FERNDALE, CALIFORNIA—

The 27th annual World Championship Great Arcata to Ferndale Cross-Country Kinetic Sculpture Race, which we've been following for the last two days, came to its dramatic climax on Monday. Contestants faced tidal surges as they crossed the Seven-Mile Slough near Loleta, California, and then had to brave the Eel River. The next hurdle was the "Slimy Slope," a fifty-foot incline where volunteers had been working since dawn to create enough mud and ooze to provide a worthy challenge.

The "Slimy Slope" was a "legal push" area, which meant that sculptures could be dragged or pushed up the incline without being disqualified. Even so, a number of pilots pedaled their sculptures through the quagmire, receiving cheers from the assembled crowd.

Exhausted but triumphant, the racers crossed the finish line in the town square of Ferndale, where spectators lined the streets, Calistoga water flowed, and massage therapists had their tables set up on the sidewalks.

At the Awards Banquet, there were prizes for every racer in a dazzling array of categories. Founder Hobart Brown gave the "Neener Neener Award" to the Calistoga Dragon, honoring the designer's "Don Quixote" spirit, and the coveted "Mediocre Award" went to the "Psychedelic Relic." Official Race Emcee Bill Neill gives this prize every year to the sculpture that's "mediocre in every way, speed, design, engineering, everything." This year's prize was a battleship gray 1960 Studebaker Lark. "I spend all year looking for the perfect car," said Bill as he handed the pink slip to the winners.

The 1996 Grand Champion, which earned the most points in the categories of art, engineering, speed, and popularity among the other racers, was "Watermelon World." A number of sculptures received "Ace" awards, which recognize their achievement of navigating the entire course without getting pushed or breaking any race rules.

The Kinetic Sculpture Race is far more than its name alone reveals. If you ever have the chance to be on the north coast of California the last weekend in May, what you'll see is a remarkable blend of art, engineering, stamina, enthusiasm and good humor. Entirely organized and staffed by volunteers, the Kinetic Sculpture Race celebrates fun. RoadTrip America salutes its founder Hobart Brown, this year's director Sydney Woodsen, and all the volunteers and participants who make it happen "FOR THE GLORY!"