Wednesday, April 15, 2015

"Spooky Creature Found In The Mountains.....!!!"

Massive Larva Monster...
Crosses Mountain Biker's Path...!!
 
...while enjoying a pleasant Sunday afternoon
mountain bike ride under a single tiny cloud dotted
 brilliant blue sky...
~
 ~
...a selfie snap was taken in front of the lone
surviving cedar and oak tree at the Mill Creek 
Fire Road saddle crest...this once being a beautifully
shaded ride with massive fur and cedar trees,
the entire area was sadly burned to a crisp a little
over 5 years ago...the little cedar, the oak and
a small handful of trees are all that remain at
the saddle.
~
 ~
...continuing on in the direction
of the trail marker another mile
or so,...
~ 
 ~
...then enjoying a quick break...
~
 ~
...and a couple of quick vanity snaps
at the turn-around point, little did
we know we would soon be encountering...
~
 
 ~
...a massive 3" long Larva Grub Monster
Creature...!!
~
 
...laying upside down in the sun and exposed to the elements,
it first appeared to be an albino rattlesnake's rattles...
but with a little turning and gentle prodding, it moved
with life and an insect like head appeared at one end...
...what was this creature we had stumbled onto?!!
~
...we moved it to the shade and placed it safely
under a large chip of bark to metamorphose...
hopefully we assisted a healthy and robust forest
insect to survive and not some alien creature that   
crash landed in the woods on the back of a meteorite
to spawn and take over the earth...!!
...Time will only tell...!!
~
"Happy Out-door Adventuring!"
 
  
 
 
 


Saturday, April 11, 2015

"...Don't Ignore That Inner Voice...."

...It Might Have Something Important To Say...

...LISTEN...
~
 
A bit of time has been taken to get over
running a marathon almost 6 months ago...
...almost too much time...
~
...so much time that registration for
that very marathon has begun once again.
~
Where did all that time go? I promised
myself this time that I would remain focused...
  my attention would not turn to digging in the
garden or working on art projects...I would
continue my training through winter and
work on a faster finish time...
~
...but those last 18 miles of the 2014 St. George
Marathon changed my enthusiasm...the sour
stomach and digestive cramps that came on
after mile 8, were something I had
never experienced in all the
months of training...I never thought I would be
facing something like that during the actual race...
I had to shut it all out and try to ignore it...run
through it and just focus on the finish line...my stomach
took me away from taking in all the beautiful
scenery and ambiance of this beautiful race...
It was not fun.
~
...crossing the finish line, my race experience
woes cast everything in a different light.
My usual sunshine I find at the finish line
 was now covered by a little black cloud. 
 ...the magical beauty of
this race I had experienced in the 4 prior
I had run, seemed to fade...I just wanted to
find the car and head home...the 5 hour drive
back across the desert gave me time to think...
...maybe a year off would be a good thing...
~
...I was content with my decision...riding my
mountain bike and focusing on other things, no plan
to run the marathon this fall...
...but maybe I should just check in on the registration
website to see what it looks like this year...the
wonderful candid photos from last year's race flashing
in and out..."Wouldn't that be something to be in one
of those select few photos?"...I've always
wishfully thought how neat that would be to be in
one of those special photos...since 2006.
~
Of the thousands and thousands of runners, and
the thousands of photos snapped during the race,
what is the likelihood of that?!?..
~
"If a picture of me pops
up, I can't opt out...I have to sign up 
for this year's race!" I thought to myself...
~
...and no sooner did I say those exact words...
 
~
...my photo wish was granted!!
 
Happy Running!!