Post Script

I am so blessed to have wonderful Christian Friends to accompany me on this excellet adventure.I am blessed to have a wonderful husband who encouraged me to come with the group and furnished the funds to do so. I am blessed to have a Heavenly Father who blesses me daily with the wonders of His creation and family and friends who reflect the greatness of His love.

I look forward to future adventures and will recap this week after returning home.

Trail's End

LOOK SIDEWAYS-THIS IS THE WATER FALL

AT THE TRAIL'S HEAD

ON THE WAY UP THE MOUNTAIN

A LITTLE MORE UP THE MOUNTAIN

WE ARE ABOVE THE FALLS

TOP OF THE RIDGE-GLACIER IN BACKGROUND

Six Days-8 Hikes-57 miles

Doesn't sound like that much until you realize that half of it has been up the mountain!

We hiked up to the Iceline Ridge today. Was a difficult hike and we all had tired legs, so several of us slipped and fell coming down. It was slick and muddy with loose rock, so down we went. Not serious injuries only bruises. We did encounter dark clouds coming over the mountain once we had gotten almost all the way to the ridge, but after stopping for lunch we continued on to the top. We didn't stay long since it was sprinkling and I would hate to think how slick it would have been if we had not gotten back down the mountain.

Lisa managed to make every step we did, even with a bum knee. She gets the Courage Award.

We have laughed, and laughed all week. It has been a true joy and blessing.

Worship at the Mountain Top

Mr. Black Bear Crossing the Road

Top of Parker's Ridge-Glacier Below

Big Horn Sheep on Top of Wilcox's Pass

Sunset Reflected Off of Mountain

I stood on the mountain with tears in my eyes overlooking several glaciers and with mountains soaring toward the heavens all around me and worshiped this morning. What a glorious day God gave us and how wonderful and beautiful is His creation.

We drove a couple of hours to start our day by hiking Parker's Ridge. After the climb up-up the switch backs you came out on a ridge that overlooked a beautiful glacier that is only viewable by hiking. There was a new glacier lake being formed at its base. There were waterfalls from the mountains to the valley and it was breathtaking. We enjoyed a rest and our lunch at the top of the ridge overlooking all of this glory with a stiff wind blowing through the pines.

We then drove to the Icefields and viewed several glaciers which surround, top and flow through all of the beautiful peaks around you.

We then did our second hike of the day at Wilcox's Pass. Up through the forest and then onto the meadow and up and up. We finally ended up at the pass where we saw a herd of big horn sheep. They did not seem afraid of us and we were within feet of them. What a treat! When we summited the pass the view of the glacier field was unbelievable. We were on the top of the world!

Back down we go, finally getting to the trailhead at 7:30. We start back toward Banff and God gave us one more treat! We saw a black bear on the side of the road! We quickly stopped and Sandra was able to get a picture of him crossing the road. What a perfect ending to our day!

We stopped for dinner and then began the long trek home. God's final gift for the day was a beautiful golden full moon rising over the mountains. GLORY!

We are back home and it is midnight and we have another 5:30 wakeup for our final hike.

TWO HIKES IN ONE DAY- around 11 miles.

Lisa is pushing through and made every step today. Sonja is doctoring and hopefully she will be able to complete the final day. The good news is none of us will need collagen injections for our lips-the bad news is that they are all blistered. Small price to pay!

Alpine Wildflower Meadow

HOTEL IN BACKGROUND

LOONIE & TOONIE WALKING DOWN THE ROAD

Just when you think you have seen all there is, you turn the corner and see another wonder. We went by school bus to Sunshine Village which is the local ski area. It is quite eerie to go to the ski resort when it is not in operation. There were a few people hiking in the area, but there were not many hikers on the trail that we took. This is grizzly territory! The bus driver gave us instructions on the way up the mountain in case of contact with a bear, but thankfully we did not have to see if we would respond correctly. We all would love to see a bear, but not up close and personal.

We hiked up to Crystal Mountain which overlooked the lake by the campground. It is really unbelievable to see young families hiking into the same areas that we are with young children on their backs. Many have small children that are hiking with them and they all have heavy packs in addition to the children. We went through many meadows of beautiful wildflowers. It is so amazing to see how the Master Architect has placed all of these beautiful flowers in great abundance at this high altitude. We had our lunch by the lake at the campground. We did see the pole with pulleys to store your food at night if you camp so you want feed the bears.

