Dale's Trail After Cleanup

Time to give something back to Red Rock today. So I volunteered to help with a Visitor Center cleanup. I filled a big bag with trash and got a free cookie for my effort.

My new digital camera arrived yesterday but I don't like it very much (translation: I can't get it to work). So I think I'm going to send it back and get a refund. In the meantime I'll search the Internet for photos and maps to go with my journal entries.

After the cleanup, I checked off Dale's Trail on my quest to explore all 19 major trails at Red Rock Canyon. Just 4 more to go. Dale's Trail is a moderate 2.5-mile stretch that connects Ice Box Canyon with the Pine Creek Trailhead along the base of Bridge Mountain. There are four benches along the way to rest, hydrate or just enjoy the spectacular view. According to a review you'll see a

"Wonderful variety of cactus (cholla, barrel, beavertail, etc.), wildflowers (columbine, paintbrush, mallow, yellowbush, etc.), and plenty of oak, pinion, agave, yucca, some joshua, junipers, manzanita, creosote, ponderosa. Brilliant red soil mixed with limestone, aztec sandstone boulders, oxide pimples, other rock formations.

 

Top 10 List

Top 10 Things I did today.

1. Acupuncture ($85). Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.

2. Hiked Ice Box Canyon at Red Rock (Priceless). Multiple waterfalls.

3. Double shot of wheat grass at Tropical Smoothies ($3). Cures and heals and prevents disease.

4. Venti Soy Vanilla Chai Tea Latte at Starbucks ($4.50). Better than coffee.

5. Read some more of "Skin City" a true story of  Las Vegas underbelly ($14).

6. Co-mingeled with Haven & Daisy (Priceless). I love my cats.

7. Ate a Subway Veggie Delight ($5).

8. Watched Travel Channel special on haunted houses in Key West (You don't want to know...).

9. Watched induction ceremonies for 2006 Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame (...my cable bill).

10. Talked to Dad about various subjects from Alaska to new hiking shoes to stress management (Dad's free weekend cell minutes).

Leaving Ft. Clatsop & White Rock Canyon

Two hundred years ago today Lewis & Clark left Fort Clatsop to the local Native Americans and headed back east across the continent. On March 23, 1806, Capt. Clark wrote: "...at 1:00 p.m. left Fort Clatsop on our homeward-bound journey. At this place we had wintered and remained from the 7th of December, 1805, to this day, and have lived as well as we had any right to expect, and we can say that we were never one day without three meals of some kind a day, either poor elk meat or roots."

To honor Lewis & Clark's departure I headed out to White Rock Canyon for a mini-expedition of my own. Dad & Sue are now familiar with this trail at least the descent. Which I made in record time today of 40 minutes, usually it takes 50. I proceeded on to the Arizona Hot Springs, a somewhat treacherous climb over slippery rocks and mini waterfalls. There I basked in the hot springs for at least 20 minutes hoping to cure some minor aches and pains. Then I proceeded up the alternate route, which I had done once before but I forgot how difficult it was. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the trail around the lake at Sunset Park and 10 being the Hillary Step near the summit at Mt. Everest, I would rate the degree of difficulty at 9.5. There were two particularly steep scrambles that I wouldn't recommend to anyone without adequate insurance. But somehow I successfully scaled the rocky cliffs and even saw some ancient pictographs on the way. My luck ran out on the drive home when I encountered grid lock at the Hoover Dam. The dam road became the damn road when it took nearly an hour to drive 4 miles.

 

Double Birthday Celebration

It's easy to remember Dad's birthday, it's the same as mine, every year, March 20th. Although we're usually apart in different time zones, we're always together in our hearts.

While neither one of us had a rip-roaring birthday bash today, not a drop of alcohol was consumed and that was fine with both of us. He's gone 32 years and I've gone for many long stretches as I work my way through this Lewis & Clark Abstinence Reenactment Journal. We celebrate in our own ways. He bikes and skis. I run and yoga. Today's highlight was a nice one-hour twilight run through the neighborhood. Six or seven miles. The exact number of miles was insignificant just as age is only a number. But I must admit 75 is a very impressive number. So congratulations, Dad!

On my 49th it was nice to hear from everyone in the family with cards, calls and gifts from Ann, Dad, Mom, Ron, Susan and Micky. The cats are oblivious to birthdays but I don't know the birth dates of the former stray cats either.

