Reno's Biggest Little Half-Marathon (Washoe County, Nevada)

Early in the year, I was excited about running and I still am, but I may have over-committed a bit. I had signed up for six half-marathons over the first five months of the year. The fifth one, Reno's Biggest Little Half-Marathon, would be held just a week after I ran the Silicon Valley Half-Marathon in San Jose, CA. Add to that, the fact that some friends and I rented a 'party bus' to attend Moonraker Brewing Company's 3rd Anniversary party yesterday and we have all the makings for a very poor Half-Marathon time. So, my expectations of my performance this morning, were not high.

I woke around my normal time and proceeded to get ready to run. The race starts under the Biggest Little City arch in Downtown Reno, which is only six or seven miles from my home. I arrived downtown and parked in the city lot. I got the starting line about ten minutes before the gun and started my stretching routine. As I've gotten older, I've learned that failure to stretch will result in very tight and uncomfortable achilles tendons the next day. So, I always try to get some level of stretch in before I run.

At the appointed time, we the half-marathon runners lined up (approximately 500 of us) and awaited the countdown. With a "3-2-1" and a gun, we were off. The first part of the race runs through downtown Reno. The streets were closed off for the event and so it was a nice run through the cityscape. Quickly leaving downtown, the route follows the Truckee River, which is raging from the Tahoe Basin's melting snow, before settling into the residential areas southeast of town.

I started out feeling okay, but after just a few miles, I could tell I wasn't in great shape for this race. I really did drink too much yesterday and I'm feeling it now. As I approach the intersection of Mayberry and Ferris, a steep hill rises in front of me. The next fifty yards are so are probably at an incline of 30 degrees, and then it mellows down to about 15 degrees for the next half-mile or so. I make it up the steepest part in a trot, but I'm forced to walk a bit during the half-mile section. I really hate hills. They are so good for a runner, but they tear me up and just siphon away my energy. Approaching Virginia Lake, we follow the park paths nearly all the way around before making a 180 and returning the way we came.

The final three or four miles are just agonizing. It's getting hot, my knees are aching, and my stomach is reminding me how much beer (amazing beer though) I drank yesterday. I persevere and keep moving forward, painful as it is. Finally reaching the finish line, I see my official time of 2:26:15. Considering I ran a 2:02:xx last week end, this time is pretty pathetic. I could make excuses about the higher elevation or the hilly-nature of the course, but the truth is, it just wasn't my day. It was still fun though. My friend Chris, who took 3rd place overall in the 5k event, meets up with me at the finish line and we decide to go have some breakfast.

Silicon Valley Half-Marathon (Santa Clara County, California)

I arrived in downtown San Jose late last night and after getting checked into my hotel room, pretty much crashed in the bed for a few hours and now, just six or so hours later, it's time to rise and run a half-marathon. I'm pretty tired, but I set myself up for this hectic schedule of events and I'll see it through.

I walk down to the starting line, which is just a block away, to get my bib and then return to my room with a bagel and a banana that I picked up in the lobby. I've been training pretty hard through the winter, though I have slacked off a little bit in the past month or so, but I've still been running pretty regularly. I don't really have expectations of getting a personal record (PR) today, but I'd still like to show well.

About 10 minutes before start time, I head back down to the start line and get some stretching in. A crowd of a few hundred runners pack into the stall awaiting the countdown. This should be a great day for a race. The weather is very nearly perfect, with a light cloud cover and temperatures that feel to be in the low-mid fifties.

With a quick count, we're off. It always seems to take me a mile or mile-and-a-half to find my rhythm and today is no different. I'm at a good pace, but my breathing takes a few minutes to settle down. As we wind our way around the downtown area of Silicon Valley, I finally find my center and settle in for the next several miles. The city streets are mostly closed to traffic, which makes for a nice safe run. The scenery is pretty cool, as I kind of enjoy running through the towering cityscape.

In addition to the half, the event also offers a 10k, and while the two courses co-exist during some parts, they diverge in others. It's interesting to see the two groups split and then rejoin further down the route. I feel pretty strong throughout, but as I pass the ten mile mark, I can feel the fatigue starting to set in. I haven't been running long distances in quite a while and my body is reminding me of that. I continue to push on though.

