Day 17 - 41 miles road, 0 miles trail
No much but minutia to add to the blog posts and FB entries for this scenic day on the road. I remember running through the little town of Dixon (population 203 in the 2010 census) around mile 25 and noting the only services there was the Post Office. Yes, I notice post offices, and yes, we were running rural highways this day. This was the first day of the Run in which every mile was on state highway (caveat - there was some sidewalk to run at our one turn and near the day's end at Arlee to get us off the highway shoulder). Even though we were on rural highways, plenty of cars past us at high speed. Justin ended up running 100 yards past the day 17 end point since there is a Jocko Rd access from the highway south of the Jocko Rd stopping point. If you input the 47.15263, 114.06831 GPS point into googlemaps.com you can see an access road to Jocko Rd which is where cars heading south on MT-200/US-93 can turn in order to get to Jocko Rd. When I finished I was surprised not to see Heidi at the finish stop sign - but she too also stopped at the Jocko Rd access and waited for my arrival. Thankfully I only had to wait 10 minutes or so before Heidi found me. After Heidi picked me up we obtained Subway for Jen who watched Daphne while Heidi and I went out to Fuddruckers - one of the best burger chains in the country. Yes, minutia.
Day 18 - 36 miles dirt road with near zero cars, 0 miles trail
By far the worst day of the Run for the two hours or so Jen and I were lost in remote Montana, but all turned out well in the end. I note that I had left my maps of the day 18 route in the hotel room. ARRGGHH. I can't say with certainty that I wouldn't have led Jen and I down the wrong road at mile 9 or so if I had the maps with me, but we probably wouldn't have ended up being lost. Instead we would have probably simply run a few extra miles or so. Justin was also affected by Jen and I being lost in that he was stuck at the day 18 finish point for an hour or so until Adam could get to Justin.
Day 19 - 39 miles of road, 0 miles of trail
Jen and Justin ran well on this good weather running day. I started the day concerned about my left Achilles - although in hindsight my issue was the left foot posterior tibial tendon. Justin and Jen were out of sight ahead of me on the curvy highway in short order. At mile 6 I tripped on a nail hammered into the asphalt causing the left foot to land poorly. The tibial tendon told me it was not happy and I dropped to a walk for the next 33 miles to close out the day. Copying from my blog post, "
Not fun, but I
felt this (walking) was the correct action to take."
The scariest moment of the Run for me came when I was about a third of a mile from the finish point on this two turn day. I was walking downhill against traffic on highway MT-141 which had near zero road shoulder and only about a 6 inch gravel shoulder in this section. There was a significant crosswind coming from the west which nearly blew me off the road several times in the previous five miles. As one would expect it is tough to hear car noise over the sound of the wind. Anyway, I had moved off of the asphalt onto the gravel shoulder to keep out of the way of a car heading north towards me, and before I could move back to the asphalt for easier walking a car passed another car heading south - like I was - on the road. Most of the time when a car passes another car behind you and heading in your direction one can hear it, but I didn't hear any engine noise whatsoever to indicate this car passing was taking place. I only knew the car passing was taking place when I noted the car inches from my right hand. That was a close one!!!
Day 20 - 42 miles of road, 0 miles of trail
Not much to add to the existing blog posts. Jen and Justin ran well again on another good running weather day, and my outlook on life improved tremendously when I started to jog again decently at mile 6. We ran through great Big Sky country all day! I especially enjoyed the views from miles 15-20 or so. Maybe I was just happy to be running, but I doubt it as Jen wrote is her blog the "scenery was stunning again". Finally, my memory tells me that Justin beat the rain up MacDonald Pass (the highest point of the Run at 6325 feet), but Jen and I didn't beat the rain and we both were freezing as we neared the top. Jen obtained some relief from the biting rain, wind, and cold by calling Justin and Adam and having them deliver her a coat for the last miles, but I wasn't so fortunate. I was so cold I didn't even stop to pick up a quarter in the road shoulder about a quarter mile from the top of the pass - probably the only quarter I passed by on the Run that I didn't pick-up. I note that mostly later in the Run I passed by a number of dimes, nickels, and pennies without picking them up, but my initial plan for the Run was to pick up all coins that I saw that weren't in the roadway or too close to a highway with too many cars on the road. Thanks to Heidi and Daphne for taking care of me!!!
Day 21 - 42 miles of road, 0 miles of trail
Adam departed and Margaret arrived to drive the Scooby Van. I didn't get to see much of Adam since I was so far behind Justin every day. I trust Adam has fond memories of the trip though. Justin, Jen, and I all ran well this day - a downhill with the wind running day with good temps and a fair amount of cloud cover. We stayed the night in Townsend, MT (population 1,878 in the 2010 census). We ran by the hotel and through Townsend on day 22 and I wrote in my blog, "
if you are
considering moving to a small city in Montana, make sure you check out Townsend
- just 35 miles from the state capitol of Helena." I recommend the Wood Family Grill as a place to eat.
Unlike most places, I note that the high temperature of the day is often reached at 5:00 PM or even later in Montana, so we are often off the road before the high temp for the day is reached. Yes!
Day 22 - 40 miles of road, 0 miles of trail
We encountered one of the largest deer roadkills of the Run around mile 14 this day. At mile six we crossed the Missouri River which we cross again on day 46. The fantastic scenery continued as we all three ran OK as we battled muscle and tendon issues. In White Sulpher Springs where we stayed for the night we drove by an old mansion built as a castle which now serves as the Meagher County Museum. Jen pointed out that the castle really wasn't old - otherwise Jen's flat built in 1904 would have to be considered old!!!
Day 23 - 42 miles of road, 0 miles of trail
Due to stomach issues, Justin walked a mile with me to start the cool-which-would-turn-into-a-very-warm-day (high 70s). We both started jogging slowly thereafter, but my jogging was slower than Justin's and by the time I reached mile 4 I couldn't see Justin in front on me through the haze. As reported in the blogs, Jen and Justin ran close to each other the rest of the day to finish in just over 8 hours for the 42 miles. I finished about 90 minutes back fighting off a right quad issue I picked up from all the downhill running. Heidi snapped two outstanding pictures of the Old Milwaukee Road railbed which paralleled the nearly forgotten highway which we ran on for most of the day. Those two pictures are two of my favorite scenery shots of the Run. I note these pictures can be seen on the Facebook page. We ate pizza and calzones from Jailhouse Pizza in Harlowton where we stayed two nights. Jen had a super calzone which was so good that she had another the following night. Jen would recall the super calzones from time to time when we ran.
