Superbowl in Vegas recap

Standard Las Vegas disclaimer apply's (ie what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas). I will only speak of my own actions on the weekend in order to protect the sanctity of those I traveled with, except when those actions are pure and altruistic. To get the big question out of the way, yes I did lose money. Oh please, you can't win every time you go and I lost a pittance compared to previous years.

We got in early Friday and I immediately went for a run while most of the group hit the tables. I was only going to run an hour, saving my legs for a hard Saturday run the next morning. To my surprise I felt very strong and continued to run for 2:04:00 and the distance of a half marathon. A pace of 9'28". Afterwards I went to the spa and spent a couple hours relaxing.

The group I was with all meet up for a dinner at a high society joint called Carnevino. I really wasn't in the mood for steak which they are world famous for. But I was cajoled into splitting a large two person cut of their award winning signature steak. It was delicious, creamy, fatty. Not only was it much more sophisticated than boring universe of normal foods, it was much to rare for my taste. Otherwise the evening progressed long into the morning with me gambling little and drinking an occasional cocktail. Mostly I just talked up everybody I met.

Some things never change. In my almost twenty years of Vegas trips, most all of them involve maximum people in a minimum room. The only thing that has really changed is the quality of casino and the size of the room which this years room at the Venetian was superb. I awoke on a great couch but not feeling great. In fact I felt quite ill and my stomach was killing me. I envisioned my previous couple weeks of stomach flu and remaining cold coming back. While everyone else headed to the buffets or the tables I puked myself silly in the bathroom. Other than a forced trip mid afternoon trip to get some bland food and water for the rest of the day, I stayed on the couch till Sunday morning with a horrible stomach.

Sunday I woke up much rested and feeling good. I went down to the gym to ride the bike for a bit and lift some weights. Afterward, I felt good but my stomach still not right. Luckily all of us agreed to meet for a classic buffet and Harrah's hit the spot with a awesome breakfast spread. It was great. I had a very good traditional breakfast, twice. Hey, it was all you could eat. I walked out with a waffle cone, not filled with ice cream, but with key lime pie. Waffle cone and pie. No better combination. Have no fear I ate less than half of it. Damn it.

Between the buffet and the Superbowl, we hit a couple of casinos and played some cheap tables. One lady asked a friend if he was winning this weekend. He looked at her with a straight face and said, "Lady, I'm playing $5 blackjack, do you think I'm winning this weekend?"

I didn't put anything on the game, so had no stake in the results. I am amazed at how little I gambled this trip. Usually we watch the game at a big crowded party, but I was not the only one who suffered from the Friday dinner so we all watched the game in a penthouse my partner was staying in, separate from us. After all was said and done in this town, it cames down to just the classic group of guys hanging around a flat screen and one-upping each other based on bets placed between them and how they played out during the game.

So many Las Vegas trips lose points because of disintegrating group dynamics revolving around morality, debt, communication and commonality but this one continued to get stronger each hour. with us. For me, this trip ranked somewhere in the high middle of all my Vegas outings. I've had 1's (worst) and 10's (best ever) and give this one a 7. Even though I was sick and on a couch for 24 hours, the group I was with was really tight and made up for all the other stuff.

It's not enough to exist. I am going to live.

Boys Town

This weekend continues a long standing tradition of going to Las Vegas for Superbowl weekend. Been doing this with mostly the same set of guys for the last dozen plus years. While I have in the past had some incredibly raucous and unrepeatable times in Vegas, (unless we're drinking at a bar and one upping each other, in which case I'll kick your ass), I thoroughly expect this weekend to be a decidedly low key affair.

I have actually planned this trip more as a workout retreat rather than a gambling, drinking, partying binge. I have a long run planned most days, in fact the first thing I'm doing when I get there is running the strip outside of town. Great route I've done before. You see a whole new level of Vegas when your not in a taxi. And sober. Okay, I will admit I love the gyms and spas in these hotels and look forward to soaking out my stress and sore muscles.

I don't even have gambling on my radar until Sunday. Not that I won't if I get the opportunity. Don't get me wrong I love to gamble. But get past the slot machines and the up & down adrenaline of table gambling and there is so much more to do there, even if you despise gambling. The shows, the events, the food, the strip itself. Its an incredibly entertaining experience. I have so many great experience in this town, I would actually love to bring Mighty Mo there in a year or so.

Whatever you do in life, don't just exist. Live.

Road Trip, Kartchner Caverns and the Commodores

With the house empty of females, Mighty Mo and I decided to road trip down south this weekend to Kartchner Caverns in Benson, AZ. Such a great story, two Cavers go down a sinkhole on the side of a mountain and find the greatest cave system in the state. They then decide to protect it for over a decade while exploring its massive depths. Rightly fearing that their find was becoming too public they negotiated a secret deal with the state park department and the legislature to fund turning it into the only fully wheelchair accessible cave system in the country opening in 1999.

Okay, I am going to make an admission here. I am a huge fan of National and State parks. I am. I was even a National Park Service Ranger/Historian for a short period of time. So any chance I get to visit our parks system I do. Of course it seems the ones closest are the ones most easily missed, and the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument was one such location.

On the way to Kartchner we pulled in so I could stamp my NP passport book. While looking around and having a decent time, Mighty Mo was surprised that many of the books on his shelf and at school were here. Then of his own accord he asked about the passport book and the stamps and stickers and asked for one of his own. Sniff, sniff, I was so proud of him when he stamped his first park into the book.

Kartchner Caverns is very impressive for a state park. It was certainly nicer than many of the National Parks I have been too. I was lucky in one regard. I was told emphatically to reserve tickets as soon as possible which was perfect as we were greeted with a sign that read, "All tours sold out."

As we approached the cave entrance with the group, Mighty Mo looked at me and said, "Daddy, my legs are scared." I took his hand and we entered the first of many pressure doors that keep the cave sealed. The next time I looked at him closely, we were into the first hall and his fear was replaced with awe.

The tour is between 90-120 minutes. While driving home I often wondered if it was a dream. Is it possible that my eyes held the wonders before them this very day? These are not rocks. To merely call it a geological formation is trite. It was beautiful. Amazing to see such wonder. And that two cavers and the Kartchner family took such great care of their find. True stewardship.

Mighty Mo could not have been happier with the trip. He loved the cave. He loved the 'exploring', seeing new things. He traveled very well. He clutched his new passport book all day and using the map and the picture of different parks in the book, I can tell there will be many more road trips to come.

Its not enough to exist. I am going to live.

Hike: Flatiron

On Christmas Eve, myself and several of my AZTRICLUB team mates decided to meet up and hike in Lost Dutchman State Park. Specifically we hiked first to Siphon Draw and then as some turned back, four of us continued, literally up the trail, to Flatiron. This is rated as the hardest hike inside the Valley of the Sun. This is not the first time I have done this hike, but in most regards this was a new hike for me as I am finally getting into better shape as I transition from recovery to base training.

The hike started just before sunrise and two degrees above freezing. Yikes. We also knew that travel of the sun and location of our hike would keep us in shadow for many hours. Zipped up, shivering but in good spirits we marched out on the frost covered trail.

It was a relatively quick 55 minutes to the seasonal waterfall marking the end of Siphon Draw trail. There was some water flowing and those that playfully stomped in the thin pools, were scrambling to purchase footing on what is called slick rock for a reason. After a quick, too cold and chilly break, we parted ways with our team mates and smeared a 100 yard 40 degree face that bring many people to lung chewing heaves of breath.

The distance from Siphon Draw to the top of the Superstition Mountains, called Flatiron, is roughly a mile. I have the exact distance in my GPS but its somewhere across the room and my knee is currently bathed in a ice wrap. So forgive my lack of enthusiasm for movement. However far the distance, its the vertical nature that begs the question, "Why are we doing this?"

This part of the hike is a solid Class 2 climb, I'd call it 2.8 if I could. Except for the lack of exposure that would seriously injure there is much use of the hands to continue forward, or perhaps more specifically, upward movement. The jovial nature of our banter certainly helped pass the time and before we knew it, we were on the top in a total time of 1:55. A very respectable time.

Of the four of us in the party, only I had climbed the entire route recently. One had climbed it years ago. One climbed most of it recently but turned back due to time constraints. One had never been. I had warned that time loses track at the top and we should not stay long. Forty minutes blew by in a flash and the though the sun was finally on us, the wind was terrible and we moved back down.

It is a Christmas miracle that I personally did not fall or suffer injury. I willingly admit I am good for one good fall per hike. However it was two others who slipped on frosty rocks and bruised their tailbones. I certainly turned an ankle here and there and looked a fool to absorb rapid movement in painful directions and as earlier stated am dealing with a painful knee ten hours later. In all a great hike and with great company. My hydration was excellent and nutrition on target.

It is not enough to exist. I am going to live.

Hike: Browns Peak / Four Peaks

For many years I stared North and East from the Valley of the Sun and dreamed to climb the Four Peaks. While eclipsed in scale locally thanks to the Superstitions, South Mountain and Camelback Mtn., the Four Peaks do have the prime distinction of being the only visible location of snow covered mountain tops from the city. The photo below is not self generated or indicative of my hike on this day. This is just a very pretty picture.

While there are four peaks, only one has an established route, Brown's Peak. This would be the tallest peak, the furthest left in the photo. It is named Brown's Peak. The other three simply labeled numerically, 2-3-4. Its a bumpy 20 mile drive on a unmaintained forest service road to get to the trail head. Four wheel drive is highly recommended but not mandatory.

At the trail head, around 5,600 feet, it is certainly Fall. Crisp cold air. A golden sun peaking through green fir and scrub. Wind through the trees. Frost on the ground. Its is so nice to see green on something other than cactus and weeds. There is only a couple vehicles in the lot and one hiker with a dog who said he came back short of a summit.

