Best way to celebrate Colorado Day? Outdoors of course 🙂
On August 1, 1876, president Ulysses S. Grant signed a proclamation admitting Colorado as a state. Colorado Day was celebrated as a state holiday on August 1 for many years, and then was moved to the first Monday in August. The day no longer became a public holiday, but rather an observance, when the state started observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a public holiday in 1985.
Started the day with an early hour-half drive to Estes Park. Rocky Mountain Half Marathon, my first Half in 18 months. 6am Gun time – something special about racing pre-dawn, settling into pace, then experience sunrise.
Circled Estes Lake. Mile 2 jammed up on the running path – lotta runners, maybe 2 across possible. Picked up pace & caught the 1:50 racers.
Mile 4 thru 8 – UP. Elevation AND incline – but no negativity this day. I dug in, held pace & picked off tens of runners walking the last mile up.
Miles 9, 10 & 11 – big smile. Ripped DOWN (rare for me, generally I pull up, hold back).
UP again at mile 12 to the Stanley, then finished flat to the Fairgrounds. (Kinda weird ending – passed a ‘3’ which we all assumed was mile 13…but that happened another half mile later, then the final tenth mile was actually .3 miles. Not a deal breaker but I went out fast, far too early.)
Good day. 13.1 miles, half the distance – nice to have some gas left in the tank.
Hills & altitude – my new favourite combo. Finding hills to be an age equalizer.
Bib Name City Chip Time Division Place
327 K R Haga Louisville CO 1:52:21 6
Rocky Mountain Nat’l Park – Planned to re-hike Black Lake, hadn’t been in 3 years (2012 challenge: 52 weeks, 52 hikes). 9am in the Park but couldn’t find parking, even RMNP’s Park N Ride advised to come back at 2pm. Seriously? (Easy to get frustrated with summer tourist season but learning to share the love. National Parks are OUR parks as Americans – all Americans, no discrimination.)
Snuck the Prius in Moraine Park campground & hiked the extra mile to Cub Lake trailhead. Not a lotta trees in the meadow (Fern Lake fire burned most in 2012). Temps soon soared near 90, warm day. Last mile forested, blanketed in wildflowers 🙂
Cub Lake – pulled off my shoes & soaked. Lily pads, 2 ducks, dragonflies, small blue fish. Nibble, nibble, BITE. Hey, that’s no fish – pulled off a blood-sucking leech attached to my foot. ‘Nough soaking, hiked back – 4.6 miles total.
½ marathon run followed by a Nat’l Park hike. Colorado Day done? Nope, not yet.
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- a well lived life
Othello
Colorado Shakespeare Festival (Boulder) – 8pm curtain time, biggest concern was sleep deprivation. Half-moon outdoor arena, center aisle seat, Flatirons sunset, temps in the low 70’s – yep, pretty much PERFECT.
From the opening dialogue, was hooked.
Iago couldn’t have been more sinister, nor Othello more tormented. Acting from these 2 overshadowed all other players. Othello a North African Moor, interracial marriage – and Iago’s sheer cunning to drive noble Othello mad.
NOT the Shakespeare of my youth. Far exceeded all expectations – I’ll be back next summer. FAANNN-frickin-TASTIC!
Colorado Day, day after? Sleep 🙂
Woke Tuesday & thought: BONUS marathon (doesn’t everyone? 🙂 )
Deadline to enter the Des Moines Marathon was Wednesday. Next thought: What to do in Iowa?
Slept on it & woke with a plan. Iowa would be all about the journey – an all-Midwest adventure! I’d travel to Des Moines via bus (to Denver), overnight train (to Omaha, Nebraska), then rental car 2 hours across Western Iowa. Perfect!
2 short runs on Wednesday & Thursday would be the only prep I could fit in – always lose a few days after marathoning (letting muscles & joints heal). Have learned to listen to my body after a full year of 26.2 race days.
