I started out keeping a trip journal, but ended up so busy seeing people and doing things that it feel by the wayside in a matter of days. 

I left Tacoma on Saturday May 17^th after a night out dancing at the Emerald Queen with Catie, Alex, Linda J and Barb.  Darn Alex and his “here’s one more drink” habit. We all know that I’m a “two beer woman” and that 3^rd drink was enough to make me feel a bit “yucky” the next day.   I forgave him  as I was munching on goodies from the care package he put together for me before I left.  

Less than an hour into the trip I hit SNOW on Snoqualmie pass. What a way to start my “summer vacation” I pulled off of I-90 and took a picture of myself standing in ankle deep snow in my Birkenstocks with the snow plows going by.  I also hit snow on Blue Mountain Pass in Oregon. 

I spent the 1^st night of the trip at the Hostel Boise, which was a really fun place.  I’ve always liked hostels because you get to meet interesting folks.  Normally, I would have stayed with Kara, but she was out of town.  There were 3 of us in the women’s dorm all of whose names began with “L”, it was pretty funny. 

I arrived at the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park out side of Moab UT (where I used to be a ranger) at 6:30 the next night to spend two days with Bonnie (who interestingly enough was a ranger at Dead Horse Point State Park, our closest neighbor 6 ½ miles away when I worked at the Island) up at the Island where she works now.  Bonnie and Howard fed me too much wine, but I had been hydrating well and tested out my first altitude run the next morning.  The Island is at 6,000 feet elevation.  It was great to smell pinon and juniper and to watch spectacular SE Utah sunrises and sunsets again.  We had dinner the 2^nd night in Moab at Zak’s Wood fired Pizza with several of my Park and River buddies. 

After two days in and around Moab visiting friends, I headed out to Grand Junction CO to visit Linda and the kids (Joseph was out on a trip so we got to spend some quality girl time).  Linda and I did some training runs (with me still being very careful of my angry IT band) and did lots of yoga.  She got me hooked on the whole wheat pecan cinnamon rolls at the Great Harvest Bread Co that opened up in the area.  We went to a big Sheader family BBQ in a local park and had a blast.  Joseph’s parents treat me like I’m one of theirs and the family is just “strange” enough, that I fit in.   

I spent a day helping my friend Karen vaccinate and move her horses from their winter home in Silt up to their place above Aspen.  Afterwards, she took me up to the highest point above their house for a high altitude training run.  I did OK at 9,300 feet, so Boulder wasn’t going to be a problem.  I got to have a too quick visit with Dusty and took a drive down to Ridgeway Colorado (down near Durango) to go to my favorite nekkid hippie hot springs, Orvis.  I had a great day hanging out in the main pool, which has a gravel bottom and is lined in Dakota sandstone (not like the concrete pools at most commercial hot springs) and then treated myself to a massage that I couldn’t afford (hey, I WAS injured and did have a big race coming up).  After that, I went back and soaked up the healing waters and sun some more then headed back to Junction. 

I slept on the futon in the living room with two large Siberian Huskies, Tundra and Balto guarding me and making certain that I was covered in dog spit at all times and didn’t sleep past 6:30 AM. 

That weekend, Linda, the kids and I piled into “The Mother ship” (her Dad’s old Lincoln Town Car) and headed out to Denver/Boulder to stay with her Mom in preparation for our running the Bolder Boulder.  Linda’s mom is awesome.  She cooked a HUGE BBQ for us.  I think I could have survived the entire race the next day on what I ate. Linda, her sister Julie (who gave me some good dirt on Linda) did a training run around the lake at a local park.  I met my friends Ed and Anne for dinner and beer at “Hops” which overlooks the same lake we had been running around earlier.  I got an email from Erin, my best friend in High School, who now lives in Denver, but I didn’t get it until after we had left Denver, so I’ll have to catch her next time. Darn it. 