The first hour of the hike is pure high country scenery. I've had enough of desert hiking, I really enjoy the ecosystem that presents over 5,000 feet. The trail is loamy dirt, not sand or crud. There was a fire here a little over a decade ago and burnt tree limbs still liter the area. If anything it gives you an appreciation for the power of nature, almost everything I see is younger than me. There are massive round rock formations all around us that the low growth only accentuates.

The trail reaches a saddle at just under 2 miles. We stood there looking at a soft ridge to our right, certainly not one of the Four Peaks, and what appears to be a straight up rock climbing proposition to our left. A returning hiker shows us the route through a narrow scree chute to the top of the peak. We locate three of his friends on the face and he explains he turned around because the climb was too exposed for his taste.

Many, many years ago I rock climbed on a regular basis. I wasn't a very strong climber but I have found that that carries as much weight as saying, I am not a very good Ironman. It is something held up as slightly crazy and out of norm with society, therefore revered regardless of ability. The final season I climbed, I gave myself two concussions from falling. Mistress watched me fall on the second one. For those counting, these were concussions eleven and twelve for me. On that day she made me promise if I ever climbed or bouldered again I would wear a helmet and that I would never climb or boulder again. Looking at the half mile in front of me, I'm about to break a promise to wife.

None of the guidebooks or online descriptions for Brown's Peak or Four Peaks really does any justice to what they uniformly call, The Chute. It is often described as a scree chute, if at all mentioned. Here is the reality. It's freaking steep. On the rock climbing scale, I would rate four obstacles between Class 3 and 4. We remind ourselves that lots of people climb this chute every year, without injury, so my trail buddy and I keep going.

The chute itself is a capable trail with no way of getting lost. How can one get lost when either side is shoulder width apart. The first exposure is a lateral move of about two meters. It is true bouldering with only hand holds and toe holds to move across. The next exposures are more technical climbing routes of four to five moves each. No need to be roped, but the constriction of the walls and the lack of any soft landing make the anxiety factor a bit higher than required. The true blessing and what I am sure has kept injuries to a minimum is the perfect sized hand hold all and the decent sized foot placements.

The summit is small, the size of a small bedroom. On a clear day I am told its the best panoramic view in the state. It quite possibly is but on this day a haze keeps our view to a just a level of spectacular. Turns out my trail buddy has intermittent cell phone service. I call Mistress to tell her I am okay, just reached the summit but behind schedule. What occurs is two dropped calls and an unsent text messages that leaves her fearing the worst until I call two hours later. During that time she thinks I am calling from a hospital and they have told me to turn off my phone. When it comes to me and mountains, this has happened.

Whether we needed to or not we belayed our packs down the vertical challenge. I don't think it helped or hindered our time but it allowed me to use the short rope I carry in my pack and practice belays. Plus I got to climb without the extra weight on my back. At no point do I feel that I can't make a move down, its figuring the first right move.Once committed the problem is easy to solve.

A constant statement I use on the way up and twice as much down is, "My wife is going to be disappointed when she sees these pictures." Though it is impractical for most hikers, if I do this climb again I will bring my helmet.



Once back to the saddle, its a fairly brisk hike back down to the trail head where the aforementioned follow up call with Mistress takes place and her stress level drops to normal. I haven't heard that sort of relief in her voice in a long time. Not sure if I should be happy or sad about that. The day ends with another major hiking accomplishment in the state of Arizona.

Grand Canyon Hike: South Kaibab to Bright Angel

No where else to go but down? The trailhead of South Kaibab, Grand Canyon

Standing at the South Kaibab trail head I leaned forward and look down. I felt so grateful to be able to do something this amazing. I am about to walk off the rim of the Grand Canyon, follow the South Kaibab trail down to the Colorado River and then back up using the Bright Angel trail. What will happen over the next eight and a half hours was affirming, awesome and not the hardest thing I have ever done.

Usually when you think of hiking, your subconscious rationalizes that your going to go up first then come back down. When one considers the Grand Canyon, the subconscious become conscious, hiking about 5,000 feet down over few hours and then hiking 5,000 feet up over twice as many hours. Using this formula it is easy to see why people get so anxious about entering a rock world that geologically ends up two billion years into the past; almost half way through the earths crust. Not me though, this felt like Christmas morning.

Going down but looking up South Kaibab

For all of us, it is not so much the fact that when you look out across the horizon you see the majesty the canyon but you can't help but look down at the path you will be taking to the river. It switches back and forth and back and forth, almost like a one sided drain pulling you towards a great unknown. People stretched thin along this roughed out trail carved out of solid rock. As my group stepped off I teasing made the comment, "The only way out, is up."

It is easy to smile and have a good time when your going downhill. Especially at the start of something. And it is with this joy that I entered the canyon. Based on my goals for the day I took it quite easy, considering the pull of gravity towards the bottom. An easy pace, a few stops for no reason. I am not a competitive hiker. To run down this for my first foray is a disservice to my love of the outdoors.

author, Deep in the canyon

It's easy for me to talk to people and met quite a diverse group along the way. Ironman finishers like myself; some hiking like me, others running it out in full ultra-marathon kit. A firefighter from Sequim, Washington who was surprised I knew the place thanks to a relative that lived there. A heavyset woman who took a head start on her friends, expecting them to arrive at any time. A camera man deep into a three week rafting trip wanting the latest sports news. As I continued to drop closer and closer to the Colorado, I felt strong, happy and awake.

As all of us on the hike, almost three dozen people, regrouped at the river, I was towards the last to arrive. Fine by me, miles on the South Kaibab trail went by just right, I didn't let anyone dictate my pace. I know most of these people I'm with don't have the outdoor endurance legs I do and that their energy and ego will finally catch up to them on the way up. It was extremely busy on our little beach below the black suspension bridge. A rafting group of three score and our merry band equaled nearly one hundred people on a sliver of heaven. Man I wish I'd brought my rod and some tackle.Behind me the Colorado River and 5,000 ft. of decent on South Kaibab

As the backpacking guru, I was asked to inspect the placement of moleskins and questioned how to better sit a pack on ones back. Although I advised everyone to bring some sort of pain management, I dispensed a good deal of Tylenol to help with backs and knees and muscle soreness. I thought I had done a great job on my own hydration and nutrition but it was not to be the case. I fueled myself well but did not drink nearly enough water or Gatorade, each in separate 100 ounce bladders in my pack. This is foreshadowing, (which is the key to higher cinematography) or in plain English: this will come back to hurt me.

Back on the trail we walk through a mule station and campground called Bright Angel. It is here for the first time that people can refill with purified water. While the icky's are gone the pure, clean taste of cold river water remains. It is an intoxicating drink unlike anything bought in the store or pulled from a urban tap. Its a unexpected reward for those who have never partook before. There smile is my smile because you can't forget that feeling. Our thirst slacked we crossed yet another short bridge over the Colorado and walked through a mile of soft sand before reaching the rough hewn trail back up. Only nine miles and 5,000 feet to go.

While you can technically hike up and down the Bright Angel trail year round, it is best to avoid the dead of winter and heat of summer for such a strenous hike. In the summer the temperatures are 90 degrees on the rim and 120 degrees at the river. In the winter, there is snow reaching at least a quarter mile off the rim which can make trail passage extremely technical without the proper gear. Also in the winter, water is turned off at two of the resthouses along the trail, 3 miles below the rim and 1.5 miles below the rim. As these sites are fed from the lodges above with exposed pipes they are shut off when freezing temperatures arrive, usually the middle of October each year. Let me look at the date of this hike, October 10. Yup, cut it close. I called two separate ranger stations daily, sometimes getting conflicting advice to get the latest intel. Luckily for our date the water was on.

Several of the people who rushed down, rushed out and up the trail. Deciding once again to hang back of the pack, I felt really good at this point. I was drinking with a purpose to prepare for the sweat output to come. After a few miles, my little group caught up with the rest, the caboose on a thirty person train. I cannot abide by the accordian affect this presents to my pace so I decide to indian run past the group with what turned out to be about ten people peeling out to follow along, just waiting for someone to break ranks. While I did not maintain my fast pace, those that had the capacity continued their run upward. I merely wanted to be at my own pace. After this unclogging, I was only past by two other people.

I didn't do this hike alone. Far from it. I did almost every step with a trail partner. Someone in my company who also has a lot of hiking experience. Between my kidneys and his bum knee, we felt we would have a fairly close pace and it turned out it was almost exact. Turned out great for us both.

Five miles from the river and four and half miles from the rim is a rest area called Indian Garden. It's a beautiful ranch area with natural tree cover and hardened park facilitie for resting. For those coming down the Bright Angel trail this is the usual dayhike turnaround point. I ran into a one of the rabbits that blew past me earlier. He was completely drained and cramping. He would stay there two hours before he continued and finished the climb. I however only stayed long enough to fill my water up, make contact with some of the others that past me and kept moving on.

The middle of the photo shows a smear of trees between the ridges, this is Indian Garden.
The trail lead away from that into the shadows.

From Indian Garden there is a small rest house every 1.5 miles up the trail until reaching the rim, at 3 miles and 1.5 miles from the rim. As it turned out it took my partner and I just under one hour to cover each of these distance. It doesn't sound terrible to say that each 1.5 miles was only about 1,000 feet of elevation gain, however the trail switchbacked every 50-100 yards, making it quite the vertical hike, over 14% grade, steeper than most treadmills highest incline settings. The trail itself is not rocky at all. In fact its rather hard compacted dirt. To help with erosion, there are logs staked into the ground and some of these presented a step of 12 to 18 inches. Again, this doesn't sound hard, except this is after you have already covered 15 miles of terrain and every effort that is not in sync with what your body causes cramping.