Varmint Report-we saw 2 long horn sheep on the road that leads up the mountain to the ski resort. They just sat there and looked at us while we took pictures. We saw many mounds where the ground squirrels live in an effort to stay warm. There was an entire city of them-in fact there were several cities. I saw an elk grazing when walking back into town just off the trail .

We only hiked 7 miles, but this was a much easier hike that the other days. We were back in time to walk down to the water fall and rapids behind the hotel.

Injury Report-we all have sore muscles, but Lisa is suffering from runner's knee. We are planning on doing a hike tomorrow that she can hike in a mile or so and wait for us to come back. We could use prayer for her recovery so she will be able to enjoy the last two hiking days.

Yes-it is cold on the top of the mountain. We have to take our jackets out of our packs and put them on, but when we start back down the mountain and start working-they come back off.

ENTERING BEAR TERRITORY

BOW FALLS

MRS. ELK HAVING A SNACK

RUSTON MOUNTAIN GOATS

Lunch at the summit

Going down the trail of Odaray

Overlooking Lake MacArthur

When we were training for this great adventure, no one told me that we would need to practice scaling the mountain on all 4's, but that is just what we did today. We drove out at 7 AM to Yoho National Park in British Columbia which took about an hour. We then caught a bus which took us up a dirt road-up the mountain for another 7 miles. We arrived at beautiful Lake O'Hara. Started our hike on relative level ground, but that quickly changed. Up we go to finally the Grand View Odaray Trail. We went up-up-up with many switchbacks , rocks, and challenging trails. The last part of the trail we literally had to use both hands and feet to pull ourselves to the top. IT WAS SO WORTH IT! What a view. We could see 6 lakes and 2 glaciers from the top. Sat on the rocks and enjoyed our lunch in the wind which was so strong that you felt as if it would blow you off the mountain. We all left a rock on the pile that signifies that you had reached the summit. Then we got to start the trek down. It is diffficult going up and requires many stops to catch your breathe, but the backtracking down the mountain can be a little freightening. There is a lot of loose rock and many long slippery declines, but we all made it safe and sound.

We then took another trail to Lake MacArthur. Another few miles up, but once again well worth the effort. Lake MacArthur is at the bottom of a bowl formed by a glacier. The lake itself is 280 feet deep and one of the deepest in North America. The water was an incredible blue. We sat on a rock ledge above it and just admired the scenery including water falls off the mountains that disappear into the underground. SO BEAUTIFUL!

Varmint Report for the day-No bears to report, but we did travel through a bear corridor. Lots of singing and loud talking during that trek. The mosquitoes are even more hungry than LA mosquitoes and there are swarms of them. We all sprayed multipe times to still have them swarm us. We did see this little mouse looking creature with ears like a rabbit that makes a whistling noise like the bear whistles some carry. Many ground squirrels and chipmonks.

We are all having a wonderful time, but legs are suffering the effects of long hard hikes. By tomorrow AM we will forget that pain and be excited about the next hike.

We did meet a wonderful couple who were traversing the same trails we were from Arizona. It turns out he is a pastor at a Baptist Reform Church in Flagstone. We had a lively discussion with them. I am continually amazed at how God pulls his people together!

Plain of 6 Glaciers & Beehive

Top of Beehive or top of the world.

Hiking over to overlook of Plain of 6 Glaciers

At the Base-In Front of Lake Louise. We climbed back to the right.

GLORIOUS DAY! We began the day thinking we were going to do an "EASY" Hike (according to the book). I don't know who wrote the book-but it must have been a mountain goat. We started at Lake Louise to hike 8.6 miles to the Plain of 6 Glaciers. The first part was a stroll around the shore of the lake and then you start up. We did not take our trekking poles thinking this would be easy. WRONG! You need the poles to not just help you pull yourself along, but also to help with balance-especially on loose rocks. The trail was beautiful - through lots of beautiful forest-but more challenging than we thought it would be. We hiked up to The Teahouse which was a full view of all 6 glaciers. Had a rest at that point before going on the last mile + to the mountain top overlooking the glacier below. BEAUTIFUL We had lunch on the side of the mountain sitting on rocks since all there is that high is rock. As we started back down, we discussed that we were not that tired and there was another way down which took you to the top of Beehive. Well why not since we were all good to go. Off we went. The first part of the trail was switchbacks but a slow progression always up-not TOO bad. Then we came to the next fork where you continued up and the fun began! This was a very narrow trail which lead straight up at a very sharp incline. We would have to stop every switchback and rest. THIS WAS VERY DIFFICULT! We kept meeting hikers coming down who would tell us it was 15 more minutes. THEY DID NOT TELL THE TRUTH! We we finally reached the summit-WOW WAS IT WORTH IT! The view overlooked two different lakes-Lake Louise & Lake Agnes. It was spectacular and we were so far up! Could not believe how high. We stopped and enjoyed the view of God's creation. Incredible! The trip down the mountain again involved lots of switchbacks, but was much easier than going up. We stopped at another Teahouse on the way down and refreshed with water. We all did not take enough water today since it was hot, but have learned a lesson..Babs did spot a bear while driving to the trailhead,but everyone else missed it. We haven't worried too much since we try to keep Sonja laughing which is music to our ears. We also spotted elk grazing right by the hotel and the deer are just commonplace.

