Melissa and I had to haul ass to beat the teams headed to the Cheeky Checkpoint! When we arrived, we discovered there wasn’t much parking left. Who knew the Riverbend Park would be so popular on a hot summer day?
We moved a picnic table close to the intersection of the parking lot and the boat ramp. We changed shirts, dumped out the props and staged our posters. Team Ramrod was the first to arrive and they choose to display the “Melissa and Sherri are the Coolest Chicks in #DCMETROMINIS” sign which was obviously worth more points.

Team Ramrod was the first to arrive and is that Blue Steel Nick is throwing? Should have reviewed the footage, that would have earned extra miles!
After Team Ramrod left, Melissa and I had more time to rearrange our props and check out our selfie set up.
Team Celia’s Dad rolled in next.
Then Team Roxie arrived and also made some wise choices.
Team Coupe pulled in and Craig opted for double hats and double signs.
The teams were beginning to roll in faster and faster. In fact, they were rolling in faster than the parking lot could clear out.

Hey look, Team Man with Coffee selected the most valuable poster and the most valuable head wear! But the park ranger was right behind him.
Team Max arrived carrying an adorable kid and valuable loot to bribe the judges.

Melissa and I agreed that Team Max totally won the Cheeky Checkpoint Challenge with their excellent use of props, selection of the best poster and high quality bribes.
About that time the park rangers arrived. Thankfully they didn’t notice the bribes Team Max had left for us among all of our fun props.
Team Lillith, Team Britt, and Team DILLIGAF showed up while we were being rousted.
The park rangers had arrived and were forcing us to move our station up the hill. They must have been delighted to arrive just as Team DILLIGAF pulled in with their blatant appeal to all the single ladies.
We begged the rangers to let us shoot a couple of selfies before we packed up.
I think they just wanted to see some of the teams move along really, really quickly so they let us take a few more selfies.

A special treat for the us all when Corey from Team DILLIGAF posed with the only best poster and a sparkly tiara.
As Melissa and I frantically scrambled to stash the vodka and pack up our props, Team Britt arrived and kindly offered to help out.

Team Britt earned extra bonus miles for being so helpful. It was almost like having Craig Baron there!
As we moved, I also discovered they were from San Diego! We spent a bit of time discussing important things like Padres, Chargers, and burritos in a bag.
And then as they pulled out, Team Rocket pulled in.

Team Rocket chose both signs. And look at the park ranger photo bombing us and keeping a helpful eye on our traffic!
Team Veloz showed up and wisely chose the coolest sign.
The final teams all arrived at the same time. Team OEM came over first, though we considered penalizing them for taking pictures without us along the way.

Team OEM brought their own hats, too. We’d have taken off points for that but apparently it’s an exact replica of the one the Stig wears. Only blue.
And my favorite team, Team Dynamo showed up at the same time.
Sadly, Team Dynamo, coming all the way from Richmond, was the farthest behind in terms of mileage. I was going to have to work really hard to help them come back from THAT!
Team OEM waited for everyone else to leave so nobody would witness the sneaky bribery that they’d planned. In addition to the personalized swag bags, they’d also brought a Golden Bag that would apparently be given to the judges who bribed THEM the most. Way to turn the tables, Haemish! (Sorry Susan, I realize you had little to do with his nefarious plot and only suffered from being in the wrong place at the wrong time!)

To sweeten the pot, Team OEM had a portable bar with chilled glasses and mixed us some ice cold drinks. Well played, Haemish, it was awful hot…
Melissa and I took a break to rehydrate.
And then the sucking up continued while Haemish helped us load our props into our MINIs
When we finished we packed up and headed to the finish line to check on the scores and root for the teams…
I love how the judges change their hats with each team
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