Yesterday’s intense winds gave way to near-perfect Resto weather today: sunny, but with enough cloud cover to keep temperatures comfortable enough for work, and calm, but with enough of a breeze that morale remained high all day long.

Monday also served to help newcomers grow accustomed the rhythm of Restoration, as well as giving veterans a useful refresher. Most of us only do this once a year after all, and it can take a minute to get back in the groove.

With favorable weather—plus a full day of experience under their belts—the 2017 All-Star Playa Restoration team was primed for success. We lined up in some of our largest formations ever, quickly and at times seemingly effortlessly. Even the often-critical line bosses were impressed.

“This is a perfect line,” Barack Obama bragged. “See how they’re staying so evenly spaced out without me having to say anything? They’ve got it going on!”

Perhaps this newfound spatial awareness can be partially attributed to another Playa Restoration first: beginning the day with a short yoga class, led by DPW Bike Shop Manager Ballyhoo Betty and set to a relaxing soundtrack of… doom metal?

Betty explains: “I study a form of yoga that involves a lot of chanting, mostly in Sanskrit. But when I became a teacher I knew that would be too weird for most of my friends. So I had to find something else that could serve a similar function as the chants—mainly providing a rhythm for everyone to coordinate their pace and their breathing. Doom metal was perfect!”

“Back home in Austin I teach a class called Doom Metal Yoga every week now. It’s free, because I want it to be accessible. As a result it’s attended by everyone from total beginners to experienced yoga instructors, which is a fun challenge for me as a teacher.”

When several DPW friends complained of soreness after the first day of line sweeps, Betty decided to offer a shortened version of her weekly class to the Playa Restoration crew.

Taking advantage of the brief gap between the crew’s arrival on the shoreline and roll call, Betty threw a boombox down on the playa and let people know she was about to lead a short yoga class. Then she cranked up the metal and got started.

“Resto is more physically demanding than people realize. Not only are you walking all day, but you’re continually bending over, reaching, and kneeling. Yoga is a perfect way to check in with your body, get centered, and stretch everything out before starting work.”

The crew seems to agree.

“This is awesome!” enthused Bullwinkle. “I may have had a little too much to drink at the saloon last night, and now I feel right as rain. We should do this every morning!”

I concur, and look forward to Doom Metal Yoga becoming a new Playa Restoration tradition.

Energized by this workout and facing ideal playa conditions, the Resto crew had a powerhouse day, sweeping the remaining back blocks between 6:30 and 10:00. We then continued on to the front of the city (Esplanade through C) starting at 10:00 and reaching as far as 8:00 before wrapping up for the day. Though not shown on this map, we were also able to sweep Gate Road and Greeters.

Here’s a look at the Day 2 MOOP Map. Overall, it was another predominantly green day, with only a few notable interruptions.

>> Remember, this map is only a rough draft. For the final MOOP Map, wait until the new year and contact the Placement department. <<