Colorado National Monument

Hey:

Maria and I took a trip to the Colorado National Monument this past weekend--simply spectacular! Since we had to carry all our water in, we set up a base camp only about three miles down the Monument Valley Trail. Each of us had three gallons of water in our pack (that's a gallon a day, and we used just about all of it), plus a tent, cooking gear, and a sleeping bag a piece. We used a GoLite shelter to conserve on the weight. We would have gone without a shelter, but there was rain in the forecast, and we had been warned that there would be stinging gnats out in droves. I'm glad we brought the tent--it did rain the first day and night, and the gnats were just awful the second night. Completely un-deterred by DEET! We did sleep both nights (well, most of the first night and all of the second) without the fly on, so we could see the stars and the valley by moonlight.

We took some pics which you can see here:



Once we'd eaten all our food and drunk all our water, we headed back to the truck with super light packs, and spent the afternoon and following morning mountain biking in the greater Fruita area. Both Maria and I had an awesome time.

RL

A good long time...

Well, it's been a good long time since I've posted to the blog.  A lot has happened in the interim.  I've been cross-training on the road and mountain bikes, and working hard at building my base for long-distance running.  I'm up to ten miles, and plan to make a 12 mile run in the desert of Colorado National Monument this weekend.  That's right, It's Memorial Day weekend, and I plan to remember those who gave their lives for our great nation by sleeping in a tent and running really far in the hot sun for a couple of days.  Then, when we get back to town, I'll be sure to grill some hot dogs.  

No really, it's going to be an awesome weekend.  Pilar and I will be backpacking, camping, and running in the monument, and then spending a couple days riding in Fruita.  What more could a guy ask for!

Yesterday, Hideo, Seth, and I tackled Walker Ranch on the mountain bikes.  Not a speck of snow on the trail.  Hideo made sure to check that gravity was still working... it is.  

Meanwhile, I'm training for the ascent of Mount Evans.  It's a 14 mile running race, on the "soft shoulder" of the road from Echo Lake to the peak of Mt. Evans, which is just over 14,000 feet.

Wish me luck.  

RL

Ride Report: Marshall Mesa/Dowdy Draw

Well, yesterday afternoon four of us met up at the new Marshall Mesa trailhead for a tour of the recently-opened-to-mountain-bikes Dowdy Draw/Flatirons Vista trail.  It was an excellent ride!  The sun was going down behind the flatirons, so we rode in and out of the shadows a couple of times.  The downhill section on the west side of Flatirons Vista was in good shape for the spring, and the trail was almost completely dry.  Hideo took a flying leap off his bike, right before the first creek crossing, but all in all, the ride was thoroughly enjoyable.

I'm off to Colombia this week--I'll try to post pictures if I get the chance, but I'm not counting on having computer access.

Best,

Rob

Post-Community support ride

Hey all you feverish folk:

With all this support talk about blogging as a means of fostering community, I thought I'd post right from the peanut gallery at Wolff Law, where the IT Community Support Event is going on right now.

Saw Dave U. this morning, and we've decided to go for a ride over lunch. If you care to join us, meet at HUMN at 12:35!

RL

Ah, Colorado!

This weekend was a perfect example of why I love living in Colorado.  Saturday Maria and I headed up to Keystone, to ski a bit.  Unfortunately, Maria didn't realize that Saturday was a blackout day for her four-pass (curse you, Vail corporation!), so she read for a bit while I grabbed a couple of runs through the trees.  Not wanting her to wait for me, I headed back to the lodge at 10:45 and we were back to Boulder by 1:00.  

Since it was beautiful, sunny, and almost warm (for March standards) we got out the road bikes for a quick ride up NCAR hill.  Though a bit chilly coming down, it was nice to get out on the road bikes in the afternoon.

Then, on Sunday, we packed up the mountain bikes and headed to Lyons' Hall Ranch, where we enjoyed a quick tour of the trails there.  They were muddy in spots, but overall the trail conditions were terrific, and we had a great time!

Today, Sir Kent and I are meeting on the north side of Humanities to run up to the Mesa trail via NCAR--join us if you care to!

Ah, Colorado!

Sunny, beautiful--run?

Hi all:

Yesterday had me working through lunch, so today I need to get out and run!  Anyone interested in joining me?  I was thinking of heading to Anemone, but am open to other suggestions!

RL

Hamstring stretch

Just got back from the morning yoga class.... I spent a lot of time focused on my hamstrings.  There's nothing like a good hamstring stretch!   They have gotten quite tight this year, and nothing seems to get them to really release.  So, I guess I'll keep going to yoga :)

No run today for me.  It's a rest day!

RL

Powder Day at Mary Jane!

We spent the weekend skiing and camping in Grand County.  Saturday was a typical, spring day at the park--warm, with sugar snow from mid-mountain down.  Then, yesterday was a sweet powder day at Mary Jane/Winter Park!  Spent the day living the joys of skiing bumps and trees on tele skis.  Fortunately, the powder made skiing much much easier on my injured knee.  By the time the afternoon rolled around, my quads were quivering with the built up lactic acid.  We headed home at around three.