Two interesting bits of trivia-

They have overpasses over the highway for the animals.

We saw them transporting the barrels of sewerage fromthe top of the mountain by helicoptor.

TOTAL MILEAGE TODAY 11.6-TIRED LEGS

WOW

The 6 Ruston peaches arrived in Canada with only small glitches. Up at 3:30 AM following our drive to Dallas and going to bed at 11:00 P.M. Not much sleep with anticipation of our trip. Off to the airport and let the fun begin.

We had intended to hike the first half a day that we were here, but arrived a little later than anticipated. Spent the evening touring the town and getting hiking information. The town is beautiful and reminds me of Aspen. Set in the middle of the Rockies with a roaring river that goes through the middle of it. Lots of commerce and MANY tourists. It reminds you of every tourist town you have ever been to.

Up early this AM for a logger's breakfast knowing lots of fuel would be burned today with our first hike. Immediately climbed in the car for a 45 minute drive to our first trail head. The hike was to the Sentinel Pass and was quite a challenge. We ended up over 8500 ft above sea level. For girls that live at about 100 ft above sea level this was a stretch. The first part of the hike takes you through the forest that is on the lower levels of the mountain. They did have bear warnings and you must stay in tight groups of 4 or more. It didn't take long for the switchbacks to begin in the trail. Take the Lincoln Parish Park switchback and multiply it by the highest number you can think of and that describes the terrain. We did cross many bubbling brooks and stopped to rest often to acclimate ourselves to the height and catch our breath and slow our hearts back down. We went through a beautiful meadow with a bubbling stream and the continued up to a lake perched below the final climb which looked straight up. You did have switchbacks,but also went through a snowfield which was VERY slippery.

We finally made the pass and sat down to enjoy our Peanut Butter sandwiches. After lunch and a brief rest, we started back down. This may seem easy, but going down was tough also. We had completely worn out our brakes before we got back. Was very glad to see the trail head and the wade in a cold lake afterward help to recoup.

We then drove over to Lake Louise to see the BEAUTIFUL lake. Home for supper, hot tub, shower and hopefully an earlier night.

It is truly beautiful and pictures do not do it justice. Our God is a MASTER PLANNER and ARCHITECH! We are all having a wonderful time and enjoying being together.

Group at lake at trailhead.

Group in stream in meadow. Beautiful wildflowers!
At the summit!

A Treking We Wil Go!

D Day

All systems are go and all bags are packed. After a final short (1 hour) hike at the park yesterday we are set for lift off at 2 today. I have a duffel bag and back pack full of gear, but not many clothes. It could get to be a smelly week before it is over!

On our hike yesterday we ran into MR SNAKE! It seems it was the deadly Southern Hog Nose Snake aka Spreading Adder or as my snake fearing buddies say A COBRA! We had a biker go by us on the trail and she yelled snake. Well as you can imagine it was like a stack of dominoes when the leader comes to a full stop. It took some time to convince a couple of our good buddies to go around, but we finally made it. Babs was not very happy with me when I took a stick and poked him to see if he would move. He seemed rather disturbed by this gesture and immediately coiled and puffed up. Unfortunately Sheila did not have her flute or straw basket-so we went on by and finished the hike. I was really pretty amazed that he was out on a hot July afternoon to begin with. MAYBE HE WAS A RABID HOG NOSED COBRA!

We update daily with few pics and description of the day during our stay in Oh, Canada!

