tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237816462024-03-07T01:13:04.873-08:00oregon adventuresA chronicle of hiking, biking, running, triathlon, golfing, acting, etc. Mostly around Oregon and Washington.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.comBlogger211125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-22369992718025587582014-02-22T18:55:00.000-08:002014-02-22T18:55:26.813-08:00Boston Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0BLGuX2qDAFuZTgrlkp6fquw-E0Z0wrhvL9e-HstD77KuzoGaZnvmG33Z3qTSFbu5rPngPQ7jcWZdimMCV5Wo4LO5oTq6p7svfW3pdy39zIMvyLzOYdTbL7Aae8zqAL2iwxN/s1600/IMG_1604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0BLGuX2qDAFuZTgrlkp6fquw-E0Z0wrhvL9e-HstD77KuzoGaZnvmG33Z3qTSFbu5rPngPQ7jcWZdimMCV5Wo4LO5oTq6p7svfW3pdy39zIMvyLzOYdTbL7Aae8zqAL2iwxN/s320/IMG_1604.JPG" /></a></div>
In September of 2012 my daughter and I flew to Boston for a week. We got there and rented a Ford Escape and checked into the Doubletree Suites on the Charles River. The next day my daughter met up with a friend, so I took off to Concord New Hampshire and toured the capitol building there. Then I set out for Montpelier Vermont. Toured the Vermont capitol building which was almost identical to the New Hampshire capitol. By then I was starving, so I found a healthy sandwich shop downtown and had lunch. Then changed clothes in a bathroom and went for a 3 mile run through the town of Montpelier on a bike path- cool town. Changed back into regular clothes and headed for Mt Mansfield the highpoint of Vermont. Had to pay $27 to drive the summit road and then hike 2 miles to the top. Could see Lake Champlain and New York in one direction and Canada and Montreal in another direction. Another state highpoint checked off. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWiRbjBEpnubr6dmTTw8GdF4UdTGG97agn3NkZfXna-7iOvGOgxsOGoimKBhDA_M1UD1xuXb6ND4iITJpEQsR1Zj3hBKMpi-ZuvDNVByzsNIbqRKqUlI1ogWQ2tyfW5CuJoDS/s1600/IMG_1575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWiRbjBEpnubr6dmTTw8GdF4UdTGG97agn3NkZfXna-7iOvGOgxsOGoimKBhDA_M1UD1xuXb6ND4iITJpEQsR1Zj3hBKMpi-ZuvDNVByzsNIbqRKqUlI1ogWQ2tyfW5CuJoDS/s320/IMG_1575.JPG" /></a></div>On the way back to the highway I stopped at Ben & Jerry's to see it. Then the long drive back to Boston. At Concord, I got off the highway and found a cool restaurant that was almost closed, but the cute waitress said stay as long as I want and they had great food. Back to Boston late that night.
The next day I drove to Providence Rhode Island and toured the capitol building. Then I drove to the brder on Hwy. 101 and hiked .25 miles to the Rhode Island state highpoint which is a rock in a forest. I then drove across the border into Connecticut and changed into running clothes in a church parking lot then ran back into Rhode Island and back into Connecticut for 3 miles in both states, 6 total- check and check. Changed back and drove to Hartford. It was raining and windy by then. I toured the very ornate castle-like capitol (picture).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBwx9aLPZD9Jghj9OEfrmlgHRHRbt2McoMRgMM9jLaYnURODrBpQmNdApGp43kDWXMP2qM_HCp3U2JwGWPrUrBwG1ycS5YORXyx8oWJgyD4DCZKBCCSIDGLT_juWvN9iBww9j/s1600/IMG_1591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBwx9aLPZD9Jghj9OEfrmlgHRHRbt2McoMRgMM9jLaYnURODrBpQmNdApGp43kDWXMP2qM_HCp3U2JwGWPrUrBwG1ycS5YORXyx8oWJgyD4DCZKBCCSIDGLT_juWvN9iBww9j/s320/IMG_1591.JPG" /></a></div> Afterwards I went to Mark Twain's house, but you have to take a tour and it was an hour wait, so I drove back to Boston in a windy downpour. Met my daughter in downtown Boston and we ate lobster at a tent-like place called the Barking Crab with a beautiful view of downtown Boston and the Charles river.
The next day my daughter and I were going to drive up to Mt Washington, the New Hampshire highpoint. However, I woke up to strange sounds and no lights. Stepped outside the room to firemen and smoke. Threw some clothes on, grabbed my wallet and phone and evacuated. Walked over to a Whole Foods and had breakfast and waited. Several hours later the fire trucks left and we could get the car out of the garage. It was too late for Mt Washington, so we drove to Plymouth and saw the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock. Then drove all the way out to the end of Cape Cod to the beach. Then ate Lobster at a cool restaurant in Provincetown. Then back to the hotel which still didn't have any power so they put us up downtown at the Sheraton.
The next day we drove to the western part of Massachusetts to Mt Greylock the state highpoint. A road goes to the top, but we stopped at the Appalacian Trail crossing and hiked the AT to the top. Drove the scenic way back to Boston and when we got close I saw a sign for Old Mill restaurant, so we stopped and got a window seat overlooking a waterfall in an old grist mill place that was very cool and had great food.
The next day we took the subway to Boston Commons and toured the capitol. Then we walked the freedom trail and toured the old city hall (top picture) and toured old north church and Paul Revere's house (bottom picture). Back to the hotel and after dinner we walked over to Fenway Park and watched Baltimore beat the Red Sox. Walked back to the hotel and saw tons of people out walking.
The next day I woke up early and ran around downtown Boston. Then checked out of the hotel and drove to Walden's Pond. Walked around the lake and saw a replica of his cabin. Then to the airport and back home. For the trip, 5 capitols, 4 new states run in, and 3 state highpoints.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dGIYKJR7HkIwj_4jJW9tH6UyzjZh2I20fW2knBm_VgRahhBWQVbYUyiZ1zZA2i7EeJy3R0o6TYRYXsnFkFmhWpUgA08YsZi6NPM07kuSrmEruTviQXnSoE1t7GoIHJRX24IF/s1600/IMG_1605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dGIYKJR7HkIwj_4jJW9tH6UyzjZh2I20fW2knBm_VgRahhBWQVbYUyiZ1zZA2i7EeJy3R0o6TYRYXsnFkFmhWpUgA08YsZi6NPM07kuSrmEruTviQXnSoE1t7GoIHJRX24IF/s320/IMG_1605.JPG" /></a></div>JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-90255496638131313142014-02-03T23:03:00.000-08:002014-02-03T23:03:26.208-08:00Ice Lake Backpack<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3DiYosufksRGosLXQ7ktKeObgwbBMxiRYUTh3Wpb59eQOZ4b7Y1_FdkhyQ_yYOf-0nDkeEd91ANeMo3U6XrzV6SuYmeLI8RdcdrneHZbk7FZU_6ylbxcPJECgHp5aa0J2VO-/s1600/538977_3688472018023_248359488_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3DiYosufksRGosLXQ7ktKeObgwbBMxiRYUTh3Wpb59eQOZ4b7Y1_FdkhyQ_yYOf-0nDkeEd91ANeMo3U6XrzV6SuYmeLI8RdcdrneHZbk7FZU_6ylbxcPJECgHp5aa0J2VO-/s320/538977_3688472018023_248359488_n.jpg" /></a></div>
I took the week before Labor day weekend off in 2012 and rented a Ford Fusion to save wear and tear on my Jeep. Drove over to Bend and spent the night at the Hilton Garden. The next day I went to breakfast at Chow- very good. Then I drove up to the back of the Three Sisters wilderness to Three Creek Lake and climbed Tam McArthur Rim, 5 m 1200 ft. Made it back to the car just before dusk and drove into the town of Sisters and had dinner, then drove home.
A couple of days later my daughter and I set out for the Wallowa Lake area. We ate dinner at an expensive, but nice restaurant in Joseph. Then spent the night in a motel on the far side of Wallowa Lake. (picture)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDxzMVzE3r3yH_ty6b7jLvCavemtwGEnxbERAwsZVhwiAydZZPwu1V-HhaWazZh7Gn43OqoYyvZmrZgTqBwmIp4RoEU-_p9xsESRJ9iM16DIoC-wflCr9l6LRnaifBtMWp2Kc/s1600/206170_3550379525081_276827719_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDxzMVzE3r3yH_ty6b7jLvCavemtwGEnxbERAwsZVhwiAydZZPwu1V-HhaWazZh7Gn43OqoYyvZmrZgTqBwmIp4RoEU-_p9xsESRJ9iM16DIoC-wflCr9l6LRnaifBtMWp2Kc/s320/206170_3550379525081_276827719_n.jpg" /></a></div>
The next morning at 6AM we drove less than a mile to the end of the road and the trailhead. Set out with the backpacks and it was cold as heck and the straps hurt until a couple miles in I figured out how to cinch the straps properly. After 3 miles we had to cross the West Fork Wallowa River. The bridge was out and signs warned that emergency crews couldn't get to you quickly if you proceeded. We crossed on a log that was pretty scary. The next 4.5 miles we climbed 2300 feet through beautiful country to Ice Lake (top picture). Set up camp and by then it was hot out, then set out for the far side of the lake to climb the Matterhorn. It was a 2000 foot climb in a mile and a half. I got to about 9200 feet and it was too steep for me and I stopped. My daughter went on up to the 9826 foot summit and came back and we made it back to camp just as it got dark. (bottom picture is looking down on Ice Lake from where I stopped) My daughter boiled water for dinner and I pumped the filter to fill our water bottles.
The next morning we packed up and zoomed down. It was surprisingly easy. At the log bridge, I fell over getting on the log which freaked me out, so I waded across the river instead of using the log. Had wet feet all the way back to the car from there. It was early lunch time when we got back, so we had huge burgers in Joseph and then took the long scenic drive home- Baker City to Prairie City and highway 26 back.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8FFGGeO7nUSOT338795MYBvCJWdfmQdDWuX4gsyvc1Jq57lCPSTPs05PbMZ3Dsg4esBSc1AvCTi0aO6cU34YyqDR9UL7doBGiutyfz0-9uOQgQ1Hc7ekef9_HZmlwPbtxGJ5/s1600/IMG_1561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8FFGGeO7nUSOT338795MYBvCJWdfmQdDWuX4gsyvc1Jq57lCPSTPs05PbMZ3Dsg4esBSc1AvCTi0aO6cU34YyqDR9UL7doBGiutyfz0-9uOQgQ1Hc7ekef9_HZmlwPbtxGJ5/s320/IMG_1561.JPG" /></a></div>JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-53601894245319111412014-01-20T23:03:00.002-08:002014-01-20T23:03:23.031-08:00Ashland Shakespeare Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkr1Wmyib0tS8cdoKSnGj43s1YPQQmiKZHPQVtinTAJqSF8pz-FQ4TvsfvylxDNYuy0h5h6PchHsSp1WF4mFam76EQ_CQYUMPS_eGv0lfb_0PRTQpWCWY8H3LAAnO_fEK9XRz/s1600/402960_3512014245973_1584622091_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkr1Wmyib0tS8cdoKSnGj43s1YPQQmiKZHPQVtinTAJqSF8pz-FQ4TvsfvylxDNYuy0h5h6PchHsSp1WF4mFam76EQ_CQYUMPS_eGv0lfb_0PRTQpWCWY8H3LAAnO_fEK9XRz/s320/402960_3512014245973_1584622091_n.jpg" /></a></div>
Back in August 2012, I went to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland for the first time since I moved to Oregon in 1992. I've read alot of books about the civil rights movement and they were putting on a play about LBJ and MLK and the passage of the civil rights act.
My Jeep is getting old, so I rented a Chevy Impala SS with a sunroof and spoiler. Stopped in the quaint town of Oakland Oregon for lunch on the way down. Then at Glendale I got off the highway and drove 30+ miles of paved forest road to the Mt Bolivar trailhead. Climbed Mt Bolivar which is the Coos county highpoint and in the Wild Rouge wilderness. After that I made it to Medford and golfed 9 holes at Bear Creek as it got dark, then spent the night at the Hampton in Medford. The next day I golfed 9 holes at Cedar Links in Medford and then drove to Ashland and checked into the McCall House B & B. Beautiful place with a huge bay window in the room. Then I drove south to the Soda Peaks wilderness trailhead and hiked 6.6 miles with 1300 ft gain to the Soda Peak lookout and Little Pilot Rock. Back to the B & B to wash up and walk one block to downtown Ashland for dinner and then to the Elizabethan stage to see "As You Like It". I had a first row balcony seat which was perfect. I could watch the play and watch the stars come out above the stage since it's an open air theatre. Great show and experience!