The next morning, we were up at 6:00 AM to head back to the “left slope” where Joseph had just returned from his canyoneering trip to the Navajo Nation and was waiting to see us.  Linda had to go to work, so Joseph and I hung out.  As always, he took me to the “beer room” at the liquor store on Patterson Road and then started laughing hysterically.  There on the shelf was “Red Banshee Ale” (for those who don’t know why that’s so funny, the license plate on my bright red truck is Banshee) which I bought so that I’d have the bottle.  We had to go to the <gasp> Mall for a meeting at High Desert Martial Arts, so I wandered down to the food court.  I didn’t get more than 100 yards, before I heard, “HEY”.  I turned around and found two of my ski instructor buddies I worked with at Powderhorn.  I swear, no one ever really leaves Moab or Grand Junction.  You can be gone 5 years or more and it’s like you never left. 

The next morning, I left GJ (after a stop at Great Harvest for a cinnamon roll) to head back to Moab.  I had to stop for a potty break at the BLM takeout (where guides pull the rafts out at the end of the day) and experienced the fine aroma of a government port-a-potty in 105 degree heat.  I went and stuck my feet in the river and then headed over to Saina’s to get read for our river trip.  We ended up not going on the river trip, but did go out for a nice lunch and then I went to a going away party for one of the BLM guys at the Moab Brewery and then headed out to Paul and Marilyn’s to see the worlds tallest Red Yucca plant.  Saina took me to “Breakfast and Tiffany’s the next morning (a VERY cool theme place with awesome food and coffee).  We hung out some more and then I met Susette (and Black George who happened to show up) for a too quick lunch visit at the Poplar place before heading up to Salt Lake City.  I missed Marie all together.  We just couldn’t end up in the same state (or ever part of the state for that matter) this time because of my trip/race schedule and her training schedule.  I’ll have to plan better and earlier next year. 

They were chip sealing the road between Green River and Price UT (for those not from that part of the country, chip sealing involves spreading thick oil on the road then covering it with (allegedly) fine gravel, rolling it down, letting cards drive on it, then sweeping up the debris.  The big trucks going the other way weren’t slowing down and they were throwing gravel everywhere.  I got the mother of all windshield chips right at eye level on the driver’s side of the windshield.  It scared the crap out of me; I thought it was going to come through the windshield. 

I arrived in SLC and killed some time at the Coffee Garden while Jeff did some water quality sampling.  Afterwards we went to a very cool Microbrewery (yes there IS good beer in Utah) at Trolly Square and then proceeded to stay up way too late talking about WaterKeeper stuff.  I brought home a 6-Pack of “Polygamy Porter” (with the slogans, “Why have just one?” and “Take some home for the wives” on the label) for my friends here in WA.  The next morning, we hit the coffee garden again and then I spent some quality time at Diamond Auto Glass to get my chip repaired.  It affected both layers of glass and spidered immediately.  I don’t know if the repair will hold or not, but at least I was legal to drive and could get home.  My insurance covered the repair.  If I’m lucky, I won’t have to have the whole windshield replaced. 

I arrived in Boise at 4:30 PM and enjoyed a nice walk with Kara; then she and Vince put on a great BBQ.  I got my first full night’s sleep at their place.  I left at 10:00 AM, Mountain time to head back home, arriving at 5:30 PM Pacific time and then going out for fajitas and Coronas with Alex. 

Today, (Sunday), I’m just hanging out like a slug.  I guess I need to go find some groceries.  I got rid of all my perishable stuff before I left for two weeks.  Tomorrow, I'll try an easy run with the group from South Sound Running (wearing my too cool Boulder Running Company singlet, which wouldn't have been cool if I had worn it over there). Tuesday, I'm teaching a class at REI. 

For today...  I have an article due for Widdershins and am working on one for the Mountain Gazette.  Then I have to work on our Summer Solstice event, vacuum two weeks worth of cat hair, find time to run or walk and start sorting through the work email...  

Maybe, I’ll just go make another mocha and pet the kitty for a while.