On Thursday we made our way to the school and found out we would be traveling up the mountainside to a health clinic. So we hopped into the back of dump truck with ~15 other people and hung on tight. Traveling in Haiti can only be described from first hand experience. There is a mix of adrenaline, fear, and joy all at the same time. Well I'm not sure which of those 3 words got the best of Jason, but after the 1 hour ride he leaned over the side and let loose. There went his lunch....(Sorry for the people with weak stomachs.)

When we got to the health clinic the nurses tried to find a place where I'd fit to help. Well they found just the job, counting... I was in-charge of placing ~50 Haitians inline based on their given prescription cards. Easy right? Not really. I've found that organization down here can be a bit challenging - especially when you don't speak their language. I found a young lady to interpret for me and made it work. Soon after we got the people in line they gave me another job. Record blood-pressures, temperatures, and some visible symptoms (Vitals). For those out there who don't know me, I'm not a nurse... not even close, but my mother is. She'd be proud! When I was in high-school I remember her teaching me how to record blood pressures - it was like riding a bike from there...

After lunch we cleaned up shop and headed back down the mountain. The view was gorgeous. Haiti, despite being considered a "third world country" has such an inner beauty. A beauty one may feel when present in the elements. I guess all I can say is words can't describe it.

Ok - So now I've made it to day 6, which is Friday... Woah. My days are becoming blurred. Hang on readers, I'm almost done. Friday left Jason feeling a bit under the weather so he had to stay back at the beach house to rest. I made another journey up the mountainside to work my final day with the health clinic. Same as yesterday - counted & took vitals. The fun began when I got back into town from the mountain.

When I got back I was able to drive my first Haitian motorcycle. It was quite the treat. My buddy, Ricardo, was driving at first. I leaned over his shoulder and said, "Hey - wanna let this Blanc drive your moto?" he smiled and said of course. Well I drove through the city and rode past a crowd of people who pointed and laughed. About a mile down the road I asked "why were they laughing". He quickly said, "They've never seen a Blanc (American) drive a motorcycle...especially with a Haitian on back." Well lets just say I'm happy I could give them a treat. Rode that motorcycle through a river and everything. Dad you'd enjoy the terrain down here, its wicked!

For those out there still reading, I'm impressed. (Sorry for writing so much.) This will be the last paragraph before I head to bed. Tonight was awesome. Len Gengel, the founder of the Be Like Brit organization made it to Haiti. Why is this important you might ask? Well, first he is such unique person, whom I respect very much. (If you don't know Len or haven't heard of Be like Brit, please look them up on facebook!) Secondly, he brought steaks with him from Massachusetts. Tonight we dined like kings. Steak, Potatoes, Veggies, homemade lemonade, and homemade cookies! What. A. Treat! Now that I have your mouths watering I'm going to watch the sunset.

Good night friends,

--Ben!

Sea Breeze, Sunshine, & Hardwork!

Good Afternoon! or as they say in Haiti, Bon Swa!

Day’s 1-3,

Jason and I made it to Haiti safely Sunday afternoon. Mission of Hope sent a ride to pick us up at the airport, but we almost jumped into the wrong vehicle. The jeep would have taken us to the opposite side of the Island….Pa Bon. (Not Good) Luckily, Ricardo, our Haitian friend recognized my bald-head from our last trip and flagged us down before we motored off into the dust.

 In Haiti, most Haitians normally refer to American’s as Bla’s or blanc’s…This means “white” or a white person. However, when riding down the road I normally hear someone in the distance shout “Tet Kale!” This means The Bald Guy. My bald head is recognized by the Haitians very fondly. Their president, Martelly, is referred to as Tet Kale. Anyway, just thought I’d pass on that interesting tidbit. 

On Monday we began helping with the new school they are building at MOH. Jason and I hammered wooden cages that will be used as forms for main support columns. Cement will be poured into these forms later in the week and will take about 7 days to cure. Once they cure, the forms will be removed and used for the next section of the column.