Making the final turn, I head back towards the SAP center and the finish line. I cross with a time of 2:02:58, which is about four minutes off of the PR I set early last month in Napa. It's actually a little better than I had expected. I'll take it!

Little Lake Petroglyphs (Inyo County, California)

The primary purpose for my long drive and overnight stay in Bishop, CA was to join the California Rock Art Foundation (CRAF) on a guided tour they were offering of the Little Lake Petroglyph Site just beyond Fossil Falls along US-395. I attended a lecture series with the foundation's president, Dr. Alan Garfinkle Gold, a couple of years ago in Ridgecrest. I learned a great deal from him and the other speakers, and I was excited to be able to go into the field again with someone so knowledgeable and passionate about ancient Native American rock art.

The Little Lake site is on private property and is only accessible with the permission of the land owners. I think they try to be accommodating to research groups to demonstrate to the BLM they are good stewards of this rich archaeological site to ensure it isn't taken from them via legal means. That said though, it's still a rare opportunity to be able to visit the site and I was lucky to be able to do so.

After driving the ninety or so miles from Bishop to the site, I turned around and joined others in the group on the side of the highway. While we waited for the land-owners to come and open the gate, we got some introductions out of the way and everyone signed a legal waiver. Eventually, the gate was opened and our caravan of twenty or so cars entered the site. We drove down a dirt road to a small picnic area, where the day's schedule was covered and then we decided upon carpool arrangements. The site is pretty large, but there aren't a lot of parking spots and so it made sense to take as few cars as possible.

Jumping into one of the larger SUV's, we drove down to the southern end of the lake to what was described as one of the more extensive sites. A large cliff of columnar basalt rises out of the desert and forms a long stone wall along the eastern side of the lake. We parked near the very southern end of this wall and got out to begin exploring. Immediately, we began seeing terrific examples of both petroglyphs and pictographs. The area is covered with them. All sorts glyphs, from geometric shapes to anthropomorphs to rams to atlatls have been represented on the boulders forming this cliff.

Along with the other members in my group, we spend about an hour exploring around this area. Dr. Gold mentions that ancient fire rings were found on top of the cliff, and a couple of us decide to hike up there to see. The climb is fairly easy, but we never find any definitive signs on top. As we notice people starting to head back to the cars, we decide it would be best to come back down and rejoin the group.

I almost forgot to mention the obsidian. The ground here is strewn with chips of obsidian. Not thousands, but probably millions of little obsidian chips liter the ground in all directions for as far as you can see. Obviously, the Native Americans that lived and hunted in this area, used this area to make projectile points from the incredibly sharp glass, but to accumulate this much, it must have taken hundreds of years and many dozens of arrowhead makers. I've seen areas like this before, but nothing even close to this scale. It's amazing . . . 

The next area drive to is right along the western side of the lake. Here, a small inlet from the lake has formed a marshy little canyon. The floor of the canyon seems to still be somewhat water-covered, but with a thick blanket of grasses and other water-plants providing a surface to walk on. It feels very much like walking on a sponge. As we explore, we find a small cave with some pictographs patterns painted on it's walls. In addition, there are dozens of petroglyph panels. There are also some small frogs scattering as we walk across the grassy carpet. They're cute and I hope we don't disturb them too much.

After this site, we head back to where we parked the majority of the cars to take lunch. I pull out a clif bar and a dried blueberry and nut mix, while others pull all sorts of meals from coolers. We try our best to find shade to enjoy our meals. It's pretty hot, but some cool water brings refreshment. 

After our quick meal, we decide to explore around the corner a bit. Dr. Gold mentions more rock art back this way. That said though, I really wasn't prepared for quantity of barely visible pictographs we were about to find. First, I catch the faintest glimpse of some red coloration on one of the rocks under an overhang. Using a handy-dandy little app on my phone called Dstretch, I took a picture and started flipping through a few color filters to see if any images popped out of the stone. The app was designed specifically for this purpose and I've found a lot of success with it in the past. Today is no exception. The first images start to come alive under the various filters. 

