A little confused this morning as to what day it is, but I think I got it down. So catch up. Saturday was a long day of travelling-- flight, then three hour drive plus a problem with our housing (no heat, they moved us to a bigger house but not as convenient). In other words, no time or energy for a run. Sunday was sticking around Flagstaff, with hikes at Sunset Volcano National Monument and Walnut Canyon NM. No running, but the hike uphill to one of the craters got my heart going. Sea level to 7,000 ft takes me a bit to catch up. Today is TBD, weather pending. It's cold and snowy, with slippery roads. It'll either be petrified forest or Sedona. Whatever we don't do today, we'll do tomorrow.

My brother keeps sending hike pictures with Chowder, so he's keeping up his miles while we're gone.

qotd: Any parks on your bucket list that you get to see soon? Mine is Petrified Forest. I know it's not Yosemite, but I've always been curious about it since a kid. DS wants to go so while DH is virtually attending a conference, we're going for a visit. Can't wait.

Back home after an all day drive on Saturday. Good travel day. Light traffic everywhere but south of Charlotte. We took the inland route up I-81 to avoid DC and possible trucker convoy shenanigans. Made it in 17.5 hours which is a decent time for that route given stops for the dogs, gas, and food. Gas prices ranged from $3.79-$4.29. Sort of alarming watching it go up as we drove north.

Usual walk this morning but in mild almost FL like conditions with temps in the low 60's. I guess I brought some of that warm weather back in my suitcase but it won't last.

I need to squeeze a run in today before the front and storms roll in, so it look like a few miles up at the local trail at lunch or mid afternoon. Yesterday Baker and I did our usual 5 mile loop at Birdsboro watershed. There was some real sweat involved, not so much from the effort but due to the spring like temperatures here.

Oh, of all things saw a coyote last week when running with Baker out on Pine Island in FL. We were on the trails in a place called Galt Preserve and spied something large out of the corner of my eye in an open pine forest and closer look it was cayote. Was not expecting that.

QOTD: Mostly places out west. I've been to some, but not all. Yosemite, Moab, Yellowstone, etc.

Dog tourists...

I am back to running. Got in 44 miles last week. I feel 90% recovered. Did a easy 10 miler this morning. It was too damn cold.

QOTD: The grand canyon would be nice. I want to get down to Capital reef, Canyonlands and Zions. I have never been to Capital reef.

Interval day, 8 x 400m, total 7.2 miles

QOTD:  Not sure how soon, but the group of national parks in southern Utah and Rocky Mountain NP.

Hey, All -

Nicely done on the marathon, Gatsby.

I got in a 6-mile hike on Saturday, nothing yesterday, and today is was 40 min of core/ST/PT.  Saw my physio this afternoon, and he wants me to either start using an elliptical or pool running plus riding my bike.  His preference is pool running, but it's a 20 min drive to the closest community pool plus $10/visit (or $85 for 10 visits) or a 5 min drive (or a 15+ min bike ride) and $10/mo. at Planet Fitness.  Given gas prices here reached $5.54/gal today, I'll be evillipticalling.  He said to not give up hope yet on my April race, but I'm not holding my breath.  Maybe I'll be lucky and can run the HM.  We'll see.

Gas in parts of Los Angeles and in Big Sur is over $7/gal.  But when I am in the midst of sticker shock, I thank God I'm not hunkering in some bunker wondering if I or my family will survive or trying to figure out how we'll eat, or walking 8 hrs to another country's border with nothing but my cat.

QOTD: Yellowstone, anything in Alaska, Zion.