Today I'm heading out for a short run--short and early, since I've got a meeting at 1 PM.  I'll be leaving Humanities from the south at 11:30.

RL

(Ain't No) Sunshine

Hey all:

It's a beautiful sunny day, but Maria won't be joining us for a ride today. So, I need to get some sunshine into my life--let's ride Poorman and Sunshine today. Meet me at Humanities at 12:05.
RL

Undecided...

I went to yoga today, and my teacher wasn't there.  Instead there was a sub who is an excellent, detail-oriented teacher there, but whose practice I don't particularly care for.  So I'm off from yoga again!  

What to do... Run?  Ride?  Dual?  So hard to decide, what with the perfect spring weather and all.  The folks at FlagstaffFrenzy are taking a break today, so maybe I can find a recruit to join me somewhere.  Mr. Brian Kent, master of all things 50K, had intimated he might be up for a spin out on the flats.  Mayhaps I can persuade him to join me on a Marshall Mesa ride.  Or, I could initiate a redux of last week's Anemone ascent with Dr. Underwood...

Anyway, let's meet outside Humanities at noon.

Turkeys slip and slide on snow and ice

Looks like the folks at FlagstaffFrenzy decided to bail on their Initiation run yesterday--well, I challenge them to a Flagstaff Duel!  We'll see whomever cares to join us at the Flagstaff Trailhead at 12:30 today.

With any luck, we'll survive the run!

RL

Rest Day

Well, yesterday's run turned into a hungry fiasco when I got back to the truck and realized I'd taken the wrong key running with me.  The keys to my truck (and my lunch, and my water bottle, and my warm coat) were sitting on the floor of the driver's side.  Fortunately, the folks at Mapleton Center were kind enough to let me use their phone to call USAA, who promised someone would be there within 45 minutes.  

All well and good, except the temperature plummeted, and the beautiful 50 degree weather turned into snow flurries!  Wholly unprepared for such temperatures, Caili Dog and I wandered briskly around the hospital for an hour and fifteen minutes before the locksmith arrived.  Shivering, hungry, and thirsty, Caili and I thanked him and quickly sped back to campus.

The run itself was terrific!  We headed out of the Mapleton Center parking lot to the alley west of 4th street, up to the Evergreen trailhead for Dakota Ridge/Ho Chi Minh trail, then headed north to Wonderland Lake and back.  Until we got back to the parking lot, the air was warm and the sky clear.

Today's a rest day.  If you're feeling brave, join the flagstaff frenz for a jaunt up Initiation.

RL

Hitting the flats...

This weekend was terrific--weather in the 50's and 60's permitted me and Maria to get out on the road bikes on Saturday afternoon for a long spin from north Boulder out to Gunbarrel, then south all the way to Marshall Mesa, and back again. Sunday saw more of the same, only warmer and windier, so I pointed my long-neglected mountain bike towards Rabbit Mountain in Lyons for a short and sweet tour of the dry trails up there.

However, after all the biking and the running I did last week and this weekend, my legs are feeling well-worn. I think today I'll take it easy and go for a short, flatter run over at Wonderland Lake.

If anyone cares to join me I'll be heading over in the truck from behind Macky Auditorium at around noon.

RL

We're back!

The weather today is spectacular, especially for a mid-February day. Dave, Greg, and I all headed out at 12:15 for a short-but-sweet dualathalon. We rolled on over to Settler's Park here in sunny downtown Boulder, locked up the bikes, and sprinted as best we could up the mighty pipe cut trail on Anemone Hill. We were quite the trio--Dave's knee is actually made of orange pulp, Greg was fighting off a cold, and, well, see below for the continuing condition of my knee: The bruising is gone, but the throbbing remains!

In any case, we made it to the top for a beautiful view of the plains to the east and Mount Sanitas to the south. Once there, it was a slow trudge down as Dave and I skipped our way back to the bikes. We made it back to campus right on time, and a good time was had by all.

Thanks again to everyone who showed, and have a great weekend!

rl

Down but not out!

Hey Feverish Followers:

Well this weekend they opened Montezuma bowl at A-Basin, and I am proud to say that I was the second person EVER to be taken out on a sled.

Sure enough the three or four feet of unconsolidated powder concealed plenty of hidden rocks. Including the one that made a mess of my left knee:


Teach me to tele ski without knee pads!

In any case, I'm down for the count as far as trail running goes for at least a week. But, given the forecast today for highs in the fifties and winds expected to die down, I'm going to try and head out for a short bike ride around Boulder. Route will be dictated by the state of my knee, so if you're interested in joining me, I'll be at the North side of the Humanities building around noon.

Best,
Rob

Defer to the boss....

Hey all:

Flagstaff Frenzy is proposing a ride/run from Humanities at 12:00.... up Flagstaff. Since I promised my new fiancee Maria I'd run with her tonight if she wanted, I'm going to defer to her until I find out if she wants to run. But, by all means, the Frenz could use your support!

RL

UPDATE:

Maria wants to run solo tonight, so I'll be joining the Frenz for a ride/run today. See you at HUMN at noon!

RL