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