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSGrT408_mOQmOS1tFBl5PP9LQCdiNdFc91xmC3ceKUc3p9NRdq1dJ8P6GuF3blvat_x12s4Uh4JUQjwXFJ9DzVUEmbLjRWUs83sRXcB87LVeptNkDuIZITw6Vx8yB3QP0o9W/s1600/295235_3504242771691_1455899642_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSGrT408_mOQmOS1tFBl5PP9LQCdiNdFc91xmC3ceKUc3p9NRdq1dJ8P6GuF3blvat_x12s4Uh4JUQjwXFJ9DzVUEmbLjRWUs83sRXcB87LVeptNkDuIZITw6Vx8yB3QP0o9W/s320/295235_3504242771691_1455899642_n.jpg" /></a></div>Next day I golfed 9 holes at Oak Knoll in Ashland (picture). Then I drove to Mt Ashland and climbed to the summit which is the highest mt in Oregon west of I-5 (top picture is the summit). Then later walked up to the Agnus Bowmer theatre to see the civil rights play "All The Way". I had a third row front seat and could see the actor's expressions. It was an incredible play and very moving.
The next day I golfed 9 holes at Stewart Meadows and then drove home. JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-69777067410405260442013-12-29T14:22:00.000-08:002013-12-29T14:26:59.785-08:00Mid-West Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvMECV353hbkB_B4zXiXbTk7fWtsa3hRxFBFBwy6MuGp9dsm6SE4X2ujhmWeWyexLqCZ3DBmmNN076jTUF4cX_WYDOSSfDSB4pf7yKpb4Aboxy-l3DepidF3_603Yd4EnoqY-/s1600/IMG_1545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvMECV353hbkB_B4zXiXbTk7fWtsa3hRxFBFBwy6MuGp9dsm6SE4X2ujhmWeWyexLqCZ3DBmmNN076jTUF4cX_WYDOSSfDSB4pf7yKpb4Aboxy-l3DepidF3_603Yd4EnoqY-/s320/IMG_1545.JPG" /></a></div>
Shortly after the Ocean Shores Half-Iron last July, I flew back to the mid-west for a family reunion and some capitols.
My daughter, son, and I all flew into Cinncinati and got a Ford Fusion rental and stayed at a Hilton in downtown Cinncinati. The next morning I got up before the kids and ran from the hotel over a blue bridge into Kentucky and did 3 miles in Kentucky and then back over a pedestrian bridge and past Great American Ballpark on Pete Rose Way and back to the hotel. It was 90+ degrees already and I was wiped out. Checked out and headed for Frankfort to see the capitol building. First we stopped in downtown Frankfort to eat lunch at Rick's White Light Diner which has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and other travel shows. Good food and he (Rick) was very entertaining. Then to the capitol building, it was 104 degrees by then. Beautiful building and we toured everything we could and then headed for Ohio. Took back roads and crossed the Ohio river at Maysville and back roads to Columbus where we checked into the Doubletree downtown on the river. They upgraded us to a top floor 2-story suite- it was very nice!
The next morning I got up and ran the river path in Columbus. Then we toured the capitol building and it had a really nice gift shop. We were going to go to the Ohio art museum, but black clouds were rolling in, so we sat in the nice huge suite and watched the storm. That night we drove to a suburb and had dinner with my ex-sister in law and her husband.
The next day we drove to Michigan. On the way I saw we were passing the Ohio state highpoint, so we stopped and I got my 2nd state highpoint (Oregon's Mt Hood is the other). Then spent 3 days in Michigan visiting family and eating tons of food.
Then we drove down to Indianapolis and stayed at the Embassy Suites downtown. Met up with Susan and toured the capitol (picture is inside by the rotunda). Then visited with her and her sister and went to dinner with them at an Italian place downtown. The next morning I got up and ran the river path downtown. Then drove down to Cinncinati and flew home.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-32953563104758893652013-08-25T22:53:00.002-07:002013-08-25T22:53:32.259-07:00Ocean Shores Half Iron<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPElXuJSUJYGmvphWP-n8aQyqDpQZoVe5CuuAtRgtxaJZyo8a1sdrD5dpVVHzuLrNQaOZLjXrMN5KSiGBdIrpE56wFIFZMxk39K0hu4vsw6W0r0_6fgeox7URwdEjYMv6GAQAP/s1600/182185_3388707803389_924909204_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPElXuJSUJYGmvphWP-n8aQyqDpQZoVe5CuuAtRgtxaJZyo8a1sdrD5dpVVHzuLrNQaOZLjXrMN5KSiGBdIrpE56wFIFZMxk39K0hu4vsw6W0r0_6fgeox7URwdEjYMv6GAQAP/s320/182185_3388707803389_924909204_n.jpg" /></a></div>
July of last year, I did the Ocean Shores Half-Ironman. Rode up in the Headhunters van. Pretty drive and we stopped in Aberdeen for coffee and then ate as soon as we got to Ocean Shores. Checked into the Polynesian hotel on the beach, sort of. It was actually a 1/4 mile hike through brush and sand dunes to the beach. When we did the training weekend a few months before we stayed at the Polynesian also. This time I got a 2-room suite for the race. Went to packet pick-up and then Tom and I drove the bike course because he hadn't been at the training weekend. There were deer everywhere on the course and by the hotel.
For the race, the swim was in a small lake on the peninsula that was dark and had small stuff floating in it. I started out and the group ahead of me zoomed and I thought I was in last by myself. I kept telling myself- "go faster". When I got out and ran up to the bike, I saw several Headhunters come in after me. I had been at the front of the secondary pack.
Got on the bike and my lack of training and conditioning that year hit me. The Headhunters I beat on the swim all zoomed past me saying, "come on Jeff". On the second loop I started speeding up to try and catch Terri who was a couple hundred yards ahead. A car passed me real close even though there were 4 lanes and an empty road. So I looked down to make sure I had enough room on the edge of the road and I heard a crash. Looked up to see Terri on the road The car had buzzed her and frightened her so much she crashed. Ocean Shores is definitely red-neck country. I helped Terri up and yelled at a car on the opposite side to stop and it turned out to be Renee's husband and he took Terri to the hospital. After that I rode slow and safe to the end.
The run was road and a couple of miles each way on the beach itself. The sand was hard down by the water so we ran down there. Going on and off the beach you had to run through the deep soft sand which was interesting. Met up with a girl on the run who was from Anacortes and had lost 60 lbs training for this race. She was fun to run with and talk to.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrk6SMEBb2HYU7QA4Z40A128LG7JVrIEDivSsyLFU7qBRtwpYiVLt9i4kP8FbkSEWUe_AqQur-OXFDfvPbE8XNq3VvSRd2yqrRf23mvqZrAb05_2JqR_Zi7v22gnWUmPRZU47/s1600/396087_265895233510475_1174731394_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrk6SMEBb2HYU7QA4Z40A128LG7JVrIEDivSsyLFU7qBRtwpYiVLt9i4kP8FbkSEWUe_AqQur-OXFDfvPbE8XNq3VvSRd2yqrRf23mvqZrAb05_2JqR_Zi7v22gnWUmPRZU47/s320/396087_265895233510475_1174731394_n.jpg" /></a></div>
After the race and back to the the hotel, we had a Headhunter bbq and bonfire on the beach. That was really fun, but as it got dark we realized you needed a flashlight to hike back to the hotel. A large group walking as close as possible to the one person with a light.
The next day four od us stayed and went to the Ocean Shores museum. Walked out on a rock jetty by the ocean also. Then I walked over by the race start and golfed 9 holes at the Ocean Shores golf course. The next day drove home.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-72696117457559937632013-02-02T22:08:00.000-08:002013-08-25T22:57:34.105-07:00OKC Memorial Half Marathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigM-KZ7kyIq-VUAZMu2KxZzqtcFzmyfzHisf5Rpis-NpDXcwWjWT1fhRAF3ZgJ8pDnMCCIZ-g7JGz0s4QKqVUFw0pkICRAanHkoTgblLSR8rR4tCSjzVdUHK97_2njCMCqXFeY/s1600/IMG_1517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigM-KZ7kyIq-VUAZMu2KxZzqtcFzmyfzHisf5Rpis-NpDXcwWjWT1fhRAF3ZgJ8pDnMCCIZ-g7JGz0s4QKqVUFw0pkICRAanHkoTgblLSR8rR4tCSjzVdUHK97_2njCMCqXFeY/s320/IMG_1517.JPG" /></a></div>
Last year at the end of April I flew to Dallas Texas and rented a car and spent the night by the airport at an Embassy Suites. The next morning, I checked out and headed to Arlington were I had lived in 1981 when my ex was pregnant with my son and we were waiting for my Air Force school to start. I visited my Dad's old house where we had stayed for awhile and then the apartment building we moved to later and the Church's Chicken I had worked at. Then off to Oklahoma City. Got bored with the interstate, so I took a side road and when I got hungry stopped at a busy little town diner. Walked in and almost fell over from the disgusting smoke. Didn't know there was anywhere in the country you could still smoke in a resturant- it was revolting. I ran outside to the patio and the girl served me out there by myself. Made it to OKC and checked into the historic Skiverin hotel downtown. Picked up my race packet and saw people going to the arena for the Thunder versus Dallas playoff game. The next morning I got ready to run and walked over to the start line which was at the OKC memorial. It was just before sunup and the chairs were lit and it was one of the most powerful sights I'd ever seen the way the memorial looked in the dawn. Wish I'd had my camera. We lined up and had silence for 160+ seconds, one for each person killed. Then we started and it was fairly flat. Ran back through downtown and then through the cool resturant district and then past the state capitol building and then out past a Jimmy's Egg breakfast place and some nice houses. I went nice and slow and even while looking around. Finished downtown at 2hours 15minutes and got some drinks and bananas and headed back to the hotel. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PIUiUi43C3TajGagWmXCBa-F3hJZL1tvlxMNSOZz61JXA95x5g7QX67yPcuDTIYnkl_Ia7StuWTy-yNd-htIpwobWufGIz7FI4wmfprsMUacx0c5MBESX3OL4p-ZoWYwELgy/s1600/IMG_1508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PIUiUi43C3TajGagWmXCBa-F3hJZL1tvlxMNSOZz61JXA95x5g7QX67yPcuDTIYnkl_Ia7StuWTy-yNd-htIpwobWufGIz7FI4wmfprsMUacx0c5MBESX3OL4p-ZoWYwELgy/s320/IMG_1508.JPG" /></a></div>
Had a giant pancake breakfast that I couldn't finish and then went and toured the state capitol and the toured a really cool cowboy art museum. After that I got ready and met my step-sister Jodie at Cattlemen's steak house. It was an incredible place. Had the presidential t-bone and some lamb fries and a great visit. The next morning I checked out and went to Jimmy's Egg and had breakfast there, it was pretty good. Made it to Dallas and checked into the Doubletree inn just outside downtown. Went into downtown and visited the Sixth Floor museum in the book depository where Oswald shot Kennedy. Very powerful museum with good displays. Outside people were selling conspiracy literature, I passed on that. Walked around Daly Plaza and the grassy knoll. Back at the hotel I had a room almost on the top floor and was tired, so I sat on the deck and watched the Dallas skyline. The next morning, I ran the Katy trail in downtown Dallas for 3 miles. Very cool trail, but the people were really unfriendly, I said hi to everyone I passed and they would be startled or not look at me at all. Then the flight home. Really <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLRbeB76AIcvWgHgatFf1sJ3ws6JnEbQUCm8yq2Yw0ksqcssSKx0VLQBWSUif-XY2kUuz6IEqZsME7y2vYUoVZ50iMavK-_5B6yssonqQ7fASO00rZi612dSOLrZEXu-ovwj8/s1600/IMG_1523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLRbeB76AIcvWgHgatFf1sJ3ws6JnEbQUCm8yq2Yw0ksqcssSKx0VLQBWSUif-XY2kUuz6IEqZsME7y2vYUoVZ50iMavK-_5B6yssonqQ7fASO00rZi612dSOLrZEXu-ovwj8/s320/IMG_1523.JPG" /></a></div>
liked the race and LOVED the memorial. I bought a painting for $75 they had in the gift shop of the chairs at first light.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-15338337984798778902012-06-17T20:47:00.001-07:002012-06-17T20:47:40.029-07:00Big Climb in Seattle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnU66ti_z-KhNdawQBLxMO26HMRFZireS-Gxl70MBmb8Ph6pUP2Ln3yRNSt0umeV6QGQqBhuA5WHheUub5Bdfxz_2ApyeSjr6yCC7FccFBv-6FimcQPqJ1_Ns_Hlecrb7bUwn-/s1600/IMG_1475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnU66ti_z-KhNdawQBLxMO26HMRFZireS-Gxl70MBmb8Ph6pUP2Ln3yRNSt0umeV6QGQqBhuA5WHheUub5Bdfxz_2ApyeSjr6yCC7FccFBv-6FimcQPqJ1_Ns_Hlecrb7bUwn-/s320/IMG_1475.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Ufc9DDKrGWn-mN7qLy94bgtum-5uiRbJKYaetRk3vADapaijQkO03LURPOeSkikFKFLjH2vDMG2GGg2R3pIGhvnvEFw5505meMzyVjOdXPT9Oxhud-cUeebZ_i5QEK8VgO6c/s1600/IMG_1480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Ufc9DDKrGWn-mN7qLy94bgtum-5uiRbJKYaetRk3vADapaijQkO03LURPOeSkikFKFLjH2vDMG2GGg2R3pIGhvnvEFw5505meMzyVjOdXPT9Oxhud-cUeebZ_i5QEK8VgO6c/s320/IMG_1480.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Back in March I went to Seattle to do the Big Climb where you climb the tallest building- the Columbia Center. Started out from Portland and stopped at the Washington state capitol building and toured it. Also took the exit for the Tacoma Narrows bridge and drove over that and ate lunch in Gig Harbor. Checked into the Doubletree Arctic hotel in downtown Seattle. Very nice hotel, where I had a corner room.<br />