By the 3 mile resthouse I began to cramp a bit. Very hard a few times but its pain I know and can push away. Eventually it didn't bother me at all. My partners bad knee and ankle held up just fine but his right hip flexor completely locked up on him making every high step, more of a throwover than lift up. Our conversations went from free flowing to more of just me blathering about nature and warnings of, "big step" by whomever was in the lead. When we would reach a rest house we would stop for several minutes to catch our breath, refill water and converse with other hikers. It turns out that three other groups had a similar pace and we all would leap frog each other all the way to the top and encourage each other until we got there.

Sometime just before reaching the 1.5 mile resthouse I bonked hard. (This is were the foreshading pays off). Its like you know your moving slow but all of a sudden its as if your walking into this invisiable wall. Its the only place I looked at my hike buddie and said, "I promised my wife that I if felt like this I would stop and rest." No complaints from him and we sat down letting our empty bodys regain energy. After five minutes we were no where near 100% but it was enough to get to the resthouse and enjoy some proper seats and shade.

The last 1.5 miles to the rim was a mixed bag of happiness, frustration and anger. I knew our pace would have us at the top in under an hour which made me very happy. I also knew that I was physically not going to have the energy I wanted doing it. It was gone. I was at the place where it is all mental. If I could feel my muscles ripping protien apart for fuel, I would have. I could almost sense the thickening of my blood and the damage I was doing to my kidneys. But I had to go up. And up I went.

The anger really didn't happen until about a ten minutes from the top. The trail had become a constant downstream of tourists coming down for pictures. Here I am covered in dirt and mud and sweat and drained of all energy and I pass a tourist in a suit and tie with a camera in his hand. Grandmas and toddlers. Big fat designer purses carried by big fat women in designer jeans with their cork heels drinking diet cokes, laughing and saying, "Look, I hiked the Grand Canyon," to their equally impressed significant other.

Once on top we both shuffled towards the main lodge. Like other hikers we dodged gangs of tourist standing in wide groups in the middle of the path, licking ice cream and not moving out of our way. We must have looked post-apocolyptic in our ragged mess but they did not care, not even as my partner collapsed in the shade next to a soda fountain shop. I went in to purchase a cold soda and almost lost it as a very nice group of elderlys held up the line sampling all 15 flavors of ice cream before deciding on brownies. But by then I had eased passed them, paid my fare and savored the bubbly tingle of an ice cold Coke.

I could second guessed my hike or wondered if my time was slow or fast or whatever, but it didn't matter. What mattered, is that I did it. Was it as hard as an ironman? No way. Not even close. How about a marathon? Yes, pretty close to a hard marathon. It gave me a great indicator of where I am at with my recovery and how to insert myself back into a competitive racing environment come 2010.

But the story is not over when I reached the top. What happens over the next four hours is in and of itself a story I will tell very soon. Remember, there was at least twenty people behind me that had to finish, some in very bad shape. But in my case....

There's treasure everywhere.

Grand Canyon pack list. -Ultralight

Here is my pack list for the Grand Canyon hike. I, and several people from my company, on Saturday are hiking down the South Kaibab trail to the Colorado river and then coming up the Bright Angel trail. Its one big loop from along the the south rim of the canyon.

I am super excited. While I have been to the canyon and hiked around it, I've never been far into it. Call it a Life List, Bucket List, whatever. For some it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Actually living in the state, I hope its just one of many more trips to the canyon.

We endurance athletes often talk about our gear and I suppose my proclivity to do the same with hiking is no different. Isn't it also an endurance activity of sorts. Not nearly as expensive as triathlon however. So I listed out the gear I will be carrying with me. I used to be a normal backpacker with 50+ pounds of gear on me, sometimes 80 pounds, but in the last few years, I have really researched and tested ways to go lighter. Because this is just a one day trip and on a very well run trail, I won't have a bag or tent but I am impressed with how light I have made my kit.

On Back
Golite Pack- Speed	18	oz
med/blister kit	8	oz
100 oz bladders x2	7	oz
top, mid layer	6.5	oz
GPS unit	5	oz
umbrella	4	oz
sleeping mat, foam	3.5	oz
camera	3	oz
leg warmers	3	oz
nitize S-biner	1	oz
socks, extra	1	oz
baby wipes	1	oz
sunscreen	1	oz
anti-chaff lube	0.5	oz
Buff	0.5	oz
AA x2	1	oz
	64	oz	=	4.00	lbs	pack wgt.
Diminishing Items
Food	12	oz
200 oz H20	200	oz
	212	oz		13.3	lbs	food & h2o wgt.
				17	lbs.	total start wgt.

This list does not include what I will be wearing the whole trip, the boots, shirt, shorts, hat, etc.

When considering pack weight, water and food are not included in the base weight due to the fact that you are consuming such items. To get down to 4 pounds when in the past this would be 20 or more, amazes me.

Everyone is concerned for my safety, as am I. Keeping myself hydrated is key, which is why 70% of my pack weight is fluids. I'm going with 150 ozs to start. 50 oz is h2o and 100oz is Gatorade Endurance. This will cut my pack weight to under 15 pounds while going down to the river and then refill to a full 100 oz of water to go back up.

Why a sleeping mat for a day hike with no sleeping bag? The Golite pack is frameless which cuts the weight down significantly. A cut down foam pad with an loose open roll inside the bag creates a frame that pushes against the pack fabric. You put gear inside the circle created by the pad.

Living for so long in Seattle, I would be laughed at for carrying an umbrella. Seattlites do not do such things, we deal with rain. Living now in the desert SW I have come to appreciate just how much sun and heat a micro umbrella keeps off someone. Add to that, the obvious rain and wind blocking properties.

I hope to post from the road on the way back.

There's treasure everywhere.

Grand Canyon Hike: rim-river-rim prep

I am very much looking forward to hiking in the Grand Canyon on October 10. I am doing a rim-river-rim loop, starting on the South Kaibab trail going to the Bright Angel campground on the Colorado river and then taking Bright Angel trail back up. While it can be done much faster, I am looking at taking as much time as it takes with available sunlight.

This will be the hardest test of my physical endurance since Ironman last year and my recovery process since then. The training I have been doing in the last few weeks specifically for this trip and in general the month prior, has been going well. I've have overreached a few times since but I have not made the same mistakes twice.

One of the positives is that I have decades of hiking under my tread and over the last couple of years I have transitioned from a heavy backpacker carrying 50-80 pounds per trip to a light hiker carrying a pack weighing less than 30 total pounds for three days, water and food included. This has really helped me with conserving energy. I'd love to be an ultralight hiker and could be with some changes but I enjoy having some comfort items and extra preparedness gear.

Its adding to my starting pack weight but to be on the safe side I am going to carry all my water with me, two 100 ounce reservoirs, from the start. I may or may not be able to refill on the trail, except down at the river and want to be prepared for that. One is plain water, one mixed with 700 calories of Gatorade Endurance. Starting pack weight with all my gear plus food and water will be about 17 pounds and when I finish without water and food will weigh about 3 pounds.

The gear I am taking including the pack, but minus food and fluids, only weighs about 3 pounds. This is certainly ultralight but I am trading my both my comfort and preparedness items for the fact that this is a one day hike and both these trails are heavily tracked by hikers and park rangers with emergency phones at several locations. So there is no need for additional gear, just what I need to eat, drink and deal with inclement weather.

There is only two things that really scare me. First, its a loop and once committed there is no option to bug out. If I am dehydrated or bonk on my way back up, there is no real rescue by going back down to the campground. All I can do is slow down and keep moving towards the rim. Second, is that in August when I got my most recent heat injury, it was something that came upon me quite suddenly when usually I am fully aware of my body ahead of time.

The best I can do to limit these issues is take my time on the trail and hydrate and eat regularly. Doing these should get me through just fine. I can't control the weather but the time we're going is stastically a great weather window and cooler than what I train in now.

Looking forward to a great day.

Bright Angel trail coming up

Got some great news out of the blue last week. My partner, my boss, has decided to take the managers and executives of the company on a weekend trip to the Grand Canyon next month, to hike the Bright Angel trail as a team building exercise. This trail is Life List accomplishment for me and fulfills half of my desire to do a rim-to-rim-to-rim of the canyon in one long day.

I have dreamed of doing this for a long time and I am super motivated. My family not so much. See, I still have dark urine after most of my hard exertions and this promises to be a 12-14 hour day of 19 miles over 8,500 feet of elevation change. After my last 'hard trail' hike, and total bonk / heat injury on it, Mistress is rather frustrated with my exuberance. In fact the first words out of her mouth were, "Why don't you just kill yourself now." Notice there is no question mark there.

Still, whether it is to my benefit or not, I think I am in better cardio shape that 40% of my managers and I am excited to go. As a team building exercise, I have no desire to pound down, then run up Bright Angel. (Okay, quite a bit. You got me there) But as long as I get to the river and back up in the time limit were setting, I'll take all day. Heck, I'll bring my head lamp and take up the time I be at the post trail dinner too, if I have to. As long as I don't bonk on the trail. That would be bad.

I am not so much into the logistic stuff like booking hotels and restaurants, so I volunteered to create a packet of maps, directions, time lines, gear lists, and will throw the logistics into it that other people do. It's pure delegation.

The trip, if it goes off, (it is short notice) will be October 9 & 10.

There's treasure everywhere.

Hike: Siphon Draw, including Flatiron

What I thought began as a great hike on a wonderful route Saturday, turned out quite badly for me. It leaves me still today with more questions than answers to my future in endurance or perhaps athletics at all.

A very brief synopsis of the route. From the Lost Dutchman State Park (LDSP) its a pleasant hike to a Wilderness Gate and then a rocky uphill to a seasonal waterfall called Siphon Draw. It is then an increasingly steep scramble towards the top of the Superstition Mountains with occasional areas of vertical bouldering. The route is on the right side of mountain in the header above this blog.

This should have been easy for me. And in fact the trip to the dry waterfall was uneventful. The storm the night before left the temperatures much lower but the humidity much higher. Knowing this I brought 180 oz of water in my pack, its only contents other than my survival kit and some calories.

