Hi all. Got in 5 last night on the trolley trail and creek trails along the c&O canal. With a rainy spell moving in, it was a last ditch effort to get out. Nice night. We stopped and picked up gyros on the way home. A greek place by us has a wednesday night special and it was an easy and tasty dinner.

Chowder likes the stream crossings

qotd: Getting cabin fever. What's your next planned or dreamed of adventure? And/or maybe a recently canceled adventure.

Well, I was planning to do a canicross race up in NH this weekend, on the border of Maine. I would have left yesterday for the long weekend visit with my sister and family.  And thinking ahead, I'm hoping for a MN visit at the end of the summer. Hoping to take my mom up to the north shore, figuring she might have only a handful of those opportunities ahead. So, no big adventuring, but looking forward to seeing some treasured people and places.

Yay, Chowder Pic!!

Usual 2 mile wog routine this morning. The township guys are up to some drainage/repairs to the road up the hill adjacent to our development. I was sort of hoping they were preparing to finally re-pave our neighborhood streets but that is wishful thinking on my part. We typically just get pothole patchwork, but I've noticed some new asphalt near the storm drains was getting hopeful.

Need to do weights today and a short run after work with the dogs.

Last night took Baker out for about 5 sunny breezy miles near the lake. The weather had improved enough that the quarantiners were out as usual. We did one of those spinny/twisty sections last night after an easy 2 miles along the lake. There is a section of trail I run once in awhile across the road from the trailhead of one of my normal routes. It's twisty mountain bike stuff, not always the best for running but I noticed some new paths the last time I was over there so tried to follow them all. I took me about 30 minutes to run them all, nearly dizzy by the end. I was never more than 1/2 mile or less from my car I would guess.

QOTD: I really have no idea. We were hoping to go to St.John USVI for anniversary but that is sort of scratched now. We would have gone in May (before our anniversary) but even if things open up over the summer the island sort of shuts down late summer/fall due to hurricane season.

Morning Trailers!  Got a nice 5 miles on the trails with Tiny E yesterday; will get out sometime today for a few more.

Our governor announced yesterday that starting Monday, Montana will start a measured and slow relaxing of restrictions currently in place.  He's done a good job imo during this pandemic, but also had a low and rather scattered population that I'm sure has helped.

qotd: I planning at least one more foray into the Bob Marshall- have to get over to the west side to scout part of route; there is potentially a tricky ford I want to look at and the one of the ridges we plan on taking is going to be covered in 7-8' of snow- want to make sure it's safe to travel.  Still looks like the Bob Marshall Wilderness Open is a go.  Hoping our ronde in the Sierras is still a go.  Haven't heard back on permits for the Wonderland Trail in September or from the Park Service on the mountain goat hunt.  If we happen to get chosen for the mtn goat hunt AND the Wonderland Trail, we'll most likely not do the Wonderland Trail.  If we don't get chosen for the hunt and get permits for Wonderland- we'll do that.

one more pic from last weekend

Had a socially distanced run with a running buddy today (Sue and Jamie, it was Mark).  Nice twisty tuning single track and we had to do just under a mile on the AT to get back to a connector trail that went back to the truck and car. 8.25 miles with 1200' elevation. 2 bouldering sections made for a really fun run. Ran it in 1:30, so that's fast for the way I've been running lately. We both felt the other was pushing, so I guess it's good to have a running buddy run once in a while to get my pace up to where it used to be. I've had too many slow runs lately.

Chowda looks happy.

Jamie - I miss Chincoteague. And Haars is still going to open. Giant is trying to sell the land but no takers yet, so they plan on a 2020 season.

XT - any milestone anniversary this year? We're at 34 this year, so next year will be a big trip since we do that in 5 years increments.

Sandy - looks like a lot of people don't agree with your Gov. opening up things in TX. Our local news keeps knocking TX and FL response to opening up too early.

Warden - nice pictures (again ).

Was reading that airline travel is not expected to be back to normal until the Fall. Ugh. DD#1 is getting worried about her September wedding date. We still have time to pull the plug and only lose a few small deposits.

QOTD:  I'd be finishing up my second round of golf in GA right now. Our annual 12 man golf trip was to be this week, so I've missed out on my 2 annual Spring trips (Hilton Head 3 weeks ago). Nothing planned until we get past the wedding and we didn't book anything yet. DW's parent's have a cabin in Boone, NC, and we might go there in the fall.

So a most bizarre trail encounter today out at Donald park. Like you guys all my trailheads have all kinds of cars at them these days.  Donald is no exception as I used to be able to go there on a weekday and have the place to myself but not these days. Wow.  So I'm doing my slow speed run when I encounter two fairly large women walking towards me and as soon as they see me they quickly retreat way off to the side in a prairie type area. I just ignored them as I kept running by. Donald has a number of inter-connected loops so of course I come upon them at another spot. This time as soon as they see me they turn and start trying to run fast to a trail intersection and of course turn the way I was turning and of course I gained on them rapidly so they jumped off into the woods and as I went by they said they didn't want to run into me. OK, hmm. I just continued on but I knew how the loops were laid out at that point there would be a good chance I might see them again. Sure as hell I see them on the trail of another section coming towards me. They stop and one of them says "how about we compromise and you turn around and go the other way". WTF?   I just said a loud and resounding NO. You guys step off to the side, I'll go by and we'll all be fine. Then as I'm going by I said "Fuck, if you're that paranoid, what the hell are you doing out here? They just looked away.  God, I miss normal times.

QOTD--Well my calendar and some of my plans have been blown up. Maybe a canoe trip in a couple weeks. Otherwise nothing too exciting until Aug. Then it will be a 25k in N.C. then a lengthy backpack in the Winds culminating in the rondo at Kings Canyon. Everything is fluid right now though.

 

 I'm thinking about heading into Blue Mounds from Brigham soon and playing dumb if someone questions me about it.

 

 

Great minds do think alike. I've had that exact same thought.  Funny!     Wonder if they have it barricaded and signed or not. That point is pretty far from normal maintenance.

Maybe a light rain or threatening rain isn't so bad after all.  The last couple times I went to the park in those conditions to run there was hardly anyone there and it was easy to avoid the few that were.

NH - if this whole physical distancing wasn't so serious, that multiple encounter would be hilarious.  I'm sure they thought they'd see very few other people and never imagined they'd see the same person twice, much less three times.

qotd:  If you count races as adventures, I still have three that haven't been cancelled yet, though one was postponed from May to September. Otherwise the big adventure, if I can pull it off, is the trailer trash Rae Lake Loop.