6 months ago packed my iPad for Hawaii – sole reason: Bighorn sign-up, opening day January 5^th.

Winter turned Spring, Spring to early Summer.  Negative temps/snow replaced with sunshine & 80’s.  Slowly increased my miles, marathoning much of the Northeast & Mid-Atlantic while training.  Saturday’s the day.  Bighorn reality.

One-way flight to Gillette.  How many people can say that?  Boarded 10:20pm, touched down an hour later.  Red state.  Rode behind a bold Trump lid, ‘Make America Great Again’.  Lucky for me I live in Colorado.  Pretty great there.

[Already secured a return ride home.  Runner friends travelled early, acclimatizing this week.]

Surprisingly, whole lotta hotel options in Gillette.  Coal mining, oil, natural gas & antelope – town’s claim to fame.  Sleeps at the Arbuckle Lodge.  Nice hotel, hearty cowboy breakfast.  Cowboys still live & die in Wyoming.  Boots, hat, crazy good manners.

Hour-half commute to Sheridan.  Hotel check-in, tenth-mile from tomorrow’s 2:45am school bus pick-up.  Booked early, GREAT digs, PERFECT location.  Last-minute food reconnaissance.  Added a pound of microwaved turkey bacon to tomorrow’s drop bags.

Fresh shoes, dry socks, 2 half-bottles of Imodium & a pound of turkey bacon – ready, ready for Bighorn.

Trail race registration, barrage of stressed-out texts messaged to Sis, bed by 8.  Tomorrow we run.