And...Done

1978 miles in the car
16 new places for Sugar to go/see/pee on
4.5 days of hikes & runs & walks
8500 ft elevation change
2 books read
4 really odd signs on the way home
80 billboards for the same store, but when I stopped it was lame
5 rainstorms, but the only one that was bad was yesterday when I got near Austin
1 hailstorm
1 snake
35 roadside crosses in New Mexico
4 National Forests
2 campgrounds
2 campfire cookouts
2 dog-friendly hotels

= 1 awesome vacation

Roadtrip Day 6

Sugar & I started the day with another run. Mostly loaded up the car last night, so finished that up & then checked out & started the drive towards Texas. One bad thing is that I woke up to two ripped contact lenses. I brought extra and that helps, but I tore one earlier in the week, so now I only have one spare.

We drove into Durango on our way out, and a quick iPhone search indicated a few places. I called one of them & they said can give me a new lens, but I have to get my Rx faxed to them. Ugh. I called my place in Austin to get that from the Texas end, but they were in no hurry, and wouldn't you know: my Rx expired over a year ago (my insurance only covers an eye exam every 24 months). Next, I'm being told that to get a replacement lens I may have to have a new exam. What??!! To make matters worse, I can't find the friggin optometrist's office in Durango. But, as luck would have it, I pass another place and decide to just pull in & ask.

This place was AWESOME! High Country Optical gave me no issues - they went to the back & came out with a spare. Didn't even charge me for it! Now, I can see out of both eyes again, and all is well with the world. Next I found a great little coffee shop & had probably the best cinnamon roll I have EVER had. I'll be thinking about that one for a long time...mmm....

We took a different route back into New Mexico from Durango, but I am still amazed how basically the entire state, except any city with more than 10,000 residents, has no AT&T service. I acknowledge AT&T both pre- and post-divestiture - would not have been the primary service provider in NM, but COME ON!

We drove past Ghost Ranch, which is absolutely beautiful. It's a spiritual and educational retreat run by the Presbyterian Church - not sure I'd ever want to go there for "studies," but it was sure stunning. My photo does not do it justice - the colors were vibrant.

We also drove by Camel Rock, just outside of Santa Fe. The area is full of casinos, since there are several reservations nearby.

Sugar spent most of the car ride under her blanket, and even managed to doze off for a few.


This is RARE as she is usually all shaky & panting. We stopped in Clovis again, and stayed at the Comfort Inn. This website proved invaluable during the trip. There are others, but this was the first one I found, was easy to use and allowed to search by city or by chain.

Roadtrip Interruption - Remembering 9/11

The initial numbers are indelible: 8:46 a.m. and 9:02 a.m.

Time the burning towers stood: 56 minutes and 102 minutes.

Time they took to fall: 12 seconds.

Total number killed in attacks (official figure as of 9/5/02): 2,819

Number of firefighters and paramedics killed: 343 (the remains of one paramedic from the hospital where I worked at the time was found a YEAR after the attacks)

Number of NYPD officers: 23

Number of Port Authority police officers: 37

Number of WTC companies that lost people: 60

Number of employees who died in Tower One: 1,402

Number of employees who died in Tower Two: 614

Number of employees lost at Cantor Fitzgerald: 658

Number of U.S. troops killed in Operation Enduring Freedom: 22

Number of nations whose citizens were killed in attacks: 115

Ratio of men to women who died: 3:1

Age of the greatest number who died: between 35 and 39

Bodies found "intact": 289

Body parts found: 19,858

Number of families who got no remains: 1,717

Estimated units of blood donated to the New York Blood Center: 36,000

Total units of donated blood actually used: 258

Number of people who lost a spouse or partner in the attacks: 1,609

Estimated number of children who lost a parent: 3,051

Percentage of Americans who knew someone hurt or killed in the attacks: 20

FDNY retirements, January–July 2001: 274

FDNY retirements, January–July 2002: 661

Number of firefighters on leave for respiratory problems by January 2002: 300

Number of funerals attended by Rudy Giuliani in 2001: 200

Number of FDNY vehicles destroyed: 98

Tons of debris removed from site: 1,506,124

Days fires continued to burn after the attack: 99 (I remember having my windows open regularly in my NYC apartment, but after the attacks the air just smelled "different" - and the soot was "different")

Jobs lost in New York owing to the attacks: 146,100

Days the New York Stock Exchange was closed: 6

Point drop in the Dow Jones industrial average when the NYSE reopened: 684.81

Days after 9/11 that the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan: 26

Total number of hate crimes reported to the Council on American-Islamic Relations nationwide since 9/11: 1,714

Economic loss to New York in month following the attacks: $105 billion

Estimated cost of cleanup: $600 million

Total FEMA money spent on the emergency: $970 million

Estimated amount donated to 9/11 charities: $1.4 billion

Estimated amount of insurance paid worldwide related to 9/11: $40.2 billion

Estimated amount of money needed to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways: $7.5 billion

