Sizzlin' Sasquatch--I did day two.

A mere few hours after running a 25K in western Oklahoma and driving for 4 hours across the state, the Sizzling Sasquatch was next on the list. This 3-day event features a 5K, 10K, half marathon, full marathon, and a 50K. Again. like yesterday, I was on the fence between two distances and chose the shorter one. I thought I'd actually try to pick up the pace and see what the old body could do.

Once again, I slept in the truck, and was actually comfortable getting a full 9 hours of ZZZs. Good thing, since a 6:30 start was on tap. Here, Abby gives Mike and I last minute instructions. I had no coffee in me and comprehended 10% of what was given out.

The word GO sent us shuffling into the morning darkness. We were well advised to wear a headlamp, and found our way on a short out-and-back which put us back at the start 2.2 miles later and I dropped off my light at my truck. From there, we had 3 3.65 mile loops on nice single track and mowed trails across fields of tall grass.

It was cool. I actually had to break out a blanket during the night, and we eventually hit the mid 80s by mid-afternoon.

We had been warned about wild animals on the course. Lurking in the woods were coyotes, snakes, chicks and tiggers,  donkeys, and possibly BIG FOOT. The donkeys seemed harmless enough, and I had sprayed liberally for blood-sucking critters. But coming face to face with an 8 foot Squatch had me nervous.

 Pumpkin Holler has Bathtub Rocks, and so does this race course!

 Big foot??? No. Just a 15 foot Zombie.

RD RJ had this course idiot proof. Look for orange flags and they're always on the right hand side. I never felt lost.

And don't cross yellow caution tape. (I did go on the wrong side of this orange flag.)  

 (And I did cross under this yellow tape. Shhhh.)

These shady sections were welcome in the later laps.

I fell victim to the trail sharks FIVE TIMES!! Yes, five times I had one nip my foot and I went crashing to the soft ground. I wore a blue-shirt-turned-brown. But no red. And a funny side note. On lap one, I stepped just off the trail in the first wooded area to pee. Then on lap two, I had my third fall. I always plant my water bottle (in my right hand) into the ground and roll out of the fall. It's a smooth roll, and turns a mediocre fall into a spectacular one, and I rarely end up injured or bruised. On this particular fall, I realized I was in EXACTLY the same place I had peed earlier!! My shirt was sweaty but I wasn't sure if it was all sweat!

And YES!! There was a big foot sighting and as sure as a sheet of plywood is 8 feet tall, this Squatch was definitely 8 feet!!

Well here's how my race played out. The out and back was a steady jog in the dark. On loop one, I focused on staying smooth and getting my legs to moving without any aches and pains from the day before. Half way through loop two, I decided I was gonna try to catch up with Mike Rives. My stride felt fluid and good. This had turned into a great run for me. Near the end of loop two, I thought about the chances of coming in under three hours. My fuzzy math skills could not compute what pace I would need to average to reach my goal so I took a walk break and got out my phone and entered the needed pace per mile to run 13.1 miles in 3 hours. 13.7404580. So I rounded that to 13:44 per mile, and at that point I was at 14:21. Doable--maybe. I stretched it out and purposed to run every step all the way in. I passed quite a few people, some of which might have been in the half, but I'm sure most were in the full or 10K. But no signs of MIKE! I turned the last corner with the finish line in sight and looked at my watch and saw the magic n umber of 14:44 as it turned to 13:43 average for the race. I thought I nailed it!!! But my finish time b y my watch was 3:00:26. Maybe I didn't run the tangents. One less fall and I'da made it. Still, I was thrilled. Best run for me in many many months.

One of the best things about small trail runs is the laid back atmosphere. Folks hang around, eat, shoot the breeze, etc. Strangers become friends, friends become BFFs.

Turns out Mike also had a stellar run. He finished in 2:25. He was a couple of zip codes ahead of me. DANG!!!

Misty did great in her run. I'm thinking this might have been her first back-to-back run. Meego probably had something to do with that!

Jenni WON the 50K on Saturday, and may have also won the 50K again on Sunday. Congrats are in order. What an animal!!

Every runner got these squatchy hats, and all finishers received these handmade big foot cutouts. Meego is gonna have Mike make a skateboard out of it.

Gotta say, I give this run an A+ rating. It's on my list for next year, and will be on the Oklahoma Dirt Trail Series.

More Do Wacka Do Wacka Do Wacka Do

I'm not sure how many Do Wacka Do races I have done. I know I missed the one where the course was moved due to flooding, but I think I have made all of the others. This race is usually held on the first Saturday in September, usually on Labor Day weekend. Yes. it's in western Oklahoma, and yes, it can be hot. This year were were lucky to have much cooler temps, with low 60s to start the race and highs only in the mid 80s. I opted for the 25K, although I was on the fence--thinking of giving the 50K a go.