Had never been to Denver’s Union Station previously – what a surprise! Unbeknownst to me, a major renovation occurred over the past 2 years – what a beautiful station! Additionally, Denver’s night life was a-happening. Lotta laughter & hand holding as I passed couples walking to some of Denver’s finest restaurants. Super impressed – go Denver!
Train conductors, comfortable seating, polite conversation, leg room, no baggage fees, no security scanners, a dining car. Riding Amtrak is like going back in time – when humans were kinder. LOVE LOVE train travel. Wish the U.S. would greatly expand our railways. I’m telling ya – if you haven’t travelled by train, you’re missing out.
Plugged in my phone (yep, that’s also possible on train) & woke 7 hours later in Lincoln – an hour from my train destination.
Taxi to the airport (to pick up a rental car), breakfast, 5 minutes later…I’m in Iowa.
An hour into the drive, detoured down a rural highway to take in the scenery. Early morning grass was still wet with heavy dew. Cornfields, farmhouses, brightly colored silos – reminiscent of Waller’s Bridges of Madison County. Truly blessed.
Discovering there’s unique beauty in each of my 50 state marathon destinations.
Race packet pick-up at the Iowa Events Center, then spent a couple hours exploring the State Historical Museum & State Capitol Building. Iowans are proud of their John Deere tractors – ‘nuf said ‘bout the museum. The Capitol Dome however was fascinating. Saturday was probably the ideal day to explore – no bureaucrats 🙂
2 hour nap, quick shower, then off to Carlisle Iowa where I had VIP tickets to a local production of Dracula – performed at historic Randleman House, a “found space” production.
A found space is a nontheatrical space — the rotunda of the state capitol, a church, warehouse, courtroom, carpenters shop – which is used for production. Typically the space is chosen because of its context to the play: Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar at the capitol, The Passion Play in a church, Inherit the Wind in a courtroom.
2 hour original production (currently unpublished), poetry reading during intermission and dinner – all proceeds supporting Des Moines’ local arts scene. FUN night! Conversed with many – including Carlisle’s mayor, the play’s director, playwright & cast members. Thanks Mary Sue for creating such a special night before my 13th marathon!
What to do in Iowa? Think I found my answer. YIKES – only 6 hours sleep before race time!
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- Iowa weekend adventure – bus, overnight train, then car – and a BONUS marathon!
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- discovering unique beauty in all 50 states
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- IOWA!
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- downtown Des Moines
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- State Historical Museum of Iowa (yep, tractors)
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- State Capitol
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- Iowa’s Il Duomo
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- Capitol dollhouse
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- LOVED this painting – American West, crossing the prairie
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- Soldiers and Sailors Monument
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- historic Randleman House
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- holiday decked in Edgar Allan Poe
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- pre-race drama in Carlisle IA
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. 2nd row tickets to Crimes of the Heart.
FULL day – so much to see, so little time. But tomorrow is race day!
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- Welcome to Minnesota — thanks, Goldy Gopher!
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- Land of 10,000 Lakes: Started w/ a 3-mile hike around Lake of the Isles – only 9,999 lakes to go!
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- Mare’s top-floor studio apartment in Uptown (MTM)
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- ‘who can turn the world on with her smile” – MTM, a TV legend
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- Minneapolis’ Foshay Tower
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- tower with a view – Foshay observation deck
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- mighty Mississipp’ from the Stone Arch Bridge
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- America’s first Basilica – Minneapolis’ St. Mary’s
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- who doesn’t love stained glass? WOW!
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- Mall of America obligatory visit – yep, an amusement park inside a shopping mall #firstworldproblems
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- mango smoothie at Chatime – a new fav! Forget sushi — this is Asia’s greatest export!
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- Minneapolis Sculpture Garden’s ‘Hare on Bell’
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- tree bark & branches cast in bronze
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- chillin’ by the iconic “Spoonbridge and Cherry”
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- “Crimes of the Heart” at the Guthrie – ROCKSTAR day!
