Skipped the Half

I like this picture of my girl (when she was 9), though it has nothing whatsoever to do with today's blog topic:

"Did you run this morning?"
That's what about half a dozen people asked me when I showed up at the end of the Sunday morning masters swim workout (I showed up late planning to jump into the shorter non-masters workout at 11:00). They meant the Seattle Half Marathon.

I had been kind of fatigued a few weeks back and more recently had been getting some tachycardia in the middle of moderate effort runs (my heart rate would shoot up from low-160's to mid-170's or 180's without any increase in pace or incline; it's something I feel immediately and my HR monitor confirms it). I'm not sure what's going on with that and probably should see a doctor about it, but for now, decided that training for and running the Half wasn't a good idea.

Once I decided not to do the race, I enjoyed my unstructured, less frequent and less intense workouts. Swimming felt great, I did some running and I even opted for some long, fast-paced walks & talks with neighborhood friends in lieu of running. Sleeping in with my two cats tucked around me this cold morning, instead of being out the door in the dark and facing the mid-30's chill was appreciated too. It wasn't until the questions from swimmers that I felt a twinge of regret, but it was quickly replaced by the enjoyment of a good swim and awaiting checking results to see how friends did. Tick Tock... those results aren't quite up yet despite the teaser on the web page. Well, Ann & Gina ran today and probably don't really care how they did since they followed their yearly tradition of getting on a plane headed for Maui a few hours after the race. I hope to follow their sensible example one of these days...

Southwest Road Trip 1991

So there I was, about 33 years old, unattached and with a profession where I could find work just about anywhere. So why stay in cold, rainy Seattle yet another winter? I can't remember what exactly sparked the idea, but I think I was chatting with a pal at the then "Seattle Club" (now the Seattle Athletic Club) when it began. How about heading for the desert southwest for a few months, even the whole winter? At the time I did "agency" work as an RN, picking up a variety of shifts in most of the big Seattle hospitals as kind of an independent contractor. My agency had branches other places, so there was the possibility of picking up work in Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego...

So I obtained a nursing license for Arizona and California and had my records faxed to a few branches. I was set to earn money while in search of warmer climes.

Next, I started looking over maps and guidebooks and talking to friends who had been to the Southwest. I knew Moab, Utah and a visit to the Canyonlands would be on my itinerary, perhaps also the Grand Canyon and the Sonoran Desert. A friend mentioned pulling off the road somewhere along a river, just over a bridge outside of Moab as a good place to camp. Well, OK, I'd look for that then, also.

One night when I was out for a beer at the Trolleyman Pub (at the old Redhook Brewery when it was still in Fremont), I started chatting with a guy about my trip. He told me about the author Edward Abbey and his book "Desert Solitaire", a must read, he insisted. I can't remember if I read it before or during the early parts of my trip, but it really set the tone for falling in love with the desert and canyon country. I went on to read all of Abbey's stuff over the next couple years and loved it. Abbey is credited with being sort of a godfather to the EarthFirst! movement, had a hand in many real-life "Monkey Wrench Gang" eco-defense adventures and writes lovingly about the wild places in the Southwest. One of his one-liners that I have adopted as a favorite is "Piss on the developers' graves".


My kitty Caliope was tucked away at my parent's home, the condo I rented was sublet, I had my youth hostel card, nursing licenses, maps, books, journals, backpacking gear, bike on the bike rack, car tuned and new tires, warm weather and cold weather clothes as well as outdoors stuff, city stuff and nurse outfits. Ready for everything and anything, I hoped. This was well before I owned a cell phone, so I got a CB radio, figuring it might be a good back up if I got stuck somewhere in the mountains or something. Oh, plenty of taped music for the trip too. A friend recorded a collection of great road songs that kept me company.

And so the trip unfolded kind of like this (with excerpts from my travel journal in blue):

I left Seattle on November 17 and drove 720 miles to Gooding, ID and spent the night at a youth hostel. "The drive along the Columbia River and through the Willowa and Blue Mts. was great...the wide open relatively barren landscape suited me. I pretty much enjoyed the whole 14 hours of driving today, I even felt exhilarated - good music, good scenery, a sense of freedom and adventure."