The next day I went to packet pickup over by Green Lake. Afterwards I went to Discovery park and did a 5 mile hike around the park with views of the Olympic Mountains. Then found Queen Anne park and took a picture of downtown with Mt Rainer in the background. Then stopped at the Olympic Sculpture park.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirT_zkbOUg6_aSP4zqI4nnMU4Ai2e4V8E5UoK-Q6aju7iA3VzZOsFY4yaQnuLrObA73mPTZVDPJPdcATrNl87U9eBTw5yhYQPTpQFqgwy1_en_V_U3NDNv2cY31uDXKWSsLN3B/s1600/IMG_1485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirT_zkbOUg6_aSP4zqI4nnMU4Ai2e4V8E5UoK-Q6aju7iA3VzZOsFY4yaQnuLrObA73mPTZVDPJPdcATrNl87U9eBTw5yhYQPTpQFqgwy1_en_V_U3NDNv2cY31uDXKWSsLN3B/s320/IMG_1485.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmb4Tihz_IotJgKdFbKj81GNE9QGAql8JqYfx7TBipyKWoffV7etj28GII6SykokbZ1XUZ0mu6HTtAaTdBt3rZ_8Y7iaafbwSHCwmp31Ao0hDDc5kRsz96GQh2J0U7lrJ9_b1D/s1600/IMG_1489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNuUcHjacYZOr4-IcRp7exRJiUQQIvow-twm3rUULhmPFkll1PAWgmGX9ZzSdRaYaemPGevq-UdQrzzCVMzaudYYHw_C_ZjmSi0qtXMu-q_uFL8lOd69YNxIP_t9QK0rb8fax/s1600/IMG_1478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNuUcHjacYZOr4-IcRp7exRJiUQQIvow-twm3rUULhmPFkll1PAWgmGX9ZzSdRaYaemPGevq-UdQrzzCVMzaudYYHw_C_ZjmSi0qtXMu-q_uFL8lOd69YNxIP_t9QK0rb8fax/s320/IMG_1478.JPG" width="320" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmb4Tihz_IotJgKdFbKj81GNE9QGAql8JqYfx7TBipyKWoffV7etj28GII6SykokbZ1XUZ0mu6HTtAaTdBt3rZ_8Y7iaafbwSHCwmp31Ao0hDDc5kRsz96GQh2J0U7lrJ9_b1D/s320/IMG_1489.JPG" width="240" />Sunday morning I went down by the water to the waterfront path and did a 9.6 mile run. Started out thinking maybe 7 or so, but saw a cool bridge so did some extra over that and so on until I had 9.6. Then back to the hotel for a shower and then across the street to the big climb. Got in line and started walking up the stairs. 69 floors later I was at the top. Got a picture of the Smith Tower and after I was done with the big climb, I walked over to the Smith Tower and rode the elevator to top and got a picture of the Columbia Center. Walked around downtown some and spent one more night in the hotel. The next day I went to Seattle University library and copied some pictures of a distant relative for my Dad. Then back to Portland in time for swingshift.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-50940080475183406712012-06-17T20:15:00.000-07:002012-06-17T20:15:14.136-07:00Van Lake Half & Shamrock 15KBack in January I ran the Vancouver Lake Half Marathon. Rode in the Headhunters team van to the race. It was raining pretty good, and cold. I wore two hats, one to cover the ears and one with a bill for the rain. Started out with the group and fell back and then Tonia fell back and we ran together with me telling stories the whole way. Finished in 2:18 for a 10:33 pace. Went to The Rock pizza place afterwards and had a Claifornia Dreaming pizza.
In early March, did the Shamrock 15K downtown. Rode in the Headhunter van downtown. Started out with the group and started running with Tiffini and we pulled ahead of the group until the Terwelliger hill. Then we slowed down to run with the group. About that time a guy rode up on a bike offering VooDoo doughnuts. Coach Denise actually took one and ate it, after that she took off like a bolt. I stayed and ran with Tiffini. We got to about 7 miles and I fell back and then thought about and pushed it to rejoin with her. By this time Renee had joined so the three of us ran until about a half mile out and they sprinted in and I just cruised in for a 1:33 for a 10:03 pace. Afterwards we tried to go to the Industrial Cafe but it was jammed as was other places. Finally ended up at Joe Brown diner in Vancouver for pancakes and omelets.
In Febuary, I went to Warner Robins AFB Georgia for a conference. Ran 9 miles around the base one afternoon. Tried to go swimming at the base pool another night, but it was full with a water aerobics class. Just one run for the whole week as a workout. The last day we went to Atlanta to catch the flight home and before the flight went to the Jimmy Carter center to see his museum and then to Mary Mac's for lunch- fantastic food.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-11264890880003604802012-01-02T16:22:00.000-08:002012-01-02T16:45:28.213-08:002011 RecapSpreadsheet numbers for 2011 show 773 miles of running with a 5.9 average run. 1661 miles of bike riding with a 38.6 average. 167,200 meters of swimming for 103.9 miles and a 1689 average swim. Also threw in 38.1 miles of hiking with 7500 feet elevation gain. Ran in 6 different states and 1 Canadian Provence. Added three new state capitals visited. Two sprint triathlons, 1 olympic distance, 1 half distance, and Ironman Cananda.<br />Next year so far I am signed up for Vancouver Lake half marathon, Shamrock Run, Ocean Shores half iron in Washington, and the Oklahoma City half marathon. Trying to decide between the Des Moines half marathon or Minnesota marathon in October. Twin Cities marathon is supposed to be the prettiest marathon in America, but Des Moines has a half and would be cheaper. Either one gets me a capital. Also thinking of the Big Climb in Seattle in March where you climb the tallest building in Seattle. <br />Read a Pulitzer winning history book about Paul Revere, so I'm looking at Boston in September as just a vacation with my daughter Debbie. Airfare is cheap, hotels are trough the roof expensive, so I haven't committed to that yet, but pretty sure I will. Maybe even throw in a Fenway Park game while there.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-29806265176405942962011-12-04T21:30:00.001-08:002011-12-04T22:08:07.109-08:00Library and Other Dreams<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7D1r38FJO15tnG_hLSdiIJ2WXWg-qMUKQcqmrzvwCiB2UbuDvMEg_9n3_pEOgZYwAvhsdkkEwnlBYmdgJhxBNh2p_QxqBWDhcQeXKRoJBe14x3htAzsNRByE566fryuRzwod/s1600/IMG_1450.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7D1r38FJO15tnG_hLSdiIJ2WXWg-qMUKQcqmrzvwCiB2UbuDvMEg_9n3_pEOgZYwAvhsdkkEwnlBYmdgJhxBNh2p_QxqBWDhcQeXKRoJBe14x3htAzsNRByE566fryuRzwod/s320/IMG_1450.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682512751436973922" /></a><br />For most of my adult life I had dreamed of having a library in my house. Several years ago, I bought a bunch of $39 Dania white bookshelves and had a library/computer room. At one point I even tried rope lights on the back of the shelves for accent lighting, but it never looked the way I dreamed of. Then in late 2006 I got promoted to supervisor at work and joined the Headhunters gym. The pay increase and confidence boost has changed my life in so many ways it's hard to imagine the way things were. One change I can see is the library room my daughter designed and made for me with Ikea shelving and accent lights. She also designed and put together a spectacular Vineman Ironman themed dining room. I've completed three full ironmans and five half-ironmans since 2006. Before joining the gym I had never run more then 8.5 miles and my knees and ankle hurt so much I thought I never would go more. Now 8 miles is a normal maintenance run during the off-season.<br />In 2010 I went back to see the Phillies at Citizen's Bank Park with my son and then went to New York City and Gettysburg with my son. A huge fantasy come true, one I would have prefaced with "someday if I win the lottery", just a few years ago. This year I played the Banff golf course, another fantasy from years back.<br />So as another year winds down, I'm very thankful for where I am and who I've become and how my kids turned out and here's to more fantasies coming true next year!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYYgCgn-f3nPAQ3cdQkUd6Kpxh2CLXOfg8EusWUk56ehgp-5ynEseAkM7IoRKrpjWG2SRzZ6BiPD7rb4p-vz3l-tRTpF7Bo33ehdDngZjHJpp22cbQWpZnnpCgFyJQYG-HpLo/s1600/IMG_1447.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYYgCgn-f3nPAQ3cdQkUd6Kpxh2CLXOfg8EusWUk56ehgp-5ynEseAkM7IoRKrpjWG2SRzZ6BiPD7rb4p-vz3l-tRTpF7Bo33ehdDngZjHJpp22cbQWpZnnpCgFyJQYG-HpLo/s320/IMG_1447.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682512757543199458" /></a>JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-77731509969936893712011-11-21T13:40:00.001-08:002011-11-22T00:28:46.258-08:00New Mexico Running 11<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5GYFQxqhWw5MVesA0EGQx_9GcUDtmu0KL8Ng-lILYabNrngGnad8f6my2FnHrxd7aUW1pw4Uxwza8B0l7qwAQHM8fTpU0H5dWvrrvu5Tm9dEVsopshd0Zijpapb87Nm2KmVQ/s1600/IMG_1432.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5GYFQxqhWw5MVesA0EGQx_9GcUDtmu0KL8Ng-lILYabNrngGnad8f6my2FnHrxd7aUW1pw4Uxwza8B0l7qwAQHM8fTpU0H5dWvrrvu5Tm9dEVsopshd0Zijpapb87Nm2KmVQ/s320/IMG_1432.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677567951588627410" /></a><br />For the second year in a row, my daughter Debbie and I flew to New Mexico to see my Dad and Stepmom. Got to Albuquerque late Thursday night and went to the Standard diner for dinner- great food. It was on one of my new favorite shows- Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Veteran's Day we went to the Very Large Array down in central New Mexico. It's a radio observatory using giant antennas on railroad tracks. We got really lucky and the antennas were all in so we could see them lined up close. Ate at a small diner in the town of Magdalena that had a bunch of abandoned buildings, but a great diner run by a German couple with great food and good prices. Saturday I got up early and ran by the airport in Albuquerque through a neighborhood and a park for 3 miles. Then we went to Jemez Pueblo for their feast day. Got to the pueblo and it was jammed with parking a long ways away. So we continued on and stopped at the Jemez State Monument and toured the ruins of a 1630 church. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_GLXPRw_IGXmr4mGaARr6cHRAEwgS73N95HULbBt-sE1qrDnNp80xv1TErFJb-ZJOXKLSteZMR_BS844pnu9QcOn3MuEZSi4cdl9Sg3CF80JstFFAJ1sbQ85eV7bOP0TuQVZX/s1600/IMG_1435.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_GLXPRw_IGXmr4mGaARr6cHRAEwgS73N95HULbBt-sE1qrDnNp80xv1TErFJb-ZJOXKLSteZMR_BS844pnu9QcOn3MuEZSi4cdl9Sg3CF80JstFFAJ1sbQ85eV7bOP0TuQVZX/s320/IMG_1435.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677567958769207250" /></a><br />Then on to some sulfur falls and then ate lunch at a remote mountain resort that had elk stew. Passed the new Valles Caldera National Preserve, very pretty. Then into the town of Los Alamos. Had to drive through a security checkpoint to enter the town. Went to the small museum and they had exhibits about life in town during the bomb building. Saw a t-shirt on display and asked if they sold it, the guy said downtown at one store. So we went there and I got a mushroom cloud t-shirt. Really impressed with Los Alamos, running paths all over. Hiking paths galore from the town. On the way back we stopped for dinner at Sadie's in Albuquerque and had to wait 45 minutes for a table. It was featured on another great show- Man VS Food. The portions were huge, but I still finished my plate no problem. Sunday it was cloudy and rainy, so we went to breakfast at the Cracker Barrel and then just Dad and I went exploring the Sandias Mt roads. Ended up at a ski area about 8500 or 9000 feet and the snow was getting thick and had just a car so back to town. Monday morning I ran a new road by the airport to Mesa Del Sol on a great bike path, except it was littered with glass. Did 6 miles. Then we went up to Santa Fe to revisit the capitol building. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfIx0iSQZlHtRIFt4wf1-IynYChLISpvgqlfick-234kV-E2KkSWc5zmPcGym15xCNIyMRVmskFHSkr9LHYKHUYATJtVhFyW3E_vXOUcrr3A9ut99kOnZLDd-U-ognU3OID6x/s1600/IMG_1443.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfIx0iSQZlHtRIFt4wf1-IynYChLISpvgqlfick-234kV-E2KkSWc5zmPcGym15xCNIyMRVmskFHSkr9LHYKHUYATJtVhFyW3E_vXOUcrr3A9ut99kOnZLDd-U-ognU3OID6x/s320/IMG_1443.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677567968026789458" /></a><br />I tried to go in the chambers, but they were locked and the closest I could get was the viewing gallery above them. Went up to the second floor and they had an art gallery around the halls with some great paintings. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieULqmQAEc48TUm_x3hJ-ETbfEja3d48ljspnbE3iDncAVH6AKNUmNjEDE862j57cBlKCa4S1Xvxw4LW35PtMpSSv0xW_dpmNU7Yt2e2MXSOVyRURKptbtDlJNv6ZlEfnYtP2i/s1600/IMG_1444.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieULqmQAEc48TUm_x3hJ-ETbfEja3d48ljspnbE3iDncAVH6AKNUmNjEDE862j57cBlKCa4S1Xvxw4LW35PtMpSSv0xW_dpmNU7Yt2e2MXSOVyRURKptbtDlJNv6ZlEfnYtP2i/s320/IMG_1444.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677567974708728002" /></a><br />After lunch we visited the Georgia O'Keefe museum and the photography gallery beside it. Then on the way back we took the long way and drove the turquoise trail back for great scenery. At a tiny town of Madrid I think, I saw a bunch of strange shacks with a very 60's feel to everything. I expected to see tie-dye. Almost to town we stopped in a new shopping center at a great diner that had good food, good coffee, and two really cute waitresses. Tuesday morning before I flew out, went to Sophia's Place which is the other Albuquerque restaurant featured on Diners and had their blue corn pancakes. Then the flight home.