Day 24 - 38 miles of road, 0 miles of trail
Not much to add to the existing blog and Facebook posts. One thing to note is that when we left our motel and headed about 20 miles west to get back to our start point there was construction work in progress on the MT-191 - the road that intercepted US-12 at our hotel - but there was no construciton on US-12. When I reach our hotel at the 20 mile mark heading east on US-12 I now have to run through another construction zone (a short one at least) on US-12 right in front of our hotel. I had to laugh and shake my head in disbelief that the road was being dug up on the day we were running it. Anyway, later on it was a great relief to get through the nine mile construction zone on this zero turn day. Additionally, the forecast heat was kept in check by cloud cover that broke after we finished running for the day! Unlike
most places, I note that the high temperature of the day is often
reached at 5:00 PM or even later in Montana, so we are often off the
road before the high temp for the day is reached. Yes!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
RAAoT Final Wrap-up - Part 2
Day 9 - 44 miles of road, 0 miles of trail
I wrote following day 8 that "in a matter of mere moments it seems our group transitioned from the wet dark forest to the dry open high desert - from hand warmers to sunblock - from sea to shining sea (ok - that last part will take 80 days)". The evidence proves I spoke too quickly as once again on day 9 the rain chilled us to the bone when it hit Jen and I at mile 11. We couldn't get to the Roadrunner fast enough to start warming up and donning additional clothes and using more hand warmers.
Day 9 was highlighted by the crossing of the Columbia River on the I-90 Vantage Bridge. I swiveled my head left and right as much as I dared to in order to take in the scenery at the slow pace we were running - knowing full well I wouldn't have the chance to run across the bridge again in the future. Sometimes I think back that maybe we ran across the bridge too quickly since Jen was having right quad issues, but it is what it is. After the rain and overcast were replaced in the late afternoon by sun, Karen came out and walked with Jen and I while talking to AT&T. Jen was having issues using her "go" phone to connect with folks back home with text messages. We walked several miles with Jen on one phone and Karen on the "go" phone trying to work out the phone issue with AT&T. It took several calls and more than an hour - maybe even two hours - to correct the issue. Finally, one last cold rain shower had to hit as we were walking the last mile of the day. Nobody said the Run would be easy as day 9 turned out to be the longest day for Jen and I in terms of time spent on the route - 14 hours and 29 minutes. Day 9 was also the longest day of the route (44.74 miles) until day 37.
Day 10 - 13 miles of road, 28 miles of trail
Well, the portion of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail (JWPT) east of the Columbia River isn't well developed. There are not many users of this section of trail due to the numerous railroad rocks and the trail gates that one must go through or over to remain on the trail. Additionally, all users must request permission from the Washington State Park to use the trail. If I ran or cycled across the country in the future I wouldn't choose to utilize the JWPT east of the Columbia River.
Day 11 - 5 miles of gravel road, 33 miles of trail
Great thanks to Jake and Joan Harder who allowed Jennifer, Justin, and I to cross their property on day 11! The day was a super one, but one could say more of the same - same rain, same hand warmers, and same rocky trail. At mile 28 we crossed a bridge that was under repair. No complaints by me that no one was around to question our safe crossing since it was a Saturday. At mile 32 we passed a pair of dead animals. Jen noted the animals were most likely killed by a person since the pair were basically laying side-by-side - definitely not a natural occurrence. I couldn't tell you what animals we saw lying there on the trail because I am simply not very good at animal identification - something Jen poked me about a number of times on the Run. At mile 36, we crossed a bridge/trestle that was not removed/demolished like other trestles on the rail line were after the state of Washington took control of the abandoned rail line. I believe the bridge was allowed to remain in place due to this portion of trail also acting as a road for a local rancher or two, but that is only an assumption.
Day 12 - 20 miles of road, 14 miles of trail
Day 12 was shorter than originally planned since I decided to remove portions of the JWPT in this area from the route due to too many rocks and missing trestles. It was tough once again to remove trail from the route, but it was the correct decision to make. We said goodbye to Marty and Corky before starting out this morning - sad to see the super duo depart, but good to have Justin's brother Adam on board to take over driving the Scooby Van (note: I believe I called the Scooby Van a Dodge in my last post, but I now confidently believe the van to be a Chevy Astro van due to my sighting of a Chevy Astro today). As reported in the blogs, the wheat fields were fantastic, the weather was great (only the second day with no rain), and all three of us ran fairly well - although the rocky trail slowed us. My memory has faded, but did we see a cougar on the trail behind us at mile 28???
Additionally, what happened to the sign? The end point on day 12 was to be "Cross Fairbanks-Seabury Rd and stop at the red and white "Old Milwaukee Road" sign." This end point seemed pretty clear to me as virtually every time the trail crossed the road there was a red and white sign which stated "Trail Closed to Motorized Traffic", and "No Hunting", etc. What I hadn't noted was that some of these signs said "John Wayne Pioneer Trail" and some said "Old Milwaukee Road". The facts are the facts, the "finish" sign was right there - right after crossing the road the red and white sign was posted on the right side of the trail. Nevertheless, Heidi reports to me when Jen and I reach the Roadrunner at mile 28 that Justin couldn't find the end point sign so he stopped in the middle of the road (I note this is a rural road, so there was no problem with Justin stopping in the middle of it.) So all I can think of the last six miles of the day is is the sign gone, was it never there in the first place, did someone remove it in the last three weeks? We finish and there is the red and white sign just where I had seen it three weeks prior - but it says John Wayne Pioneer Trail vice Old Milwaukee Road. Ahhh - can't win for losing I guess as Jen didn't think the red and white sign was the finish point either since it didn't say Old Milwaukee Road. The other incident to report from day 12 is that Adam wasn't at the 23 mile crewing location/turn point for Justin when Justin reached the 23 mile turn point back onto the JWPT from the road. To rectify the situation, Justin didn't turn onto the trail rather he continued on road into the small town of Rosalia, found Adam, received aid, and then returned to the Run route. I believe this added two miles to Justin's day - just another "stuff happens".
Day 13 - 20 miles of road, 18 miles of trail
We ran some great trail to complete the RAAoT!!! The Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes was probably the best - although the George S. Mickelson Trail in South Dakota is just as super! However, due to the Montana fires we were only able to run 5 miles of the Mickelson Trail vice 90 miles - bummer. I note that the GAP/C&O Canal trail is a close second to the Coeur d' Alenes and Mickelson Trails. The first two miles of the route on day 12 was our last two miles on the JWPT. This included a nice trestle crossing - which I note had no handrails(?!) Justin - and later Jen and I - had our pictures taken at an Idaho State Line sign, but I note that the sign was actually for a different road than the road we actually ran when we entered Idaho. Improvisation. The last 16 miles of the day were on The Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes and it was fantastic!!! This was followed by one of our best hotels for the trip - the Lakeview Lodge in Harrison, ID. On a sad note we said goodbye to outstanding Karen earlier that morning as it was her time to head back to Illinois.