As I explore around the area, I discover pictographs fading away on just about every vertical surface that has some level of shelter above it. Others on the trip with me, are amazed at how many are here and how visible they come with the simple app. I'm really happy I purchased this app a couple of years ago. Its really great for anyone interested in rock art.

We spend a fair amount of time finding more and more pictographs before moving on to the next area. It's a little bit of a drive, but we eventually reach the other end of the columnar basalt wall we were exploring earlier. On this northern end though, much of the basalt has collapsed into boulder piles. These boulders seem to have provided ideal canvases for the ancient artists of the area. Atlatls, bear claws, geometric patterns, and many other glyphs adorn this crumbled hillside. 

The day has escaped me and it's nearly 3:30 PM. I say my goodbyes and thank Dr. Gold for his insights and for obtaining permission for us to access the site. It's been an amazing day and I'm very thankful to have had the opportunity to explore such an archaeological treasure as this. Now, I have a six or so hour drive around the southern tip of the Sierra Nevada and back up to the Bay area for a run tomorrow morning. Best hit the road.

Druid Stones (Inyo County, California)

This weekend I have a lot of driving to do. Tomorrow, I'm tour a rock art site on private property with the California Rock Art Foundation and then driving to San Jose to run a Half-Marathon on Sunday morning. To break the driving up a little bit, I decided to spend the night in Bishop, CA. After leaving the hot springs, I headed to my destination town for the evening, but as there was still several hours of daylight left, I decided to get anther hike in rather than retire so early.

I learned of the Druid Stones trail some time ago while looking for local trails on the internet. As the trail head is just few miles outside of town, I arrived and parked the jeep before heading off into the high desert along a well-cut trail. The first part of the trail is relatively flat, but offers some gorgeous views of the Sierra Nevada to the west. After about a half mile, the trail quickly begins to gain elevation as it makes it's way up the side of one of the foothills. This uphill is really relentless and very steep. 

I'm making good time, but I'm really getting a work out making my way this harsh incline. All along the way, I note the sandstone rock formations, which must be the druid stones. Some jut vertically out of the ground resembling the stones the ancient Celts used to fashion Stonehenge in southern England. The stones here, though, are naturally placed. The geologic upheaval of this entire area has made a number of interesting landscapes and this is certainly one of them.

As I continue up the mountain, the trail gets even steeper in a few places . . . to the point that I'm reaching down for handholds in a couple of places. Wow . . . this trail really is kicking my butt, but I'm glad for the physical challenge. To make matters worse, the sun is now beating down on me and the temperatures have reached the low nineties. It's not even may yet . . . it's not supposed to be this hot . . . 

Finally reaching the high point of the trail, I turn and head back down the other side of the loop. This side seems even more steep, but luckily, it's downhill now. Gravity forces me to run some parts, but it certainly makes the time go by faster. All along the way, I'm extremely cautious of overhanging rocks and small sagebrush along the trail. This kind of day would force any rattlesnakes in the area into the shade and the last thing I want is to get bitten.

Getting back to the jeep, I check my mileage and I've covered almost exactly 5 miles. Now that I have gotten my exercise for the day, I'm going to head back into town and enjoy some beer and a quite evening before my busy weekend continues. As for the trail, it does offer some nice views, but there are more scenic trails in the region. If you want a workout coupled with some nice views, this is a trail for you, but otherwise, I'd recommend moving along.

Travertine Hot Springs (Mono County, California)

 

In the hills just southeast of Bridgeport, CA, a small valley is home to a number of hot spring vents and pools. I've visited Travertine Hot Springs a couple of times in the past, but I've never really taken the time to walk around much. The area really is amazing. In the distance, the snow-covered Sierra's provide an amazing backdrop to this little salt valley. 

As I climb to the top of one of the ridges, I note that a trench has been cut to carry the hot springs water all the way down to some pools that have been fashioned at the end of the ridge. This area is very popular for those that enjoy relaxing in the naturally warmed mineral waters bubbling up from the earth below.