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-46664623421232324292011-10-24T11:32:00.000-07:002011-10-24T11:54:40.479-07:00Albany Sprint Triathlon II<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzsbBwd7a7C6nGobhvYae7n0w0tuyufFfFh4251m7yD3dCr5010OIaoGkxw0bQEzJaHaJ5pVyO94RqcaQumna-BwKlMyh3Byr3iGIn0il1y7kjtSP_PwDJEWGyLGxr32a6h89/s1600/IMG_1428.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzsbBwd7a7C6nGobhvYae7n0w0tuyufFfFh4251m7yD3dCr5010OIaoGkxw0bQEzJaHaJ5pVyO94RqcaQumna-BwKlMyh3Byr3iGIn0il1y7kjtSP_PwDJEWGyLGxr32a6h89/s320/IMG_1428.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667128797310371074" /></a><br />Back around the 9th of October (same day as the Portland Marathon) I did the Albany Sprint triathlon for the second time this year. The first one was back in April, this one was the same pool and same course, just a lot fewer people. Rode down in the Headhunter van and it was misting and sprinkling the whole way down. Got to the High School and set up the bikes and got numbers and t-shirt and it was only misting at that time. Watched Terri's wave and then it was our time to swim. I was in a lane with coach Denise and a guy named Kirk Rose. He's over 60, but has been at almost every Oregon tri I've raced and he usually wins. There was someone in our lane from the last wave still, but they wanted to start our wave anyway, so she said "get him out" and said "go". We were still on the deck so we all three jumped in and took off in a line about 10 seconds after our wave started. Denise led the whole way and I stayed right there. I think we did a 12-13 minute 750 yard swim. Since Canada I haven't worn my watch and they didn't have splits at this race. Ran out to transition and it was wet, but not raining. Took off on the bike and tried to stay at 19-20 the whole time. Passed Matt and said hi. After about 8 miles of pedaling along at a good clip but not zooming, coach Denise caught up to me and said "jump on", so I sped up and we pace lined for about 2 miles until she passed someone and I couldn't accelerate to stay with her. Came into transition about a minute behind Denise, but threw on the shoes and knee braces and took off. Saw Denise up ahead and stayed within sight of her. Matt flew past running like the wind, then Kirk Rose passed me just a little faster than me. When he got up to Denise I heard her say "hey lane mate" and speed up to stay him. I sped up to keep the same distance as before, but I was pushing it and couldn't close the gap. Anytime there was a curve, she would see me back there say something and speed up. I stayed within sight, but finished about 40 seconds to a minute behind her. A big enough group of Headhunters were done that they did a loud "moo" as I finished. (I moo at cows on bike rides) Stayed for awards and every Headhunter (8 of us) got a ribbon. I got 2nd place in my age group and coach Denise and Terri got 1st in their age group. Then we went to Chipotle in Salem for lunch and Starbucks for the ride home. Probably the first time the whole group has gotten a ribbon, fun day even if wet.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-f7GmW8YZxR45BTHa4WOoGUizuOCrj8wcP6AFldazYzVSjkWS2G6JTExYJ3wQu9v2YQ1rpLM5zEmkrY8u_Y5jA9pY3AHJLNEkRsZIJrgDX6G-O3BGOuOPXt61uz7mezMscV3I/s1600/IMG_1429.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-f7GmW8YZxR45BTHa4WOoGUizuOCrj8wcP6AFldazYzVSjkWS2G6JTExYJ3wQu9v2YQ1rpLM5zEmkrY8u_Y5jA9pY3AHJLNEkRsZIJrgDX6G-O3BGOuOPXt61uz7mezMscV3I/s320/IMG_1429.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667128791316414754" /></a>JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-14429108094123404292011-10-05T13:13:00.001-07:002011-10-05T13:42:41.852-07:00Indian Heaven<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaZ-wDV5E2siVZUg7DPMzRTU4dWCdl1-BlE2EPFX9neMLG2WOiNVwUCGg1ExWwq6fOuNQEwcSLF2Vg-9TCLlEu411B0GhVs0FVuDOgTWNmXgZOpy_Jjvc-gdhfiIWDNm7W745/s1600/IMG_1423.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaZ-wDV5E2siVZUg7DPMzRTU4dWCdl1-BlE2EPFX9neMLG2WOiNVwUCGg1ExWwq6fOuNQEwcSLF2Vg-9TCLlEu411B0GhVs0FVuDOgTWNmXgZOpy_Jjvc-gdhfiIWDNm7W745/s320/IMG_1423.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660104064068683250" /></a><br />Sunday Terri and Jim took me horseback riding through the Indian Heaven wilderness area in southern Washington. The weather forecast said it was supposed to be nice, but of course it was wrong. Got to an old trailhead by the road to Lone Butte and saddled up. I hadn't been on a horse since 1999 or so. I was on an 8 year old called Mister. Jim led us up an abandoned trail to Placid Lake. It was fun try to pick up the trail as it vanished and reappeared. It was easier to do from a horse because you could see ahead. Made it to Placid Lake and there was a large group and an older guy came over and asked about the trail. He said he was George Acker and had a lake in the wilderness named for him. I had to ask him what he did to get a lake named for him. He explained that he was a logger and had built most of the roads up around the area. Luckily they stopped before cutting Indian Heaven. He was 83 and still hiking and going strong. We took a trail that launched straight up the mountain and had to rest the horses periodically. It was nice climbing and not having to work hard at it. Got up to the Pacific Crest trail and took that to a junction and went to Clear Lake where we stopped to eat lunch. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJy7FyrgUVR5iRZw0m9YDi6694W34nYBwSQaN5RWwARF5vYchtbhGwJf_N0JJrJ8Q4MuD-EIcB2shzPO19X5g64PtP2GC9-TfB8zmMNJe-7jQxK1zsgjiO1ueHKy1yAQx_2qz/s1600/IMG_1425.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJy7FyrgUVR5iRZw0m9YDi6694W34nYBwSQaN5RWwARF5vYchtbhGwJf_N0JJrJ8Q4MuD-EIcB2shzPO19X5g64PtP2GC9-TfB8zmMNJe-7jQxK1zsgjiO1ueHKy1yAQx_2qz/s320/IMG_1425.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660104072334210802" /></a><br />By then it was sprinkling and pretty cold at 4900 feet. Ate an apple and gave the core to Mister, he seemed to like me better after that. Got back on and took the loop trail back to the Pacific Crest trail. It was muddy and the horses had to work to find good footing. Got to Junction Lake where three trails come together and took a fourth trail, the abandoned old Pacific Crest route. It took us through beautiful meadows to Acker Lake. Then we rejoined the new route of the Pacific Crest at Bear Lake and then took a newer trail back to Placid Lake that was longer but more gentle. By then we settled into a rhythm and the only sounds were the soft clop of hoofs, the creak of the saddle and the tinkling of a metal strap on Terri's horse. The woods and meadows were beautiful and so quiet. The whole trip we saw one couple backpacking with their dogs, that's it. When we almost back to the truck, I realized I had never ridden more than an hour (rental rides), this had been almost 6 hours. Legs felt a little sore, but I felt great. On the drive back to town, I conked out for awhile from the fresh air probably. Great day and a lot of fun- Thanks Terri and Jim!JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-75632524806123920042011-10-01T12:02:00.001-07:002011-10-01T12:57:30.426-07:00Montana Running<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUazvy9lybncXgHIE8I15fzPDrYjxydPa3MJ_EwHMgSQUk58ICrAGSW8tep77NW7E583EPv3JxmkdxTORtk4pgcLmOBUU23U-fUWxdsxdWqIvsnzx-goNK-GgrrMAVy00GSWW/s1600/IMG_1399.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUazvy9lybncXgHIE8I15fzPDrYjxydPa3MJ_EwHMgSQUk58ICrAGSW8tep77NW7E583EPv3JxmkdxTORtk4pgcLmOBUU23U-fUWxdsxdWqIvsnzx-goNK-GgrrMAVy00GSWW/s320/IMG_1399.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658602667490211730" /></a><br />After doing Ironman Canada, I went to Banff for three days and then on the way home I decided to go down through Montana since I was even with it and had never been to Montana. Crossed over the border at Eureka Montana and filled the thirsty Jeep up with 3.69 per gallon gas after paying 1.19 per litre at Banff and 1.30 per litre at Penticton. Drove down to Kalispell and checked into a really nice Hampton. It was dinner time and I had read in a guide book about a good pizza place, so I found the Moose saloon and it looked rundown on the outside. Walked through the door and had to stand there a bit to get used to the dark and saw sawdust floor and tons of people. It was standing room only and loud. Ordered a pizza and found a seat as someone left. Really good pizza. The next day I headed for Glacier National Park and went in the west entrance to drive the Going to the Sun Road. Not too crowded at first, I would let anyone coming up go around so I could look around. Views kept getting better the farther I went. Then it started climbing and the views got incredible, but the road was on the edge and was dizzying to look over. Got to the high point, Logan Pass, and had planned to hike the Highline trail, but it was Labor Day weekend and the parking lot was swarming with circling cars looking for a space. So I continued down the road to Mary's Falls and did that hike to Mary's Falls and Victoria Falls. Then stopped and hiked to Sun point overlooking St. Mary's Lake. Beautiful park and great drive. Then out the east side and down to Helena to another Hampton that was not that nice. I was beat by then and didn't see anyplace to eat nearby, so I walked over to a Walmart, which I try never to go to, and got frozen lasagna and cooked it in the room and ate the whole thing. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdchUsaoPrgFGPAaeti7gma6L6zF2_Rtm0OMGuVXpTCp8eXUBSLbdvOdo8C6sxYAF1bUTdkdIkpuB63chcxKAZ1Sno9qRde10nLdL8CoVrXLVpxPM_UEEw8ps2DQNY0UWFNAM/s1600/IMG_1421.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdchUsaoPrgFGPAaeti7gma6L6zF2_Rtm0OMGuVXpTCp8eXUBSLbdvOdo8C6sxYAF1bUTdkdIkpuB63chcxKAZ1Sno9qRde10nLdL8CoVrXLVpxPM_UEEw8ps2DQNY0UWFNAM/s320/IMG_1421.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658602677864440738" /></a><br />The next day I went to the capital and it was open, so I walked around and admired the art. The house and senate chambers were locked but I could look in. Then I decided to run for the first time since the Ironman. They had a "healthy heart" path marked out around the capital and a nearby park for a mile loop, so I did that and then again and felt great so a third time for 3 miles that felt fantastic. Then it was time to leave Helena, which other than the capital area looked pretty ghetto- hundreds of casinos, every gas station and cafe was a casino. The capital area was very pretty and casino free, so I found downtown and it was very nice and casino free. The tale of two towns, they have a problem there. Radio, billboards, TV, all talked about a huge meth problem in Montana, get rid of 90 percent of the casinos and they'd still have too many. On the way out of Montana I drove through Missoula and downtown and by the college was nice and the rest was not. Then in Idaho, I had to drive through the town of Kellogg since I'm from Battle Creek. Nice little town with a dead downtown, but I saw a beautiful bike path through town and noticed it running by the highway for awhile. It's a 73 mile long path that crosses the top of Idaho and is maintained really well. Have to go back over and ride that one. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsQ7tVzJCy-c6YJYJY1LX5LSyJaKp0_aB4qYTG5nJ2vbnVIc59C-ui_PwkUWRdq1lVHwesRTyUIuNJTkxnXjFxFZsOpOccgsP84FzVzTcJXTFM0JyH9xjsWU2eYF553NZgLWI/s1600/IMG_1422.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsQ7tVzJCy-c6YJYJY1LX5LSyJaKp0_aB4qYTG5nJ2vbnVIc59C-ui_PwkUWRdq1lVHwesRTyUIuNJTkxnXjFxFZsOpOccgsP84FzVzTcJXTFM0JyH9xjsWU2eYF553NZgLWI/s320/IMG_1422.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658602680398968162" /></a><br />Got to Spokane and checked into the downtown Doubletree, the picture is from the room on the 14th floor. Walked over to the large park with the Spokane Falls that was really pretty. They were having a big concert, food event going on in the park, so I got crepes for dinner from a vendor and walked around the fair. Nice downtown in Spokane. Next day the long scenic drive home. Now that I've been to Montana, the only states I haven't been to are North and South Dakota.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-69466708954322038092011-09-25T17:28:00.000-07:002011-09-25T18:36:00.077-07:00Banff<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93W_t7-3FN7mpb2IffW52EixbJZz_mZmaj7fN95nyxSfxmWkU9p4RdsovsoC6ALQcLt_opofOs_s5oHBa3TE_TaRYKHZkjPz2FpL2kLhTvCTWlYZYLgvJL2LND2g6pXfVJhnV/s1600/IMG_1330.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93W_t7-3FN7mpb2IffW52EixbJZz_mZmaj7fN95nyxSfxmWkU9p4RdsovsoC6ALQcLt_opofOs_s5oHBa3TE_TaRYKHZkjPz2FpL2kLhTvCTWlYZYLgvJL2LND2g6pXfVJhnV/s320/IMG_1330.