Day 14 - 0 miles on road, 43 miles on trail
Looking back on it, day 14 was probably the best day of the Run - at least for me. Super trail, great weather, fantastic scenery, and the three of us ran well. Day 14 is only one of the five or six days of the Run I averaged a pace faster than 12 minutes a mile. After we finished, we headed to the Stardust Motel in Wallace which I note was a very nice place. We had a good pizza/calzone dinner and discussed our plans for maintaining two crews. I called my Aunt Margaret and was very happy to hear that she was good for flying into Helena to take over crewing duties from Adam in just six short days.
Day 15 - 17 miles of road, 25 miles of trail
Not much I can add to what the blogs states, but miles 29-34 on this on-and-off rainy day were run on a dirt I-90 frontage road. I don't think a single car drove by us these five miles during which we did get a little colder than desired during a short spell of hard rain - and we had to dodge numerous puddles on the road. During the pre-Run when I had biked these 5 miles four weeks earlier, I didn't properly fasten my GPS watch to my bike bag. I was 2-3 miles down the road when I passed a car (the only car I saw that day on that dirt road) and noted that my watch was not where it was supposed to be. I turned around and headed back up the road hoping I would find the $300 watch, and also wondering if the car I had just passed would find it before me. Lots of potholes on the road - which probably was an old rail line by the way - kept the car moving slowly. I had backtracked about a mile when I noted the car appeared to have slowed down somewhat before speeding up again. HMMM, could they have seen my orange watch against the background of the dirt? I don't know, but my watch was indeed in the roadway near there. It was nice to recover it.
Day 16 - 38 miles of road, 2 miles of trail
A great day as Jen took my picture at the ABBA Ln sign in St. Regis! If only I had gone to see ABBA in person as a teenager when I had the chance. Additionally, we ran two miles on the dirt Old Mullan Rd from miles 11-13. These two miles of jeep road might have been part of the original alignment of the Mullan Rd. According to Wikipedia, "Mullan Road was the first wagon road to cross the Rocky Mountains to the Inland of the Pacific Northwest. It was built by US Army Lieut. John Mullan between the spring of 1859 and summer 1860." The super scenery continued!!!
I wrote following day 8 that "in a matter of mere moments it seems our group transitioned from the wet dark forest to the dry open high desert - from hand warmers to sunblock - from sea to shining sea (ok - that last part will take 80 days)". The evidence proves I spoke too quickly as once again on day 9 the rain chilled us to the bone when it hit Jen and I at mile 11. We couldn't get to the Roadrunner fast enough to start warming up and donning additional clothes and using more hand warmers.
Day 9 was highlighted by the crossing of the Columbia River on the I-90 Vantage Bridge. I swiveled my head left and right as much as I dared to in order to take in the scenery at the slow pace we were running - knowing full well I wouldn't have the chance to run across the bridge again in the future. Sometimes I think back that maybe we ran across the bridge too quickly since Jen was having right quad issues, but it is what it is. After the rain and overcast were replaced in the late afternoon by sun, Karen came out and walked with Jen and I while talking to AT&T. Jen was having issues using her "go" phone to connect with folks back home with text messages. We walked several miles with Jen on one phone and Karen on the "go" phone trying to work out the phone issue with AT&T. It took several calls and more than an hour - maybe even two hours - to correct the issue. Finally, one last cold rain shower had to hit as we were walking the last mile of the day. Nobody said the Run would be easy as day 9 turned out to be the longest day for Jen and I in terms of time spent on the route - 14 hours and 29 minutes. Day 9 was also the longest day of the route (44.74 miles) until day 37.
Day 10 - 13 miles of road, 28 miles of trail
Well, the portion of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail (JWPT) east of the Columbia River isn't well developed. There are not many users of this section of trail due to the numerous railroad rocks and the trail gates that one must go through or over to remain on the trail. Additionally, all users must request permission from the Washington State Park to use the trail. If I ran or cycled across the country in the future I wouldn't choose to utilize the JWPT east of the Columbia River.
Day 11 - 5 miles of gravel road, 33 miles of trail
Great thanks to Jake and Joan Harder who allowed Jennifer, Justin, and I to cross their property on day 11! The day was a super one, but one could say more of the same - same rain, same hand warmers, and same rocky trail. At mile 28 we crossed a bridge that was under repair. No complaints by me that no one was around to question our safe crossing since it was a Saturday. At mile 32 we passed a pair of dead animals. Jen noted the animals were most likely killed by a person since the pair were basically laying side-by-side - definitely not a natural occurrence. I couldn't tell you what animals we saw lying there on the trail because I am simply not very good at animal identification - something Jen poked me about a number of times on the Run. At mile 36, we crossed a bridge/trestle that was not removed/demolished like other trestles on the rail line were after the state of Washington took control of the abandoned rail line. I believe the bridge was allowed to remain in place due to this portion of trail also acting as a road for a local rancher or two, but that is only an assumption.
Day 12 - 20 miles of road, 14 miles of trail
Day 12 was shorter than originally planned since I decided to remove portions of the JWPT in this area from the route due to too many rocks and missing trestles. It was tough once again to remove trail from the route, but it was the correct decision to make. We said goodbye to Marty and Corky before starting out this morning - sad to see the super duo depart, but good to have Justin's brother Adam on board to take over driving the Scooby Van (note: I believe I called the Scooby Van a Dodge in my last post, but I now confidently believe the van to be a Chevy Astro van due to my sighting of a Chevy Astro today). As reported in the blogs, the wheat fields were fantastic, the weather was great (only the second day with no rain), and all three of us ran fairly well - although the rocky trail slowed us. My memory has faded, but did we see a cougar on the trail behind us at mile 28???
Additionally, what happened to the sign? The end point on day 12 was to be "Cross Fairbanks-Seabury Rd and stop at the red and white "Old Milwaukee Road" sign." This end point seemed pretty clear to me as virtually every time the trail crossed the road there was a red and white sign which stated "Trail Closed to Motorized Traffic", and "No Hunting", etc. What I hadn't noted was that some of these signs said "John Wayne Pioneer Trail" and some said "Old Milwaukee Road". The facts are the facts, the "finish" sign was right there - right after crossing the road the red and white sign was posted on the right side of the trail. Nevertheless, Heidi reports to me when Jen and I reach the Roadrunner at mile 28 that Justin couldn't find the end point sign so he stopped in the middle of the road (I note this is a rural road, so there was no problem with Justin stopping in the middle of it.) So all I can think of the last six miles of the day is is the sign gone, was it never there in the first place, did someone remove it in the last three weeks? We finish and there is the red and white sign just where I had seen it three weeks prior - but it says John Wayne Pioneer Trail vice Old Milwaukee Road. Ahhh - can't win for losing I guess as Jen didn't think the red and white sign was the finish point either since it didn't say Old Milwaukee Road. The other incident to report from day 12 is that Adam wasn't at the 23 mile crewing location/turn point for Justin when Justin reached the 23 mile turn point back onto the JWPT from the road. To rectify the situation, Justin didn't turn onto the trail rather he continued on road into the small town of Rosalia, found Adam, received aid, and then returned to the Run route. I believe this added two miles to Justin's day - just another "stuff happens".