I began to fatigue about 3/4 of the way up. I sometimes used rest steps, which is not unusual for me. I rested five minutes of every thirty, but again I build in rests because I tend to miss whats around me if I don't. At the top I rested and enjoyed myself for 45 minutes. I felt good. I also considered something that I noticed with most other people on the mountain, I had significantly more water than anyone else, that I could see. Many people bringing just one or two liters with them. I drank 3 liters (100 oz) just getting to the top.

One of my outdoor idols is mountaineer Ed Viesturs, he is famous for living the phrase, "Getting to the top is optional, getting down is mandatory."

The decent began innocently enough. Then I began to cramp in my quadricep. Hard. Those that do endurance races like marathons and Ironmans understand the sudden onset of rigored spasms that leave a person in what can only be described as an agonized state of tazer, knowing that there is still hours of movement to go.

The cramping came and went, as it often does, and I dealt with it like many of us do, I pushed through it. But for once I considered my age, which is a new weakness for me. I may have been the oldest person I saw on the route the whole day. My knees ached and I was sweating like a colander holds water. I felt old, or perhaps something else.

At some point with 1.5 miles to go, I really started to fall apart. Mentally and physically. I replayed the Ironman that nearly cost me my life a year and a half ago and all the things I have done since to avoid this very moment. All the promises I was breaking to my family, my friends, being in this state of collapse. It only sped my decline.

The heat, humidity and physical defections continued to compound. My training took me back to accomplishing simple goals; get to the next curve, walk to the next rock. I could not simply sit down in the unshaded desert and expect relief. Looking at my GPS I realized on the way up I had plugged in a way point for a campground shower area just off trail. I was a half mile away from that and my car a half mile again past. My goal became to reach this peice of civilation and cool myself under a shower and rest inside before going further. I could not get more wet than I was from sweat.

As I approached the campground my face began to tingle like a low voltage current passing through it. A sure sign of heat injury, as if I needed more evidence.

I sat in a shower stall for several minutes before I reached for the knob to turn it on. It didn't work. Nor did the other. I went to the sink basin and poured water over my head and torso with a water bottle but realized the enclosed room was not cooling me down as much as the wind would outside, so I slung my now empty pack over my shoulder and went to my car letting the wind cool the water on me. The hike really was beatiful and I know that any other day I would have greatly appreciated the wonder of nature around me. But my quad was feeling tazed with more regularity as I reached my car.

Unfortunately I knew what was coming when I stopped at my car which filed me more with dread than delight. You see when your in a state of cramping, your body gets accustomed to working a certain way and when you change that motion, by say sitting or crossing your leg, aggressive cramping attacks other areas of the body. In my case this day, the calf below my already cramping quad. Not usual. And half the toes of my opposite foot.

Now some people reading this can say they have had excruiating toe cramps, though I have heard of such things after ironman swims or cycling, I could not lay claim to this anomaly until today and oh my god I couldn't believe that the pain I felt along 18 inches of thigh for the last 90 minutes could be focused in three small toes all at once.

Now I suppose I am aggrandizing my suffering without really prescribing the right amount of stupidity I should have felt. Nothing made me feel worse the entire day than calling my wife and describing my condition. I went to place I promised I would never go again.

The rest of the day was spent in bed, dealing with cramp aftershocks, drinking cold beverages like Gatorade and apple juice and eating salty foods. The next morning I seemed to be most recovered except for the inital quad cramp that continues to frustrate me.

Hike: West Boulder Saddle

Superstition Springs Mountains
Carney Springs Trailhead
West Boulder Saddle Trail, + extra distance
August 14, 2009
Start time 0700, Temp: 95*

West Boulder Saddle is the first stage in a three stage climb over the Superstition Mtn's (aka, The Supes). Its the mountain range in my blog header. The middle stage is called the Ridgeline hike which goes from the highest peaks down to an area called the Flatiron, a tabletop mesa running the lip of the cliffs. The third stage is called Siphon Draw which is located inside the Lost Dutchman State Park. Those that know their way can do the whole thing in about 10 hours. Those that do not, it will take atleast 15 hours to find your way.

Part of the reason this one way route is so difficult is that there is no clear path up to the top of the Supes from the West Boulder Saddle route, which as near as I can tell from research is the only way up there. My plan called for me to recon that first stage and lay in waypoints on my GPS, so when I came back to hike through with a pal(s) later on, we would have a defined path.

Then a week before my recon, I lost my GPS.

Undetered, I headed out with my map, compass, photocopies of trail notes, a well stocked backpack (29 lbs) and a lotta luck. Here is my trip notes which I scribble while I am in the backcountry.

Took dads pick up as I don't know the conditions of the roads back here. There is no marker for the Trailhead (TH) but online reports ar that it's been blocked off and have to hike a 1/2 mile in. I missed the turn off, or more accurately, I wasn't sure but knew it was exactly 1.2 miles from the Peralta TH, went there and backtracked.

0700 Start. The TH turns out to be a little turnout on the side of the road with some wood pylons to denote a non-driving area. I head off down the trail at a heading of 330* along an overgrown road.

+o:15. Make it too the wilderness gate in the book and cross over into to State lands.

+0:15:17. Oh Eff. There is no good trail here. Which way do I go? Trusting directions.

+0:31. Something not right. Supposed to be on an old road (?) but this si definitely not. Will go a bit further, famous last words for me, then turnaround. At this point I should hit 'Carney Spring'.

+1:00. Taking a break. Temp climbed to 102* but sun was behind canyon most of way up. I may have seen the pipe in the notes but didn't walk up to it. But there is no such thing as a straight line in nature. They keep saying 'Saddle' but walking up a ravine to what? About 200 yds from the top so I will keep going. The trip length by book is 2.5 hours RT so technically I am still on track. At least if I screwed up and on the wrong trail, it's all downhill from here. haha. I have seen cairns/ducks, a good sign and there can't be that many trails leading up that are not in the book. The rest equalled 25 minutes most of that time orienting the map to areas across the valley. GPS would have solved this positioning so fast. I am rusty with land nav but I think I know exactly where I am.

+1:26. Heading up.

+1:55. Definitely a vantage point but is West Boulder Saddle? Not so sure. I can see the truck below at 150* azimuth. Lots of ducks on the way up and was white spray paint which I have read is a sign of the Ridgeline trail but on the Siphon Draw sign. Still not sure I am in the right spot. Looking for a SW trail from this spot heading to the top of the ridge. There is a geographic signpost mentioned in the guidebook. I don't see a trail at all just animal trails and water runoffs.

+2:11. Dead end. Followed no trail to the SW and ended up behind a a prominent buttress with nowhere to go. I didn't see any ducks or paint marks since I started this direction. It would have been great had there been a map coordinate to the signpost but this is almost like, "Take a left just past where Old Man Johnsons tractor hit the tree in 1977"

+2:25. Done looking, heading back down.

+3:20. Back at TH.

Thoughts. Is it possible I was on the wrong trail the whole time? My back azimuths seem to check out with my map position. That GPS would have been great. There is a trail that leads west from the Wilderness gate so maybe there is another enterence that the overgrowth hide from me.

At the top I may have stayed to close to the cliff face and not worked my way farther in before turning SW to find the signpost. I wonder if I walked in front of a natural rock fence and the trail was behind it.

I think I will come back with a lighter load and a GPS and test both those theories. Right trail, wrong trail, had a great trip.

Roughing it

A regular occurrence at my house is I will come home, grab Mo and head out back to see if I can start a fire. Not a simple: newspaper, lighter fluid, matches, type. More the matches and lighters are forbidden and I have to use things I find in the backyard. On Friday with strong winds, Mistress was betting against me but I started a fire in about ten seconds.

My Godfather is my longest and most prolific camping partner. He is doing an overnight in Sequoia National with his best friend Gordy this past weekend. Gordy is also a long time camping/fishing partner of mine.

I had the camping Jones and due to the fire I started so did Mo. So we camped out in the backyard Saturday night. I set up the tent, we put our sleeping bags in it, decided we would roast marshmallows and that the dog is really a cheetah and we didn't want him to eat us at night.

Mistress put a time limit on Mo. She figured he would be back in his bed by 2am. I refused to believe. As we sat around the fire, eating chicken kabobs, I lit my alcohol stove and made Mountain House, mac & cheese, which was well received. Then Mo and I zipped ourselves in the tent and I read some stories from the Book of Virtue by Bill Bennet and asleep we went.

At 1:30am it was 45 degrees and Mo woke up freezing. I asked if he wanted to go in and he looked at me like I was crazy. So I went inside and grabbed a thick fleece blanket and a beanie for his head and we slept until sunrise.

He continued to play in the tent long into the afternoon on Sunday and then as we took the tent down and cleaned up our area I taught him how to Leave No Trace, including cleaning the fire pit.

He went to bed early on Sunday, in his own bed. Happy, warm and wiped out. Camping sure is hard.

There's treasure everywhere.

High Points: Silly Mountain

Yes its name is Silly Mountain, located off the US-60 just east of Apache Junction. I have driven past this trail head many times, most recently this very day on my way out to our team cycling route.

I can only speak for myself on this, but I often drive past hills/mountains/etc and desire to get to its peak. On the way back from a great 21 mile rolling hill route, I pulled over and decided to bag this one.

As I stepped over the entrance gate, I asked a returning hiker, "How do I get up there, sir?" Pointing to the summit above. After consulting his trail guide and deciding on the southern route, off I went along the Brittlebrush trail. A very well developed desert trail with the typical stones sticking out of the ground, I jogged a decent pace toward the Old Mine Trail which connects me to the High Point trail, a short, decent scramble to the top.

As families coming down politely moved aside as ran up, one mother asked me, "Are you a fireman?"

