Ladies and gentlemen, it's official. Soaring gas prices are finally hitting us where it hurts most: In our special weekend escapist place.

Evidence: Several teams were originally signed up for Ravenchase's latest adventure: The Chase for the Open Road—a driving race around Baltimore County. Then gas prices exceeded $4 per gallon and only two gasoline-crisis-immune teams remained to compete in the June 21 race. (Granted, the clue-dispensing, wacky prize-awarding Ravenchase organizers are smart cookies and they designed the course so no team would have to drive more than 35 miles.)

Further evidence: Even I, a Ravenchaser from way back (OK, I've raced twice...on foot...sort of), was less than gung-ho about cruising around the county on a sunny Saturday afternoon in a gas-guzzling piece of machinery. Plus, it's summer and my brain is on hiatus until September. Instead, I opted to see what happens behind the scenes—the underbelly of race execution, if you will.

This time, I was just along for the ride…