Day 13 - 20 miles of road, 18 miles of trail
We ran some great trail to complete the RAAoT!!! The Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes was probably the best - although the George S. Mickelson Trail in South Dakota is just as super! However, due to the Montana fires we were only able to run 5 miles of the Mickelson Trail vice 90 miles - bummer. I note that the GAP/C&O Canal trail is a close second to the Coeur d' Alenes and Mickelson Trails. The first two miles of the route on day 12 was our last two miles on the JWPT. This included a nice trestle crossing - which I note had no handrails(?!) Justin - and later Jen and I - had our pictures taken at an Idaho State Line sign, but I note that the sign was actually for a different road than the road we actually ran when we entered Idaho. Improvisation. The last 16 miles of the day were on The Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes and it was fantastic!!! This was followed by one of our best hotels for the trip - the Lakeview Lodge in Harrison, ID. On a sad note we said goodbye to outstanding Karen earlier that morning as it was her time to head back to Illinois.
Day 14 - 0 miles on road, 43 miles on trail
Looking back on it, day 14 was probably the best day of the Run - at least for me. Super trail, great weather, fantastic scenery, and the three of us ran well. Day 14 is only one of the five or six days of the Run I averaged a pace faster than 12 minutes a mile. After we finished, we headed to the Stardust Motel in Wallace which I note was a very nice place. We had a good pizza/calzone dinner and discussed our plans for maintaining two crews. I called my Aunt Margaret and was very happy to hear that she was good for flying into Helena to take over crewing duties from Adam in just six short days.
Day 15 - 17 miles of road, 25 miles of trail
Not much I can add to what the blogs states, but miles 29-34 on this on-and-off rainy day were run on a dirt I-90 frontage road. I don't think a single car drove by us these five miles during which we did get a little colder than desired during a short spell of hard rain - and we had to dodge numerous puddles on the road. During the pre-Run when I had biked these 5 miles four weeks earlier, I didn't properly fasten my GPS watch to my bike bag. I was 2-3 miles down the road when I passed a car (the only car I saw that day on that dirt road) and noted that my watch was not where it was supposed to be. I turned around and headed back up the road hoping I would find the $300 watch, and also wondering if the car I had just passed would find it before me. Lots of potholes on the road - which probably was an old rail line by the way - kept the car moving slowly. I had backtracked about a mile when I noted the car appeared to have slowed down somewhat before speeding up again. HMMM, could they have seen my orange watch against the background of the dirt? I don't know, but my watch was indeed in the roadway near there. It was nice to recover it.
Day 16 - 38 miles of road, 2 miles of trail
A great day as Jen took my picture at the ABBA Ln sign in St. Regis! If only I had gone to see ABBA in person as a teenager when I had the chance. Additionally, we ran two miles on the dirt Old Mullan Rd from miles 11-13. These two miles of jeep road might have been part of the original alignment of the Mullan Rd. According to Wikipedia, "Mullan Road was the first wagon road to cross the Rocky Mountains to the Inland of the Pacific Northwest. It was built by US Army Lieut. John Mullan between the spring of 1859 and summer 1860." The super scenery continued!!!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
RAAoT Final Wrap-up - Part 1
Since my wrap-up will be of some length, I will post in parts. Below is Part 1
The RAAoT has ended but the memories are still alive. Below... you will find writing that adds to the existing blog posts of the Run. May the additional writing be interesting to you and the humor bring you smiles. Besides this blog, Jennifer has written some super posts in her blog - www.runningandbaking.com - and Justin's blog is justinrunningacrossamerica.blogspot.com. Additionally, hundreds of Run pictures and notes can be found on the Run Across America on Trail Facebook group pages.
Bottom line, completing the Run was a very challenging endeavor. However, more importantly - as it always seems to be in life - is the friendships that were made while participating in a challenging event. Hence it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that I will continue to participate in challenging events in the future.
May 29th - the day before the start! Jennifer says it best in her blog, "Today is the last day of not-running across America. I can’t wait for it to start." I couldn't wait also!!!
It was great to meet Jennifer, Justin, Katie, and Corky at the hotel before the pre-run dinner. Karen and Heidi spent a good bit of time organizing the Samuelson crew vehicle (a 1997 Dodge Roadtrek 170 - initially nicknamed the Roadrunner for the Run but often times called the Beast) while I spent time organizing my gear for the Run. Justin and Katie also spent some time organizing the Faul crew vehicle - a 1995 Dodge van if I remember correctly. Jennifer nicknamed the van the Scooby Van. Justin had initially named the van Slow Roller, but the name didn't stick (although Justin may still be calling the van the Slow Roller, I don't know). Many Roadrunner and Scooby Van pictures can be seen on the Facebook page for the Run.
Day 1 - 30 miles of road, 1 on trail
Thanks again to John Wallace III (usacrossers.com and the USA Crossers Facebook group) for taking video of the Run start. It was great to meet John and I look forward to our paths crossing again. Great weather to start the Run, and beautiful scenery to keep us going on this first day of running. Thirty road miles and one bike path (most likely an old rail line mile actually) to get us to the finish point on day one which was the sign for the Moose Family Center in Montesano. It is interesting to note that Jen and I passed another Moose Family Center on day 79 I believe. Anyway, shifting back to day 1, we had to cross a bridge shortly after mile 3 with little shoulder. Shortly before crossing the bridge I see Jen and Justin - for that last time that day - which of course I didn't know to be the case at the time. I am not sure what thoughts were occupying my mind as I crossed the bridge but as I neared the end of the bridge a man with a camera basically pops outs from behind the bridge and starts taking pictures. It turns out he is a photographer for a local paper. What are the odds. I start telling him about the Run and how we (four runners) just started minutes ago on our quest to cross the country. I slow to a walk to talk and we continue to head east on WA-105. Regrettably, I wasn't carrying a Run business card on me so I just had to tell him the Run website info. At this point we note that there is a police officer stopped at an illegally parked car just down the road - and the car belongs to the photographer. That is the last I heard or saw the photographer.