"No ma'am, Ironman," the response spewing from my lips organically. At that moment, I did not have a year of recovery, I was bricking a 21 mile hilly bike with a magnificent trail run up virgin (to me) trail known only as Silly Mountain.

Reaching the summit took less than 15 minutes. It was a perfect route for my expectations. After a few photos, chugs of water, and wonderful veiw to catch my breath, off I went back to the world and responsibilities.

Now when I drive past Silly Mountain I can point and say, "Been there, done that," and love the moment once again.

There's treasure everywhere.

A Daddy First

On Tuesday night Mo and I went for our first father-son jog together. We put on our shoes, he made sure they were tight. He wore one of my running lights strapped to his arm and I a headlamp to guide our way.

Our course was a simple and straight quarter mile jog in the dark down to a stop sign and then come back. At first Mo charged ahead but my quiet, "Slow down" every few steps got us in perfect sync. His little sneakers slapping flat footed on the asphalt as he sped up and slowed down not sure how far we would go. We walked once each direction, just to catch our breaths. Constant encouragement was his motivation to run farther than he'd ever run before.

As we got within a few houses of our own, our Christmas lights created the perfect finish line. "Alright Mo, run your heart out and beat daddy home." He tucked his chin against his chest and pumped his little arms and slapped his almost boy sized shoes on the ground. It always seems his feet move faster than his body. He say's he beat me to the driveway, I told him a bug flew into my eye and I couldn't see who won. But notice how watery they are?

The red on his cheeks, the twinkle in his eyes, the absolute glee in his smile, proved a powerful spell on me. I have never been able to run with a smile on my face. Running is something I love more than almost anything and yet my energy is drawn to places other than the muscles that make my mouth curve up. I am glad Mo does not have that problem.

I gave him a big hug and another high five. I told him that running like that is what Dr. Jeff and daddy do when they practice triathlon. He reminded me I am still 'sick' so he would have to run with Dr. Jeff for me. Could I please call him and set that up.

There's treasure everywhere. There surely is.

Reminders

My life seems a constant reminder of things to not do. I have affirmations and prayers that I use to create a vision for my life the way I want it to be, but the rest of the day seems to be a liteny of thoughts telling myself, "too fast, be patient, your not cleared yet" and so forth.

I am heading out right how and going to push my HR a little bit on a short 30 minute run and perhaps a bit on a mountain bike later in the day. Nothing extreme, like say, oh 165 bmp. But nevertheless.

When I have thoughts like this I think, "Just push it a little. Don't get emotional about it and start charging up hills, its a treat to run in the woods at sunrise, not a punishment."

I had no clue that one year after not finishing Arizona that I would not finish again. I certainly had no clue what was going on with my body to that extreme, what I had been doing to it. But it showed me that, its always still there inside of me. It can lie mostly dormant for a year or years and then when I need it the least, a race, my system shuts down and I need a gallon of IV fluid.

But I apprecaite the object lesson. The whole year between those races I trained without a clue to the damage inside me. Blaming it on a virus and not realizing that I was burning my kidneys up from the inside, not only with my training but with my nutrition.

So with every workout that leads to my recovery I remind myself that I have to stay in control of every workout. I have to be adult, or mature, or wise about the choices I make when I see a short climb or pancake flat with with some prize at the end. And with that, the trees await.

A view afield

This trip to Seattle I am not renting a car, I will be using public transportation to and from the airport and a combination of taxi/buses/feet around town. Part of this decision is financial, this medical visit is expensive. Also, I booked a hotel about a mile and half away and can walk to and from the clinic gathering my thoughts and enjoying cooler weather. Lastly, I would not mind trying something new. I do not have a history of using public transportation and this is sort of a trial run on how I can adapt to traveling abroad, ya know in case I get on Amazing Race, in a familiar city.

BTW, the Phoenix public transportation blows. Hard.

I am looking forward to hoofing it. It simplifies my decision making. Mistress has come to terms with me ignoring all our friends on this trip but has given me two mandates. First, I must go to the REI flagship store and second I must enjoy a nice seafood dinner. I love fresh seafood.

BTW, the Phoenix seafood scene blows. Hard.

I am sure I will have plenty of time this evening to post some thoughts from the days events.

Russian Roulette

Well three of my team mates, two of which are my primary training partners, Jeff and Hardcore, pulled the trigger on the 2009 Ironman CdA. None of them would have considered it had I not been talking about this event due to all the bloggers there last weekend and my overwhelming guilt for not being there myself to sherpa and fellowship.

I of course wanted to bite the bullet for next year. I logged into Active.com and stared at that screen. Each frenzied call asking me to go over the times for enrollment, what is the webpage address, I got in. It only made me happier for my friends and more melancholy for myself. Then realized if I completed the entry form it wouldn't be a hypothetical gun in my mouth but literally biting down on a cold hard barrel and blowing my brains out.

I knew this day was coming, when IM life would finally leave me behind kicking and screaming. I told myself that knowledge is power and in my condition it's not my place to debate the obvious stupidity of doing something like an Ironman that is well beyond the exertional stress my kidneys and liver can handle for the next several years if ever.

To hammer the point home, I have a test kit I am mailing out today. I don't think I would survive till morning if I came home telling Mistress, "Hey babe, I mailed off my metabolic test. By the way, signed up for another Ironman today." I can already smell the April Fresh fabric softener on the pillow case that would be smothering me in bed.

There is more to life than Ironman. I'm over it. My hang up is not that I can't do the race, its that I want to be there in training for my friends and supporting them every stroke, pedal and stride like we have done for each other for almost four years. I still want to be relevant. I've heard its hard to be that when your dead.

Healing old pains

Monday was a really great day for me. My godfather is in town for a week helping my mom help my dad recover from a neck surgery. Mo was already there so Mistress and I stayed for a steak dinner. Mistress bbq'd steak and I bought desert. Worked out for them and us since the a/c is still out at our place.

I came home around midnight and putz'd around for a few moments with the dog and surfing cable and caught the last few minutes of United 93 about the September 11th hijacking. I have avoided any movie about 9/11, the live feed I watched and the subsequent replys of WTC coming down are more than I need for the rest of my life. It is still so raw for me, believe it or not.

I think I have mentioned in the past that that day changed the paradigm of my life in fundamental ways.

In September 2001, I had not had sugar or caffeine for over five years. I was a powerlifter weighing 225 pounds and starting a diet for a body building show I was doing around Thanksgiving. On the 11th, a Tuesday, I was several days into a fishing trip in Montana with my dad and godfather and couple other guys. I had just toured Little Bighorn as part of a historical military exercise and was staying at a military base in Helena on the 10th and 11th.

I was trying to get the gang out the door, it must have been a bit after 7am and we were dawdling. I went to turn off the tv and Bryant Gumbel came on with a special announcement saying a plane had hit the WTC. I called everyone in and thought out loud that it must have been a plane malfunction. Something similar had happened not long back.

As a camera showed the plumes coming from the building, I saw the second plane in the background. I knew then and I don't know how that this was something much more than pilot error. We all stood agape as the second plane hit the WTC in real time. Man.

I remember sitting down and saying, "My life will never be the same." I then asked my godfather for a cup of coffee and a candy bar. My demand was almost as unnerving as the tv, I had been eating nothing but chicken breasts and ground beef for four days as part of my contest diet. I had relented to a few beers on the river but unmoved with taunts of sugar and espresso, up till that minute. Everyone knew how long I'd been off those items and to drink two cups of coffee and three candy bars was profound. Needless to say we sat there for about an hour. I could have sat there all day and would have if at home. But we decided that it was best to let the process play out and console ourselves by fishing.

I realized that day on the river that my life was too much time spent in the gym. Between work and workouts I spent between 80-85 hours a week in a gym environment. Even the running I had done outdoors became a treadmill chore because of the desert heat. Mentally I dropped out of the bodybuilding contest. How could I be so vain at that moment? I decided I couldn't exercise in a gym any longer and thats the spark that turned me back towards my dreams of competing in endurance events, eventually triathlons. I also decided my life needed more variety and I added carbohydrates back into it. I went from 80% protein to a 40/30/30 plan, denying myself nothing with moderation.

By the end of the day, we had to drop my dad off at a state level military meeting, he was the third highest ranking officer in the state. By the end of the week, my brother was gone for a year, as a member of the first guard unit called to service in the GWOT. The fishing trip ended with my godfather and I saluting my father as he lifted off a tarmac in a heavily armed gunship to prepare his soldiers for the unknown. I flew out, trying to explain to the guards in the airport that hemostats to pull out fish hooks were not dangerous and should be allowed on the plane. They were.

I didn't have a son then. I had been married for quite a while and had a business that had started a few years earlier but I was ready to go back into the service. I looked into it but they didn't want me at the time. I had been out five years and that was too long for them at my age and job ability, Infantry officers are a dime a dozen.

With the changes I made to my diet and exercise and stress, I lost fifty pounds getting the anger out of me at what had happened to my country and the politics that came after. I was preparing my body for the combat I felt would be placed on me, but the call never came, even when I called them.

With all things the pain lessoned and I put on some much needed weight. Mistress changed too. She had been adamantly opposed to kids but less than a year later she was pregnant. I think I can blame 9/11 for her change too. I sometimes selfishly wonder 'What If' that day never happened. Would I be a father? Would I have done an Ironman? Would I have the balance in my life with work and nutrition that I did not have then?

Watching just twenty minutes of United 93 pulled this out me just now. I do not think I can watch it all, yet. I have a "9/11" CD of saved videos, images and articles from the internet that I saved for my son. To show him what really happened as opposed to the revisionist views that I knew he would be taught in school. I don't want to forget, nor think I ever will. People remember where they were when Kennedy was shot, or when Challenger exploded. I remember 9/11 just as clearly.

Thanks for reading something I had to get out of me before bed.