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656459946697192194" /></a><br />After doing Ironman Canada, I took that Monday to relax with everyone. Tuesday I packed up and checked out of the motel and when everyone else went south, I turned north and headed up highway 97 to highway 1. Drove along Lake Okanagan for 80 miles or so and ate lunch at Kelowna at a place called De Dutch that looked interesting. Then after the lake it got cloudy and rainy. I stopped to get gas at the last town near the lake thinking it would go up as I got in the country. Five miles later the gas went down 20 cents a litre. Got to Highway 1 and it was a two lane twisty road with trucks. Through Mt Revelstoke and Glacier parks it was raining, but clear enough in the distance I could see mountains and it was beautiful. Got to Yoho park and turned off the highway and took a twisty road to Takakkaw falls, which one book said was Canada's highest.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDn1ngWv9rFlPlUgC8GTr-sf-OcbW1DOEUAJPKaT7t5FTg_yQtAQO4Je-dSBQt8qo1YTLM3y4Fxf-D_AeA0pR6S06-uOf7d4EY5XcqxBc-ynZejoVj2x3pNRObwXP9YIR1KBJ/s1600/IMG_1314.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDn1ngWv9rFlPlUgC8GTr-sf-OcbW1DOEUAJPKaT7t5FTg_yQtAQO4Je-dSBQt8qo1YTLM3y4Fxf-D_AeA0pR6S06-uOf7d4EY5XcqxBc-ynZejoVj2x3pNRObwXP9YIR1KBJ/s320/IMG_1314.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656459939639409090" /></a><br />Then back on Highway 1 up to Banff. Once past Yoho park the road became a divided highway just like an American Interstate with one cool exception. I got to see the wildlife overpasses I had read about. Didn't think to get a picture of them. Got to Banff and checked in to the Banff Springs. Cheking in the guy said "Mr Macey I see you've been upgraded to a King suite", I said "ok". Got to my room on the 8th floor and it was pretty big, I had heard the rooms in that hotel were small. In the top picture my room was at the top of the left tower with the dormer windows. I'd never stayed in a place with valet parking and instant service. I would pick up the phone and a girl would say "yes Mr. Macey". Woke up the next day and it was 37 degrees F and rainy. Oh well, decided to drive up to Jasper on the Icefields Parkway. Several books called it the most beautiful drive in the world and from what I could see of it I would have to agree. At one point I saw a black bear in the road, so I stopped and while getting my camera a pick-up roared around me and scared him off. After that I kept the camera out and ready, but the only other chance was on the way back I saw some cars stopped and I got there just in time to see a mother bear and cub go into the trees. Stopped at all the viewpoints. When I got to Bow Pass, I pulled into the parking lot and hiked up to the viewpoint of Peyto Lake. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVA8sFvu61EVCuTiI4i7zFBAnlGwCKiV7V6VQRx7unFDXuL8Tkjqf4ja1CwIROSZXP1H7rFAQo6784FFzROzPbltArWOsQBKTFGz_rlL3-niC6e-iDE1WWKOAiNbt7rwSGKEL/s1600/IMG_1323.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVA8sFvu61EVCuTiI4i7zFBAnlGwCKiV7V6VQRx7unFDXuL8Tkjqf4ja1CwIROSZXP1H7rFAQo6784FFzROzPbltArWOsQBKTFGz_rlL3-niC6e-iDE1WWKOAiNbt7rwSGKEL/s320/IMG_1323.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656459942644942402" /></a><br />It was around 7000 feet elevation and started softly snowing. Drove up to just inside Jasper park to Athabasca glacier which is the start of several rivers including the Columbia. I was still 60 miles from Jasper so I decided to turn around and go back to the hotel.<br />The next day I had a tee-time at the Banff Springs course for 8:30. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwR_LlbkUQcDI30bbOUYUgvB73W3AY5ZXX_ZQjldmBICjvUhzMGbJNCGleMtdof7tjNQg6VukLDFicRzPWy1ULnI65KZWfLu9VpqYxK7b0rYE1vcLe0m6YJtPT9HOf89iIHnFx/s1600/IMG_1328.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwR_LlbkUQcDI30bbOUYUgvB73W3AY5ZXX_ZQjldmBICjvUhzMGbJNCGleMtdof7tjNQg6VukLDFicRzPWy1ULnI65KZWfLu9VpqYxK7b0rYE1vcLe0m6YJtPT9HOf89iIHnFx/s320/IMG_1328.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656459961832744258" /></a><br />Got there and was teamed up with a guy from Ontario and another guy from Manitoba. It had warmed up to the low 50's and only partly cloudy so I could see the mountains framing each hole. Did ok, lots and lots of sand. On the 15th hole a wolf sauntered down the side of the fairway, saw us and went around past some hikers on the trail beside the course and then back on the fairway like he owned the place. It was the most I'd ever payed for golf, but the only computer golf game I ever had back in the 90's came with the Banff course and I told myself "someday I'm going to play that course". After golf I drove the scenic highway 1A up to Lake Louise. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYW53S-ZXM1-SCBrlCYp31EFDAQWnn_TITd7HECWWG3lX2kUxtEVLyyJVkZPqbXwJGpyVDtVRGjFnamoIDMbc902nvh0NPh8MiiyFCKVib2RD17iVA42V1McYTaQbEul0pF1D/s1600/IMG_1335.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYW53S-ZXM1-SCBrlCYp31EFDAQWnn_TITd7HECWWG3lX2kUxtEVLyyJVkZPqbXwJGpyVDtVRGjFnamoIDMbc902nvh0NPh8MiiyFCKVib2RD17iVA42V1McYTaQbEul0pF1D/s320/IMG_1335.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656459966483900402" /></a><br />The books raved about it and the hotel there. The lake was pretty, but the hotel wasn't as nice as the one I was staying at. Hiked around the lake to the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse. That hike made the whole trip worth it- amazing views and it got better with every step. From the other side of the lake looking back at the hotel was when Lake Louise became really impressive. The teahouse was 3.3 miles and 1200 feet up from the lake with great views of the mountains and glaciers. The girl who served the tea and sandwich said she hiked up and worked 5 days and hiked back for two days off and had to carry anything she needed. It started softly snowing at the teahouse, so back to Banff for some Alberta beef. The next day I packed up and checked out and said goodbye to Banff. Took highway 93 through Kootenay park and stopped and hiked Marble canyon and later the Paint Pots. Ate lunch at Radium Hot Springs and then the long drive past golf course after golf course with the Rockies on the left all the way to the border crossing into Montana.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-12083385922150732152011-09-07T10:12:00.001-07:002011-09-07T11:26:55.842-07:00Ironman Canada<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYr0jfyDjATBvSatDFer8r7AIRkCNJpMmKhooRf-n5HNybiTqTZVg7BU4iYFFSGVf3-gMNCKxj-_nNNzYl8GpiS7GDyH8WUVX6ragju5-mq1psOCfEE47GcRXcbrwGxF2t-3f/s1600/IMG_1310.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYr0jfyDjATBvSatDFer8r7AIRkCNJpMmKhooRf-n5HNybiTqTZVg7BU4iYFFSGVf3-gMNCKxj-_nNNzYl8GpiS7GDyH8WUVX6ragju5-mq1psOCfEE47GcRXcbrwGxF2t-3f/s320/IMG_1310.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649666979280268690" /></a><br />Back on Aug 28th I finished my third Ironman. Left for Penticton Canada on the 23rd. Julie rode up with me and we caravaned with the Headhunter's van and then Jim and Terry joined the caravan in Yakima. Nice drive up with only one incident. Just south of the border, I saw Jim brake hard, I braked hard and then saw what caused it, a big horn sheep in the road. As he walked away, Julie said "he's smiling", sure enough the big horn looked back at us and appeared to smile as he sauntered off. Got to Penticton and checked into the Slumber Inn right on the beach. My first thoughts were, "what a dump" and "I paid how much for this". By the end of the week it proved to be worth the money and the perfect location.<br />The rest of the week we rode the big hills and drove the whole course. Swam some in the beautiful and warm lake. Ran a little around the town. Mostly though I sat outside Jim, terry, and Denise E's room because it had the view in the picture on top and it was in the shade the whole time. Did crosswords or just sat. Got in vacation mode and didn't even wear my watch. My phone's data plan didn't work in Canada, so I was cut off from Facebook and Phillie's scores, just relaxing. My right knee was acting up until Saturday I took the bike over to transition and put it on the rack and then set the transition bags in place. When I stood up from setting the last transition bag in place my knee didn't hurt and I teared up a little thinking "I'm going to do this!".<br />The motel was right across the street from the swim start, couldn't get any closer. Got ready and soon was standing on the beach with Julie and Mark and the gun went off and it was time to swim. I'd heard about Ironman swims being crowded. The ironmans I'd done had under 500 people, this one had 2800 people all starting at the same time. It was combat. At one point I got frustrated and when another person swerved in front of me kicking, I grabbed their foot and pulled down. Then felt really bad, that was uncalled for. So after that I just tried to keep my line and hit and got hit. After what seemed to be forever I reached the first turn at 1600 meters and then a short 450 meter part that flew by and then the long home stretch of 1800 meters. I was going buoy to buoy and trying to figure out if they were 200 or 150 meters apart. It seemed to be 150 meters, but there were too many by the end, so not sure. Finally the swim was done and it was time to ride. Started out good and zoomed through town seeing lots of people I knew watching. The first 40 miles were fun, but I held back and didn't hammer with the thought "have to run after". After 40 miles it turns onto the Richter pass climb and my stomach was complaining by then. I ate a sandwich and took some e-caps and climbed really good, then the downhill. All year training I had been terrified of downhills, but this time I just tucked into the aerobars and flew down the hill. Then the seven bitches as they're called. I think there were more of them. Fun downhills, but lots of momentum killing steep short climbs that sap your strength. By now my stomach wouldn't let me stay in the aero bars more than a few seconds. Got to the long out and back that was pretty rolly and seemed to go on forever. I stopped at the bike bag stop and the volunteer girl refilled my bottles for me because I was a little loopy. Took some Pepcid Ac's and going back out the out and back I was belching really loud. Always just as a pretty girl was passing so it seemed. But the stomach was getting better. I looked around and noticed the ride wasn't jam packed any more. I must have really slowed down. Turned onto the Yellow lake climb and just slogged up the hill popping Pepcids and e-caps and drinking like crazy. It was well over 90 by now. Or in the 30's since it was Canada. At the summit of Yellow my right leg started cramping really bad, so I tried riding and stretching, but it got worse so I stopped and shook the leg out for awhile until it stopped and then took off again. The downhills here were really twisty and I was flying , but had to slow for some guy riding in the middle and then weaving all over even after being yelled at "on your left". Not worth the effort, so I just relaxed and waited until after the curves and got past him. Then down into town and I wanted off the bike. I was hoping I could run, the stomach was better, but still bad. Off the bike and into the run tent. Asked a volunteer if he was doing the race next year, he said no his wife was and he had just done Leadman. That started a conversation with another guy sitting there and after a 10 minute transition I was off on the run. Flew through town and the giant crowd. Then slowed to my race pace of 11 mins/mile or so. Walked through the aid stops drinking water and then at the last trash can would walk 10 steps and then start running again. At 6 miles I took some more Pepcid and e-caps and changed it to 15 steps. At mile 10.5 was a big hill and I came up to Jason and John, so I stopped and walked up the hill with them. They were having a great time and I walked a while with them and then coach Denise passed on the other side and said "come on Jeff catch me". So I ran the downhill and then it went back up even steeper than before and something in my snapped off and I said "screw it" and walked up the hill. Then a slow jog into the bag stop. Read a letter from Sarah she had given me to put in the run bag. Then started up again, but not with much enthusiasm. Just then I hear "Jeff" and it was a girl I had run a couple miles with before she had gotten nauseous and had to slow down. So I stopped and waited for Trisha and we walked and ran together the rest of the way. She was nauseous still, so we would walk about half a mile then run half a mile to the next stop. One time we came up on Brian, so we walked with him for awhile, Then we came up on Chris, so we walked with him awhile. By mile 22 or so we tried running for longer periods to get it over with and were like zombies by then. She had thrown up at one of the stops and was feeling a little better. We ran the last mile past the crowds and out and then you turn around and come back the final push past the crowds again. Trisha said, "I have to stop" so with .3 left we stopped and she dry heaved on the side of the road. Then we ran the last part and high fived along the side of the chute and came across the line hand in hand.