Jennifer wrote the following about day 1, "Great day – I literally was grinning all day – if the rest of the route is even a tiny bit as good as today I’ll be very happy!" Jen also has a picture of my favorite sight of the day which is a small old railroad trestle on a long unused rail line running parallel to WA-105. Jen's label for the picture is "Wonderful Washington scenery".
Day 2 - 33 miles on road, no trail miles
Justin described day 2 the best with, "As a recap, day 2 was the same as day one, mile for mile, rain drop for rain drop the exact same, very nice and very scenic." We crossed several nice bridges on day 2 - an old bridge on Old HWY 410 and a new bridge on Banks Rd. The Banks Rd bridge was the third crossing we made of the Chehalis River in the first two days of running. Finally, Justin reported running 100 yards past the finish Stop Sign for the day.
Day 3 - 22 miles on road, 14 on trail
Day 3 started on a sad note due to Marty informing us that he couldn't continue in the Run due to his right knee if I remember correctly. Jennifer, Justin, and I were all bummed to hear this bad news, but there wasn't much we could do but start running ourselves. Marty and Corky parked at the first turn point of the day at mile 5.4 and at the start of the Yelm-Tenino Trail at mile 11. I wondered both times I saw them if that was going to be the last time I saw them until we reached eastern Iowa. Thankfully Marty and Corky stayed on to crew Jennifer, Justin, and to a small extent myself through day 11. Jennifer really didn't like the last eleven miles of the day on WA-507, and for weeks any road similar to WA-507 was compared to WA-507. I still remember stopping at the Yelm City Hall which is located at the northeast end of the Yelm-Tenino Trail. Heidi and Karen told me to go in - even though I was drenched from the rain - and say HI to the folks there. I did indeed say HI enroute to using the restroom and I was informed that I was pronouncing the name of the city of Tenino correctly. I was pronouncing the city name as Te-neen-o, and I was informed the correct pronunciation is Te-nine-o. After finishing the Run, our travels to the hotel were delayed as the Scooby Van sliding door wouldn't close. Stuff happens. Then our travels were delayed again due to construction to install a new stop light not very far past where we stopped for day 3. I worried that the construction work could cause us a problem on day 4, but super Karen jumped out of the Roadrunner and ran past 20 or so cars to ask the flagman if construction work would take place the next day (Saturday). Thankfully no construction was scheduled for Saturday and we had no issue passing through the vacant work zone on day 4.
Day 4 - 26 miles on road, 12 miles on trail
Not much to add to the existing blog posts, but Heidi and Karen missed the turn at mile 17. Marty saw the Roadrunner drive by and miss the turn so he called Heidi to get the ladies back on track. Marty provided me some water to keep me going while my crew was missing. Shortly thereafter I looked left and spotted our hotel for the two nights of days 3 and 4 - the Fife Days Inn. This hotel definitely wasn't the best one we stayed in on the journey, but it was acceptable. It was great to see everyone at the finish, but I felt badly that everyone had to wait so long for me to get there.
Day 5 - 20 miles on road, 19 miles on trail
Stage 5 was a super, memorable day! Not everything went perfectly however. Jen took a fall that landed her a cut/gash on her hand that took weeks to heal. Jen took several short wrong turns - which slowed her of course. The wrong turns allowed me to catch up to Jen, and we had our first chance to talk while running. The miles passed easily on the only perfect weather day of the Run during which Justin saw a bear cross his path and he once again ran well. Karen really, really liked the town of North Bend where we finished the day. There are super views of Mount Si from North Bend, and North Bend has the 60 year old Scott's Dairy Freeze - a fantastic place to eat. Jen was frustrated by losing a draft blog post due to poor internet at the motel, and Heidi, Karen, and I had to sneak crew dog Daphne into the motel since no dogs were allowed in the motel. Marty and Corky crewed for Jen and I at mile 31 as Heidi, Karen, and Daphne were enjoying the Snoqualmie Falls. Day 5 was a Sunday - which was the best day to run through some of the major intersections through which we passed in the Seattle-Tacoma area. I would say I planned the Run this well to ensure we passed through these busy intersections on Sunday, but that wouldn't be the truth. Most importantly, day 5 is the day of the infamous Dead Deer on the Road. Somewhere on WA-900 (miles 9.63-14.54) which passes through heavily forested lands, Jen claims to have come upon a dead deer in the road. Jen also claims to have taken a picture of this dead deer. Neither Justin - who was running ahead of Jen - nor I - who was running behind Jen - recall seeing this dead deer which was supposedly right in our running path on the left shoulder of the road. No one to my knowledge has ever seen the picture of this dead deer. Sooooo, every once in a while during the Run I would verbally "poke" Jen about the supposed dead deer that Justin and I had magically missed. On day 8 I believe I asked Jen if she had seen the dead deer on the road at mile 22 or so if I remember correctly. Jen stated she hadn't seen the dead deer, but I feigned disbelief that she hadn't seen the dead deer that was simply not miss-able on the lonely road. I had Jen going for a minute or two before stating that I had made up the story of the dead deer. I expect the conclusion of the Dead Deer saga will come to an end soon when Jen posts the picture in a wrap-up blog post. Finally, I note that we encountered a number dead deer on the Run after day 5 with the dead deer at mile 14ish on day 22 sticking quite well in my mind. Yes, roadkill and roadkill smells were definitely a part of the Run. So what did happen to the dead deer Jen saw on day 5 that I - who ran down the same road just minutes later - didn't see? It will be a small mystery for all time.
Day 6 - 8 miles on road, 33 miles on trail
Day 6 is the day we could have run through the Snoqualmie Pass Tunnel, but I didn't know the Tunnel was opened that week, so 6 miles or so and a good amount of elevation change was needlessly added to the Run. Yes, stuff happens. Day 6 includes Heidi sending Justin the wrong way at mile 15.63 which allowed Justin to add .75 miles to the route and enjoy the Asahel Curtis nature trail. Jen and I got chilled and used hand warmers to reduce the shivering. I never would have thought that we would use hand warmers on the Run, but once again, stuff happens. I rarely saw Katie during the day since Justin was so far out ahead of me, but it was good to see Katie at the Snoqualmie Pass Visitor Center shortly before she departed the Run to return to Flagstaff and work. The John Wayne Pioneer Trail, aka Iron Horse Trail, aka Old Milwaukee Road was super. If only it was possible to cross the country on a 3300 mile crush stoned trail - maybe some decade. Dinner that night was at a local restaurant in South Cle Elum. While eating we (Heidi, Karen, Jen, and I) got to watch crew dog Daphne do her usual routine of standing on the Roadrunner seats and pawing the windows waiting anxiously for her humans to return to her. Why didn't we just leave Daphne in the hotel room you ask? Well, at the pre-Run dinner I got a call from the hotel stating that we needed to return to our room since our dog was barking and bothering other hotel guests. Hence, for the entire 45 days Daphne supported the Run we couldn't leave Daphne alone in the hotel room. Thankfully this didn't cause much of a problem.