Long Run Day

After another amazing day off, Friday, it was back to work today. We ran 8 1/2 and part of the group ran 9. We have decided to sign up for the Houston Marathon & Half Marathon in January. I was pretty much convinced that I would run the 1/2, until my sweet Camille called. To make a longer story short, she has decided to sign up for the marathon. Now I am thinking maybe I need to run the whole, since we can compare training notes, etc. My encouraging spouse told me that I had plenty of time and it shouldn't be a problem. This from the man who does not run. IT IS CONSIDERABLY EASIER, to say you are going to run a marathon than actually doing it. THE TRAINING-UGH! Once you have crossed that threshold and actually run the entire 26.2 miles-Well you have too much information! As my favorite Southern belle would say, "I'll think about that tomorrow."

Today was an exceptionally fine day since our entertainment committee, Mona, was with us. Since she has transferred to Bienville Parish and is not running with us during the week, we MISS that stream of consciousness that is constantly flowing from her mouth. As for me-I am breathing through my mouth(and every other available orifice), thus I prefer to be entertained and just listen. All of this lovely rain causes considerable humidity these early AM's. That makes for heavy air and difficulty getting enough oxygen. We had two of the local good looking gazelles float by us this morning wearing skorts to run in. Now on those two lovely and young bodies, they were so cute, but I can't quite make myself go there. Instead of a gazelle I have a vision of a cow running to the barn. Have you ever seen the rear end of a cow when she runs?

My friend Mona has more local sayings than Carter has liver pills. The "Monaism" for today-

"She was nuttier than a squirrel's turd." (Think about that a minute)

BLACK TOES1!

Oh the pain we bear to be called a runner. I went to get a long overdue pedicure today, in hopes to not embarrass my hiking buddies when walking around in flip flops after a long day of hiking. I made the discovery, after removing what was left of last month's polish, that my big toe was quite black and pretty ugly. One of the problems with walking or running at the park is that I tend to loose toenails at an alarming rate. The only thing I can determine is that when going down steep hills, I rub my toenails on the top of my shoe. This in turn causes a blister under my toenail. After a couple of days of pain, the swelling goes down and in about a month, off comes the toenail. I haven't had this problem in sometime, since I have successfully avoided the steep hills at the park, but training for the hiking resulted in revisiting these same hills. My short term solution is to paint the toenail very dark red and when it comes off, I will paint the skin so that you think there is a nail there. Not a pretty sight and Mr. C does not like to discuss it or look at it. We all like to display our war wounds and brag about the pain we endure, but I have no audience on Wire Road.

This is an example of my toe-except in the middle is a white blister and it is surrounded by bruising. LOVELY!

We went to the park this AM and hiked around 5. HOT HOT HOT. When I looked at the weather in Banff and the humidity was 30%, I jumped for joy. Who cares about black toes, we will be in runner and hiker paradise!

LOST A DAY

I completely lost yesterday. That would be one of the remaining days of my life-that for the most part-I LOST! It seems the night before someone decided to spray for mosquitoes. Now I am thrilled that the higher ups or neighbors or whomever are concerned about West Nile Virus-I certainly don't want that malady, but I NEED SOME WARNING. I don't think my reaction would have been so severe if I had taken an antihistamine in advance. By the time I figured out what was going on- TOO LATE! BC told me before 10 when he went outside for some reason that he smelled poison, but it wasn't until after I had gone to bed and my eye began itching that I suspected something was up. After the eye began to swell and droop ( LOVELY SIGHT!), I became congested, and then my palms and soles of my feet were itching like I had been in a bed of ants. First I tossed and turned, and then took a 24 hour anti-histamine, and finally about 4 hours later took another dose of benadryl. About 3:30 I went into the benadryl coma. The next AM I somehow stumbled out of my bed and went to the park to hike with Sonja & Sandra. DON'T HAVE A CLUE HOW I MADE THAT SIX MILES! Came home and made it until lunch-still congested. Took another dose of benadryl which precepitated the fog that I stayed in until 5 this AM. I think I talked with BC after he got home late, but don't remember much of what we said. I woke up on the couch at midnight and transferred to the bed. WHAT A WASTE! PLEASE PLEASE WARN ME NEXT TIME!

I did make it to run with the group this AM, but all I can say for today is that I finished. The lack of fluids yesterday and the drying effects of the anit-histamine took its toll.

Came home and began mowing the yard to discover that MR. DEER had been visiting last night. I was not a happy camper to discover that the neighborhood wildlife had been by and snacked in my flower beds. They are very picky-only ate the inpatience. I guess they are saving all of the other for another party. BC wished he had seen them eating it-this from the man that did not plant one flower on his hands & knees.