Amount of money recently granted by U.S. government to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways: $4.55 billion

Estimated amount of money raised for funds dedicated to NYPD and FDNY families: $500 million

Percentage of total charity money raised going to FDNY and NYPD families: 25

Average benefit already received by each FDNY and NYPD widow: $1 million

Percentage increase in law-school applications from 2001 to 2002: 17.9

Percentage increase in Peace Corps applications from 2001 to 2002: 40

Percentage increase in CIA applications from 2001 to 2002: 50

Number of songs Clear Channel Radio considered "inappropriate" to play after 9/11: 150

Number of mentions of 9/11 at the Oscars: 26

Apartments in lower Manhattan eligible for asbestos cleanup: 30,000

Number of apartments whose residents have requested cleanup and testing: 4,110

Number of Americans who changed their 2001 holiday-travel plans from plane to train or car: 1.4 million

Estimated number of New Yorkers suffering from post-traumatic-stress disorder as a result of 9/11: 422,000

(statistics from New York Magazine)

Roadtrip Day 5

Day started off getting up about an hour earlier than I thought. Didn't have my watch on, and tried to "guess" by the daylight. Mistake.

After a lovely cup of coffee and some breakfast, Sugar and I set out to Vallecito Lake. The lake wasn't exactly what I had expected. When we passed it on our way to the cabin earlier this week, I just thought it was the time of day that had the lake so quiet. Turns out, that's pretty much how the lake is. Primarily a fishing lake, there wasn't a lot of activity. Lake level is also pretty low - so low in fact that the marina & boat docks are not even near the water. The beach is pretty rocky, and given Sugar's love of all things rocks (she likes to make piles of them, chase them when I throw them, dig them up, etc.) she was in heaven. The lake is full of rainbow & brown trout, northern pike, and Kokanee salmon. Saw a couple of fishing boats, and met a couple of men from Durango who were in for a morning catch.

From SugarCam - she had her nose in the water

SugarCam - Lake with Whiskers

Then we jumped in the car & drove around the lake. Saw a couple of wandering horses, which didn't seem right, but then again, I'm not from around here. Drove by a lodge I had almost stayed at and I am SO GLAD THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT. It was really run down, and given the low lake level, the "right on the water" selling point would have been a true disappointment.

After some lunch, we set out for another hike from a different trailhead to the Weminuche Wilderness. Didn't get very far as the dark and ominous clouds rolled in with serious thunder, and when the posted signs say to stay away from ledges and peaks during thunderstorms. Ummmm...yeah.

Late this afternoon we hiked back to Vallecito Creek, and Sugar chased more thrown rocks, dug some up from the creek bed and sand, and splashed around in the water. I simply relished the soothing sounds and cool air.

Tomorrow we leave. Travels will take us through Durango, Santa Fe, Clovis, Lubbock, Sweetwater, Abilene, and Lampasas. Basically, the same way we came out here. It will be a bummer to leave, but given I want to spread the drive back over two days and would rather have most of Sunday to unload, unpack, and get my head around going back to work Monday (among other things) then it has to be tomorrow.

Roadtrip Day 4

This morning a run was on the agenda, followed by a hike in Weminuche Wilderness, which includes the San Juan and Vallecito National Forests. After making some breakfast (reminiscent of my Grandpa's favorite - toast, bacon, gravy), Sugar and I headed out on a run. The plan was to run to the trailhead we'd been told about yesterday, which was supposedly about 2 miles away. There and back would be 4 miles; however, it turns out it was less than a mile. So, short run, but then we followed that with a walk near the stables to see the horses again, and then out for a 5 mile hike along Vallecito Creek.

The creek quickly disappears as the trail goes up, up, UP. Rocky, and narrow, it was a little scary at one point. We even saw a snake -eek! I had packed a lunch & some snacks for Sugar, so we stopped a bit to rest.

The sounds were wonderful, the air was fresh, the views were amazing. Sugar even took her camera along for the day (clips to her collar & goes off every few minutes).


All of Sugar's photos - from today's hike (starts at photo #51) as well as jaunts around the trails in Austin - can be found here.

It rained a couple of times, but it's forest, so while I could hear it, I didn't really feel it. It even hailed some, but I would have never known had I not seen it with my own eyes. Very lightweight and small.

Sugar promptly took a power nap when we got back to the cabin, and I'll admit that my legs are sore. It's just simply a different type of trail, which makes for a different kind of hike.

Tomorrow, we'll head over the Lake Vallecito, which is about 2 miles in the opposite direction as the trail we were on today.