Nov. 18: Drove 616 miles, through Salt Lake City & Provo, UT, arrived Dead Horse Point in the Island in the Sky district of the Canyonlands National Park after dark. Camped under the stars in 20 degree weather. "...after Provo, the road/scenery was pretty fun and I was feeling downright euphoric. Hard to explain now - just driving and feeling happy and free and adventurous. All this unexplored territory and just playing it by ear where I go - I like that. As I neared the Moab area after dark, the land was looking fine from what I could see on a nearly-full moon night. I ended up at Dead Horse Point. It was very cold...I found a spot to put out my sleeping bag on a little plateau by the cliff's edge. I could see the canyons and river (Colorado) down below by the moonlight. Keeping warm was a little tough... I saw the sun rise..." What I did not include in my journal for some reason, but what stands out now as a huge first impression, was my first glimpse of the Canyonlands by daylight. The sun illuminated a flaming bright, gorgeous landscape with sheer cliffs plunging down to the confluence of two rivers. I was stunned at my luck to wake up in such a spot!

Nov. 20: Explored many viewpoints around the Island in the Sky area and went to nearby Arches National Park and day-hiked around there all day. After 2 days and 1300 miles driving, my butt was tired so I tried jogging a trail in Arches. I quickly realized that I was indeed at 5000 ft. above sea level and gave up on the running. Stayed in a youth hostel in Moab for the night ($6.00/night!).

Nov.21: Drove down to the Needles District of the Canyonlands, a little south of Moab and backpacked into Chesler Park for the night. My gear at that time was not very good. I had an old, ill-fitting external frame pack and some cheap K-Mart pup tent that rippled and fluttered in the breeze all night and actually blew over a couple times. "This is too weird. I hiked to Chesler Park in the Needles District today. I am now camped out and am writing by the light of the full moon - it just rose over the rocks behind me. It is so eerie and beautiful. Every corner I turned today had some new, odd sight - weird rocks, cliffs, arches or narrow passages between rock walls, or smooth, spiral, gnarled tree trunks, soft red sand. And Silence. Hardly any noises besides my own breathing, footfalls or now, the annoying rustle of sleeping bag or tent (I do need a decent pack and tent).It is cold (20's) but I am warm enough with extra wool on tonight and the tent up. This land is so strange but literally breathtaking. So many times today I had to murmur to myself something like "wow", "I don't believe this" or "I LIKE it". I'm sort of mesmerized by it all....I have to admit to feeling a little spooked and on guard being here by myself. If I hear noises other than the tent rattling in the breeze, the most likely thing would be deer - I saw enough of their tracks."

Nov. 22: Hiked out of Chesler and road-tripped along a "Scenic By-way" through part of southern Utah to spend a cold night in my car at Capitol Reef. By this point in the trip, I was definitely wanting to re-visit these places, but in warmer weather. The cold limited the ability to linger outdoors and the early darkness made for long, cold nights when away from indoor living.

Nov. 23: Up early and drove to Bryce Canyon which was glowing like some jewel in the morning sun and with snow to contrast the hot red colors of the spires. I would have hiked, but the trails were too icy. The nighttime temps had been below zero (and it felt close to that sleeping in my car). I got my first speeding ticket ever outside of Page, AZ ("Shithead capitol of the world", says Edward Abbey, but that has a lot to do with nearby Glen Canyon Dam and his desire to see it blown to bits and see the Colorado returned to a wild river; ). 73 in a 55 (like, totally in the middle of NOWHERE! But the cop must have liked me or maybe cuz it was my first offense, but he wrote me up for 65).

Made it to Flagstaff, AZ by evening and settled into a youth hostel. It might as well have been a 5 star Marriott Resort & Spa. Real shelter, a real bed, a hot shower and a hot meal at a great vegetarian-friendly restaurant nearby and I felt like a Queen! I spent a day exploring Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon which was not so spectacular as where I had visited days before. A second night in Flagstaff then I was ready to drop into lower elevation and seek some warmth! "Flagstaff, Arizona, don't forget Winona..." I just like saying that whenever I'm in Flagstaff. ("Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino...").