Inpatience Example That WERE In Bed

Bed Following Midnight Deer Raid-NO INPATIENCE

My laugh for the day came from Sheila. Here is the picture that she emailed me:

Do you think this qualifies for DUI law or Open Container law? YOU HAVE GOTTA LOVE IT! ONLY IN RUSTON!

BLOGGING LESSON # 1

BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY ON YOUR BLOG!!!!

We ran into Sandra, aka Iron Woman, this AM, while she was power walking her 5 miles after her 5 1/2 mile run. (Hence Larry's name, "Iron Woman") The rest of us don't even TRY to keep up with her. It seems I was in BIG TROUBLE after she read my blog for a comment about not taking running shoes to Canada. After a brief tongue lashing, and a very direct comment about missing the JOY of running in 40 degree temperature, I think I was temporarily let off the hook. I was so chastised that I did relent and declare that I would see if I had the room in my duffel.

We have made a pact to pack light-but the necessities seem to keep growing. I think we have all agreed to keep clothing to a minimum-but we all need OUR STUFF! You MUST have all the prerequiste equipment for all of our outdoor adventures. Hiking shoes, Wicking Wool Socks, Coats, Day Packs, Snacks, Sunscreen, Mosquito Repellent, Hats, Visors, & OF COURSE ANY AND ALL POSSIBLE DRUGS for aches, pains, stomach ailments, sleeplessness, and bear anxiety. Binoculars, sunglasses, gloves, bandaids, water bottles, etc, etc. This is the list of hiking. Now if you are going to swim laps-well another list, and if you might bike, another list, and if we might canoe-you get my drift?

We will have to limit the clothing since all of the STUFF will take up most of the room in the small duffel we have agreed to take. Most plan to wash out our hiking clothes, since dri-fit dries so fast. Personally, I plan to just rewear my things a couple of times. I may get boycotted and left for bearfood if the odor becomes too fishy-SO I will try to monitor it and trust my friends to be brutally honest with me.

Today is Friend, Sonja's birthday. She continues to look better and has the figure most 20 year olds would love to have. A few of us ate lunch together to celebrate-here is the picture-but we are missing Sheila, aka MotoMomma, who after an hour of waiting HAD to return to the World of Government

Missed having lots of our buds, but hastily put together after Sonja's return from BR and grands.

This AM we ran 6 and walked another 2 since we were out of action all weekend. It was like running in a movie. Foggy and sultry with no sound but the pound of feet upon alsphalt and concrete and the gasping for air. Would make a great soundtrack for any horror flick. Missed Miss Mona and the traveling dialogue which is very entertaining and most distracting. For some reason I always have a hard time on Mondays. As the oldie, but goodie says, "Rainy Days & Mondays Always Get Me Down."

RAINY & LAZY WEEKEND

You know what they say about "Good Intentions". Had the weekend all planned out- long run Saturday at 6 and long hike Sunday afternoon and THEN and THEN

I'm not complaining. I am successfully avoiding dragging the waterhose around trying to keep everything living, but I am having to mow twice a week.

Plans for a little longer run tomorrow AM since this weekend was a waste atheletically.

I also missed the HUGE sports event in Lincoln Parish this weekend-

The LAWN MOWER RACES! Now for all of you urban uppity types this might seem a bit of a stretch, but in LA-THIS IS OUR ANSWER TO NASCAR! I had good intentions to go, but a hamburger cookout with The Boersma Clan was a priority. Dr. Dale & Mrs. Helen will be honored to know that they take precedence over this exciting sporting event. I am not sure of the necessity of helmets, since you obviously must have some kind of brain damage to participate in this event. HOPEFULLY they did remove all blades before commencing off the starting line. It appears to me in the picture above that the guy on the left on the BABY BLUE mower is at a distinct disadvantage since his mower has much more of a load to carry around. The theory should be just like running-loose a few pounds and run faster. That theory doesn't seem to work with me-but that could have something to do with staying in my comfort zone ALL OF THE TIME.

One more week and off to Canada. I am not sure if Canada is ready-but ready or not-we Ruston girls are on our way.

TGIF!!!!!

I LOVE FRIDAYS. That is my day off and I LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM!

My Idea Of a Workout on My Day Off!

Tomorrow is long run day, but in the words of a famous American,

"I'll Think About That Tomorrow"

My Motto for the day is

Carpe Diem!