<br />Finished at 14:42:32 good for 2029th place. Trisha was married with kids, so we said goodbye and the I met up with Julie and we went back to the finish line and got to the front row and banged on the sides of the chute cheering on the last hour finishers.<br />I finished and felt great afterwards, but didn't leave it all out there. First time I walked more than a tiny portion of a race, but wasn't beat up and could hike no problem later on my vacation trip home, but that's another post.<br />Great job to all the Headhunters!JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-59140466046677286832011-06-01T10:49:00.001-07:002011-06-01T11:31:59.581-07:00Onionman Olympic Triathlon<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLoKN7SmCAJOqM6qsxobofY44LLLraxRf7yn212wxdElx9rbFE1LJoqw8qg9i_agnK9MvBV1eO3QMXjrRhn1QYBxJdTpkXCjdbSvi7kuSMEIlb5Pm1muYyVesJ2EjdgcIZzFw/s1600/IMG_1304.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLoKN7SmCAJOqM6qsxobofY44LLLraxRf7yn212wxdElx9rbFE1LJoqw8qg9i_agnK9MvBV1eO3QMXjrRhn1QYBxJdTpkXCjdbSvi7kuSMEIlb5Pm1muYyVesJ2EjdgcIZzFw/s320/IMG_1304.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613310115249566914" /></a><br />Sunday I did the Onionman over in Walla Walla. Usually it's really warm over there, but not race morning. Drove over Saturday and it was in the 60's in Eastern Oregon and Walla Walla. Checked in to the Hampton and drove down to Milton-Freewater Oregon about 8 miles south of Walla Walla. Found the Milton-Freeman country club and payed for 9 holes and zoomed through on the flat course in an hour and 5 minutes. Looked at the watch and decided to pay for the back nine. The back nine was up on a hill that had a very steep path up to the top and then up and down on every hole. On hole 16 or so my legs were saying "you know we have a tri tomorrow?" Nice community course and scenic up on top for the back nine. Went back to Walla Walla and got a pizza and some pasta and ate way too much. Then setting out my stuff for the morning I realized I didn't have a water bottle, 25 miles with no water may be bad.<br />Got to the lake an hour and a half before the start and I was four cars from filling the parking lot. After that people had to park on the dam and walk a long ways. The Jeep said 42 degrees and it was sprinkling. I set up transition and sat in the Jeep trying to warm up. The water was 59 degrees which is cold for Walla Walla area, so they shortened it to one loop, so about 850 instead of 1600 meters. Got in and put the face in and got used to the cold. Started out and it was freezing, but quickly forgot about it and just swam. Got out at 15:51 which was a little slow, I zig zagged a lot. Put on my Headhunters jacket and started to put on long gloves, but struggled with wet hands so took off and left after a 3:53 transition. I was shaking at first and miserable on the chip seal lake park road with speed bumbs, but then got on the main road which was smooth. Warmed up a little and cruised along in what felt like legs in sand. It looks flat to down hill, but is really uphill and 16-17 takes effort. Got passed alot, maybe the extra nine holes wasn't a good idea. Got to the turn around and it was downhill then and my attitude changed to what a beautiful ride in the country. Cruised at 18-26 all the way back for an average of 18mph for 25.2 miles. As I was putting on the run shoes the sun peeked out and it was noticeably warmer. Got to mile 1 of the run and hung up the jacket by a volunteer and ran nice and comfortable and picked up the jacket on the way back and finished with a 56:19 run for a 9:04 pace over 6.2 miles. Total time was 2:41:36 good for 120 out of 213 overall and 11 of 14 for 50-54 age group. Got some good bbq'd chicken and salad and tried one cookie from a table full of them. Then back to the hotel for a long hot shower. By then it had opened up and was in the mid to high 60's and was beautiful. Drove towards home and stopped at a small winery of the hundreds around Walla Walla and it was jammed inside, so I tried a couple wines and left. Decided too many wine tasters, so looked at the map and took a long detour to Heppener Oregon to the Willow Creek golf course and played nine holes there. Nice course in a town of a couple thousand with brown hills around and lots of wind. Ate dinner in a little diner in downtown Heppner. Then drove an almost empty highway back to I-84. Then on the interstate it was white knuckle driving all the way to The Dalles because of the wind pushing me all over the road and dodging the swerving semis.<br />The race gave a really nice bag that says 2011, I noticed afterwards that the number says 2010. Overall good race, scenic area and a road trip. Now have golfed 113 Oregon courses.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-46919559281799086872011-05-08T15:47:00.001-07:002011-05-08T16:27:42.902-07:00Eugene Half Marathon and Rides<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9A5u8Ylag_3f6R7cb3HXjudws-jNug_xpEWewZlvhKzuXG5_cIHF53D5_wfS3awRotML2BHb_xwh19kgzNMsB6xI9nxWkVTJAcy_zp1X_yjLlP8QtibvgEFCP_GNw2vxsHSr_/s1600/IMG_1302.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9A5u8Ylag_3f6R7cb3HXjudws-jNug_xpEWewZlvhKzuXG5_cIHF53D5_wfS3awRotML2BHb_xwh19kgzNMsB6xI9nxWkVTJAcy_zp1X_yjLlP8QtibvgEFCP_GNw2vxsHSr_/s320/IMG_1302.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604481001578069266" /></a><br />Last weekend I did the Eugene half marathon down in Eugene Oregon. Started the day Saturday doing the group swim at the club I go to in Camas for 3000 meters and then a 33.5 mile bike ride called the bridge to bridge loop crossing over the I-205 bridge and the I-5 bridge. Then hopped in the car and drove down to Eugene for packet pick-up and the expo. Decided late to do this race, maybe March, and by then the only hotel open in the area was the Downtowner. It wasn't bad, but wasn't too nice either. It was about four blocks away from the Hilton where the shuttles ran from, so in the morning I walked down there to ride to the start. Got in line with several hundred others and got on the third school bus to stop. Got to the start line and got in corral B and heard a young girl singing the anthem, although I couldn't see her. Then it started and about two minutes later we started moving and finally crossed the start line. Sort of ran a slow jog for awhile as the walkers who had lined up in front clogged things up. After a couple miles it thinned enough to get a good rhythm. Love seeing the sea of people before it thins and all the colors bobbing up and down in a solid mass. This is the fourth year in a row for me, three years in a row for the half. So I knew the course and what to expect. Went nice and slow and comfortable. Got to mile 5 and really had to pee, so I got in the porta potty line and timed it- 2 minutes to get through the line and done. I was under a 10 minute pace before that stop. Finished with a 2:11:36 for a 10:03 pace and 79 out of 123 for my age group and 1936 of 3882 overall. Got some pancakes and hopped a shuttle back and just had time to shower before checkout time. Then off to Armitage park in the north part of Eugene to do a bike ride. Decided to ride the southern most end of the Willamette Valley Bike route from Armitage park to Brownsville and back. Got out on the flat almost empty country roads north of Coburg and got hit by a hard wind. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFokK7bxB9m7g2oreJMgBw4Wy2_KjmKs0AJhl04b34ToOMZ1KoJxWk-zkZ_aBGsuw6n6OKg3_EvO0AHjYHj6EO-ZHAph4jgr2Jh0DCITHjihzhANx1U3skBRhN5PEoCxDj0v_/s1600/eugenebike.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 97px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFokK7bxB9m7g2oreJMgBw4Wy2_KjmKs0AJhl04b34ToOMZ1KoJxWk-zkZ_aBGsuw6n6OKg3_EvO0AHjYHj6EO-ZHAph4jgr2Jh0DCITHjihzhANx1U3skBRhN5PEoCxDj0v_/s320/eugenebike.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604481006210415714" /></a><br />Slogged along as fast as I could and made it to Diamond Hill road 13 miles out. The route turns right and has a couple of hills, but I had done the Cherry Pie bike race from this spot a few years ago and went left on the race route on flat roads and saw two cars until mile 24. Then into Brownsville which is a great looking historic town, but all the interesting cafes were closed because it was Sunday. So I stopped at a coffee stand and got a latte and sandwich. By then it was in the high 60's and sunny in what seems like the first and only nice day of the year. Rode back the WVB route over the hills and then got back on the flat roads with the wind and just cruised at 19-22 all the way back to Coburg and then 3 miles to the park in Eugene for a total of 50.5 miles at a 16.8 mph average. Threw the bike in the Jeep and drove up to Coburg and stopped at a historic house inn I had seen on the ride and ate a late lunch. Then the drive home. For the weekend, 3000m swim, 83.5 miles on the bike and 13.1 miles running. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidg3-ynqqseydrNc45XK78D2xZtguGU9TpZmfnzZGxmJC1ytNklVjjKP5nCO54w2aMD5H_uKlLxKquWAzxLhFnnWbd6Mz5vp_AfmkHiarDMWblq8Uc46XZ-xjklLHQ07FN1hvH/s1600/IMG_1303.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidg3-ynqqseydrNc45XK78D2xZtguGU9TpZmfnzZGxmJC1ytNklVjjKP5nCO54w2aMD5H_uKlLxKquWAzxLhFnnWbd6Mz5vp_AfmkHiarDMWblq8Uc46XZ-xjklLHQ07FN1hvH/s320/IMG_1303.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604481003523015986" /></a><br />This Saturday I did the RACC (Ride Around Clark County) for the fourth time. This time though I did the 100 mile ride instead of the 67. Denise, Bob, Denise E, and Allen and I ended up riding together and it stayed dry most of the way. The sun even peeked out a few times. Ended up doing 98.3 miles at a 14.3 average with Tons of climbing. Felt fine afterwards.<br />Next up is the Onionman triathlon in Walla Walla Washington over Memorial day weekend.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-84507356026918767182011-04-24T11:51:00.001-07:002011-04-24T12:12:09.598-07:00Albany Sprint Triathlon<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Holc24AF4J-90duGhEiejfbKB1JhrcxZ2jc15WpRB3x1LJqqTW5-5cvjpV2EKmvEKnF0zSN9_7c8NHzT5aKT6XjTnG3Iyt_3kzpSV-bsS-lY9l5okuJp-T6m2GUZkQqYeqjd/s1600/IMG_1299.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Holc24AF4J-90duGhEiejfbKB1JhrcxZ2jc15WpRB3x1LJqqTW5-5cvjpV2EKmvEKnF0zSN9_7c8NHzT5aKT6XjTnG3Iyt_3kzpSV-bsS-lY9l5okuJp-T6m2GUZkQqYeqjd/s320/IMG_1299.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599224992655352450" /></a><br />Last Sunday I did my triathlon of the year the Albany sprint tri in Albany Oregon. Rode down in the Headhunters team van on Saturday and stayed at the Phoenix Inn. Ate at a nice Italian place in Albany. We had 12 people and it was prom night, so we had to wait for a table, but the food was good. <br />Packet pickup was the morning of the race. Got the number and set up transition, then into the pool area to watch for 2 hours until my wave. They have a 50 yard pool, but have a bulkhead to make it two 25 yard pools so you start in the middle and get out in the middle. Finally it was time to swim and started out third of four in my lane. The guy in front of me was a little slow, so after two laps I passed him. The girl behind me hit my feet, so I tried to let her pass and she said go. She was drafting me. 750 yards later, I got out at 13:56 and jogged outside to the bike. Almost took a header because I missed the dropoff of the curb and stumbled. Got on the bike and it is a flat, fast ride. But that day was very windy of course so I just tried to go as fast as I could the whole time. The bike was a rectangle course and three sides felt like a headwind. Finished with a 19.7 mph average. Got to the transition and coach Denise was going out on the run and yelled for me to catch her. Started out slowly on the run and was alone the whole run so I would speed up. Finally saw a mile marker at 2.5 and I was on an 8:30 pace. Sped up and ran really good the last part that took forever. Finished the run in 28:52. It was at least 3.5 miles instead of 3.1. Overall time was 1:24:28 good enough for 3 of 5 for my age group and a ribbon. Coach and her husband Bob both won their age group. Good first tri of the year.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6bEH6fcoRvkY2_GZSQ3ZHd92HkKnzgo1RkuebP5q3ifa6xXDRRPnrJo5egs2RfgRX8apvQqMM2z_P86nLrowCKfT41Q0EMyzcE82T7xSZr376TYdViqKcxy3MUYYg89yuq-fH/s1600/IMG_1301.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6bEH6fcoRvkY2_GZSQ3ZHd92HkKnzgo1RkuebP5q3ifa6xXDRRPnrJo5egs2RfgRX8apvQqMM2z_P86nLrowCKfT41Q0EMyzcE82T7xSZr376TYdViqKcxy3MUYYg89yuq-fH/s320/IMG_1301.