What’s it like 282 feet below sea level?
Under water, I don’t know, but it’s hot and dry at Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America.
I’ll be cycling 282 feet below sea level tomorrow, where Badwater Basin is one of the stops along the 100-mile JDRF Death Valley ride. The high temperature tomorrow will be 101F, which is “chilly” compared to the 127F it was just last month. And it’s cooler than the 104F forecasted for today.
Yeah, I’m a “glass is half full” kind of guy (actually, my glass is completely full at the moment with water and electrolytes).
But hot is hot.
Death Valley was the first JDRF ride I did in 2016 and I almost didn’t finish it. I also rode here in 2019 and now again this year. I seem to be on a “every 3 years” cycle. Will I ride in Death Valley again in 2025?
I hope not.
Not because it isn’t a fun and inspiring experience (it’s actually a lot of fun and inspiring, despite the heat and other challenges), but because I hope a cure for type 1 diabetes will be discovered by then. It’s a longshot hope, I know, but we’re making great advances toward that goal thanks to all the research being funded by JDRF and others.
Want to make this my last JDRF Death Valley Ride? Want to help me reach my fundraising goal for this year? (I’m just $2,649 short of my goal). It’s not too late! You can make a tax-deductible donation here: http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/AdrianLL4T1DCure
As always, thank you for listening and for your support.
Moving on, it was a busy news week in the supply chain and logistics realm. Here’s what caught my attention:
- Railroad strike could be back on table as third largest union rejects deal brokered by Biden administration (Associated Press)
- TikTok chases Amazon with plans for U.S. fulfillment centers (Axios)
- U.S. scrambles to prevent export curbs on China chips from disrupting supply chain (Reuters)
- Alabama Hyundai parts supplier, temp agency hit with fines, penalties for ‘oppressive child labor’ (Birmingham News)
- FedEx Ground to lower holiday volume forecasts (Reuters)
- PepsiCo confirms Tesla Semi truck deliveries to start in December (Reuters)
- C.H. Robinson and Waymo Via provide an update on autonomous driving technology partnership (Logistics Management)
- Amazon Abandons Home Delivery Robot Tests in Latest Cost Cuts (Bloomberg)
- E2open Announces Fiscal Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results
- Kinaxis Partners with Google Cloud to Scale Global Supply Chain Management and Concurrent Planning
- FourKites Awarded Patent for Unprecedented Visibility into End-to-End Ocean Documentation
- Endor emerges from stealth with $25M to secure software supply chains (TechCrunch)
- FMC Proposing New Demurrage & Detention Billing Requirements
- Maersk and MSC cull Asia-North Europe capacity as bookings founder (The Loadstar)
- Warehouses Get a Makeover as Companies Seek to Appeal to Workers (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- Logistics Deal Making Falters as Freight Demand Slows (WSJ – sub. req’d)
I have to attend a ride safety meeting this morning and take my bike out for a test ride to make sure it’s all set for tomorrow. I’ll share some photos from the ride next week, along with my commentary.
Have a happy weekend!
Song of the Week: “Expert In A Dying Field” by The Beths