CONSPIRACY THEORY-Take 2

I've been thinking (no smart comments)! Mr. Bicycle told BC yesterday that he would need to get clips for pedals and a pair of clip shoes. They should ONLY run about $400. THAT IS HALF OF WHAT THE ENTIRE BICYCLE COST!!!!!!!

I've figured it all out though. The companies that sale sports stuff have given the doctor union a big bribe to say we all need to exercise everyday and that CROSS TRAINING would be best. That means buying all of the REQUIRED? equipment.

In the case of biking, you only start with the expensive bike. Next you need the gel pants since they make the darn seat so hard you will be screaming for mercy within the first 10 minutes. Oh yes, be sure and get the helmet, since we wouldn't want brain damage from a fall. (If a car hits you the least of your worries will be brain damage) THE GLOVES-wouldn't want to get calluses! The pump since for some strange reason your bike tires loose air on a regular basis. Now I have NEVER had to air up my car tires and they are made of the same stuff, so what goes with that? And OH YES, in case you thought you could go to Wal Marks and buy a $20 pump, think again. Turns out the road bikes have some special kind of valve on them and they need more pressure-so a more expensive pump. It didn't take bc long to decide he needed a mirror-I could understand that, but when Randy proceeds to tell him he needs new tires, because the standard ones that come on the bike will just not do-WELL!

The clothing we need for any sport has become another thing. We all need dri-fit fabric since we all sweat up a storm. The shirts for biking run about $75-NOW YOU ARE PAYING THAT TO SWEAT IN IT. I don't think anyone, but another biker really cares what you have on-most of the car drivers are cussing you anyway for being in the PUBLIC road.

Being a runner, I thought I had escaped all of this high priced carrying on, until I began to think about it. My shoes, which run about $100 per pair, have to be replaced about every 3 months. They still look great, but the cushioning becomes compressed and thus more injuries and painful runs. Now they could just put a little more cushion in them to begin with, BUT OH NO, that would make them last longer. All of my running clothes are dri-fit-for good reason-but why don't they just sale all of our clothes in the South made from dri-fit. It's not like you can walk outside and not break into a sweat. THIS WOULD MAKE TOO MUCH SENSE.

The socks-well they are like the shoes-you need a different type depending upon what you are doing. They come in all different lengths and are sport specific. A SOCK-for crying out loud. I wear blister proof socks, but had to have smart wool for hiking. NOW WHY NOT MAKE ALL SOCKS BLISTER-PROOF?

Let me reflect, when growing up, I had one bike that I rode hundreds of miles. It had 3 (THREE) gears and was a Schwinn. It must have weighed around 50 lbs. and I never wore a helmet nor any special shoes. In fact, I only had one pair of shoes each school year and wore them to school, for sports, bike riding, running, etc. etc. I believe when I was in high school, I did have a pair of Keds tennis shoes-now that was some high tech shoe!

Do you get my drift??? It is definitely a conspiracy!

We ran our 5 miles and went back to an oldie but goodie route starting at Railroad Park. This route enables you to run up EVERY hill in town. WHAT FUN!

In case you are interested, these are pictures of where the sun was when we finished and what the temperature was on my way home:

CONSPIRACY THEORY

How Fast Can You Peddle??????

Today began as a wonderful day- NO GETTING UP BEFORE DAWN!

I began the day with a little yardwork. Three hours later, after enduring a sweatfest, I gave it up and retreated to the AC. Did I mention how humid it was today? Now the yard looks so much better. When Mr. C came home, he notices that I mowed, but immediately asked,

"Did you edge?". Makes me want to scream! The front beds had become a literal jungle and I had spent most of the AM pruning and hauling off the debri. I filled the back of my yard truck completely up. BUT DID HE NOTICE THAT? OH NO-just you didn't weed eat.

Was going to take it easy today, but decided after lunch to lift a few weights at the Lambright Center at Tech. The great thing about going to the LC during the summer is that most of the coeds are gone home. Now there is nothing wrong with the coeds, except for the fact that they all have young firm, tight, and toned bodies. Another reminder of my age. There was a time that after a couple of weeks in the weight room I would have been right there with them. Mother Nature loves to play this horrible trick on us as we age of dropping everything a little south every year. NOT NICE MOTHER NATURE

Mr. Bicycle (Randy Braddock) came over after 5 to give BC and me a lesson on pumping up our bike tires. It turns out I have been riding around with half the pressure I should have had in my tires. What's the big deal????Well it is twice as hard to pedal with less pressure.