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599224997089423138" /></a>JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-58819124929690131602011-03-06T20:53:00.000-08:002011-03-06T21:34:31.772-08:00Edison Festival of Lights 5K<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjVEjV9uqTAL_5A9IJE3Vo-_dWoUE28zv-amEID1xmVl1jUElgY9FpBYURYlDEC87RZP8ARsSE2zrKF-SOGfays0s334eTTgmVnPs1FvuOFqa_nox8aVEj9pI2QHTYsW_Ze4H/s1600/IMG_1297.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjVEjV9uqTAL_5A9IJE3Vo-_dWoUE28zv-amEID1xmVl1jUElgY9FpBYURYlDEC87RZP8ARsSE2zrKF-SOGfays0s334eTTgmVnPs1FvuOFqa_nox8aVEj9pI2QHTYsW_Ze4H/s320/IMG_1297.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581197100295124162" /></a><br />President's Day weekend I flew to Florida to see my mom just outside Fort Myers. She lives on an island, Pine Island. Going I flew through Chicago and had window seats all the way. From Portland to Chicago I was over the wing and it was cloudy. From Chicago to Fort Myers, the windows didn't line up with the seats so I had a bulkhead and I was over the wing, so I couldn't see anything. The first day I ran from Mom's house out to the main road and down a sidewalk/bike path for 3 miles each way for 6 miles of 77 or so degree running in a short sleeve shirt. Went on mom's computer and looked up running paths in Fort Myers and saw they had a 5K Saturday evening with a big crowd to watch you. So after a beautiful 80 degree day on the island, we drove into Fort Myers and parked downtown at the start of the Edison Festival parade route. The 5K started at 5:30 or so and it was still very warm and 1400 people or so did the run with thousands lining the street waiting for the parade after the run. Took off pretty fast and just stayed fast. It was a flat run and I was wearing a Phillies running shirt, so I heard at least 4 people yell- "go Phillies". Crossed the finish line with an 8:21 pace, 25 minutes something I think. Good for 460 something place of 1400. Mom was waiting at the finish line and we were both hungry so we didn't stay for the light parade. Sunday we went to the Episcopal church on Pine Island. Then after lunch drove down to Naples and walked out on the pier. Great view and interesting crowd on the pier. Naples was a strange town to me. Pretty, but everything is behind locked gates with guard houses. Either they have the worst crime in America or they are the most stuck up people in America. Never seen anything like it. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLjMzPdQhItd33RFX2VDo7ZqQzT0xuO1gEQpvGcDY4DTlm75GZwKP5VrF-uScqazjqR2Do7XEZMHI6zxyq_WDCrtzr6_-D308QlfjcEV70zqCVNlA4Jio1uwhSG-J4BZdHaRE/s1600/IMG_1294.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLjMzPdQhItd33RFX2VDo7ZqQzT0xuO1gEQpvGcDY4DTlm75GZwKP5VrF-uScqazjqR2Do7XEZMHI6zxyq_WDCrtzr6_-D308QlfjcEV70zqCVNlA4Jio1uwhSG-J4BZdHaRE/s320/IMG_1294.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581197111917534290" /></a><br />President's day we took a boat ride first to Cabbage Key to a restaurant with dollar bills on the ceiling. The girl said they had $70K on the ceiling. I added one more to it after signing it. Then another boat to Caya Costa state park island. Laid on the beach for a while in sunny blue sky 80 degree weather. Nobody was swimming or even in the water, but I decided to swim anyway. It was nice, not warm, but not cold. Swam out for a few minutes and then back in and repeated for about 20 minutes with a little floating in between.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26J3lZ_0EPJS7FBmYoNtAH9107AJ088g-B9Sc5oHUkkUqZCD-XFby84FHEqtaiALlhx2MwD1YakT4A3fw09-_VHzc6LDKcE5rwQJQ06UUdeEqI0BZTKdnExnc4GzGLHlwt77X/s1600/IMG_1295.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26J3lZ_0EPJS7FBmYoNtAH9107AJ088g-B9Sc5oHUkkUqZCD-XFby84FHEqtaiALlhx2MwD1YakT4A3fw09-_VHzc6LDKcE5rwQJQ06UUdeEqI0BZTKdnExnc4GzGLHlwt77X/s320/IMG_1295.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581197115470325858" /></a><br /> Probably about 600 meters in all. Then a tram back to the boat and the 2 hour ride back to Pine Island. On the boat ride back, I looked up in time to see two dolphins leap right beside the boat about 5 feet away from me. Tuesday before I flew home we stopped right before the bridge off Pine Island at a very crowded and loud breakfast place that had a fantastic crab omelet and whole wheat pancakes, grits, whole wheat toast and really good coffee. I was stuffed. Flying home I went from 80 plus degree Florida to 13 degree snow piled everywhere Minneapolis and then landed at 40 degree rainy Portland, ahh home wet home.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-5315541054535726042011-02-07T19:30:00.000-08:002011-02-07T19:54:52.762-08:00Fairview Path 15K Run<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_1AaACk7o20YW5J7hJINVyU5ixfUUZXKNbniQ5XNAYzoGJyXyGuTYG5g09UdtPAvxgCve_FPaBbEC6U0xFiqRBARGgNzKvujIkCd-XQmi96F__rBox7NOQ5sMeOKv78ZyR_x/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_1AaACk7o20YW5J7hJINVyU5ixfUUZXKNbniQ5XNAYzoGJyXyGuTYG5g09UdtPAvxgCve_FPaBbEC6U0xFiqRBARGgNzKvujIkCd-XQmi96F__rBox7NOQ5sMeOKv78ZyR_x/s320/IMG_1287.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571156249638652066" /></a><br />Sunday morning I had set the alarm intending to do the Zena Road Run in Salem. It's a 15K in the hills west of Salem by some wineries I haven't been to yet. The alarm went off, I turned it off and rolled over. A couple hours later I got up and was going to veg the day away when I saw a Facebook message by Brian saying he had run 12 miles. It is an Ironman year, so I got ready and thought I have time for 7 or 8 miles before the Super Bowl. Took Cedrick (my running partner and my Daughter's dog) and went to Gresham city park and started running west on the Springwater trail. Got to the new junction with the Fairview path and turned onto that path over a new bridge over Powell Blvd. Ran a mile down that and crossed Division St and then another mile later it seems to end, but went on the sidewalk around a corner and it started up again for a couple more miles. Got to the Glisan St crossing and the GPS said 4.65 miles- perfect- 9.3 is a 15K, so I guess I was meant to do a 15K. Turned around and went back the same way. Really nice path with only a couple of bad crossings. So ended up with 9.3 miles at a slow 10:04 pace. Cedrick was one happy puppy to get outside and run in pleasant 54 degree weather.<br />A couple weeks ago I ran the Vancouver Lake half marathon. It was in the 40's this year instead of the normal 30's. Met up with the team van and rode in the team van to the race. Lining up to start I saw Ben who did the Grand Columbian full iron with me in 07. We ran together to start and he said he hadn't run over 6 miles in a long time. I hadn't run more than 9 miles since July last year, so we just went slow and steady and talked and all of a sudden we were past mile 12 and just ran it on in. Finished at 2:10 which is the slowest I've ever run the Vancouver Lake run, but I finished and was happy with it and my right leg only hurt a little.<br />This year I've also decided to do the Albany sprint tri in April, the Shamrock 15K run in March, and the Onionman Olympic tri in May. Also thinking of doing the Eugene half marathon again this year in May.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-70042369940524514872011-01-23T20:13:00.000-08:002011-01-23T21:57:30.434-08:00Icy Georgia Running<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIx1Ccq4FMrvVSFtpHfcrXtdsnYc2ppG-tobk_AkvyycNGqChyphenhyphenooYytTxPBTtmCDYXpHWmFjVFw4qUkJDGO3tdbRWo7QaSD9oeI4ism82c8v8K2-lZmLIWoNlvwn0r9iawuoa/s1600/ga+cap.bmp"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIx1Ccq4FMrvVSFtpHfcrXtdsnYc2ppG-tobk_AkvyycNGqChyphenhyphenooYytTxPBTtmCDYXpHWmFjVFw4qUkJDGO3tdbRWo7QaSD9oeI4ism82c8v8K2-lZmLIWoNlvwn0r9iawuoa/s320/ga+cap.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565603448536190850" /></a><br />Last week I flew to Georgia for a conference. First flight was cancelled, second flight was cancelled. At one point Delta had us routed through Detroit and DC and then Atlanta. Finally one opened on Salt Lake City to Atlanta, so I got on that. At the last minute Doug, the guy who was also going to the conference also got on that flight, so we were on the same flight the way it was supposed to be. Got to Atlanta and the plane couldn't get to the gate because of ice. After 15 minutes of reving he backed the plane up and got a running start to get over the ice berm. Welcome to Atlanta. The conference was at Warner Robins AFB about 90 miles south of Atlanta. So we got to the rental car place and the counter girl said "there's no way you can make it in a compact", so she gave us a Chevy Equinox SUV. Got out on the snowy-icy roads and made it onto the highway and after a few miles it was stopped with a sign saying salting. After about 20 minutes it started up again and once out of Atlanta, the roads were clear of ice and down towards Robins the snow on the side of the road went away. Still took about 3 hours to go 90 miles.<br />The next day after the conference drove over to Macon to a nice Italian restaurant that had good food and a cute waitress from Cincinnati. Got back and it was dark and 25 degrees, but I decided to run on base near billeting. Ran 4 miles and was frozen afterwards, but at one point saw a ton of stars. After the next days conference end, went to the air museum in town and then went to the gym on base and started swimming. Got to 1300 yards and they turned the lights out. The pool closed at 6, even though the gym was open all night. Ate dinner at a place that looked good, Catfish House. Turned out everything was fried- surprise. (everything in GA is fried I think)<br />The next day was the normal fly home day, but we had decided to stay the weekend. Doug had never heard of Andersonville, so before going up to Atlanta we drove over there. They have a couple of sections of wall and the Providence spring and lots of memorials. Then lunch in a small town and up to Atlanta. Got rooms at the Embassy Suites at the airport and then took the car back because the government was paying for that one and got a Ford Fusion. Went to the capital and the ice and snow was off the roads by then, but the grass and sidewalks in Atlanta were still icy. The capital was surrounded by ice, but it was open and we toured the chambers and the museum on the top floor. We went to a sports bar near the hotel to eat dinner and I noticed on ESPN that the Flyers were playing at the Thrashers. Looked up the Thrashers on my phone and sure enough- that's Atlanta's hockey team. So we took off for downtown and made it to the Arena and got tickets with a military discount and only missed about 8 minutes of the first period. 0-0 after the first. In the second Atlanta scored, but the Flyers answered a few seconds later. Then Philly scored again but Atlanta tied it at 2 with 30 seconds left in the second. In the third period, Philly looked like a really good team and attacked everything and won 5-2. Tons of Philly fans in the stands, so I was nowhere near alone cheering for the visitors. Really cute girls in short skirts skated out to clean the ice at breaks.<br />Saturday we drove to the Atlanta Cyclorama which is the largest cyclorama left. 40+ feet tall. Personally I thought Gettysburg's cyclorama was better, but Atlanta's was still nice. Then going downtown we saw tons of parking garages filling up for the Falcons game that night, so we went to the Georgia dome and parked. Then walked over to the CNN studios and took the tour- free when we showed the military ID. Ate lunch at CNN and then over to the world of Coke- also free when we showed the military ID. It was fun and the gift shop was amazing. Had some time left and didn't want to move from the parking, so we took the subway up to the art museum. The subway station had a really long steep escalator. The art museum was also free to military and had a great American art section and a nice building. Then back on the subway to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and they gave us a 15% discount for military. Then it was time for the football game. We walked into the Georgia dome and it was really nice. Two giant screens and we walked all the way around the lower level and down to the seats 19 rows up from the 5 yard line. The Zac Brown band sang the anthem and the first half was a good game, but right at the end of the half Green Bay got a pick six that deflated the crowd. The second half Atlanta fell apart and the stands emptied out except for a ton of Green Bay fans who were chanting and cheering so much it seemed like they were the home team. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHf4wK3KQDf7Ioei2J3gJWI2iOk105uw3CuF6Vik-LOnFQr2Fv5-l3LGgoVefDttParfYwajCJm4OfYn0hNp-KV9a0AymPlFpoXEXmxuMylfF6Y08mtzkbYfdgclrqkZ-TKKc/s1600/falcons.bmp"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHf4wK3KQDf7Ioei2J3gJWI2iOk105uw3CuF6Vik-LOnFQr2Fv5-l3LGgoVefDttParfYwajCJm4OfYn0hNp-KV9a0AymPlFpoXEXmxuMylfF6Y08mtzkbYfdgclrqkZ-TKKc/s320/falcons.