The Ranger has landed

I was beginning to wonder if the day would ever come....  

I looked back through my archives and we started raising funding in March, as best I can figure, we purchased it sometime in April and after missing the first truck by a few days, it arrived in Ukraine in mid-August.  Since then, we have proceeded to incur another $4500 or so in additional expense to get it through customs and into our hands.  10 months of work came to fruition today when I backed the Ranger off the tow truck at the Hope Center.  It was a great feeling.

With his official capacity as director and honorary lightning rod for bureaucracy on hold, Andrey took it on it's first joyride around camp.  He hooted and hollered around the streets and giggled  like crazy driving up and over assorted bumps, jumps and curbs.  I think it may have been his first time at the wheel of a true off-road vehicle.

You'll notice the CO license plate...

Andrey acquired those while in the US in the fall and surprised me with it today.

With this picture and photoshop, Sergey intends to create the impression that he's actually in the US right now.

I have to thank all of you who have already given to this monstrosity of a project.  I also need to remind you that we still need to raise over $3000 in customs fees to cover what we've already paid out... please get in touch if you can help us with this.

Also, I must thank Andrey.  He traveled the 6-hour round trip to Simferopol countless times (sometimes as much as 3 times/week), battled with customs, regulators, bureaucrats, politicians and bizarrely even a doctor.  Why he had to get approval from the Kerch medical department, I will never know.  It gave him nightmares, grey hairs, headaches and maybe even Tourettes a few times.  All of this because he believed me when I told him this was a great addition to the camp.

Thanks.