Return of the Hippie Chick

This past Saturday, I ran the Hippie Chick Half Marathon for the second time.  The Hippie Chick is, and always will be, a very special race for me.  When I ran it last year, it was my very first half marathon.  It marked my return to running after a 20 year hiatus.  I had such a great time, I couldn't wait to do it again. 

Note the button on my cap!

When registration opened for this year'r race, I immediately signed up.  I then spent this winter and spring training for the Hippie Chick.  I tried not to have running interfere with my skiing, but the last couple weeks of April it kind of did.  When you're running those long runs on Saturday, the last thing you feel like doing is skiing the next day.  So my ski season got cut kinda short.

But I felt stronger and faster than last year, and was hoping I could better last year's time (I ran the half in 2 hours 4 minutes).  My goal was to run 13.1 miles in under two hours.

My "Rocky"pose!

Saturday May 8th dawned, sunny and beautiful.  Roger accompanied me to Champoeg Park, and again helped me out by holding my sweats and clicking photos as I ran by.

Feelin' good just before race time.

I really missed having my sister and Denise there this year.  Last year Susan came out and ran most of the race with me.  We had such a great time.  Denise took lots of great photos and was fun to have at an event such as this.  But Susan is nursing a broken arm and Denise was busy with school.  I was grateful to have Roger there.  It is so much better running a race when you know you have someone cheering you on!

And they're off!

I lined up with the other ladies at the starting line and went through the silly warm up.  I was never so ready to get going.  The horn blared, and I was off!  The racers were not lined up according to pace times, so I spent the first quarter mile dodging all the people who were slower than me (LOTS of walkers!! ugh!  They should line up at the back).  But then the field started to spread out.  I reached the first mile marker, looked at my watch, and was surprised to see that I'd run my first mile in 8:23.  Whoa!  I told myself I needed to slow down, there was lots more distance to cover, and I didn't want to burn out too quickly.  I slowed down to nine minute miles - my target pace.

Thumbs up after mile 2!

I really like this race course.  It consists of two loops that are each run twice.  Participants start and finish in the middle of the two loops.  So you get to pass by the main spectator area three times.  The spectators were awesome!  Everyone seemed to be cheering the runners.  It was really great to run by and hear all the applause and encouraging words. There were a couple of people ringing cowbells, and some little kids lined up with their hands out for the runners to give high fives as they passed by.  This race is definitely a family event.  I saw lots of fathers playing with little kids while their mothers were running the race.  As one lady ran by, two little girls shouted "mommy" and ran up to her.  This lady stopped and gave her girls a big hug.  So touching!

The cheers of the spectators really made me smile.

I ran the first six miles on pace and was still feeling good.  Shortly after mile 7, my left achilles and ankle started hurting.  But I told myself to ignore it and that "I could ice it after I was done."  I continued on, logging very consistent nine minute miles.  About mile 10, I started to get a sideache and slowed down slightly.

Just past the halfway mark - looking more serious now.

I ran the next mile with a nice lady and we talked away about our lives and kids.  At mile 11, I checked my watch and discoved I'd slowed down to a 10 minute mile.  If I was going to keep on track to meet my under two hour goal, I needed to kick it in gear.  Surprisingly, I still had energy, so I picked up the pace.  I was so close to my goal, I didn't want to blow it now.

Checking my watch at the finish line.

The last mile seemed to take forever.  I ran as fast as I could but I was getting fatigued.  I tried not to look at my watch, but instead concentrated on keeping my pace.  Finally, the finish line came into view.  I gave it my all, and finally I was crossing over the timing mats.  I immediately looked at my watch.  It said 1:58:13.  Under two hours!  I did it!!!!   Wooo-hooo!!!

Modeling my finisher necklace.

Instead of medals, each finisher of the Hippie Chick Half gets a cute little necklace.  So much more practical than a clunky medal that sits in a drawer.  I was very proud of my Hippie Chick necklace.

I'm feeling like a champion!

Later that afternoon, I checked the official race results on line.  My official time was 1:57:47.  I placed 10th in my age group, out of 80 women.  Overall, I was 86th out of 655 runners.  My average pace was 8:59 per mile.  Not too shabby!