Day 7 - 16 miles on road, 23 miles on trail
To copy from my day 7 blog post, "As has been the case in five of the previous six days, Justin and Jennifer were out of sight in just a couple miles after the start." It would have been great if I had the ability to run with Justin and Jennifer, but the fact is I didn't. It was great, however, that Justin and Jen could run a good pace on day 7 of the Run. I wished them the best - so it was disappointing to hear from Karen and Heidi at mile 23 or so that I was catching up to Jen who was now walking slowly. Regrettably Jen suffered a serious right quad injury that affected her running for at least four days if not longer. After finishing the stage I was surprised by great friends Kevin Dorsey and Leigh Tanner after taking a shower. I understand the photo taken of me wearing only a towel was erased shortly after it was taken.
Day 8 - 22 miles on road, 8 miles on trail
The shortest stage of the Run came about because I didn't think it was right to insert the originally planned 22 mile section of John Wayne Trail that passes through the Yakima Army Training Center into the Run route. It was a tough call to take these trail miles out of the Run route, but there were no places in this section for crew to meet runners. My second thought was to have someone crew by bicycle, but after biking the route shortly before the Run start I decided that having someone crew runners by bike in this section wasn't a good plan either. Hence, we took the shorter road route to reach the Columbia River. Jen has a nice picture on her blog of the remote little used road (Vantage HWY) which was bypassed by I-90 years ago. A person could also see an older alignment of Vantage HWY in one place on the road.
The RAAoT has ended but the memories are still alive. Below... you will find writing that adds to the existing blog posts of the Run. May the additional writing be interesting to you and the humor bring you smiles. Besides this blog, Jennifer has written some super posts in her blog - www.runningandbaking.com - and Justin's blog is justinrunningacrossamerica.blogspot.com. Additionally, hundreds of Run pictures and notes can be found on the Run Across America on Trail Facebook group pages.
Bottom line, completing the Run was a very challenging endeavor. However, more importantly - as it always seems to be in life - is the friendships that were made while participating in a challenging event. Hence it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that I will continue to participate in challenging events in the future.
May 29th - the day before the start! Jennifer says it best in her blog, "Today is the last day of not-running across America. I can’t wait for it to start." I couldn't wait also!!!
It was great to meet Jennifer, Justin, Katie, and Corky at the hotel before the pre-run dinner. Karen and Heidi spent a good bit of time organizing the Samuelson crew vehicle (a 1997 Dodge Roadtrek 170 - initially nicknamed the Roadrunner for the Run but often times called the Beast) while I spent time organizing my gear for the Run. Justin and Katie also spent some time organizing the Faul crew vehicle - a 1995 Dodge van if I remember correctly. Jennifer nicknamed the van the Scooby Van. Justin had initially named the van Slow Roller, but the name didn't stick (although Justin may still be calling the van the Slow Roller, I don't know). Many Roadrunner and Scooby Van pictures can be seen on the Facebook page for the Run.
Day 1 - 30 miles of road, 1 on trail
Thanks again to John Wallace III (usacrossers.com and the USA Crossers Facebook group) for taking video of the Run start. It was great to meet John and I look forward to our paths crossing again. Great weather to start the Run, and beautiful scenery to keep us going on this first day of running. Thirty road miles and one bike path (most likely an old rail line mile actually) to get us to the finish point on day one which was the sign for the Moose Family Center in Montesano. It is interesting to note that Jen and I passed another Moose Family Center on day 79 I believe. Anyway, shifting back to day 1, we had to cross a bridge shortly after mile 3 with little shoulder. Shortly before crossing the bridge I see Jen and Justin - for that last time that day - which of course I didn't know to be the case at the time. I am not sure what thoughts were occupying my mind as I crossed the bridge but as I neared the end of the bridge a man with a camera basically pops outs from behind the bridge and starts taking pictures. It turns out he is a photographer for a local paper. What are the odds. I start telling him about the Run and how we (four runners) just started minutes ago on our quest to cross the country. I slow to a walk to talk and we continue to head east on WA-105. Regrettably, I wasn't carrying a Run business card on me so I just had to tell him the Run website info. At this point we note that there is a police officer stopped at an illegally parked car just down the road - and the car belongs to the photographer. That is the last I heard or saw the photographer.
Jennifer wrote the following about day 1, "Great day – I literally was grinning all day – if the rest of the route is even a tiny bit as good as today I’ll be very happy!" Jen also has a picture of my favorite sight of the day which is a small old railroad trestle on a long unused rail line running parallel to WA-105. Jen's label for the picture is "Wonderful Washington scenery".
Day 2 - 33 miles on road, no trail miles
Justin described day 2 the best with, "As a recap, day 2 was the same as day one, mile for mile, rain drop for rain drop the exact same, very nice and very scenic." We crossed several nice bridges on day 2 - an old bridge on Old HWY 410 and a new bridge on Banks Rd. The Banks Rd bridge was the third crossing we made of the Chehalis River in the first two days of running. Finally, Justin reported running 100 yards past the finish Stop Sign for the day.
Day 3 - 22 miles on road, 14 on trail
Day 3 started on a sad note due to Marty informing us that he couldn't continue in the Run due to his right knee if I remember correctly. Jennifer, Justin, and I were all bummed to hear this bad news, but there wasn't much we could do but start running ourselves. Marty and Corky parked at the first turn point of the day at mile 5.4 and at the start of the Yelm-Tenino Trail at mile 11. I wondered both times I saw them if that was going to be the last time I saw them until we reached eastern Iowa. Thankfully Marty and Corky stayed on to crew Jennifer, Justin, and to a small extent myself through day 11. Jennifer really didn't like the last eleven miles of the day on WA-507, and for weeks any road similar to WA-507 was compared to WA-507. I still remember stopping at the Yelm City Hall which is located at the northeast end of the Yelm-Tenino Trail. Heidi and Karen told me to go in - even though I was drenched from the rain - and say HI to the folks there. I did indeed say HI enroute to using the restroom and I was informed that I was pronouncing the name of the city of Tenino correctly. I was pronouncing the city name as Te-neen-o, and I was informed the correct pronunciation is Te-nine-o. After finishing the Run, our travels to the hotel were delayed as the Scooby Van sliding door wouldn't close. Stuff happens. Then our travels were delayed again due to construction to install a new stop light not very far past where we stopped for day 3. I worried that the construction work could cause us a problem on day 4, but super Karen jumped out of the Roadrunner and ran past 20 or so cars to ask the flagman if construction work would take place the next day (Saturday). Thankfully no construction was scheduled for Saturday and we had no issue passing through the vacant work zone on day 4.