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565603452506515458" /></a><br /><br />Sunday drove up to Kennesaw Mt to the civil war battlefield. Unfortunately the snow and ice hadn't melted up there yet and we couldn't get to the top. So back to Atlanta and the Westin building and rode the elevator up to the top and saw the city and went ahead and ate in the revolving restaurant. Then down to the Georgia Aquarium which they bill as the world's largest. Saw sharks while walking through a clear tunnel and they had giant windows to see them also. Also had Beluga whales. Had kid overload quickly, so left there and I decided since it was MLK weekend, how about King's birthplace monument. Drove through a rough looking part of town to the National Monument area where camera vans were set up ready for Monday's holiday. His birth house tour was sold out, so we toured the museum and book store and saw his grave. Very powerful museum, taking about the Jim Crow stuff and Montgomery bus boycott. Got back to the hotel with about 30 minutes of light left so I ran from the hotel down industrial roads and going around ice patches and using street lights at the end for 4.5 miles and then into the hotel weight room. Ate dinner at an old gas station converted into a restaurant.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAcGvA8G0uO8aJpPKB_Jgmu5lmiNQwtKp2ebv_coQv0kuiwcRhnxE9GnBZyz9NoWymnw2J58hQnBT1CSjonAnL5tmn8jhwkABcH6XgdSEntmEaoJvYCr0g4a90Kb3znUXJil9/s1600/mlk.bmp"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAcGvA8G0uO8aJpPKB_Jgmu5lmiNQwtKp2ebv_coQv0kuiwcRhnxE9GnBZyz9NoWymnw2J58hQnBT1CSjonAnL5tmn8jhwkABcH6XgdSEntmEaoJvYCr0g4a90Kb3znUXJil9/s320/mlk.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565603458824409794" /></a><br /><br />Had thought about going to Chattanooga to the battlefield there, but thought it was probably still snowy. So we decided to drive over to Montgomery to see the capital and Dexter church where MLK preached. Got to the capital and it was inauguration day. Watched the parade for awhile and walked around the capital to the back entrance and got in, but a woman stopped us and we weren't on the list, so we had to leave. Saw Dexter church and walked down to Rosa Park's bus stop memorial. Then walking back to the car saw a fountain with names in it and it was the Civil Rights memorial. Went in and it was free for MLK day and toured that museum. Then the long drive back to Atlanta and the flight back home.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHK42erakBafMbiSGw0K7kVInG6JuJMF2bKczAmetRws0e4LR0A6axXF9UTk7MqrhxRmqMp7adfhJTgW8LhS4fdpZEFSx48etlrLAFVsual2zxjuJBILFGW1oTBq4tTEDX9Ym7/s1600/civil+rights.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHK42erakBafMbiSGw0K7kVInG6JuJMF2bKczAmetRws0e4LR0A6axXF9UTk7MqrhxRmqMp7adfhJTgW8LhS4fdpZEFSx48etlrLAFVsual2zxjuJBILFGW1oTBq4tTEDX9Ym7/s320/civil+rights.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565603453403737154" /></a>JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-81375973451142798812011-01-10T20:32:00.000-08:002011-01-23T20:11:59.678-08:00California Dreaming<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2N90SjGmZqsoEJBZVH9faRlcKklGSAo5oo1ofFR8SnlYLrIOhJ6wBulZLo-1KNBrebUC8RYjH8AuUUbfvVjMGakhyphenhyphen4DPmIhWgI5LZfdF8GnM7HVjXkMX7DPiXxE6KZ1RdkKAo/s1600/jrdebla.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 97px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2N90SjGmZqsoEJBZVH9faRlcKklGSAo5oo1ofFR8SnlYLrIOhJ6wBulZLo-1KNBrebUC8RYjH8AuUUbfvVjMGakhyphenhyphen4DPmIhWgI5LZfdF8GnM7HVjXkMX7DPiXxE6KZ1RdkKAo/s320/jrdebla.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560781951927402258" /></a><br />For Christmas my daughter Debbie and I flew down to Los Angeles to spend Christmas with my son. Flew down on the 23rd and got a car. Took an hour and a half to go 13 miles to Jeffrey's place because of traffic. Went to dinner at a Japanese place where you boil meat and vegetables in a pot.<br />The next day we went to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. It features fried chicken with waffles, sounds strange, but is a great combo. Although not very healthy, but good. After that we drove out to the Getty center. Paid $15 to park, but the museum itself was free. Good collection and layout, but the best part was the amazing city view from the balcony. They also had a great garden with paths and even though it was Christmas Eve, it was in the high 60's and sunny. Stopped in an Italian neighborhood of one of the suburbs and had a really good lunch, then shopping and a home cooked dinner.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdJmIxV1t8uYigcQrYymdT4cK1Vx_7mVTf2aNBbfu_M_EF1QzDA-_6B53_cCZlLRI7LVGo7voNbeEcRQwNrCFqb0e1reXioLnf7HyrC43rUkOu_WAaMhC7SlD5Mo_jZmbuGWi/s1600/charmed.bmp"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 97px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdJmIxV1t8uYigcQrYymdT4cK1Vx_7mVTf2aNBbfu_M_EF1QzDA-_6B53_cCZlLRI7LVGo7voNbeEcRQwNrCFqb0e1reXioLnf7HyrC43rUkOu_WAaMhC7SlD5Mo_jZmbuGWi/s320/charmed.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560781951264273010" /></a><br /><br />Christmas day we drove to near downtown to see the house used to film the TV show Charmed, my favorite show. Then went to Santa Monica to see the ocean, but so did many other people. It was way too crowded, so ate lunch and headed out. Decided to run, so I parked in West Hollywood and ran down a dirt path through Beverly Hills. Turned down a road when the path ended and it went along side a golf course and had gigantic houses that looked like several millions. Turned around and went back the same way for 6 miles total. Then walked next door to Jeffrey's place to an Italian place that was pretty good and had wine bottles built into the booths.<br />Sunday morning we ate at a Pancake place that was just like Voodoo donuts in Portland. The Gridle as it was called had HUGE pancakes with anything you can think of in them. I was able to finish only half of my plate. Then we drove down to Long Beach and went through the Queen Mary. Very interesting, although costly. But they did give me a military discount for all three tickets. Ate lunch over in Long Beach and on the drive back Debbie saw a sign for Compton and wanted to see it since she'd heard of it. So I drove Compton Blvd all the way through Compton. What a different world. Lots of idle people and bars on all windows and lots of abandoned buildings. At one point I saw what looked like an abandoned old school and across the street all the houses looked empty and had no windows behind the bars. Back at Jeffrey's I used his apartment weight room and then we walked down Sunset Blvd to a healthy pizza place for dinner.<br />Monday Jeffrey had to work, so Debbie and I just hung out and I went running from the apartment up to Runyon Canyon and to two viewpoints and back for 4.5 miles and lots of climbing. Then the flight home.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-30184190275759472192011-01-01T13:37:00.000-08:002011-01-01T13:54:33.453-08:00Sharkey Swim and 2010 RecapFor the 5th year in a row I did the Sharkey swim at the club I go to. 5000 meters in a lane with Brian, Bob, and Denise. About an hour and a half or so, just turn off the brain and swim. Getting easier every year. Then pancakes afterwards.<br />For the year my spreadsheets say, 760 miles of running at a 5.2 avg run. 1664 miles biking with an average of 34 miles per ride. The 1664 is the lowest bike mileage since I've been doing the spreadsheet. For swimming I did 193300 meters for 120.1 miles at a 1611 meter average swim. 45.6 miles of hiking with 12550 feet of elevation gain. The most hiking since 2005, felt good hiking again. For the year, I call 2010 the year of travel. Ran in 8 different states- OR, WA, CA, MI, PA, DE, NJ, NM. Thought I had also run in Idaho, but remembered I forgot to bring my running shorts, so I walked a block or two with Sarah instead. Visited three new capitals, so I have 8 or 9 visited. New life goal is to run in all 50 states. Since I became a triathlete and got the GPS running watch, I've run in 11 different states so far.<br />Next year, Ironman Canada, Pacific Crest half Ironman, and Pacific Crest Olympic as a family relay with me swimming, Debbie riding, Jeffrey running. Happy New Year to all.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781646.post-15224501880491304142010-12-14T13:06:00.000-08:002010-12-14T13:43:00.351-08:00New Mexico Running<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDqc1FR5oulomFVMx7t2CM_crkDum3Qtz6T2Yoylr56x7MpYcUeFed9KoPMEYQiVUmrDvfjBT5bvRm3tvqpI6OZHPVj_RXjuM0r-_pfa1oAHqS9i1udy2gdZ-sh3hovyK2JEE/s1600/IMG_1286.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDqc1FR5oulomFVMx7t2CM_crkDum3Qtz6T2Yoylr56x7MpYcUeFed9KoPMEYQiVUmrDvfjBT5bvRm3tvqpI6OZHPVj_RXjuM0r-_pfa1oAHqS9i1udy2gdZ-sh3hovyK2JEE/s320/IMG_1286.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550647972185879298" /></a><br />Veteran's Day my daughter Debbie and I flew to New Mexico to see my Dad and Stepmom Faith. Got to Albuquerque and Faith took us to see Dad who was sick. So we said a hasty hello and went to dinner with Faith and stayed in Albuquerque at the Best Western. The next day, Debbie and I tried to go on the Sandia Mt tram. Got to the gate and the man said they were closed for a week for maintenance. So we stopped at REI to get Debbie a jacket and I asked the girl at the counter where to run and she told me about a river path. First though, Debbie and I decided to go see some ruins. So we drove down to Abo and Quarai ruins. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5qjwg8F4ZM1DAutUx2Vapo0hwtVYvWoz1Mfurk_43nGVpHX1BE7IIdZKr-d8eNIBSN0i4X1RQIoRviKvWboCkmlV7Wj9IT0CsNOIT2pcC0_3P-YGpYAWW4LHDDHzw7j33gq9/s1600/IMG_1284.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5qjwg8F4ZM1DAutUx2Vapo0hwtVYvWoz1Mfurk_43nGVpHX1BE7IIdZKr-d8eNIBSN0i4X1RQIoRviKvWboCkmlV7Wj9IT0CsNOIT2pcC0_3P-YGpYAWW4LHDDHzw7j33gq9/s320/IMG_1284.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550647988039081730" /></a><br />They are ruins of Spanish missions and towns from around 1630 and still in pretty good condition for being 400 years old. It was a blue sky day, but in the high 30's. We took the long way back on a road that topped out around 8000 feet and 32 degrees, then down to Albuquerque and we saw several bike riders climbing the hill. Got back to the hotel and Debbie didn't want to run, so I drove downtown and found one of the trailheads for the river path. Started out and didn't see anyone and the pavement was uneven, so I was just getting worried when a bike went by. Then tons of bikes one at a time and some runners and then the pavement got better and a couple miles into it the path crossed the newer I-40 path. I kept going for another mile and then turned around and went back to the I-40 crossing and turned onto that path and crossed the Rio Grande on a beautiful pedestrian bridge and then back to the start for around 7 miles.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhWWGxc2OOj_gI1XT0hsOapQxDvYRjTlOiTRbgWIrmTu_1TAw1ZcE8u8uZMQNxnE0NAk-YtcSvn3e35KhPg8Oog-JE4Ss0D9Cw1vssJbp-YK82xIgxt-RSjQ2v-G8ydFOzLIx/s1600/IMG_1285.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhWWGxc2OOj_gI1XT0hsOapQxDvYRjTlOiTRbgWIrmTu_1TAw1ZcE8u8uZMQNxnE0NAk-YtcSvn3e35KhPg8Oog-JE4Ss0D9Cw1vssJbp-YK82xIgxt-RSjQ2v-G8ydFOzLIx/s320/IMG_1285.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550647959608707010" /></a><br />The next day Dad was feeling better, so we picked him up and went to Sante Fe to show Debbie that town. We stopped for lunch at a nice place and then Dad was having trouble with the 7500 elevation, so we drove around the center square and the capital and stopped for coffee and a break at Flying Star, nice place. Then back to Dad's place. Sunday we got Dad and Faith and drove to Acama to see the Sky City. It's an old city on top of a rock. Have to ride a bus to the top and take a walking tour. Debbie said let's eat first, but I said "after". Should have listened to her. The tour was very interesting and the 1600's intact mission church was incredible. However it was two hours long and by the end I was starving. So we ate at the visitor's center and then took off for El Moro National Monument. We got there 45 before closing so we couldn't climb to the top, but we could go about halfway up. Beautiful place and the rock itself is inscribed by civil war and Indian war era soldiers. Then the drive back in the dark.<br />Monday Dad tried to take us to the New Mexico Art and History museum, but it's closed on Mondays. So we went to the Rattlesnake museum instead. Tourist trap looking on the outside it was actually pretty good. Rattlesnakes from all over the world and maps showing their range. Then lunch at another Flying Star and then dropped Dad home and off to the airport for the ride home.JeffMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336934310658984170noreply@blogger.com11