I improved my half marathon time by over 6 minutes.  I not only bettered my half marathon PR - I totally shattered it!  With the exception of a few minor aches, I felt good the entire race and had enough energy for my kick at mile 11 to the end.  It is a really wonderful feeling to train so hard for many weeks and then see your goal become reality.  So empowering!

Some of you know that my name was selected in the random drawing to run the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco this October.  Before the Hippie Chick, I was thinking "oh my gosh - the marathon - what have I done?  What was I thinking? I don't know if I can do this!"  But running such a strong race gave my confidence a huge boost.  I now know that if I put in the proper training, I can run this marathon.  Not only will I go the distance, but I will finish strong.

Spring Beauty at Tom McCall Point

This past Friday, I had a day off of work.  Not wanting to waste a good day off, I decided to go for a hike.  I 'd heard the flowers were in bloom at Tom McCall Point, so I decided to check it out.  Tom McCall Point is located in the Gorge, east of Hood River, near the town of Mosier.  I visited this place many years ago on a mother's day hike, but only hiked around the lower plateau.  I'd always wanted to check out the trail up to Tom McCall Point.

Wanting to get some good light, and also beat the crowds, I got up really early Friday morning, and headed out of town. The forecast was for warm and sunny weather, so I was hoping to be able to see the mountains.

My destination!

I arrived at the parking area around 7:30.  I got out my camera and immediatly started clicking photos of some of the flowers that were blooming nearby.

Flowers carpet the lower plateau overlooking the Columbia River.

The balsamroot flowers were like a yellow carpet, covering the lower trails.  I shouldered by backpack and began my climb up to Tom McCall Point.  I didn't go far, and was stopped by a beautiful bunch of flowers beside the trail. After many photo ops, I again started out.  But I didn't get much further, and --oh-- another great view to capture!  I must've spent a half hour in the lower meadow before I began my climb up.

The views just kept getting better the higher I climbed.  The Columbia River and lower plateau spread out before me.  The trail led me through some nice oak groves and then cleared out into pretty meadows.  There was some poison oak in the treed sections of the trail, so I had to be really careful.  A poison oak rash is no fun!

Rowena Crest plateau.

Flowers were blooming in abundance!  There were balsamroot, lupine and orange paintbrush adding lots of color to the trail.  The flowers made a pretty foreground for my photos.

This balsamroot blossom was especially nice.

I came upon some of the local wildlife.  I think being on the trail so early was why I got to see these guys.  I only saw one other person the whole time I was climbing up the trail  (and he was coming down).

I was almost to the top, when I came upon this killer view of Mt. Hood.  Wow! 

Mt. Adams and the Gorge from the top of Tom McCall Point

After taking about an hour and a half to travel to the top (approx. 1.5 miles and 1100' up) I finally arrived at my destination.  Yes, I usually travel faster than that - but there were so many wonderful scenic things to photograph, that it took me much longer to travel the distance!

I had no more than began to set up my tripod, when another guy came up the trail behind me.  He was also a photographer and immediatly set up his tripod and began clicking away.

Mt. Hood view from the top of Tom McCall Point.

Up on  top of Tom McCall Point, all I could say was "wow!"  The flowers were incredible and the views outstanding!  My camera was buzzing away, trying to capture it all.

Luscius lupine.

A fine example of some of the wonderful flowers that were blooming on Tom McCall Point.  This little patch of lupine was especially vibrant.

Amazing yellow balsamroot!

Not only did I have clear skies for great mountain views, but I also had great light for photography.  The sun was at an angle that lit up the flowers so they were glowing with color.

Mt. Hood overlooks the flower fest.

I must have taken at least 200 photographs while I was on the summit.  You don't get such perfect conditions like this everyday.  I felt really lucky to have chosen this particular day to visit.

Looking west down the Gorge.

The other photographer told me he'd been up here yesterday and the conditions were not as good.  It was cloudy and he could not see much of Mt. Hood.  When he heard today's weather forecast, he decided to come back again.  It was paying off for him!  Apparently this guy comes up to Tom McCall Point quite often in the springtime, and was knew lots about the area.  He gave me some tips on where to set up my camera to get some good shots.

Mt. Hood framed by lupine.

Another couple came up the trail during the time I was on the summit.  But they didn't stay long.  The guy photographer took lots of photos (and he was shooting film!) but finally he packed up and left.  I now had the whole place to myself.

