Rain for Life

Greetings! Shannan and I went to Sacramento, CA to celebrate the life of her Uncle Don. The weekend and memorial gathering were tremendous tributes to Don. His family and friends really love and respect him. My friend, Chet, used to use this phrase, “He’s a prince of a man.”

Generally, when we visit Sacramento I take great pleasure in running along the American River. I didn’t get out to my favorite river park this time. Saturday, I ran through the Village at Fair Oaks, in the rain. Though, I don’t love running in wet weather, it was sort of fun. Unquestionably, the experience went well as I didn’t focus on the weather as much as I thought about Don and reflected of how precious life is. It’s times like these when it’s easy to understand that being out in the rain isn’t that bad. In fact, it’s a great time to realize how important rain is to life.

Run in the Rain.

Tom

Canyons and Mountains Oh My!

Greetings! In the last 30 days Shannan and I have climbed three mountains and explored one canyon. What a great time it was running and hiking at Brasstown Bald (Georgia’s highest mountain), Stone Mountain (Georgia’s most visited mountain), Kennesaw Mountain (Metropolitan Atlanta’s highest point) and Providence Canyon (Georgia’s Grand Canyon). One and all, these are excellent destinations to visit, exercise and spend the day away from the daily routine. 

Most recently, we spent the weekend at Stone Mountain. We stayed in a Yurt in the park earlier this year.  It’s not our custom to return to the same place so soon. However, last February it came to our attention the Stone Mountain Park now has inert RVs for rent. We couldn’t resist.

Many folks call camping in a Yurt “glamping.” I disagree in that a Yurt doesn’t have plumbing or heat. The RV experience was glamping for sure, not only did we have a full bath, heat and air, but there were two TVs with cable. My friends, that is not camping at all. The RV turned out to be a real treat as it rained heavily Saturday night and Sunday morning brought temperatures in the low 30s with high winds.

Saturday we took part in the Fall Fest at camp ground, which included a magician, apple cider, roasted marshmallows, a hayride and pumpkin decorating. We also explored new trails in the park. Early Sunday morning we climbed the mountain in the cold. Uphill wasn’t so bad, but the decent with the wind in our face was unpleasant.

Explore High and Low Places. Run.

Tom

Meeks Park- Blairsville, GA

Greetings! On our recent visit to Blairsville, GA we met two couples who live in the area. They suggested we visit Meeks Park. One of the guys said, “It’s a very good park for a small town.” The other fellow chimed in with this addition, “It’s a good park for any town.” Both men were correct. Meeks is a fantastic park.

The place is beautiful. A stream and a river run through the park. Folks were fishing in both. Walkers and runners can enjoy gravel, paved and nature trails along the river, through the park as well as up, down and around a moderate hill. Meeks Park has several baseball fields and a utility field for other sports and activities. Other amenities include disc golf, a dog park, skateboard park, a swimming pool and tennis courts. In addition, Meeks is the home to Blairsville’s Annual Sorghum Festival (http://www.sorghumfestivalblairsville.com). We had a grand time visiting the park and the festival.

Explore Parks. Run.

Tom

Brasstown and Blairsville

Greetings! Some years ago, Shannan, Joel and I went to Brasstown Bald, Georgia’s highest peak, for one our day trips. It rained that day. We were prepared to make the hike regardless of the weather. Unfortunately, we learned the mountain trail doesn’t open in heavy rain. We were upset, but it didn’t dampen our day. We drove across the border into North Carolina and did some exploring.

Last weekend, Shannan and I made our way back to Brasstown Bald. The trip was worth the wait. We so enjoyed the mountain path and the views from the top were spectacular. Rather than a day trip we spent the weekend in Blairsville, GA. What a treat it was. I had a fantastic morning run Saturday morning. I spun around the Blairsville town square and jogged through a few neighborhoods. The roads were quiet and the morning sky was filled with stars not visible in the metropolitan area. 

Over the weekend, we spent time in Blue Ridge, saw a play at the Blue Ridge Community Theater, went to the Sorghum Festival, picnicked at Cupid Falls on the Young Harris Campus, had a tour at Crane Creek Vineyard, stopped in Pappy’s Trading Post, picked apples at Mercier Orchards and our last stop was Expedition: BIGFOOT, The Sasquatch Museum. Fun!

Climb Mountains. Run. 

Tom

Dual Purpose

Greetings! Running in darkness always proves to be an interesting enterprise. Running in areas with not much light pollution adds to the situation. I’ve posted on this site about running in the dark in several locations. On a couple of occasions, I was ill prepared for the darkness and ran using a small key-chain light, which offered only minimal assistance.

Over the years I’ve seen other, better prepared, runners out in the dark with flashlights and even a spelunker’s light on their foreheads. Recently, while in a museum gift shop, of all places, I saw a light sown into a knit cap. It appealed to me as a doubly practical item, keeping warms and safe. I didn’t purchase the illuminated cap as I don’t regularly run in areas with true darkness, but it was very compelling.

See the road. Run.

Tom

In the Middle of the World

Greetings! We’ve been to the continental divide, the midpoint of the US, and the equator in Ecuador. Last weekend we stayed at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA. After exercising I milled about the property. All was quiet at 5:00am as I moved through the grass of large open field. The sky was clear and more stars came into view than we can see in the city. I felt mindful of being a tiny organism in a much larger place. To one side was a lake and across the field a bank of pine trees. There I was, in what felt like the middle of the world. I liked it, all of it, the solitude, the openness, the quiet, and the haunting vastness around me. 

It's times like these I cherish the most when traveling.  

Look Around. Run.

Tom

Miracle Machines

Greetings! We made a quick stop in Goodwill last weekend. As I milled around the sporting goods section, I paused for a moment of silence. A large section of the floor filled with a variety of abdominal devices brought on the moment of reverence. I likened the area to an ab equipment graveyard.

I tried to image all the folks who had watched infomercials and were convinced one of these devices would be the miracle machine to help acquire washboard abs. I must confess many of those advertisements are most compelling. I posted on this site before about ab workouts and struggles. I wouldn’t mind an easy path to a hard and flat stomach. The reality is there is not one. The only fast path linked to many of those magic machines is to basements, garage sales and thrift stores.

Work your abs. Run.

Tom