Nov 25: Side trip to Jerome, AZ then on to Phoenix which was a possible place to land work for a few days, weeks, months. Remember, I'm flying by the seat of my pants here. But I take one look at the huge, HIDEOUS, sprawling, monstrosity of that city and I don't even stop. Tucson has got to be nicer that this! I am becoming Edward Abbeyfied and a snob about the beauty of the wilds and the contrasting ugliness of places like Phoenix. But wait! Surely there must be a Starbucks at the next intersection!? No? What kind of town is this anyway?!?

Nov. 25 - Dec. 8: Tuscon was to be home for only about 2 weeks. The nursing supervisor at the agency where I made my first stop upon arriving that afternoon asked where I was staying and ended up offering me room and board at her nice house. I think I paid something like $9.00/night for a bedroom and full use of her nice suburban house with jacuzzi on the edge of town. She was rarely home. Sweet deal! I did work a few shifts around town and earned a bit of money, but work wasn't as available as I had hoped. The weather was mostly nice, in the low 70's for awhile and I spent most of my days doing lots of day hiking in the various desert areas on the edges of town including Saguaro National Monument and Sabino Canyon, took a couple long bike rides, found some public pools to do some lap swimming (outdoor pools in December!), visited, Bisbee, the Sonoran Desert Museum, drove down to Nogales and crossed into Mexico on Thanksgiving Day, which was kind of creepy, dreary and depressing. I felt uneasy so I got the hell out of there. Bought some cheap Kahlua first though. And shopping. Sure I was a sucker for buying southwest trinkets and mementos.Towards the end of my stay in Tucson, the weather had turned to grey, rainy and windy. I was getting irritable and cranky. If I couldn't have the euphoria of being outdoors in weird, beautiful places or enjoying the adventure of the open road like I had early in the trip, then I needed warm weather and the chance to earn money. And I was getting lonesome. "I think I can cope better being on my own when I'm in the middle of nowhere, or on the move. But I've come to a temporary halt here in Tucson... I am restless and something in me wants to pack the car and GO. So, I went.

Dec. 9: Packed up and went north to Prescott for one night. Had some beers and shared some travel stories and camaraderie with a fellow road warrior Nan at an old historic saloon. Next early a.m., I am headed for the Grand Canyon.

Dec 10-11: " Despite the warning I got from the ranger to not try and hike all the way down the South Kaibab Trail to Phantom Ranch (6.4 miles and 4800 feet down) and then return in the same day up the Bright Angel (9.8 miles and 4460 feet up), there was no turning back once I started the hike. I got down in 2 hours by jogging part of the way. My reaction to the Canyon was such a feeling of joy and delight. I felt happy and content. The scenery was great but I was also loved the hiking. The physical work, feeling alive and healthy and strong and feeling like everything was coming together perfectly. As I continued my descent, I felt confident about managing the longer return back up. I was a little nervous at first, but I ran into other hikers who planned also to do the round trip as a day hike. Besides, once into the Canyon, there was no choice but to continue to the bottom. It was too great; how could you not feel it was worth the risk and the work? I had read about needing advance reservations for a room at Phantom Ranch, but this turned out to not be the case. I got a bunk in a dorm, a hot shower and meals in the mess hall. What good fortune! I would spend the night deep in the canyon and not risk exhaustion by hiking out the same day. I went on a side hike up the Crystal Creek Trail on the north side of the Colorado River, climbing about 1200 feet in the wind and rain...Next morning: the hike out. It took 2 hours to get to Indian Gardens, 4.8 miles. Another 4.6 miles up to the rim and I was out in 3 hours and 45 minutes."

(I don't know why I wanted to rush leaving such an awesome place, but hiking fast is what I used to do. I remember being pleased with covering those miles and that elevation gain in the time I did. The sign at the top of the trail suggested allowing 4 to 5 hours to go down and double that coming up).