Day 4 - 26 miles on road, 12 miles on trail
Not much to add to the existing blog posts, but Heidi and Karen missed the turn at mile 17. Marty saw the Roadrunner drive by and miss the turn so he called Heidi to get the ladies back on track. Marty provided me some water to keep me going while my crew was missing. Shortly thereafter I looked left and spotted our hotel for the two nights of days 3 and 4 - the Fife Days Inn. This hotel definitely wasn't the best one we stayed in on the journey, but it was acceptable. It was great to see everyone at the finish, but I felt badly that everyone had to wait so long for me to get there.
Day 5 - 20 miles on road, 19 miles on trail
Stage 5 was a super, memorable day! Not everything went perfectly however. Jen took a fall that landed her a cut/gash on her hand that took weeks to heal. Jen took several short wrong turns - which slowed her of course. The wrong turns allowed me to catch up to Jen, and we had our first chance to talk while running. The miles passed easily on the only perfect weather day of the Run during which Justin saw a bear cross his path and he once again ran well. Karen really, really liked the town of North Bend where we finished the day. There are super views of Mount Si from North Bend, and North Bend has the 60 year old Scott's Dairy Freeze - a fantastic place to eat. Jen was frustrated by losing a draft blog post due to poor internet at the motel, and Heidi, Karen, and I had to sneak crew dog Daphne into the motel since no dogs were allowed in the motel. Marty and Corky crewed for Jen and I at mile 31 as Heidi, Karen, and Daphne were enjoying the Snoqualmie Falls. Day 5 was a Sunday - which was the best day to run through some of the major intersections through which we passed in the Seattle-Tacoma area. I would say I planned the Run this well to ensure we passed through these busy intersections on Sunday, but that wouldn't be the truth. Most importantly, day 5 is the day of the infamous Dead Deer on the Road. Somewhere on WA-900 (miles 9.63-14.54) which passes through heavily forested lands, Jen claims to have come upon a dead deer in the road. Jen also claims to have taken a picture of this dead deer. Neither Justin - who was running ahead of Jen - nor I - who was running behind Jen - recall seeing this dead deer which was supposedly right in our running path on the left shoulder of the road. No one to my knowledge has ever seen the picture of this dead deer. Sooooo, every once in a while during the Run I would verbally "poke" Jen about the supposed dead deer that Justin and I had magically missed. On day 8 I believe I asked Jen if she had seen the dead deer on the road at mile 22 or so if I remember correctly. Jen stated she hadn't seen the dead deer, but I feigned disbelief that she hadn't seen the dead deer that was simply not miss-able on the lonely road. I had Jen going for a minute or two before stating that I had made up the story of the dead deer. I expect the conclusion of the Dead Deer saga will come to an end soon when Jen posts the picture in a wrap-up blog post. Finally, I note that we encountered a number dead deer on the Run after day 5 with the dead deer at mile 14ish on day 22 sticking quite well in my mind. Yes, roadkill and roadkill smells were definitely a part of the Run. So what did happen to the dead deer Jen saw on day 5 that I - who ran down the same road just minutes later - didn't see? It will be a small mystery for all time.
Day 6 - 8 miles on road, 33 miles on trail
Day 6 is the day we could have run through the Snoqualmie Pass Tunnel, but I didn't know the Tunnel was opened that week, so 6 miles or so and a good amount of elevation change was needlessly added to the Run. Yes, stuff happens. Day 6 includes Heidi sending Justin the wrong way at mile 15.63 which allowed Justin to add .75 miles to the route and enjoy the Asahel Curtis nature trail. Jen and I got chilled and used hand warmers to reduce the shivering. I never would have thought that we would use hand warmers on the Run, but once again, stuff happens. I rarely saw Katie during the day since Justin was so far out ahead of me, but it was good to see Katie at the Snoqualmie Pass Visitor Center shortly before she departed the Run to return to Flagstaff and work. The John Wayne Pioneer Trail, aka Iron Horse Trail, aka Old Milwaukee Road was super. If only it was possible to cross the country on a 3300 mile crush stoned trail - maybe some decade. Dinner that night was at a local restaurant in South Cle Elum. While eating we (Heidi, Karen, Jen, and I) got to watch crew dog Daphne do her usual routine of standing on the Roadrunner seats and pawing the windows waiting anxiously for her humans to return to her. Why didn't we just leave Daphne in the hotel room you ask? Well, at the pre-Run dinner I got a call from the hotel stating that we needed to return to our room since our dog was barking and bothering other hotel guests. Hence, for the entire 45 days Daphne supported the Run we couldn't leave Daphne alone in the hotel room. Thankfully this didn't cause much of a problem.
Day 7 - 16 miles on road, 23 miles on trail
To copy from my day 7 blog post, "As has been the case in five of the previous six days, Justin and Jennifer were out of sight in just a couple miles after the start." It would have been great if I had the ability to run with Justin and Jennifer, but the fact is I didn't. It was great, however, that Justin and Jen could run a good pace on day 7 of the Run. I wished them the best - so it was disappointing to hear from Karen and Heidi at mile 23 or so that I was catching up to Jen who was now walking slowly. Regrettably Jen suffered a serious right quad injury that affected her running for at least four days if not longer. After finishing the stage I was surprised by great friends Kevin Dorsey and Leigh Tanner after taking a shower. I understand the photo taken of me wearing only a towel was erased shortly after it was taken.
Day 8 - 22 miles on road, 8 miles on trail
The shortest stage of the Run came about because I didn't think it was right to insert the originally planned 22 mile section of John Wayne Trail that passes through the Yakima Army Training Center into the Run route. It was a tough call to take these trail miles out of the Run route, but there were no places in this section for crew to meet runners. My second thought was to have someone crew by bicycle, but after biking the route shortly before the Run start I decided that having someone crew runners by bike in this section wasn't a good plan either. Hence, we took the shorter road route to reach the Columbia River. Jen has a nice picture on her blog of the remote little used road (Vantage HWY) which was bypassed by I-90 years ago. A person could also see an older alignment of Vantage HWY in one place on the road.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Initial RAAoT Wrap-up Post
First the stats.
Miles Run: 3302.85 miles
Time:
Mike 719:47:13
Jennifer 720:26:40
I will publish a thorough wrap-up of the Run on September 13th as it will take me that much time to write down everything. I have been asked if I plan on writing a book, and the answer is no I will not write a book on the Run.
Great thanks once again goes to the people who spent many hours on the cold and wet & then hot and humid roads to get Jennifer and I to to the Atlantic.