Roadtrip Day 3

Sugar and I somehow missed a highway sign and instead of staying on 84, we ended up on 64 on our last leg of the drive to Bayfield, CO (near Durango) to our cabin at Lake Vallecito. This took us smack dab through Taos, which wasn't so bad. There was an arts festival going on, and I would've stopped except for the fact that I'm not that crazy about Southwestern art.

We did find a farmers market, so stocked up on some fruit & stuff. This detour also took us through more national forests, and the sights were incredible. I was amazed at the number of cyclists out braving the mountains (probably about 20 separate cyclists) and a few tandems.

Carson National Forest

We arrived at our cabin right at 3pm, which was the check-in time. While I unloaded, Sugar supervised.


Then we took a walk around the park where we're staying. There is one section that is for RVs, one section with cabins and "permanent" RVs, an overlook, some stables and horses, and a playground. The park is much nicer than I imagined, and the cabin is perfect - one room, shower, gas stove, fridge, sink, TV, and bed. It's basically one-room, but it's nicely maintained.

We also stopped by the office to get the lowdown on hiking trails for tomorrow. Woohoo!

Roadtrip Day 2

Sugar and I left Clovis, NM on Sunday with the intent on just going as far as Santa Fe. I wanted to find a place for us to camp, and had my sights set on Santa Fe National Forest. After a wrong turn and backtracking some to get to SFNF, we ended up on a HORRIBLY maintained road trying to find campgrounds.

Finally! We stopped at the very first campsite, which turned out to be perfect. Right next to a bubbling stream, no one else around, really primative. It was about 1:30pm when we arrived, and probably somewhere around 72 degrees.

I got all our stuff unloaded, and fixed a quick lunch of PB&J. We trekked around the campsite some to see what was around us. Lots of little nooks & crannies for Sugar to enjoy.

It takes awhile for me to just ... be. I find myself at first wondering, "what am I going to do now?" But I grabbed a beer, a book, and finally settled into the soft sound of the stream and nothing else. Awhile later I set up the Coleman grill & prepared some dinner. After that it was more reading, and then sleep.

Turns out that Sugar is a sleeping bag hog. She didn't want anything to do with her bed, but rather found her way into the bottom of my sleeping bag. It got down to 44 degrees, so I'm sure she was just looking for warmth, and truth be told, I didn't mind the foot warmer. It rained a bit during the night & I worried about stuff getting wet, but I hadn't really left anything noteworthy out (just a folding chair) so again, I think it's just my city-self resisting full relaxation.

I had forgotten how badly sleeping on the ground (well, I have a Thermarest mat) hurts my back! Ouchie!

We got up around 6am, packed up the site (well, Sugar didn't help much), ate, and headed back out of the forest. Day 3 destination: Lake Vallecito outside of Durango, and a cabin for 3 nights.

Roadtrip

Sugar and I took off today for a weeklong adventure, roadtrip style. We left Austin at about 11:30am after a couple of last-minute errands, and made it to Clovis, NM (elevation 4500 ft). We stopped in a few places along the way so that she could leave her mark - Lampasas, Abilene, and Lubbock. I am *shocked* at the amount of windfarms between Abilene and Lubbock. WOW.

A handful of notables:

• Saw a big, black, completely wet dog trotting up the off ramp I was taking in Abilene. Clearly wearing a collar with tags. I called 311, but apparently Abilene doesn't have that. I hope he made it.
• Lubbock is, by far, one of (if not ) the most littered cities I have seen in the U.S. It's embarrassing.
• It is EASY to be Ms. Leadfoot when the landscape is So. Flat. Gave in and used cruise control to avoid getting a ticket. I was surprised after all that flatness that suddenly elevation was at 4500 ft.
• Sugar is nervous in the car. She's sqirmy and she pants. Thankfully, she doesn't climb all over me, but she also doesn't nap. She is SO TIRED right now - I can see it in her eyes - but I'm awake, and we're in a (weird to her) hotel, so until I climb into bed, she'll be awake.
• We got the last room at the La Quinta in Clovis (or so they said). It's dog-friendly, and new, so I drove a bit out of the way to stay here. The room is GIGANTIC. There's like a football field of space in between the ends of the beds and the TV. I'm not sure what all this space would be suited for - a wrestling match? Soccer? Gymnastics? I may just do a cartwheel before bed.

We'll take our time getting rolling in the morning. Our final destination check-in isn't until Monday. Hopefully, we can find some good camping for tomorrow night.

Humbled

I haven't been keeping this baby updated in awhile, but for good reason: I've been BUSY.

Last night was the innaugural "Runnin' Down a Dream" charity event for Girls on the Run of Austin. Since we are entering our 2nd school year of programs in Austin, and hoping to continue our expansion efforts, we knew we needed to get the word out about our non-profit. And what better way than to throw a party?!