A Systems Go

Productive phone call Tuesday with the Seattle doctors. I have been given a Green Light for all things fun, or in this case exercise. And I have an action plan for the next few months from them. To begin with I can swim and use weights. I can bike and I can run. I have to self-monitor (uh-oh) and gradually build back up. Nothing long yet. I can go to altitude.

I am being sent a couple of test kits. I need to see some other doctors down here for specific exams. They want me to eventually come up and while there do a lactate threshold and resting metabolic test with a power to weight ratio thrown in. I said I can do that here no problem.

We talked about training volume and nutrition and different scenarios I can look into down here to help me out.

I asked if there was any conditions I need to place on my training and he was pretty straightforward, nothing to hard. He has a client on the Slipstream cycling team that has a similar condition to me and is now doing very well but it was a process.

I am ready for my next big adventure...I just gotta find my running shoes.

The rides been a good one

Well I have 85% of my gear bags packed. Need a couple of odds & ends before drop off and I'm good. I don't know if I will post before the race in any detail, perhaps a few anecdotes from the blogger party and a "I'm off!" message and thats it.

Before I begin to tunnel vision into a singular purpose I want to express with the strongest terms possible the energy, excitement, comradeship, filial love and happiness that I get from all of you. Thousands will do an Ironman this year without good training weather, without training partners, without a blog, without family acceptance and they are all stronger men and women than me. It is not a sign of weakness to admit that in this respect of my life, I need fellowship and feel that I get it in multiplicity in this sport.

So thank you for investing in me this last year. The rides been a good one I hope. Now if you'll pardon the absence of thought and introspection for the next few days...I'll see you on the other side. I have an Ironman to finish.

Activism?

I came home tired last night to an exaggerated Mighty Mo proclaiming loudly in the kitchen to Mistress and the dog that at school, "Pokie Bugs are dying and we have to build hospitals to save them!" By the obvious look on the dog and the mom, this 5 year old (on April 24th) had been on his soap box for quite some time on the issue. Quite literally since he has a step-up box to reach the counter.

I scooped him up for his shower and he went at it with me, pledging all the money from his piggy bank and all the loose change on the counter tops. He reminded me that, "A Mann protects the weak." (part of his prayers)

From my questions I have found out that Pokie Bugs are:

• Not class pets
• They are outside by the fence on the playground
• They are dying!!!!!!
• When they die they become bones and skin
• Mistress and I absolute had to to stop their dying by building Pokie Bug hospitals.

Mistress called me this morning to let me know she has witnessed the graveyard of Pokie Bugs. They are not really bugs, their some kind of weed and as the weather heats up they are releasing their spores, turning brown and dying. The husk and stalk are the skin and bones.

Mistress took the opportunity to tell him that they are not bugs but plants and when they die they are sending seeds to grow somewhere else. This seems to have made him feel better now that he can use his money for toys and not hospitals.

No son you don't have to use your money for building hospitals, mommy and daddy are doing that for you already. You just keep that imagination going and keep your nose to the bugs.

PSA; Be Prepared

The news hounds have been talking about the dad and kids in California that got stuck in the woods for three days while trying to cut down a Christmas tree. Not too much it appears because every other word out of their mouth is humbly praising God and their faith carried them through. I am going to give you my thoughts on this survival story and then some tips for yourself at the end.

SHORT TANGENT: I think this hasn't got as much publicity as the Kim tragedy or the Mt. Hood tragedy because the news feels it okay report someone 'found' God in a foxhole, or use Him as a euphemism they just can't REALLY believe in religion or allow the name Jesus Christ used as a affirmation of His plan for your life.

But the point of this post is to mention the importance of the 6P's. Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance or a my platoon sergeant used to say to me, "Planning equals not getting killed, Mann."

First, the family did not tell anyone where they were going. "It was a nice day. They were just going to the woods to cut down a tree after church, they didn't know the weather would turn," you say? Look what happened. Things like this do happen and while it may seem foolish to tell people where your going all the time, its important to do so when you will be out of good communication or cell phone service.

Second, they had an ax/saw to cut the tree, but no matches or lighter. This really comes down to having just some basic thoughts about your environment. I have no illusions that most of us would carry a sleeping bag, some water, maybe a map and compass or a even a knife with us on a short trip to the woods. Even so the items would probably be left in the car. However, everyone understands that winter weather is unpredictable and can change rapidly. Carrying some basic survival gear takes up less than a jacket pocket. Just a simple fire would have increased their chances of being seen, improved their morale and kept them warm.

Staying on preparedness for a moment; be ready to spend a night outdoors, regardless of the time of day you leave and plan to return, every time you leave suburbia. Its easy to flag down a car on the side of a major freeway to change a tire, a bit more difficult if the main road is several miles away or the road is less traveled. Chances are 1/10 someone would stop anyway on a deserted road to help you.

Here are some tips I have for you and your next outing.

• Leave a note or voice mail of where your going and the when will be back. This can be as easy as telling your spouse the route your running and how long it will take. In the winter if you slip on some ice and break a wrist or sprain your ankle you may not get back in time and they can come looking. For longer solo trips or overnight trip in a group, give a NLT (No Later Than) time. For example: tell someone where your hiking and will be back by 4pm. If they don't hear from you by 8pm to call the closest police. Personal Note: When I swim up at Canyon Lake there is no phone service, as I drive up I tell Mistress when I will be back down the mountain and I call her as soon as service is available.

• Stand out without standing out. Its seems silly but you're not alone outdoors. If you do become lost it is probably on a path or in an area that people do frequent. So if SAR (Search And Rescue) is called to look for you its a good idea to give them some info to discern you from everybody else in the last week that has been where your at. For example: when you leave your car pull out a square of aluminum foil and step on it with your footwear, making an imprint of your sole. On the back, tape a piece of paper with your route or destination, the gear you have with you and what your going to do if you discover your lost; sit and wait or move to 'handrail', (like knowing that at any time if you walk east you will reach a stream). If SAR knows that your heading to Mt. Trundle, have a sleeping bag rated for the season, a means to make fire, cold weather clothing and a flashlight, they can create a better plan of finding you than searching an unknown grid. Personal Note: A friend of mine became lost on a mountain while out running. She had several pairs of the same shoe so I brought a pair to the SAR base camp with thoughts on her running routes. The were quickly able to find her shoe imprint leading off the main trail and found her by a stream with a broken foot, she needed to refill her bottle and slipped on moss. She would have been found eventually but was saved several hours earlier.
  

• Be Prepared. I know it sounds incredibly cliche and you might feel weird, but a small backpack or fanny pack can sustain you for days in freezing weather if you have the right gear with you. I won't belabor the obvious so I will link to the 10 Essentials. Personal Note: While I am often maligned for my ubiquitous backpack, I have most of the 10 on me at all times, with redundancies in many cases plus a few extra tricks I learned on my own. My EDC (EveryDay Carry) fits into a small 3x5 pouch and goes every where with me. Maybe I put up some photos of my stuff for you to see.
  

Most of you will have started scrolling by now, so how about ending this on a positive note, Christmas. Here are some last minute fantastic Christmas presents for someone you love. A car emergency kit. A small personal survival kit, my personal favorite. What guy doesn't like a simple compass. A medical kit. Headlamp or flashlight (personal fav's). Go to your local big box like Wal-Mart or Target and make a nice emergency kit for someone with a cheap backpack include; flashlight, small blanket or inexpensive sleeping bag, a bright colored rain poncho, a single bladed knife, generic multi tool, cheap transistor radio, compass, a waterproof match case or waterproof matches. Lighter. Duct tape. Extra batteries.

By the time you're done you'll have a second set of everything for yourself.

Race Season 2007-2008

I am the 'Intrepid Age Grouper'. It's my homage to Calvin and Hobbes.

This is why I took two months off, then a strict three month build with no racing.


11/17/07 Intrepid Age Grouper @ El Tour De Tucson, 110 mile cycling race. The 25th Anniversary of this race will have 10,000 cyclist riding around Tucson. It is a rolling course with two dismounts to cross streams. I am pacing a buddy through this race with a goal time of under 7 hours. I have always wanted to do this race.

12/02/07 Intrepid Age Grouper @ Tucson Marathon. The whole enchilada. I am pacing a friend. Again a race I have always wanted to take part in.

1/13/08 PF Chang Half Marathon @ Intrepid Age Grouper. I have heard bloggers are coming down to this race. It won't be my first time but it will be fun with friends.

3/22/08 Intrepid Age Grouper @ Lake Havasu Triathlon. Olympic Distance. Last epic training before Ironman. After all the long IM training, this will help me remember how fun racing is. Swimming under the original London Bridge should be a blast for this history buff.

4/13/08 Ironman Arizona @ Intrepid Age Grouper. The Reckoning. I am above becoming to emotional about this race. I got really sick and still raced in 2007. Stupid. Still, this 'A' race represents my vision of having a great race and is my focus. My goal is sub-13.

5/03/08 Intrepid Age Grouper @ Rocky Pt. Mexico. Olympic. I love this race. Its international. It's on Saturday. We stay in a 5,000 square foot penthouse with great friends at an awesome resort.

5/18/08 Tempe International Classic @ Intrepid Age Grouper. International. Not a great race. Super hot. But if I stay healthy, I will PR.

6/08/08 Intrepid Age Grouper @ Escape From Alcatraz. Olympic. Need to get a lottery pick first. Heard good things. Want to challenge myself against the current of SF Bay. There really could be sharks in that water! Destination race in a good city. Something that I would not do every year so it appeals to me.

7/20/08 Intrepid Age Grouper @ Mountain Man, Flagstaff. Half Ironman. Bolder has told me if I do this race as a Half Iron, he will give me a life time exemption of SLP status. The course starts at 6,500 and tops out at 7,500. If I do the Olympic, as I have done in the past, (notably when I stress fractured my leg on the bike and finished in 2006), he will just renew my 2 year exemption.