Heidi Samuelson and Crew Dog Daphne (Days 1-45, 80)
Carl and Pat Samuelson (Days 35-80 and the five week pre-Run finalization trip)
Steph Robinson (Days 46-63)
Karen Doyle (Days 1-12, 57-58)
Mike Melton (Days 28-40)
Corky Feeney (Days 1-11, 54)
Margaret Trosino (Days 21-27, 78-80)
Adam Faul (Days 12-20)
Peter and Eileen Bradley (Days 73-80)
John Price (Days 66-72)
Katie Faul (Days 1-6)
Frank Dembia (Days 30-34)
Kari and David Chapman (Days 38-40)
Karla Loser (Day 80)
Great appreciation also goes out to Justin Faul and Marty Sprengelmeyer who shifted to being crew members after being forced from the Run due to runner issues.
The last blog post for the Run Across America on Trail will be on September 13th. Yes, the Run has to end sometime.
Miles Run: 3302.85 miles
Time:
Mike 719:47:13
Jennifer 720:26:40
I will publish a thorough wrap-up of the Run on September 13th as it will take me that much time to write down everything. I have been asked if I plan on writing a book, and the answer is no I will not write a book on the Run.
Great thanks once again goes to the people who spent many hours on the cold and wet & then hot and humid roads to get Jennifer and I to to the Atlantic.
Heidi Samuelson and Crew Dog Daphne (Days 1-45, 80)
Carl and Pat Samuelson (Days 35-80 and the five week pre-Run finalization trip)
Steph Robinson (Days 46-63)
Karen Doyle (Days 1-12, 57-58)
Mike Melton (Days 28-40)
Corky Feeney (Days 1-11, 54)
Margaret Trosino (Days 21-27, 78-80)
Adam Faul (Days 12-20)
Peter and Eileen Bradley (Days 73-80)
John Price (Days 66-72)
Katie Faul (Days 1-6)
Frank Dembia (Days 30-34)
Kari and David Chapman (Days 38-40)
Karla Loser (Day 80)
Great appreciation also goes out to Justin Faul and Marty Sprengelmeyer who shifted to being crew members after being forced from the Run due to runner issues.
The last blog post for the Run Across America on Trail will be on September 13th. Yes, the Run has to end sometime.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Day 80 - Finished!!!
The running went fairly smoothly today - mostly on the four lane Route 1 with lots of traffic. It was great to reach the finish!!!! It was a super day that might only have been better if Justin and Marty had crossed the finish line today also, but stuff happens.
This endeavor couldn't have been completed without super crew!!! Thanks to many folks - will write more about that later.
Dover to Cape Henlopen State Park, DE 39.43 miles
Jennifer 8:40:27
Mike 8:40:27
This endeavor couldn't have been completed without super crew!!! Thanks to many folks - will write more about that later.
Dover to Cape Henlopen State Park, DE 39.43 miles
Jennifer 8:40:27
Mike 8:40:27
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Day 79 - Into Delaware!!!
Plenty of hills on days 76-78, and some nice rural Maryland scenery. The hills slowed us a bit. Today Jennifer and I enjoyed a few flat miles of Maryland scenery before running into Delaware and running more flat road miles. The muscles enjoyed running the flat miles today better than the hilly miles of the past three days. Yes, Jennifer and I need to do hill repeats after we finish.
My wife Heidi, Aunt Margaret, and sister Karla are here in Delaware to see the finish. It is great to have them here.
Karla asked me if I have had a favorite place on the route earlier this evening. No city readily came to my mind. I did think of running through the small town of Elmore, OH on the North Coast Inland Trail and thinking that Elmore looked like a nice place. I thought about two towns on the Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes - Harrison, ID and Wallace, ID. I thought about the nice town of Townsend, MT. HMMM - guess I will have to ponder this question some more as a "final answer" hasn't come to me.
One more day!!!
Chesapeake City, MD to Dover, DE 38.60 miles
Jennifer 8:44:15
Mike 8:44:15
My wife Heidi, Aunt Margaret, and sister Karla are here in Delaware to see the finish. It is great to have them here.
Karla asked me if I have had a favorite place on the route earlier this evening. No city readily came to my mind. I did think of running through the small town of Elmore, OH on the North Coast Inland Trail and thinking that Elmore looked like a nice place. I thought about two towns on the Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes - Harrison, ID and Wallace, ID. I thought about the nice town of Townsend, MT. HMMM - guess I will have to ponder this question some more as a "final answer" hasn't come to me.
One more day!!!
Chesapeake City, MD to Dover, DE 38.60 miles
Jennifer 8:44:15
Mike 8:44:15
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Day 78 - Memories
Will Campbell joined Jennifer and I and crews (our parents) for dinner after stage 77. Will has been involved in the TRANSAMs since 1992 and is mentioned in Barry Lewis's book Running The Trans-America Footrace. It was great to talk to Will about past runs. Thanks Will!!!
Jennifer and I ran some more hills today, and we ran through some nice rural Maryland countryside. The good news is that today is the last day of hills. The route is flat the last 80 miles.
Well, 78 days of memories have been stored in that gray matter known as my brain with two more days of memories to be added. I don't have many talents, but I do have a fantastic visual memory. I can recall many images from the past 78 days. I replay the images in my mind in an effort not to lose those memories. Will I slowly lose the ability to recall the images? The likely answer to that question is yes. My ability to recall events and images from high school nearly 30 years ago is disappointingly limited.
Planning and running the Run Across America on Trail has been a great time in my life. One might say that I was called to run across the country and that I was simply fulfilling destiny by doing so. I will try to sum it up by saying that I am very fortunate to be able to do the Run - a challenge I have dreamed about undertaking since 2002 when I raptly followed the 2002 Run Across America via Alan Firth's daily race reports.
Bel Air to Chesapeake City, MD 39.43 miles
Jennifer 9:41:13
Mike 9:41:13
Jennifer and I ran some more hills today, and we ran through some nice rural Maryland countryside. The good news is that today is the last day of hills. The route is flat the last 80 miles.
Well, 78 days of memories have been stored in that gray matter known as my brain with two more days of memories to be added. I don't have many talents, but I do have a fantastic visual memory. I can recall many images from the past 78 days. I replay the images in my mind in an effort not to lose those memories. Will I slowly lose the ability to recall the images? The likely answer to that question is yes. My ability to recall events and images from high school nearly 30 years ago is disappointingly limited.
Planning and running the Run Across America on Trail has been a great time in my life. One might say that I was called to run across the country and that I was simply fulfilling destiny by doing so. I will try to sum it up by saying that I am very fortunate to be able to do the Run - a challenge I have dreamed about undertaking since 2002 when I raptly followed the 2002 Run Across America via Alan Firth's daily race reports.
Bel Air to Chesapeake City, MD 39.43 miles
Jennifer 9:41:13
Mike 9:41:13
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