Later in the afternoon we headed back to the beach house where we are staying. After showering I laid down on the bed not realizing how tired I really was. The sun down here is very intense, it beats you up.  I put a random picture below from out breakfast. Gotta love fresh fruit and homemade bread!

 Today, we got up early, had a refreshing breakfast, and headed back to the school. As we walked through the gates, Pastor Lex pulled me into the office immediately. I was a bit nervous as to why, but it was to do some mechanical & technical work. I was in heaven… I started off on the phone with a Mitsubishi dealerships back in the States trying to locate a crankshaft for a blown engine on their Montero…For those out there who know me, you know that I love fixing things. While bouncing back and forth on phone calls, I was replacing a power supply on a desktop computer, looking over some laptops, and fixing whatever else I could get my hands on!

Well that’s about all I have for ya…I hope to grab the internet sometime later in the week, but until then I’m sending my Love from Haiti. Miss everyone.

Bon Swa,

--Benny!

Shifting Gears!

Good Morning!

Wow...Where to began? The last 4 days myself and the Zips Racing team have been competing in a Collegiate Design competition called Formula SAE. 120 teams come from all over the world to show off their engineering skills and abilities to build a formula 1 style racecar. OK, now that I have your attention...Lets sum up the event. Yesterday, was the final day of the competition, which means the MAIN event! The endurance race is what we all work for...120 cars were apart of our competition this week, and only 49% of the cars finished the endurance event. Below you can see a picture of the race team shortly after the car finished the endurance race.

Later that evening we attended the awards ceremony, and were awarded 13th place overall out of 120 schools. We burnt up a clutch during the autorcross event and scrambled to fix the car for the endurance race. If it wasn't for the breakdown mid-week we most likely would have finished in the top 10... Below you can see a picture of the racecar being torn apart in our paddock.

Ok. Ok. As always, I try to wrap these blogs up pretty quickly...So let me conclude here. This morning I was very lucky to have two amazing friends drive me to the Detroit airport at 4:30am! You might be wondering what for? Well, for the next 9 days I'll be serving in Haiti. I am so excited to head back to their country. It impacted my life so much the last time I visited in 2011. I will try my best to update my blog, but internet is very limited in Haiti. No matter what - know that this is what I love to do... Serving others and seeing people smile!

Well, stay tuned!

--Benny

Formula SAE Competition - Day 1. The early bird gets the worm.

Good evening Ladies and Gents!

After 9 months of anticipation, the ZR-12 made its debut in Michigan this morning.

Zips Racing hit the ground running and proved that: "the early bird does get the worm". The competitors made their way to the track this morning and were a bit surprised when they found the giant Fear The Roo symbol at the front of the line to enter the track. Eager to show off our prized possession (The ZR-12) four brave young men camped out at the gate the night before the track opened... Call it crazy, call it passion, whatever you want to call it... just know we're on a mission!

The first day of competition went fairly smooth. The car passed technical inspection with no major problems. For you "Newbies" out there reading this, Technical Inspection is a one hour rummage through your race-car to find any unsafe parts, vehicles, or drivers. The formula SAE vehicles are built to a set of rules or specifications, and the students are free to design a car in any way, shape, or form....just as long as it meets the rules and passes inspection.

Tonight we are hitting the books preparing ourselves for the "Written-Exams" of our competition. We have 3 static events tomorrow to test the knowledge of our race-car. The events are: Design (150pts), Cost (100pts), and Marketing (75pts). We have been preparing for several weeks, making sure to dot our i's and cross our t's for these Static events. Sometimes the Static events may be overlooked at competition, but let me tell you the points in these events are very important!

Well for now I'm signing off... Finishing the night by studying braking calculations, reviewing tire data, and familiarizing myself with the fundamental vehicle dynamics of our race-car. YAWN. Are you sleeping yet?

Racing starts in two days....Be prepared for the rumble!

--Benny D