9/21/08 Intrepid Age Grouper @ Cancun Ironman 70.3. Cancun has the lure of the tropics and is another punch on the international triathlete card. Several friends and team mates could make this a long weekend of fun and for those north of Kansas City, it will supply a winters worth of stories of palm tree and frilly drinks. Maybe recreate a past spring break or create our own. No kids allowed. My second 'A' race of the year.

9/22/08 Nathans Olympic Triathlon @ Intrepid Age Grouper. Sprint or Olympic TBD. If Cancun is a bust I will have this as a local back up for same weekend. Just a training day race to have fun on the course before getting serious for Vegas.

9/28/08 Intrepid Age Grouper @ Las Vegas Triathlon. I actually decided to break my base training camp in 2007 and do this race with Iron Kahuna and Robo Stu but a wedding in Seattle the same weekend forced my hand. This is a provisional race again in 2008 as Cancun is one week earlier than this race and I plan on being in Cancun for at least four days with Mistress and friends. That being said, I would really enjoy doing this race.

10/26/08 Soma @ Intrepid Age Grouper. Half Iron. If I can't get to Cancun 70.3 in September I will do Soma as my last long course tri of the year.

11/08/08 Just Another Mad Dog 50K @ Intrepid Age Grouper. My first Ultra baby! I would have done this in 2007, except El Tour de Tucson is the next weekend and needed fresh legs for a 110 mile bike. Even though a 50K does not have the oomph of a 100 miler, I would really like to put ultra-marathon on my resume and cap this magical season off with authority.

On the radar for next year but not listed is the local MyoMed Ragnar Relay, a 189 mile running relay for a team of 12 and the possibly still complete my dream of a rim to rim of the Grand Canyon.

This is an aggressive race schedule and not for those who are new to running or triathlon. I am looking for new locations and challenges for this season and created a plan that keeps me off balance and fresh.

Soma Epic Weekend

Disclaimer- I am too tired to hyperlink all the bloggers mentioned or alluded to in this report. I do not do their deeds justice in this post nor can I truly explain the magnitude at which I appreciated being apart of special weekend.

Wow!

Talk about a gangbuster fast weekend of blogger-centric activity. I most certainly will not be able to condense everything into a cogent post and really my contribution was minimal considering I did not have a bib number.

Bolder and I again slit our fingers and mashed them together in blood-brotherhood and swore oaths to meet for race weekend once per year. That may also have been spilled our beer and cursed like sailors, but you get the point. Bold stayed with me at Casa del Comm's while Mistress and Mo were in Seattle. I could not promise turn down service or home cooked meals but he got excellent sleep every night and a personal chauffeur at his beck and call. I can do no more.

As Nytro so eloquently pointed out at lunch during the expo, the only places I eat with her and Ben are Olive Garden and Monti's (a rustic restaurant directly across the finish line of Soma and IMAZ) Rainbow and Hubby could only claim Monti's with me, so Nytro felt superior. Which isn't surprising.

I finally met Stronger. Reaching out to finally touch someone in person that has touched me so much as a person, I admit got me teary eyed. I may in future references blame horseradish for the redness in my eyes. But nevertheless I could have done nothing else the whole weekend and meeting her made it complete.

Of course my email training partner, MoMo was there all the time (we keep emailing schedules and have yet to ride together), 21st Century Mom whom is as sweet a person IRL as online, thank you for the gifts. The Dread Pirate, AAAARRRR she was ruckus woman. There will be much said regarding her race and I give her high praise for never speaking a disparaging word about it. Un-pirate like to not blame 'The Man' but she showed me once again the triathlon spirit that an indomitable attitude is more important at a triathlon than a great race.

Oh geesh, so many people at a 25 person dinner that its hard to give proper dues. But at least thanks Brian and the New Mexico Outlaws for allowing me to attend the dinner. I sat at a table with great minds and easy smiles. It was a bit overwhelming to maintain so many threads of conversations, I wanted to be a part of them all and not miss anything.

The Race. How did my race day go when I wasn't racing? Well being Bolder's personal driver is a big responsibility. I woke at 0220, unable to sleep so I hopped on my trainer until 0400 when my alarm when off. Pre Race was great, I did not see much of the out of towners except Bold so we stayed with AZTRICLUB members. We're not hard to see, racers and supporters alike in our bright orange shirts.

I jumped in and volunteered a couple hours stripping wet suits. Fun. Drank some beers. Then when Big John came out of T2, I went out to pace him for his first half of the 13.1 mile run. At three miles, we ran into Duane and I decided to walk the remainder of his quarter man 10k with him as he was starting to be affected greatly by the weather. It hit 100 degrees out there during the race. Duane and I did not get a chance to talk much at the dinner and I felt badly about that. Maybe God had put him and I out there together on the run course together so we could spend the time together that I wanted the night before. I was compelled to push John forward and stay with Duane.

Duane got so much praise and support from fellow competitors out there. It was affirming of the human spirit and humbling. His mouth, all our mouths, were so dry that he simply could not respond to every person who spoke to him or touched him when they ran by in support of his efforts.

In all I spent two hours and seventeen minutes on the run course, running up and down, walking with and talking to important people who needed encouragement or a side-five. Doing that while first pacing John then pacing Duane really made me feel like a better person than just being a spectator.

The AZTRICLUB tent was a hub of activity. This time we had three 10x10 tents for shade with 5 cases of beer, 6 bottles of champagne, water and Gatorade, muffins, danishes, homemade burritos, German chocolate cake, bagels, fruit and chips. The team probably handed out a case of beer and couple dozen small glasses of champagne to friends and fellow athletes who felt obliged. We may not be the fast tri club in the city, but everyone knows we do it up at races.

While Soma is the end of most peoples seasons, Florida Ironman and Silverman not withstanding, my season is soon about to begin.

Let's have fun....

Mt. Lemmon trip

Well there was some great and some not so great doings on the Aztriclub trip to ride Mt. Lemmon. We got out of Phoenix on time but due to a rare early morning rain storm our drive time was significantly longer.

We decided before riding that we'd go to Tri Sport's headquarters and see what they claim is the largest tri store in the world. We were all very unimpressed and quite frankly severely disappointed. Perhaps they are a force online but Tribe Multisport in Scottsdale, my store, is infinitely more impressive is size, vibe and personnel.

Due to time constraints we decided to start two miles up the mountain and ride two hours; each turning around where we were at when 4:30 struck, catching the rest on the next morning. Let me just say that I turned around at 1 hour completely knackered. Perhaps it was the 10 mile run the day before, or already being up 12 hours and driving for six, or maybe I was just not far enough into base training to attempt such a climb at altitude so soon. I got to the point where my rpms for 5 minutes were below 35 and another two minutes below 30. I was sort of just waiting to fall over. While I felt fine for the most part, my legs were simply lead. Whatever the reason its never fun to be the only person to turn back in the group.

Everyone else did really well.

When we got back to the camp, I tried to start the fire with the most rudimentary tools possible. Starting off with dry tinder, some moss and my Light My Fire firesteel. I didn't count on five very hungry and tired triathletes clambering for fire and food and to start flicking matches into my fire pile. Their 3 minute timeline, got counted as far as Jeff and Andy could reach for packets of match sticks. I ended up using my lighter but the prep work was spectacular and given a few more minutes feel pretty confident I would have got it going.
I did get some photo's of my sleep set up, the hammock and tarp. Good set up, I was very warm the entire time and pretty comfortable all things considered. The main detraction is that I am a side sleeper and being forced onto my back without the ability to move my legs and body kept my sleep level at the most minimum. Add to that my already stunted sleep pattern in unfamiliar places, so although my eyes were closed and I know I slept it was not recuperative in the least and heard almost every snore and carried voice in the area all night long.

I have this meditative trick of counting backwards from 100 to clear my mind. I start over each time I go from counting down numbers to a thought that pops in. I must have restarted forty times, reaching zero perhaps twice.

Waking up the next morning, we were all quite tired. No one really got any good sleep but who said camping was about restful nights sleep. The rest all slept in a decent size family tent but the snoring, uneven surface, the issue of moving over men to got take a leak outside and just being outside to sleep at all, caused a lack of rest that night.

We decide that instead of unpacking the bikes we would go into town get a good meal and head home.

We all had a great time. The evening spent around the campfire drinking beer and hearing new stories and repeating old. Teasing and pushing buttons in the way chums do. While I thought selfishly and sheepishly that I would be derided for turning around, I don't think it even came up except for my own self-deprecation. If that is because my team mates know that I have been busting my ass training for three straight weeks or because they know that even good people have bad days, or whatever, deep down I was thankful they respected my failure to complete the ride.

To use my new favorite term, That'll Happen.

Pack Out

Well heading down to Tucson for a ride up Mt. Lemmon, the supposed gem ride of Arizona. Its 26 miles from base to peak with recommendation of starting about ten miles out to get warmed up before the incline. Rumor has it and I hope its true that the incline is about 6%. We will see.

We, that would be Jeff, John, Hardcore Mike, Glen and 'Chili' Andy, are also camping 21 miles up the mountain at a State park. So after the ride we will relax and do guy stuff around a fire.

This has given me the opportunity to pack out my camping kit as if I was going out on a much longer trip. Below is my base kit that would last me indefinitely minus food and water. (And of course all the bike and car camping gear I am taking for luxury which would not being going into the backcountry).

In case this doesn't blow out when clicked on. I will describe my gear with hyperlinks. Starting left top to bottom and traveling right top to bottom.

Total base weight, including all the clothes I would be wearing is 16 pounds.

Left Column: Big Agnes Yampa sleeping bag (Outside Gear of The Year 2004), Big Anges sleeping pad (also GOTY 2004). Poop trowel (the campground has bathrooms though) Green 7' x 9' waterproof tarp, ENO single nest hammock with ENO SlapStraps inside (Outside Buyers Guide 2007). Titanium pegs. 150 feet of 550 cord.