Dec. 12 - 17: Southwest to Yuma, then west the San Diego and north through California to visit multiple relatives along the way. I was back home with plenty of time to put up a Christmas tree and hang all my new Southwest ornaments. Every year that I decorate a tree, my favorite ornaments are things from or reminiscent of my Southwest trip: chili peppers, saguaro cacti, howling coyotes, javalinas, rattlesnakes, and various hiking or SW Native American baubles.

See Lori run. Run, Lori, run.

My "Danskin '04" story was posted in September and I talked about my first triathlon and why I did it. Preceding that first triathlon season, were a couple of years of getting reintroduced to running with my friend Lori.

When I first knew Lori, around 1992 or so, she didn't run. As far as I could tell, she didn't exercise, let alone "train". I think she took walks. And she tended her asthma. I remember her needing to use her inhalers from time to time. She was a slim, stylish person who I'm guessing didn't even sweat. I wasn't doing any "training" at the time either. I did aerobics classes, played softball, did a little backpacking or cycling, just recreational stuff which kept me fit and gave me a general sense of invulnerability.

Well, as I recall, Lori's walks got more serious and fitness oriented. Somewhere along the line it morphed into jogging around Green Lake. She invited me to join, so I did my first run in years. I was humbled as she kept a steady pace and I had to stop and walk a few times, not even making it around Green Lake! Competitiveness aside, I was shocked and dismayed that I couldn't make it around GL without a breather. I ran a few more times with her, maybe 4 times in as many months and got to where I could do the 2.7 mile loop without stopping. Meanwhile, Lori was doing fartleks, a term neither of us had ever heard of (and probably she still hasn't). She would sprinkle her run with short bursts of increased speed here and there and leave me in the dust ("speed play" is what fartlek means in what...Swedish or something?).

Lori had a few 5K races under her belt by the time I joined her at one. I believe it was the Firefighter's Salmon Derby Days out at Shilshole in 2003. She beat me by at least a minute or two and while I don't remember my time, it was something up around 27 minutes, near a 9 min/mile pace. Well, it was a starting point. I still didn't "train", but I did run maybe monthly, did a few more races and got a little faster. We continued to run together from time to time and went together to several races as friends and competitors. She was soon in the next age group up from me and won her AG the Dawg Dash one year and placed in a few other races!

My slim, stylish friend is still slim and stylish, but I've seen her sweat on many occasions now, I've seen her breathe hard, get red in the face and it hasn't been because of an asthma flare. She gets a lot of enjoyment in shopping for new workout clothes (and has ventured beyond basic black), has a piece of real estate in her aerobics class (you know, don't put your bench there) and has generally impressed me with what a robust change she's made in herself! In the off-season when I put on a couple extra holiday lbs., I can feel like a cow next to her.

I credit Lori for being my main influence for rousing what was a dormant competitiveness and unrealized athletic potential (such as it is for a middle-aged late bloomer). I might not have gotten beyond bench class without her nudge.

These days, we run together less often. She still runs and races but she devotes much of her time to Sadie, her "paint" horse. Here they are out near Mt. Si.

Deep Lake

Deep Lake Road Trip & Open Water Swim
July 5, 2007

Deep Lake is in Eastern Washington in the Sun Lakes area outside of Ephrata, about 2 hours from Seattle. Once over the Cascade mountain range, the climate changes from cooler and wetter to drier and warmer. One transitions from mostly urban sprawl on the western, Seattle/Tacoma/Everett side to the wide open farmlands and desert east of the Cascades. The several small lakes in the Sun Lakes area were created during a series of Ice Age floods that resulted in scouring of the land creating "scablands". Dry Falls is a couple miles from Deep Lake and is a major land feature there. I'll just let Wikipedia give the geology lesson (I added in the pictures of Niagara Falls and Dry Falls).

In central Washington, on the opposite side of the Grand Coulee from the Columbia River, resides a three and a half mile crescent-shaped precipice known as Dry Falls. Ten times the size of Niagara, Dry Falls is thought to be
the greatest known waterfall that ever existed.Geologists speculate that during the last ice age catastrophic flooding channeled water at 65 miles per hour through the Grand Coulee and over this 400-foot rock face. At this time, it is estimated that the flow of the falls was ten times greater than the current flow of all the rivers in the world combined.

