rivers-lakes

Harpers Ferry Nat’l Park, WV

Published June 8, 2014

Arrived a day earlier than most for my Granddad’s funeral so…had a free day in Northern Virginia.

Woke early, hit the hotel gym, then off to Harpers Ferry National Park in West Virginia – approx 45 minutes away.

THE HISTORY OF HARPERS FERRY HAS FEW PARALLELS IN THE AMERICAN DRAMA. It is more than one event, one date, or one individual. Harpers Ferry witnessed…the arrival of the first successful American railroad, John Brown’s attack on slavery, the largest surrender of Federal troops during the Civil War, and the education of former slaves in one of the earliest integrated schools in the United States [Storer College].

Arrived 10 minutes before the start of a FREE ranger guided tour of the town. Ya’ll know – FREE is for ME – so on the bus we climbed. Best way to see the Park & understand its unique history in a short amount of time. Highly Recommended. That said, think the ranger thought we were prepping for Jeopardy – whole lotta information 🙂

Summer’s already arrived in the Shenandoah Valley – sunny & humid but luckily, this day included a breeze. Enjoyed spectacular views of the Potomac – rushing water still running high, early in the season. Walked over the river via a pedestrian bridge constructed by the B&O Railroad. Took pics at “The Point” (where Maryland, Virginia & West Virginia meet) & ate lunch at a local café before the heavens opened. Rain cooled temps by 15.

I had been to Harpers Ferry years ago as a boy. Seemed fitting to return before tomorrow’s funeral. So much personal history, shared memories with my Grandparents. Fun day but jeez, hard saying goodbye.

: Harpers Ferry Nat’l Park

: ranger guided tour – whole lotta information

: Potomac River & Shenandoah Valley

: springtime in the Virginias

: Appalachian Trail — 1165 miles to Maine, 1013 miles to Georgia

: historic Storer College (1865-1955)

: St. Peters

: “The Point” — Maryland on left, Virginia to the right, standing in West Virginia

: B&O Railroad

: pedestrian walk-bridge over Potomac – sunshiny humid East Coast day

Posted in Northeast | Tagged kyrkan, museo, nat'l-park, rivers-lakes, trains | Leave a comment

Hello, Minnesohtah!

Published May 31, 2014

After a 2-hour flight delay, arrived in Minneapolis…just before midnight. Whew, late night – but end of another work week, psyched for marathon #8. Have pasta loaded & consistently ran for almost 3 weeks. Ready to run!

Started my Minneapolis day at a rooftop café in Uptown. Norwegian Benedict (eggs benedict w/ salmon) – YUM! Hot, overcast & HUMID. I thought Minnesota weather would be more like Alaska — NOT! ‘Land of 10,000 Lakes’ is crazy humid. And if tens of deep lake waters were not enough, the Mississippi River runs north-south through the city. Misperception: the mighty Mississipp’ is not solely in the Deep South – Huck Finn & Tom Sawyer had a whole lotta river to work with 🙂

3 mile walk around Lake of the Isles, then off to Mall of America – USA’s largest shopping mall (North America #2 – behind Canada’s West Edmonton Mall). Honestly I’m not much of shopper but had to see what the fuss was about – an amusement park (Nickelodeon Universe) inside a shopping mall? Picked up a Vikings shirt for tomorrow’s race. Check, done.

Paid homage to Mary Tyler Moore – positioned outside Macy’s in Downtown – then to the Sculpture Gardens & Saint Mary’s Basilica. Hour nap, take-out pizza, quick shower & Minneapolis’ famous Guthrie Theatre. 2^nd row tickets to Crimes of the Heart.

FULL day – so much to see, so little time. But tomorrow is race day!

: Welcome to Minnesota — thanks, Goldy Gopher!

: Land of 10,000 Lakes: Started w/ a 3-mile hike around Lake of the Isles – only 9,999 lakes to go!

: Mare’s top-floor studio apartment in Uptown (MTM)

: ‘who can turn the world on with her smile” – MTM, a TV legend

: Minneapolis’ Foshay Tower

: tower with a view – Foshay observation deck

: mighty Mississipp’ from the Stone Arch Bridge

: America’s first Basilica – Minneapolis’ St. Mary’s

: who doesn’t love stained glass? WOW!

: Mall of America obligatory visit – yep, an amusement park inside a shopping mall #firstworldproblems

: mango smoothie at Chatime – a new fav! Forget sushi — this is Asia’s greatest export!

: Minneapolis Sculpture Garden’s ‘Hare on Bell’

: tree bark & branches cast in bronze

: chillin’ by the iconic “Spoonbridge and Cherry”

: “Crimes of the Heart” at the Guthrie – ROCKSTAR day!

Posted in Heartland | Tagged kyrkan, museo, rivers-lakes, theatre | Leave a comment

Antelope Island & Utah’s Great Salt Lake

Published April 18, 2014

Off to Salt Lake City for a 3 day marathon weekend – my 6th marathon & first Saturday race day.

Runner’s Expo bib pick up at Energy Solutions Arena (home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz), then off to Antelope Island – my pre-race Utah adventure. The Great Salt Lake is large enough to be seen from space — [so for me] an obvious go-to destination.

Antelope Island is accessed via a causeway west of Ogden. Pronghorn Antelope? Yeah, yeah they’ve been reintroduced to the island – but why did I go? BUFFALO. Free roaming herds of buffalo inhabit this island – so much so that each October they roundup herds, update vaccinations & sell off 100-150 head to maintain balance.

Quick stop at the Visitors Center to boost my knowledge base –

Why salty vs fresh water? [lake is a bowl with no water outlet]
Do fish inhabit Salt Lake? [nope, only brine shrimp]
If no fish, what do the sea gulls eat? [lotta gnats & other insects]
First Anglo to settle Antelope Island? [fur trapper Jim Bridger]

Bucking against ranger advice, hiked up Buffalo Point for pic ops of the Great Salt Lake. Amazing landscape shots against Utah’s snow-capped Rockies (Wasatch Mountains). Beautiful but then… GNATS

Hundreds of gnats settled on my cap, shirt, neck, in my ears, eyes, mouth. Appears the rangers were right – it really is gnat birthing season. Rushed back down the trail, stepping on a snake on my trek return. Not a rattlesnake (which is what I initially thought) but rather a Great Basin gopher snake. Vigorously shook off, ducked in my rental & turned the AC on high. Goal? Freeze all remaining insects resting on my body & clothing. I’m not crazy squeamish but these swarms were epic.

Meanwhile…only 20 minutes away on the other side of the island roamed herds of BUFFALO. On a cerebral level, I understand these are genetic cousins to our domestic cattle – but in person, these massive mammals represent the American West. Native to our continent, muscular, strong – I’m a HUGE fan. WOW!

Saw jackrabbits which ridiculed the size of my neighborhood’s bunnies – huge feet, enormous ears. Didn’t leave before snapping shots of deer & a coyote. Whole lotta wildlife.

Can’t imagine day-to-day life for those first frontier pioneers but for me, Utah’s Great Salt Lake – a ‘must-see’ destination.