Looking north across the Columbia River.

After enjoying the solitude for awhile, I realized I needed to be heading back.  The sky was beginning to cloud over to the north, and I had taken enough photos to keep me busy sorting and editing for a long while!  It was such a nice day, and perfect light, that I really hated to leave.

One last lupine photo - because it is so lovely!

Once I started back down the trail, I met lots of people on their way up.  The farther down I traveled, the more people I ran into.  By the time I was nearing the parking lot, there were several large groups heading out.  Looks like I came down at the right time!

I don't know why I waited so long to hike this trail.  What a gem!  It will definitely be on my list of "must-do" spring hikes for next year.  What a great way to spend a sunny day off!

Mom's Weekend at OSU

Mother's Day is just around the corner.  With that in mind, OSU held their annual "Mom's weekend" last Friday - Sunday.  I drove down to Corvallis on Saturday to spend the day with Denise.

One of the weekend's events was a mother-student 5K fun run.  Denise was the one who suggested we run the race together.  In between classes and work, she's been trying to start a regular running program.  Here are Denise and I on Saturday morning, fresh and ready to run!

Denise gives me one of her "looks."

Of course, Denise never likes it when I take her photo!

Denise is much better at these self-portraits than I! (She knows just how to hold the camera)

Mud-splattered, but victorius!

It had been raining the past couple of days, so the park where the race was held was kind of muddy.  Denise and I show off our muddy shoes after the race was over!

Denise did really good for just taking up running a couple of months ago.  I know it was hard for her, but she kept on going, and we finished strong.

I just loved these yellow rhodies!

After the race, it was time for a Jamba juice and then back to Denise's apartment to change clothes.  After that, we walked around the OSU campus, checking out the various activities for moms.  The campus flowers were all in bloom, and were they ever beautiful!

These pink rhodies were also really nice.

Denise poses by one of the many bright flowering bushes on the OSU campus.

We joined Denise's two roommates and their mothers for dinner at a local restaurant.  Denise has great roommates, and their moms were a lot of fun.

Denise and I model our numbers from the morning's race.  This was a low-budget race - no paper bibs with numbers - only a hand-written sharpie number on your hand!

I had a great day.  It was fun to hang out with Denise.  We always have a good time when we get together.  Happy Mother's Day to my mom and my sister, and to all you moms out there!

The Mystery of the Photographer Statue

Interstate 90 is our main route whenever we take a trip back east.  Between travels to Montana and South Dakota, we've made many trips on this road since moving to Oregon 20+ years ago.  There is a very scenic stretch of I-90 that parallels Lake Coeur d'Alene in northern Idaho.  At the east end of the lake, there's a photographer statue placed on a scenic overlook.  This statue is clearly visible from I-90.

Every time we pass by the statue, I always wonder why it's there.  Is it to commemorate a famous photographer?  Did something historic happen here?  Is it placed in a very special scenic location?  There are no freeway exits immediately adjacent to this location - how does one get to the statue?  (I've seen people standing by this statue, so I know it is accessible.)

The mystery man

I've often remarked to Roger that I'd like to visit the statue someday.  Being interested in photography, I think it would be cool to have my photo taken next to it.  But it seems like every time we've driven by, we're in a hurry to make it to our destination.  Access from I-90 is not readily apparent, and we haven't had time to search for the route. So the photographer statue remained a mystery, my questions unanswered.

View of Lake Coeur d'Alene from the statue.

However, last February I found myself on I-90, driving back home from Roger's mom's funeral.  Having dropped Cody off in Missoula, it was just myself and the dog in the car.  Roger was still in Yankton, so there was no reason for me to hurry home.  As I approached Lake Coeur d'Alene, I thought to myself  "I've got time - I'm going to try and find the photographer."

So I took the exit before the statue.  That road took me away from the lake.  So I hopped back on I-90, and tried the exit after the photographer.  I wound around a road that took me back and forth across and under the freeway.  I ended up at a turnaround that dead-ended at a boat ramp.  Thinking this couldn't be it, I turned around and drove up another road that took me high above I-90 through a residential area.  After wasting about half an hour driving around, I was ready to give up and get back on the road.  But I remembered the road to the boat ramp seemed to take me close to where I thought the statue should be.  I decided to try that road one more time.