Avery Island Jungle Garden (Iberia Parish, Louisiana)

The Tabasco Hot Sauce factory was built by the McIlhenney family on a salt dome in south central Louisiana known as Avery Island. In addition to the factory and over the generations since the family found success with their hot sauce, the island has been fashioned into a nature preserve known as the Avery Island Jungle Garden. After taking a tour factory and sampling some of the lesser-available products, we decided to explore the island a little bit.

A 'jungle garden' is a pretty accurate description of the experience. The preserve is a combination of groomed lawns and swampy bayous, with a number of landscaped areas and even a Buddhist shrine. The first section of the slow drive takes us around a marshy lake, where we find a number of alligators, some in the water and some sunning themselves on the shore.

As we continue on, we drive past a gigantic oak tree, said to be over 300 years old and once hugged by former president Grover Cleveland during one of his visits to the island. It's a massive tree and worthy of being named after a historical figure.

Looking at the provided map, we note a couple of different walking paths available to the Buddhist Shrine. I choose the one that also takes me past a torii (a traditional Japanese Shinto arch). The shrine itself sits atop a large mound overlooking the landscape. It's sort of tucked away in a little wooded corner, but also opens up to some nice views. Within the locked shrine resides a huge bronze Buddha. A plaque affixed to the steps leading to the top of the mound explains the statue was commissioned by Chinese Emperor Hui-Tsung sometime in the early twelfth century. Sometime later, the temple where the statue was located was looted by a rebel general and later sent to New York to be sold. Friends to the McIlhenny family purchased the state and sent it as a gift and it has been housed on the island since 1936.

The final stop on the tour is an area referred to by signage as Bird City. I really didn't know what to expect, but as we turn the corner, I'm amazed at what I find. Directly in front of me sits a large lush marsh, but in the distance, the marsh opens up a bit and three large scaffolding-like platforms have been placed. On these platforms, hundreds of egrets have build their nests and now make their homes. It truly is a bird city.

Not exactly knowing what to expect when visiting Avery Island, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a great experience and I would recommend anyone in the area visit this eclectic landscape and collection of wonders.

French Quarter (Orleans Parish, Louisiana)

New Orleans is full of so much culture. It is a melting pot of the various societies that have inhabited and ruled the delta at various times through history. Between the Native Americans, the Spanish, the French, the Americans, and the slaves relocated from the Caribbean, an incredible mix of architecture, music, spiritual beliefs, food, and everything else that makes New Orleans what it is has come to be over the last several centuries.

No place in the city is as rich with this shared culture as the French Quarter. Originally settled by the French in the early eighteenth century, this area was is the oldest part of the city proper. 

The streets of the Quarter have names like Royal, Dauphine, St. Phillip, Chartres, and of course, the famous Bourbon Street. Much like many thousands of others who have visited this area, I have partied pretty hard on these streets over the years and across multiple visits to New Orleans. Unfortunately, I've rarely taken the time to appreciate the rich diversity that lines these streets and give the Quarter that character so uniquely New Orleans.

As I wander these cobblestone streets, I'm amazed at the variety of shops and bars on each block. From French coffee shops to Pharmaceutical Museums to strip clubs, the Quarter has it all. Add to that, the towering spires of St. Louis Cathedral overlooking Jackson Square and the river beyond, and this area is a traveler's dream.

The corner of Bourbon and St. Phillip is home to another celebrated gem. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar is purported to be the oldest structure still standing within the Orleans Parish. Originally built as a blacksmith sop and still containing a forge within, the building now serves as a piano bar and common stop along many of the ghost and vampire tours that wind through the area. I have been here a few times and while the character of the old structure is worth checking out, I really wish they would clean their tap lines every few decades.

Another amazing thing in and around all of New Orleans are the random works of art, each celebrating some aspect of the city. Along the Market Area, near the river, a number of jazz-oriented sculptures and statues adorn various fountains and walkways. In addition, a golden statue of the mounted Joan of Arc overlooks the area. There is so much to take in here.

After spending an hour or so wandering around during the early morning hours, I finally decide to return to my hotel. It seems I've strolled about 2.9 miles. It's always easier to walk around during the morning, as this area is party-central and once the frat-boys wake, the streets are hard to push through. If you have never been, make sure you visit the French Quarter at some point in your life. It is an experience you will not forget.