Nearly twenty thousand years ago, as glaciers moved south, one ice sheet plugged the Clark Fork of the Columbia River, which kept water from being drained from Montana. Consequently a significant portion of western Montana flooded forming the gigantic Lake Missoula. Eventually, enough pressure accumulated on the ice dam that it gave way. It is generally accepted that this process of ice-damming of the Clark Fork, refilling of Lake Missoula and
subsequent cataclysmic flooding happened dozens of times over the years of the last Ice Age.[1][2]

This sudden release put parts of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon under hundreds of feet of
water in just a few days. These floods, which some consider to be among the most extraordinary known, created the Grand Coulee and Dry Falls in a short period. Similar glacial flooding, though not as impressive as the aforementioned, kept the falls flowing for several thousand years.

A few from my masters swimming group had gone to this area in years past and came back with reports of a fine swimming hole for open water enthusiasts. Deep Lake is closed to motor boats. It is a narrow (maybe 200 yards at it's widest) and about 1.7 miles long lake with steep cliffs on either side. A swimmer starts at one end and quickly leaves behind the few people in rubber rafts and teenagers jumping from rocks. Within a quarter mile it feels pretty remote as you swim uplake. A few outcroppings of the basalt cliffs create some gentle bends that obscure your view of the other end until you finally make the last turn with maybe 1/8 mile to go. At the end is a boulder field rising steeply up - a good place to haul out and rest and take in the scenery.

The suggested plan was to drive out early, swim, eat and head home. HUH? All that in just one day? It sounded like too much windshield time for me, a waste of a good road trip opportunity and fine weather, so I made it known that I planned to go out the day before (July 4th) and camp overnight at nearby Sun Lakes State Park, just 3 miles down the road. The idea sounded good to others, so I was joined by Tim R. and Jim J. from masters and they ended up staying 2 nights. It was clear, hot, dry Eastern Washington summer weather, I was getting the hell out of the city during the air raids (I mean, the 4th of July noise) and it was a road trip with a swim opportunity. Sounded good to me! Camping was relaxing and quiet, though if I do this again I will bring insect repellent.

The next day, several more swimmers from other swim groups, about 9 of them, showed up at Deep Lake. Some of us wore our wetsuits others did not since the water was warm enough (me? I prefer a wetsuit - I'd rather be too warm than too cold and I like the assist with floating my legs). We took off swimming and around 45 minutes later we were at the other end. The water was still and calm , it was a bright, sunny day and the air was dry and smelled good - like the desert, a sage smell maybe? It was a real pleasure to swim steadily, breathing on one side and then the other, kind of sightseeing along the way (at the cliffs). After a break, it was time to plunge back in and head downlake.

Afterwards, those of us heading back to Seattle went to a local tavern for lunch. It was tough being a vegetarian in Ephrata, a place that might as well be in the Midwest somewhere. "I'll have a sandwich, just leave the meat and mayonnaise off" says I, thinking I've made it quite plain and simple. I've been through the special ordering scenario many times before, but reserve it for places where the staff gets it. "No meat!? Well, what will you have on it?" exclaims the waitress. I was actually thinking something along the lines of sprouts, fresh basil leaves, roasted red pepper and eggplant, some mozzarella cheese, fresh organic cucumber and tomato slices, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and crushed black pepper between a couple slices of foccacia bread. Sounds good, doesn't it? I thought better of suggesting anything like that though, lest I be pegged for some Western Washington, liberal, tree-hugging, commie pinko sissy or something (which more or less, I am), but why irritate the waitress? What I got was some white sandwich bread, iceberg lettuce, tomato and some of that pre-sliced yellow cheese. Well, it filled my hungry belly at least.

For an interesting 360 degree view of Deep Lake, check out this link and use the controls to swivel the picture:
http://virtualguidebooks.com/Washington/EasternWashington/SunLakes/DeepLakeSunLakes_FS.html