Light snow here in Park City. Julie and I are driving down to Zion where it is suppossed to hit 80 today.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Choices of weather
Light snow here in Park City. Julie and I are driving down to Zion where it is suppossed to hit 80 today.
New pet shelter
Julie and I went out to tour the property and construction for the new Friends of Animals pet shelter. This is the organization from which we got our dog Jasper and our cat Cosette. They have a small "store front" in an outlet mall that they use to show the pets that are up for adoption. At night, the cats can stay there, but the dogs all have to either go to a foster home or a kennel down in Salt Lake.
Through donations and grants, the group now has a 100 acre plot of land out in Brown's Canyon, about 10 miles from Park City. They are making great progress on the building that will be able to house lots of cats and dogs. The upstairs has two small apartments so that there will always be a human on site. It should open this coming spring.
They spent a lot of time planning this facility and I was very impressed at the thought that went into it. How and where do you quarantine new or sick animals so they have no effect on any other animals? That impacts HVAC, cleaning supplies, feeding, bedding, .... How do you load the animals to head over to the retail outlet? You drive the van into the building so no animals escape and you can load in the rain or snow. What do you do if there is a major disaster and you need to house dozens or even hundreds of additional animals? They considered so many things it made me dizzy.
If you support rescue animals, this is about as good as it gets.
Through donations and grants, the group now has a 100 acre plot of land out in Brown's Canyon, about 10 miles from Park City. They are making great progress on the building that will be able to house lots of cats and dogs. The upstairs has two small apartments so that there will always be a human on site. It should open this coming spring.
They spent a lot of time planning this facility and I was very impressed at the thought that went into it. How and where do you quarantine new or sick animals so they have no effect on any other animals? That impacts HVAC, cleaning supplies, feeding, bedding, .... How do you load the animals to head over to the retail outlet? You drive the van into the building so no animals escape and you can load in the rain or snow. What do you do if there is a major disaster and you need to house dozens or even hundreds of additional animals? They considered so many things it made me dizzy.
If you support rescue animals, this is about as good as it gets.
Monday, October 05, 2009
A wonderful day in the nighborhood
I've had a chance to see (and photograph) some spectacular scenery. The other day brought some of the most incredible sights I have ever witnessed. It took a remarkable combination of fall color, snow, topology, blue skies and clouds. I can't imagine how infrequently it all comes together, even here in the Wasatch Mountains.
It can be easier to see them with a slideshow.
It can be easier to see them with a slideshow.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Fall color in a snow storm
The aspens were past their peak yellows and starting to turn orange on their way to brown. A snow storm had rolled in so I ventured up to Guardsman's Pass. It was very cloudy but every once in a while a bit of sun would pop through to light up the leaves.
I went back the next morning after the storm had ended. I'll post some of those pictures later.
I went back the next morning after the storm had ended. I'll post some of those pictures later.
Scenery along my marathon trip
You can't send me somewhere as scenic as Saint George without some photography along the way.
On my trip down, I found a nice combination of steam coming off the reservoir, some low clouds, a boat on the water and snow on a hidden Mount Timpanogos.
Now how is this for a view from your picnic table?
I took these on Sunday, the day after my race, but the next few shots are scenes we got to see as we ran along. Most are from Snow Canyon, somewhere around the 15 mile mark.
I ran by here around 8:45. The soft morning light was breath taking!
This was shot from the same spot as the last picture, just turned about 75 degrees. Amazing how different the rock can be.
This is a formation very close to the highway, about a mile down.
Now I hop in the truck for my ride home. I saw this view as I zoomed down the interstate and thought it was dramatic. I pulled off on the shoulder and waited to snap shots between cars passing. I wish the mountain in the back was a bit more visible, but a storm was rolling in.
Thank God these winds weren't there on the day of the race. They were gusting at 50 mph and blowing up dust everywhere. This is looking through my windshield.
You just don't see this many places in the US. A speed limit of 80 mph. The funny thing is that they were still pulling people for speeding. You had to be doing 95+ to earn such an honor.
And as I got back closer to home, there were still some pretty leaves on the trees near the Sundance ski resort. A lot of the color at the higher elevations had been dulled by the cold and high winds.
Great trip. Takes about 4 hours to get to St George if you are hustling (speeding) and don't get snagged in traffic. It takes about 5 hours if you are just ambling along. Not a bad trip.
On my trip down, I found a nice combination of steam coming off the reservoir, some low clouds, a boat on the water and snow on a hidden Mount Timpanogos.
Now how is this for a view from your picnic table?
I took these on Sunday, the day after my race, but the next few shots are scenes we got to see as we ran along. Most are from Snow Canyon, somewhere around the 15 mile mark.
I ran by here around 8:45. The soft morning light was breath taking!
This was shot from the same spot as the last picture, just turned about 75 degrees. Amazing how different the rock can be.
