Postcards from NHRA West Coast Swing: Jianna Evaristo Blogs from the Road

We definitely battled the heat in Utah on our first day. It was hotter than I’ve experienced on a ride before.

This was a part of the country we hadn’t been able to visit before, and this was a great opportunity to see some beautiful parts of the country together. With the heat and the crazy time schedules, I’m definitely living on caffeine and sugar. So I’ll have to work on my detox after Sonoma!

We’re back on the road after Denver, and we’re in Montana—somewhere in Montana. Today, we're trying to make it all the way to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It's beautiful. The first part of our ride coming to Denver was really, really hot, so that was a little difficult to deal with. But pretty much since we got left Denver, it's been a little warm, but nothing like what it was before. So it's pretty nice weather right now in Montana.

When we crossed the border from Wyoming to Montana, it was insanely beautiful. It was just all green hills, and it wasn't very hot. There was a couple spots where it was hot, but there was a beautiful mist on the whole thing. We were trying to outrun a storm, but there were dark clouds on the side of us on both sides. But then the middle was strangely sunny and misty, and it was just so beautiful. It looked like a postcard.

We had gone through Yellowstone once before, a couple years back. We went from Seattle to Yellowstone, but we had never really gone from the Wyoming side over, at least that route. So it was new scenery for us.

It's an amazing thing. We can't communicate. The only way we're able to make it together that long is we use going up next to each other and use hand gestures for gas or bathroom or eat, but that's about it.

I wanted to make some hand gestures during the first round of Denver eliminations at this past weekend's Mile-High Nationals, when I didn’t get to make the run. I was a little frustrated. There was just a mechanical issue, so unfortunately, it wasn't able to start. Luckily, nothing was hurt. It was just a simple mistake, but it won't happen again.