I slept in my comfy back seat of my truck, and woke up in plenty of time to get dressed, lube, slather, and get to the start line. But I spent too much time socializing, and like  frequently do, forgot to pin my number on, and ended up starting 10 minutes late. My friend Misty also was slow getting around, and we started off together. 

A mile into this 16 mile loop, and we're treated to a splendid view to the west of a red rock cliff. It begs for us to come explore, and were it not for the race at hand and the possibility of rattlesnakes galore, I would make an adventure of it.

The course is dirt roads all the way. All intersections are well marked, and I think it should be impossible for anyone to get lost, although sometimes it happens.

Second manned aid station just ahead. Way UP ahead. Two aid stations on the loop are atop monstrous climbs. That's like something I might do.

Some years, there is no water on the course. This year, enough rainfall had filled the two ponds on the course. And there were a few muddy sections which had sticky clay-like mud caked up on our shoes. Finding the perfect mud-scraping rock was a challenge because many times what LOOKED like a rock was really a mud clog in disguise! We soaked our feet and washed our shoes in the run off from the second pond.

In places it seems like the road climbs right up into the sky.

Each incline that looks like it's straight up basically was. Of course, I love it. 

Misty stops to breathe near the top of a 150' climb.

Some years I've seen tarantulas, some years there's been snakes. This year, only the pinacate beetle showed up on the trail. These guys secrete a foul odor, and if squirted on you, it's worse than being sprayed by a skunk.

Grab a burrito and then scream down the hill!! We kept a good pace but slowed down a little in the final 4 miles.

We finished just under 5 hours, but remember we started 10 minutes late? Yeah, I forgot about that. So it was a 5:05ish. They had an enclosed trailer with benches and a huge water-cooler fan blowing which really cooled you down. I didn't stay here long though because the smell of grilled hamburgers and my thirst for a cold beer was just too strong.

The wonderful trophies--no I didn't get one. I was DFL again for the third straight year.

But I AM gonna get a DFL sticker for my truck.

We did receive a well stocked goodie bag--which included the shirt pictured above, several ink pens and coupons, and a BEER COOZIE!! The medal was great too.

RD Joel Everett and his band of volunteers do a great job with this race. They also organized a gravel grinder bike ride this year in conjunction with the race. And there are miles and miles of grave roads out here to explore. Next year maybe I'll bring the bike.

Our Colorado vacation

Dana's birthday is July 29, and mine is July 27. We try to take a trip/vacation around our birthdays, and this year I talked her into the mountains instead of a beach! I made reservations for a cabin NE of Durango, and planned a few things for us to do and allowed a lot of relaxation time.

We left out at 6:30 am, which is early for us. The plan was to drive to raton across the great state and panhandle of Oklahoma.

It's pretty boring from Stillwater on. It's flat--not Relatively Flat--just FLAT.  But Gloss Mountains are a welcome sight and a break from the miles of boredom.

If only there were miles and miles of trails here--or even some gravel roads--this could be a great running destination. But to my knowledge, there is only the trail and stairs to the top, and that's it.

Mount Capulin--an extinct volcano between Clayton NM and Raton. I've been to the top several times.

It's a great side excursion, but we were ready to get to our motel and relax after 10 hours of driving.

We stayed at the Raton Pass Inn--an old roadside inn that was bought by some folks who really dolled it up. The rooms were clean, quaint, decorated with retro-art. They served a good continental breakfast, and were just the nicest people. Plus, the room was cheap (which is usually not a good sign.) I'd stay here again.

Day 2. The Highway of Legends

 56 degrees when we got up. Awesome.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip. It's my Facebook background. The highway took us through a little saddle, and we eventually popped out on 160 west.

We'd really consider coming back and camping of finding a cabin around this lake. There are supposedly some good trailz here, and it's such a peaceful area.

Mostly if not all black bears. There are not supposed to be any Grizzlies in Colorado. Some black bears can be brown, or so I have been told. I guess it makes sense since labs can have black and chocolate in the same little. Bear DNA is juts like dog DNA--right?

  A lunch break at Alamosa.

Wolf Creek Pass

This was our first time on the trip being over 10,000 feet. We topped out at just under 11,000. There was a roadside pull off with bathrooms, and we took full advantage.

My trail radar picked right up on this, and while Dana was in the girls room, I rook off for a 1/4 mile out and back. In no time I was on a wooden bridge over a boulder-ridden stream, and I sprinted back to talk Dana into coming up to see.

Our first tunnel. We actually went through 4 tunnels on our trip--got to where it seemed like old hat.

Our home at Lake Vallecito

Well, I'd LIKE to say it was my home. The cabin was small, kind of primitive, but the setting was amazing. This back deck had a great view of the lake through the tall trees, with peace and quiet--only the whispering of the pines to break the silence.