This is a formation very close to the highway, about a mile down.
Now I hop in the truck for my ride home. I saw this view as I zoomed down the interstate and thought it was dramatic. I pulled off on the shoulder and waited to snap shots between cars passing. I wish the mountain in the back was a bit more visible, but a storm was rolling in.
Thank God these winds weren't there on the day of the race. They were gusting at 50 mph and blowing up dust everywhere. This is looking through my windshield.
You just don't see this many places in the US. A speed limit of 80 mph. The funny thing is that they were still pulling people for speeding. You had to be doing 95+ to earn such an honor.
And as I got back closer to home, there were still some pretty leaves on the trees near the Sundance ski resort. A lot of the color at the higher elevations had been dulled by the cold and high winds.
Great trip. Takes about 4 hours to get to St George if you are hustling (speeding) and don't get snagged in traffic. It takes about 5 hours if you are just ambling along. Not a bad trip.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
An arsonists dream
I think this is one of the coolest pictures I have taken with my iPhone. The start to the marathon was cold at 5:00 am so they had a bunch of bonfires. I was sitting close to one when they started it. I quickly moved back a few feet.
No such luck
I did pretty much like I expected. Ran too fast to try and qualify. Great for 20 miles but then blew up. Then blew up worse at 24 with. cramp.
My time was 3:41:50 or so.
My time was 3:41:50 or so.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Time to run
I started my marathon quest back in April. I signed up for the St George Marathon in southern Utah and once I was in, I started a countdown clock on my laptop's desktop. When it tells you that you have 150 days, it seems like forever. When it starts getting down to 40, you realize that you are coming to the end of the training. Now it is down to 2 days.
I have come a good ways since my first April runs. I was doing 3.5 miles at a 9:00 minute pace. I have now run as far as 20 miles and as fast as a 6:50 mile. Much better, but is it enough to do the 3:30 marathon I need to qualify for the Boston Marathon? Probably not.
That leaves me with a decision. Should I go out and run the 3:45 marathon I am in shape for or run the 8:00 minute miles I need to qualify for Boston until I blow up? Lots of people run too fast and end up walking (hobbling) the last few miles, killing their overall time. Just the same, I think that is my choice. My goal was Boston, so I'll see what I can do.
The temperatures on Saturday morning (6:30 start time) should be nice. The day won't heat up until I am done, one way or another. My recent joke was that I needed a strong wind at my back if I had any chance of qualifying. The bad news is that they are calling for a fairly strong wind, in my face the entire way (it is a point to point race). I can only hope that the winds will hold off until later in the morning.
Oh well, it is what it is. Marathons are all about digging a little deeper and pushing a little harder than you thought you could. I head for St George early tomorrow morning.
I have come a good ways since my first April runs. I was doing 3.5 miles at a 9:00 minute pace. I have now run as far as 20 miles and as fast as a 6:50 mile. Much better, but is it enough to do the 3:30 marathon I need to qualify for the Boston Marathon? Probably not.
That leaves me with a decision. Should I go out and run the 3:45 marathon I am in shape for or run the 8:00 minute miles I need to qualify for Boston until I blow up? Lots of people run too fast and end up walking (hobbling) the last few miles, killing their overall time. Just the same, I think that is my choice. My goal was Boston, so I'll see what I can do.
The temperatures on Saturday morning (6:30 start time) should be nice. The day won't heat up until I am done, one way or another. My recent joke was that I needed a strong wind at my back if I had any chance of qualifying. The bad news is that they are calling for a fairly strong wind, in my face the entire way (it is a point to point race). I can only hope that the winds will hold off until later in the morning.
Oh well, it is what it is. Marathons are all about digging a little deeper and pushing a little harder than you thought you could. I head for St George early tomorrow morning.
A very different day
In one day, the temperatures dropped about 40 degrees and the snow rolled in. It was a big snow, but it sure was an abrupt change. We got about 3 inches, but a lot of it melted on the toasty ground and roads as it came down. Alta got 12" at the highest peaks.
The clouds were making some interesting patterns with the changing leaves.
A little color with the Park City ski runs in the background.
These aspens are just down the street from our house. So pretty!
Even the little guys take part. This is a sedum plant growing at the top of our retaining wall. Sedum looks a lot like little cacti. I had no idea they changed colors in the fall.
It's 23 degrees here this morning. I hope to get up to Guardsman's Pass in a bit to try and get some pictures up there. Should be gorgeous.
The clouds were making some interesting patterns with the changing leaves.
A little color with the Park City ski runs in the background.
These aspens are just down the street from our house. So pretty!
Even the little guys take part. This is a sedum plant growing at the top of our retaining wall. Sedum looks a lot like little cacti. I had no idea they changed colors in the fall.
It's 23 degrees here this morning. I hope to get up to Guardsman's Pass in a bit to try and get some pictures up there. Should be gorgeous.
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