What started as a little idea from The Nelson Project (have an event that benefits a non-profit) turned into something quite amazing. And the way the pieces came together and a few volunteers stepped up to the challenge could have never been predicted. I'm just astounded.

On paper, it doesn't really seem too daunting. We had the venue from day one. Gibson is not open to the public, but is rather a location where local artists and traveling musicians can hang out, collaborate, try out the latest guitars, borrow equipment for concerts, etc. Every once in awhile, they'll rent it out for charity. But we had a connection, and it was done. Gibson also secured the alcohol. So, two of the biggest items were solidified before we barely even had our first planning meeting.

The rest is all about being connected:

• Rachael, head coach, works at The Nelson Project & submitted GOTR as the beneficiary
• Maggie on our board knows the band.
• My sister, Katie, owns a cupcake business.
• Vira, a SoleMates fundraiser for GOTR and coach writes press releases & knows the owner at Elsi's Restaurant.
• Shelly, my friend from high school knows and recommended Loriana Hernandez from Fox News.
• Ann, my massage therapist (and GOTR sponsor) knows the owner of Garrido's (and it turns out, I do too, but had forgotten)
• Personal friends own businesses who donated silent auction items.
• GOTR sponsors were interested, even down to just hours before the doors opened, in donating items.
• And the list goes on.

I spent most of the night manning the check-in table with KB, our board chair, but at one point I made it over to the front row to see the band, and I couldn't believe it. We had actually pulled this thing off, and had over 200 guests for an event that even a Gibson employee said was "the biggest event we've ever had here."

Wow.

Special thanks to my friends who, in spite of me sometimes sounding like a broken record about this GOTR thing, acknowledged its importance to me and the 8-10 year old girls we'll serve this school year. Every penny raised goes directly to them in the form of registration scholarships, healthy snacks, 5K race registrations, water bottles, t-shirts, etc.

Of our 7 locations this fall (possibly 8 if we can secure more coaches) only 4 can afford to pay for program registration. This means, at a minimum, that we can enroll 40 girls who would otherwise not be able to join. 40 girls who will learn about self-respect. They'll learn that it's the content of their character and not their appearance that matters, that they should be true to their word and personal promises, that they should be a friend to others and not gossip, that they should exercise to be healthy, that having healthy habits (hygiene, diet, emotional health) makes them strong both inside and out, that making good grades will help them be successful, that they can accomplish anything with personal commitments and support, that they can run/skip/walk 3.1 miles, and that they can do anything. It's 40 families who will see a change in their daughters, and also learn something about healthy lifestyles along the way.

And right here is one founding board member who is incredibly humbled.

New Dog Park & Other Stuff

I found another dog park during my run yesterday & decided that because Sugar spent most of the day indoors yesterday, I'd take her this morning. SHE. LOVED. IT. Primarily, I think, because there weren't a lot of dogs, and she made a friend, Toulouse. Sugar and Toulouse had a blast chasing each other around the park. It's flat, open, and provides endless room for playing.

Toulouse's parent also had a handy water bottle that Sugar liked. She doesn't like to drink if I pour water in her travel bowl, or directly from a water bottle, but she drank readily from this:

We just got home, and I gave Sugar her frozen dog treat. She devoured it & is now napping.

Last week I took a few days of vacation and went to Manhattan, KS to visit family & attend my brother's wedding. The weather was perfect - got in my 12-mile run while I was there. I just had to take advantage of the cooler temps. Also went by the old house we lived in when I was a tot.


Got to spend some quality time with my niece, Victoria. She's 7 and a real firecraker! She took her role as the flower girl very seriously, but at rehearsal she just wanted to play the bride.

And I rode to the wedding with my Dad in his 1963 MG, which he has restored.

It was a great few days visiting family that I don't see that often, and it was a much needed break from the status quo.

My orthotics (orthoses), I think, are working. I have run up to 14 miles in them & while I feel a bit like I'm hobbling toward the end, my feet don't actually hurt as bad (or at least, not in the same "on-fire-I-can't-walk-at-all" sort of way). I'm sore in different places now, too, so I can tell the orthotics are at least doing something.

After all the bad luck I had last week (losing my car key while walking the dog, corrupting a driver on my work laptop, un-fixable iPhone update to 3.0 & having to get a new phone, losing all my iTunes because you can only download once, trying to meet friends for dinner but not being able to find them, no phone/computer meant no way to get in touch with them) I am ready for a week of good luck. I think all the bad luck is due to the fact that I accidentally ended up at home with some bananas that I didn't pay for (they were in the bottom of my cloth bag). But how do you go back to the grocery store and try to pay for bananas that you essentially "stole?"

The fact that I won a decent prize at the Jack & Adam's Tour de France watch party last night is probably a good sign I'm headed in the right direction. I also met a nice boy last week and volunteered at Barton Springs, so things are looking up!