Final Leg Home

When I left Albuquerque I was headed to Cottonwood, Arizona to reconnect with another of my former athletes, Jeremy Ebert whom I hadn't seen since his high school graduation 22 years ago. Like my trip from Colorado to New Mexico I had time for side trips on my trip fro New Mexico to Arizona because Jeremy was working. The first place I stopped was El Malpais National Monument. The main reason was to gather information for a potential future visit to New Mexico to visit National Parks and Monuments. 

The drive from Grants to just before Flagstaff is very familiar to me because I have driven I 40 (Route 66) or been a passenger in my parents car. But this time I made a side trip I hadn't taken before to Walnut Canyon National Monument. While there I hiked down into the canyon and was amazed at the number of cliff dwellings in the canyon. 

When I left the Monument I drove to Cottonwood, AZ and checked in to my hotel to wait for Jeremy to finish work. We drove to Jerome, a mining town that is famous for its history as well as the legends of ghosts that inhabit the town. We ate at the Haunted Hamburger where Jeremy's middle daughter Destiny was our waitress. It was fun getting to meet her. Jeremy and I are talking about connecting for a future race. 

I had originally planned to visit a friend in Southern California on the way home but plans changed so I decided to drive home in one day. It made for a long drive but I listened to Willie Nelson's autobiography on tape and the trip went well. I listened to Tom Brokaw's "Boom" on the way out and both books were outstanding. 

Off the Interstate and Seeing More Friends

The morning after my stay in Green River, Utah I took time to visit Arches National Park where I again did some hiking. Although there was construction going on I was still able to see a lot. 

When I left Colorado and headed home the plan was to stop and visit friends Ken and Kristi Menuier in Tijeras, New Mexico. They weren't going to be home until evening so I was able to make multiple stops and side trips on the way. I stopped at the Ludlow Massacre site near Trinidad, Colorado. I had intended to do that for years and just blew through on I 25. It is a memorial to a terrible incident in our history. 

When I got south of Raton in New Mexico I decided to visit my grandfather Anstey's grave in Roy, New Mexico. It was farther from the interstate than I expected. When I got to Roy I stopped for directions to the cemetery and was able to take a picture of the old movie theater that my uncle Jimmy "Elmo" used to own. 

When I arrived at the cemetery it was a typical old town cemetery with no place to ask for help locating a burial site. I drove up and down roads, including some that were very overgrown but couldn't find the site I was looking for so I decided to call my sister Donna who had visited there once many years ago to see if she remembered how to find it. She didn't but while I was almost ready to hang up and give up I looked to the left and I was parked maybe fifteen feet from Grandpa Anstey's marker. It was surreal. 

I took a different route back to the interstate and drove through a beautiful canyon. 

Next I stopped at the Fort Union National Monument another place I have passed to many times to count in my travels up and down I 25. They were closing the gates in 30 minutes so I didn't walk around as much as I would have but I was really impressed with what I did see. 

I spent two nights in Tijeras with Ken and Kristi and had the chance to catch up with them and with Kristi's mom Jody who I met when coaching Kristi in Ruidoso years ago. The second day my sister Donna called and asked if I could find my Uncle Jimmy's burial site and with information that she had from his obituary I was able to find it. It was actually not overly far from where I was. Imagine my surprise when I saw that his name was misspelled on his marker. 

When I left I was close to the Sandia Tram so I decided to take the tram to the top of Sadia Peak. It was a beautiful ride even though it was partly cloudy.

I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in their beautifully landscaped peaceful backyard reading and watching hummingbirds and butterflies enjoy the flowers. The next day I was heading to Arizona. 

Races, Familiar Faces and New Places

Like many of my trips back to Colorado this one was motivated by a chance to race with friends. At this point in my life "race" might be a stretch, but I enjoy running with friends in these "reunion runs". Originally we talked about doing a double but for various reasons I was the only one who ran the Hears 5K at Bear Creek Park. The course was pretty gentle but the altitude was brutal.

I only stayed in Colorado Springs for two nights but I got to see Joe for dinner and then the next morning I met with Ron Payton for a good breakfast smothered in green chile at the Western Omelet. It was fun catching up with Ron a long time friend and fellow coach. Then we went for a long hike at Monument Valley Park a place where we shared many coaching memories. Finally of course, I went to a favorite used book store. 

Then the next day after the race at Bear Creek Park I went back to the hotel to clean up and check out and then met with Tara Strachan, a former Sierra athlete at The Perk in downtown Colorado Springs. When I last saw her she was a student at Massachusetts Maritime Institute and she came by a swim meet while on a school break to see if her records still stood. They did! Now she's a wife and mother of two and works in environmental science. Seeing her was a highlight of the two days in the Springs. 

After coffee we said our goodbyes and I headed north for Castle Rock where I would be running my second race of the weekend. I decided to stay there two nights so we would have a place to clean up after the race before we all met for lunch. A highlight of the lunch for me was reconnecting with RaShaan Davis for the first time in several and seeing his son Kendle who just got out of the army and was starting school at his Dad's alma mater, Colorado State Pueblo.  

I had the opportunity to meet Joe Gray a World Champion trail runner after the race. 

While it was a short time in Colorado it was time well spent and it was great catching up with so many important people in my life. 

Colorado Trip - "The Loneliest Road in America"

When I was planning this trip back to Colorado for our annual "Reunion Run" with Robert, Joe, Gerald and Walter I wanted to go a different way. I'd gone east on 10, 40 (66), and 70 and I'd driven back on 80. One road I hadn't driven was highway 50, called "The Loneliest Road in America" through Nevada. I took 99 to 80 until Fernley, Nevada and that's where I picked up 50. I really enjoyed the drive. Of course I'm Blessed to have a good vehicle. I wouldn't want to try it otherwise.  

The first town after Fernley is Fallon. There is a naval air station there where a lot of our planes and some of our squadron used to go on temporary duty. I never had to go. I stopped to take a picture of the A-7 on display entering town and then stopped when I found a used book store. I can never pass one up. 

The drive followed the Pony Express Trail and there were ruins of several former Pony Express stations. 

The next day I drove to Great Basin National Park. After stopping at the visitors center for information and to get my passport stamped I drove the Wheeler's Peak scenic drive that climbed to about 10,000 feet. When I got to the top of the road I set out on foot and hiked to the Bristlecone Pine Grove. It was amazing seeing trees still living that were thousands of years old. The hike with a short side hike to an alpine lake on the way back was around 4 miles round trip but the fact that the entire hike was above 10,000 feet made it seem longer. It was a beautiful day for the hike. 

From there I drove to Green River, Utah. I was once again reminded how beautiful the drive on I 70 is through western Utah. Had I not posted pictures from the beautiful overlooks in a previous blog I would have been much later finishing the drive. The worst part of the day was being reminded what a sad town Green River, Utah is.