Simultaneous Sunset-Moonrise

Sometimes it helps to check the sunrise-sunset, moon rise-moonset chart before heading out for a run. Tonight's sunset was at 5:47 and the full moonrise was at 5:48. I proceeded on to Sunset Park and timed it just right so that I was on top of Mt. Sunset at that moment. After working up a pretty good sweat I scaled the steep mountain where I climbed with Susan last month and Uncle Wally last year. I enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the Red Rock range that was reflected by some passing clouds. But where was the moon? I waited 10 minutes past it's scheduled appearance before a chill forced me to depart and head home. Was it the clouds hiding the moon? Sort of. But mostly it was the mountains by Lake Mead. Apparently moon rise time is calculated not when the moon becomes visible over the mountains but when it clears the horizon. As I ran home I kept looking over my shoulder. At first a few glimpses of white light poked through the clouds but halfway home the big beautiful lunar object started to draw my attention like it pulls in the tides. 

When I got home I watched the Sabres overcome two 2-goal deficits to beat the Caps 6-4 making it another fine day.

  

Blizzard Conditions

Today's Red Rock trail run featured blizzard conditions. The higher I climbed on the Rocky Gap 4x4 Road, there was more snow, it got much colder and then it got worse -- a blizzard let loose. It was a tough enough run on a treacherous rocky surface heading up and up to the sky on the steep mountain trail. But then after 2pm temps dropped from the 40s to the low 30s, the wind picked up and it began to snow. First a flurry, then a hailstorm. Then a blizzard. If my fingers weren't numb despite gloves I might have enjoyed myself a little more. But still it was something different as I traversed half-frozen brooks and creeks and discovered remote waterfalls. After over an hour of a steady uphill climb I was forced to turn around. Vowing to return another day to complete the 12-mile mountain-climbing adventure.

The run was set up by an office visit to my acupuncturist -- Dr. Kim Sperling. Another great treatment. Now that my healing team is assembled that also includes ayurveda with Anne and yoga with Cypresse & Kim Culp I feel like I might be on the path to wellness.

 

 

Red Rock Cleanup

For once I went to Red Rock not to run, hike or practice yoga, but to pick up trash. No, I wasn't sentenced to community service I just volunteered to give something back to a place I had taken so much from. Mostly photographs.

It was a nice little eldery group of about 9 volunteers (me being the youngest and not eldery) who met at the Willow Springs picnic area. We were all given a yellow trash bag and sent off. Mostly I found broken glass and cigarette butts, but I also found one kid shoe and a few plastic bags, cups and plates. After 90 minutes of collecting we were all rewarded with St. Patrick Day cookies.

A weekend wouldn't be complete without a stop at Sweet Tomatoes. An afternoon nap got me ready for yoga with Cypresse and it was another successful day off. Now back to working on a natural cure for diabetes.

There are no miracles for those that have no faith in them."
--French proverb

 

Yoga, Run, Yoga

Yoga, run, yoga. That was my health conscious day. Began with Kim's 9am yoga Level 1& 2 class. Small but enthusiast class. Then a stop at Starbucks. That 40 cent coffee thing isn't working anymore. Most of the time I just save 10 cents for bringing my own cup. But today I got free refill. That 2nd cup sparked me on a fine 5-mile run in Henderson that took in a panoramic view off all the surrounding mountains especially the snow-capped ones. Sunny, about 60, light breeze.

After laundry & lunch there was a little time to begin watching "Walk the Line" the Johnny Cash movie that Reese Witherspoon won an Oscar for Best Actress.

Capped the day with Anne's Ayurveda class. Anne has been very helpful both in and out of class helping imrove my health. With many twisting and bending poses she said she dedicated tonight's practice to me. That was very cool.

Whoever is happy will make others happy too."

 

The Penguins Proceeded On

As the wind picked up to a steady 30 knots, I proceeded on the Mountain's Edge Loop Trail in Henderson for a solid 7-mile run. But the wind made me work harder as it was behind me going downhill and in my face going uphill.  It made for a challenging, but still scenic, workout.

"Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty."-- John Ruskin, (1819-1900)

The highlight of the day was dinner and a movie with Rosa Maria and her sister Thais visiting from Costa Rica. First I stopped at the Go Raw Veggie Cafe and picked up our dinner. Cream of Carrot & Avocado soup for RM, Almond cheese pizza with basil pesto & marinara for Thais and a big juicy beet burger for me. Then the three of us watched March of the Penguins. To satisfy the three varied viewers English only (me), Spanish only (Thais) and bilingual (RM), we watched the movie with Spanish audio and English subtitles. It worked. We all could share in the sadness and joy of the movie.