 I vaguely remember what these things were....

The Vallecito Creek trail

This trail was part of a huge loop some 42 miles around. I was intrigued, but knew it wasn't possible since it would be a three day trip with full back packing gear. I did meet a group of kids who were going for it. I was a little jealous.

The mule deer were abundant in Colorado. They had no fear of humans, and in fact seemed a little disappointed that we didn't feed them.

We decided that we'd do an out-and-back to a bridge which in the trail description was supposed to be a real Kodak opportunity. Three miles out--but they were TZ miles. I became a little discouraged, yet definitely wanted to keep on going. Dana was a good sport, but was really tired. But it was my birthday, and she said this was my present--so I milked it for all it was worth.

We just kept following this river--sometimes a few hundred feet above it, and sometimes right at the edge. I did take my shoes off and waded just a little, I lost all feeling in my feet, and my blue toes ached for a half mile after I shoed and socked my cold dogs.

Every hiker we saw coming back we'd asked if they had made it to the bridge. None had. Some thought they missed it, some thought it was maybe just a little further, and one guy said the mileage was way off--it was 6 miles to it. 

Finally we passed a group coming back who said it was just a half mile away. I told Dana it was just a 1/4 mile further (my nose grew a little here) and she agreed to go on.

We saw one last hiker returning who had passed us on the way up, and she hadn't found it. We told her the group behind us had said it was just around the corner, and at that moment I saw it through some trees. She was glad we told her, and she agreed to take our picture by the elusive bridge.

We covered 7.6 miles for the day and over 1200 feet of gain. It was well worth the trip. Our pace amped up a little on the way back when we got into some lightning, rain, and brisk wind. Fortunately, it was mostly downhill and if we had not been moving well, we might have been in trouble. It was actually--maybe low 50s, but we felt blessed to not have 108 heat indexes like they were having in Tulsa.

The trail to Eileen Lake

It was a 2.1 mile climb, with 1200 feet of gain. More pristine single track with a great view of Lake Vallecito and the valley below. This area had a massive forest fire in 2002, and thousands of mature pine trees were lost yet the area is still beautiful in it's own way. Since then, many of the pines have fallen, but the aspens are thriving. Aspens are the worlds largest living organism. Seems like I heard this once in a John Travolta movie--that the trees in a grove all share common roots. WOW. So cut down one tree you are hurting a hundred. And you don't wanna make 100+ aspen trees mad at you!

The lake itself was amazing. At 9200 feet, there were bull frogs croaking. The lake was covered with lilli pads, and we tried to spot the croakers, but could not find them.

The picture above and below are from a solo run I did across from our cabin on a gravel road that went straight up and overlooked the valley. There were houses with great views, and some were for sale.  I'm moving back up here as soon as I get the right lottery ticket. I climbed over 500 feet, and actually shuffled most of the way up and screamed back down the hill at my my top speed. Passed an athletic turtle on the way down and kicked dust on him. 

The Durango/Silverton narrow gauge train

I rode this train a few times as a kid, and again in my 20s. This is Colorado at it's best--as far as summer vacations go.

We were on a train car which had a narrator (yes, that cost extra.) It was entertaining from a historical standpoint. I suppose being a history buff added to the experience. a hundred years ago, this train once was the only transportation from Durango to Silverton. In the 1800s there were no highways or even roads to Silverton from Durango.  Since silver and iron are no longer mined, the train has been a passenger train, and has done quite well.

The train made a few stops along the way to take more water, and to drop off and pick up hikers. Backpackers with full gear take the train to 3 or 4 different stops for a few hours or few days of exploring the mountain wilds. Dana and I can't stop talking about this. I see us taking on the challenge of one of these stops in the next year or so--at least a long day.

After 3 1/2 hours of scenic bliss we reached Silverton, an old mining town turned tourist trap. We strolled around town, ate a good lunch, bought some souvenirs, and barely made the train before it departed.

Leftover from the worlds toughest 100 miler (except for Barkley.)

I think this was an older Hardrock finisher's rock. It looked like it needed some touch up painting. (No, I did not kiss it.)

This was near the start/finish of the Silverton 1000, which my friends Brandon and Cameron Plate have competed in 3 times. They have run 72 hours, and they actually won it at least one of those years.

Dana enjoyed the train trip although we both agreed that if we do it again (which we will) we'll take the bus ride back. It's a 3 1/2 hour trip up, but seems quicker because of the excitement of everything. Going back down, they could easily make the trip in 2 hours, but they make several stops, and slowed to a crawl the last 5 miles because I think they were ahead of schedule.

 I'd highly recommend this train excursion.

It was 850 miles home, and we drove all the way to Ada to see our kids and grandkids. Going from 78 degree weather to 100 and high humidity just sucks. I hate coming home from Colorado. But it kind of good to be back into the normal grind.