Middle Column: Go Lite Race Pack with 3L bladder inside. In the top pouch is a RSK folding knife and Gerber Infinity flashlight, in the pockets is vaseline lip balm, paper, sharpie, wool watch cap, photon freedom micro light clipped to zipper, spf 35, digital camera case, map case with directions to camp ground and Brunton 8096 Adventure Racing compass. On top are Montrail Namche boots (Outside BG 2007) (REI socks inside) and Black Diamond Spot headlamp (Outside BG 2006).

Right Column: Inside clothing bag which is what I will be wearing after the ride- Mountain Hardware Canyon Shirt and Canyon Pants, extra socks, Ex Officio britches, REI base layer, wool beanie, buff, Cool Max base shirt, buff. Next two bags are REI rain jacket, Seirra Design Rain pants.

At the bottom of the right Column is my red EDC (EveryDay Carry) bag. This is with me 24/7 and I use these items on a regular basis, including and replacing items as I use them. It includes an emergency blanket, Photon micro light, generic lighter, Swiss Firesteel fire starter, quart zip lock bag, gallon zip lock bag, button compass, 3 feet of duct tape, signal mirror, whistle, spark lite fire starter with spark lite tinder quick, 4 Gerber Strike Force tinder cubes, list of emergency phone numbers, $50. Calling card. Gerber folding knife.




With these 16 pounds I would have about 11 in the pack and 4 on me in clothes, boots and gear. Its car camping so no water purifier or Nalogene bottles, but I am taking my Naly bottle with Firefly light. A ten day trip would have the same gear above, adding 16-20 pounds of food and stove/gas, remove the hammock system and add another 3 pounds for a tent. Situationally and seasonally dependent I hope the total weight would be less than 40 pounds, closer to 35 making hard choices.

As I get the sleeping shelter set up this weekend I hope to take pictures of how the hammock floats under the tarp. It would be very cool if I can get some video or photos of me starting a fire using the EDC kit and I will first try without the lighters. But hell worst case scenario, which is what I am practicing, I have a flare in the car if I have a real problem. haha.

Vacation was a success

Overall we did really well with each other and now that we finally made it home we can marvel in our ability as intense individuals to come together as a family for such an long period of time.

For the entire six days we travel together Mighty Mo only had about 45 minutes total of fussy four year old behavior. He turned out to be a tremendously fun travel companion which has really allowed Mistress and I to contemplate more trips as a family.

We all ended up being really tired after Disneyland so we elected to forgo the San Diego zoo and play in the pool at the hotel and do some shopping at the mall. Oh yeah and we got to have dinner at Hooter. Yummy wings.

We still have two weeks to use the passes to other Sand Diego parks so we may take a quick overnight back there for the zoo or wildlife park.

As we were driving home, Mistress told me our next vacation should be something more active. I started to laugh because that is all I want my vacations to be and she quickly amended with, "Oh there has to be hotel rooms for sure."

Here are some shots from SeaWorld.

Mo in the stands for Cirque de Mer a water based Cirque de Soleil

Shamu flying high at his signature show. Perhaps because I was so tired from the trip but I was quite emotional for this show. Anheiser-Busch who owns SeaWorld was very patriotic to our soldiers and veterans during this show.

At Cirque de Mer, Mo wouldn't stop pulling us close and hugging us.
Turned out to make a good and quite rare full family photo.

Disneyland Day 2

Well another great day and really it was Mistress who stepped up big time. By the time we got to the park the Finding Nemo submarine ride was already a two hour wait. No thanks. So we went to Space Mountain which many consider the best ride in the park. Mo and I had a good time but Mistress, sitting alone in the back was crying her eyes out when we got done, goose bumps, sweat. A wreck. She was motherly enough to make sure Mo was good when we were done then with shaky legs went for sun and terra firma.

She dismissed the Matterhorn but Mo and I had a good time there and then we all went to watch the Jedi University skit when kids in the audience get to fight Darth Vader and Darth Maul. It was fun for Mo to watch and to my thankfulness he was not chosen to fight Vader. He and I fight with all types of swords at home and I was afraid he would either bull rush Vader or turn around and join the dark side since Lord Vader is his favorite character.

The second spot Mistress proved herself today was California Adventures. Mistress is terribly afraid of heights. In the National Park challenge area people walk around a rope bridge three stories over the ground. We did not really know this at the time. Mo and I each took her hand and we soothingly took her across the first bridge. Then she saw the second and cursed out loud in front of some kids. Then once across there was only three more bridges and she went across them all with Mo and I holding her hands the whole way.

There was a bouldering area for kids and Mo got to work his way across. I asked if I could do the harder route and went across that. I spent ten minutes trying to tie two routes together that staff said was impossible. I doubt it. They just haven't had the right person do it yet. The right shoes, a guy in good climbing shape and it will be done.

Mo Fu with lightsaber

Copping a squat at California Adbentures

2nd entry for Mo & Daddy annual photo

The Intrepid Age Grouper working a difficult route

Disneyland Day 1

Well it was a day of days that is for sure. Both Mistress and Mo had a wonderful time. Mistress expecting adult type rides of swoops and drops and adrenalized rushes was pleasantly surprised to find the rides well...childlike in enthusiasm.

First, I would like to comment on one of those insufferable comments I cringe hearing from people who rarely exercise, "I walked like 20 miles today." Well I wore my Polar HR foot pod today and we were on site for 7hrs. 12min. and we walked all over the park taking over a dozen rides. I walked 5.12 miles. I would say that is comparative to the average family in the park. So while my feet are certainly a bit tired from standing in line for several minutes at a time and walking around the park in general, I did not however walk '20 miles' or '10 miles' or any nonsensical distance like that.

It was hard to judge the likes and dislikes of a 4 year old boy. Pirates was fun, a bit dark. The haunted mansion elevator really freaked him out. He did really well at Star Tours when I really thought the motion would make him scared. He refused a couple of rides but thats fine. He really liked the Teacups and according to him, "Mo and daddy go much fas', Mommy!"

The B&W was in line at Peter Pans Flight the longest wait of the day (40 min.) for a 5 minute ride, but I felt it was a must ride for both of them. Mo and I since the week he was born and each year since have had a photo taken in one of those photo kiosks that draws the photo out and put it on the wall. Well the mall took it out this year. Now I decided that I would hang a photo of Mo and I doing something memorable and this is my first attempt this year. If a better photo comes up I will use that one.

It was a bit hot but we found seats for the parade and waited 15 minutes for it to start. The photo at right is him waiting those last few minutes. He really like the costumess and as luck would have it we sat right in front of where all the floats stop to do a song and dance number. Apparently they only do that just two spots and we just lucked out.

I would be remiss if I didn't get misty eyed at a couple of points today. Being able to share this day with my son and my wife was special. Each of them have done something so completely Americana in origin.


This final picture was taken on Main Street in one of the many shops. I looked for Disney DVD's to increase my personal collection and got skunked out. I thought that would have been a given.

Tonight we go out for dinner and tomorrow hit three or four more of the main attraction rides then chill out doing whatever we want.

Are we there yet?

Well Google maps certainly made our day interesting turning a 5.5 hour drive into 7.5 on top of the 2 hours spent at outlet malls, restaurants and gas stations. After 9 hours on the road and the last two completely turned around thanks to Cal-trans building a new interchange and my poor Mistress who could find where we were on a map but not how to go anywhere, I pulled over at a Starbucks leaned over my hood and plotted out my course using the techniques that made me such a tracking stud in the infantry. This skill was always to the consternation of other units and leaders who couldn't find their way on a golf course with a caddy and map.

We finally got settled in around 9:30pm and I have scouted out some possible runs in the morning but its already midnight and I have been averaging little sleep and rest the last two days. I am sure the first day at Disneyland will be a walk fest anyway so we will see how I feel about running at five or six o'clock in the morning.

I will say this for our first day of vacation. We all got along and Mo did freaking awesome as a travel companion. He had us laughing and talking the whole way. I think on every vacation there needs to be a word or phrase that makes everyone laugh, these are usually completely useless outside of the the fishing trip or hiking trip or outside the group dynamic. Well Mo has been watching the first live action Scooby Doo movie a lot and there is a scene where Scooby and Shaggy have a burp and fart contest. One of the retorts from Scooby is, "Your mother eats cat poop."

Well lets just say I can not stop my 4 year old from saying 'poop' a 100 times today but Mistress certainly does not want any mother in this family being maligned that way so it is now, "You eat cat poop." Feel free to try that with your spouse or child next time you're having a conversation and see where it goes.

As we headed into the Morongo Casino area, Mo looked at all the rocks and mountains and asked if there were dinosaurs that lived out there. Of course Mistress says no and about a minute later I look off the freeway and see a huge T-Rex. So I pull over and sure enough there is a dinosaur park with four story dinosaurs. The Brontosaurus has a decent dinosaur store in its belly and the owner was very cool. He asked if I was military due to my studly physique and high & tight haircut that is unchanged in two decades and we conversed about each others exploits for a few moments. He opened the T-Rex for us and waiving the fee allowed the three of us to climb all the way up into the mouth.

Mo was agog as he always wanted to be eaten by a T-Rex. Almost shaking he was so excited. I snapped lots of photos but here are the two best so far.

Mo finally in the mouth of a T-Rex.

Mo couldn't believe how tall these guys were.
They look so small on Land Before Time DVD's

As I ran Mo to the bathroom, Mistress went back to the store to buy the dinosaur shoes we got for him, (heres a link) and the owner totally comped us with all sorts of DVD's and dinosaur trinkets thanks to Mo's utter politeness and sincerity about loving dinosaurs and as a thank you to me for my time in service. I was very moved by his generosity.

Tomorrow, ahem...Today we storm the Disney Castles.