Say cheese!

I pulled into the boat ramp parking area.  I started looking around.  A paved bike path paralleled the road and continued beyond the parking lot.  I looked up the bike path and, lo and behold, there was my statue!

I put Bear on a leash, grabbed my camera, and went to check it out.  The statue was situated in an area that afforded nice views of the lake.  But there was nothing by the statue that gave any clue as to why it was there, or who it was supposed to commemorate.  The statue itself was weather-worn and dirty.  Kind of a disappointment!

Mr. Golden Guy and his wonderful view

Since I couldn't get Bear to work my camera (he's a smart dog, but not that smart!) I didn't get any photos of myself with the golden photographer.  But now that I know how to get to this place, I'll have to make Roger stop next time we're in the neighborhood.  Then I'll get my photo. 

At least I've solved part of the mystery of the photographer statue of Lake Coeur d'Alene!

Conquering The Cone

Mt. Bachelor ski area is located on a dormant volcano.  To the northwest side of the mountain is a large cinder cone, formed during a time when the mountain was more active.  This cone is not served by any lifts, but people like to hike "The Cone" to get fresh tracks.

The Cone rises up from the ski area below.

On powder days, I've always looked longinly at The Cone, wanting to hike up there any make some tracks of my own.  But I've never convinced anyone to climb up there with me.  Well - that is - until I made a spring break trip to Bend late last March. 

People climbing up the side of "The Cone."

The snow gods had  been good to us the night before, and graced Mt. Bachelor with six inches of fresh, fluffy powder.  My brother Dale and I had made a couple of runs, and delighted in the snowy goodness.  That's when I looked up at The Cone and mentioned to Dale that today would be a great day to ski its slopes.  Dale took a little bit of convincing, but finally decided he would join his crazy sister in her quest to conquer The Cone.

To access The Cone, you must ski down an adjacent ski run as fast as you can to try and get as much distance up the side of The Cone's slopes as possible.  When you run out of momentum, it's time to take the skis off and hike the rest of the way up.  Although it always looked daunting, I found the hike to take no more than 15 minutes.  Yes, it was a steep and strenuous climb, but not as bad as I thought I'd be.

Top of The Cone! Yahoo!

Once on top we took some time to admire the views.  On that day, I did not have my camera with me (can you believe it??) so Dale snapped a photo of me with his camera phone.  Proof of my historic climb!

Then we clicked into our skis, chose our lines, and had our best runs of the day down the knee-deep powder that graced the slopes of The Cone.  There was much whooping and woo-hooing as we carved through the fluffy stuff.  When we reached the treeline, we stopped to admire our tracks.

I was ready to climb up and do it again, but Dale was tuckered out.  Once was enough for him.  So we skiied to the lift, and went to check out the Northwest Express side of the mountain.

So now I'm an official "Cone-Head."  Next powder day I find myself at Bachelor, you can bet I'll be up there!

Another Great Day on Mt. Hood!

This year, January and February were a little bit light in the snowfall department up on Mt. Hood.  However, the side benefit of no snowstorms is that we got lots of sunny days.  (Spring skiing in the winter---gotta love it!)  And if you can't have fresh powder, sunshine is the next best thing! 

This blog post features photos from a really beautiful day in mid-February at Mt. Hood Meadows.

Queen of the mountain!

My ski-buddy Kim strikes a studly skier pose.

A bad day skiing is always better than a good day working!

Great views of Mt. Jefferson and low clouds over the Cascades from the top lift at Meadows.

Uh-oh!  Wipeout!!

Years ago, Kim gave me the nickname "Biff."  Now you know why!

I think this is a great shot of Kim. 

The remnants of an overnight ice storm can be seen on the trees.  I thought these ice formations were especially cool.  You can tell which way the wind was blowing.

The trees seem bent over from their weight of ice.

Kim's daughter joined us in the afternoon.  She's learning to snowboard, and is picking it up quickly.

Kim and her daughter a-comin' down the mountain.

There they go!

This blog post would not be complete without one more great shot of my favorite mountain.  Hood looks really good when it's covered in snow.   Sunshine, good turns, and great views.  Another perfect day on the mountain!