On top of this Mr. C is riding a fine "road bike"

But I am still on my "granny special"

Did you notice the difference? To say the least his goes much faster than mine and weighs approximately 1/4 of what mine does. I was having to work to keep up since he was leading us on all flat surfaces. When we ride on the hills, I can out endure him and get ahead, but the OLD BOY knows that and loves to see me in his rearview mirror. I am not totally dissing my bike. I do have a "BELL" and he doesn't. I AM SO COOL!

About 20 minutes into our ride, we look east and

Needless to say, after a very fast return to the car-we ended today's workout. That is probably a good thing since tomorrow brings another early day and FUN RUN!

What Was I Thinking?????

Motorcycle Momma is on right and the cute guy in the middle is Bubba.

Now this was a day, a day to remind me of just how old I really am.

When you roll over and punch that alarm at 5:10 and realize you are still tired-IT IS NOT A GOOD SIGN! I rolled out anyway, since I was meeting one of my MAIN running buddies who was MIA yesterday. OK-I should have known better-I never run 2 days in a row. Three times a week has become my mantra with some walking in between. For some unknown reason, I decided that I would run my usual Monday and then run again on Tuesday so I could run with Miss Mona. NOT A GOOD IDEA!!!

When I walked outside and the sauna hit me, I knew I was in trouble! The first half of the run was not too bad-but then I went downhill. Lots of walking-especially if the ground was tilted up. Saw lots of other runners toward the end and used that excuse to stop and chat.

I PRAYED ALL AFTERNOON for rain, so I could rest my weary legs-but that didn't happen. So out the door I go again at 6:15 to the park for a walk. You haven't truly been in a sauna until you walk in the park in 90 degree heat with 90 percent humidity. The trees are lovely and provide wonderful shade-BUT-they also hold in the heat and humidity. It swiftly became a sweatfest. The good thing was having 4 buddies along to laugh and talk with. We made about 4 miles. MY LEGS WERE SCREAMING, "HEY STUPID, we've already done our thing today. ARE YOU CRAZY!"

ONE THING IS FOR SURE-NO RUNNING TOMORROW!

We did talk about our Canada trip some. We discussed bathrooms on our hikes. It turns out that the bathroom will be the nearest bush that you can squat behind. NOW THIS IS NOT AN ATTRACTIVE THOUGHT! I will be limiting the amount of water I drink and for sure the amount of fiber and roughage I consume. Sonja also told us that we carry the TP with us and must haul it out. OK-I'm not EVEN going to think about that one! We have all made a pact to not even carry our running shoes with us, for fear that Sandra will talk us into not only hiking all day, but also getting up and running beforehand.

I did wear my new hiking shoes and try them out. After YEARS of wearing the lightest running shoes I could find, can I tell you how heavy those suckers feel? Good support and lots of cushioning though and no blisters after 4 miles. THIS IS A VERY GOOD THING!

Blogging 101

You can't teach an old dog new tricks-OR CAN YOU? Since my daughter is such a terrific blogger and I enjoy reading her blog so much-why not try it?????

This blog will capture the fun and adventures of trying to stay in reasonably good shape while swiftly approaching another decade milestone. Don't count me gone yet---but at 58 1/2 (as my sweet spouse reminds me for insurance purposes 59) this old body is not as easy to whip into shape as it once was.

Our running group is currently getting ready for a hiking trip to the Canadian Rockies in two weeks. I wouldn't want to get too panicky-afterall I do have 2 whole weeks to finish getting this sorry bag of bones ready for 6 separate hikes in upper altitudes . No need to panick!

We do have the highest point in Louisiana easily within our driving reach to train on, if we so choose. Somehow the entire 200 ft elevation above sea level, just doesn't seem to be the challenge we might need.

We ran this AM in the mist with temps in the upper 70's at 5:30 for a 5 mile loop. The loop into town was almost all hills, but then we came back on flatter terrain. Can I tell you how much fun it is to run in the outdoors that feel like an all encompassing suana? The air is so heavy that you cannot suck enough into your lungs. The true rain didn't come to the last half a mile, but it was a welcome relief. The only good thing about this morning is that I didn't have to get up until 5:10. I HATE for that clock to have a 4 in the front on those earlier mornings.

Our token male, Larry, had trouble getting in enough air with his asthma and heart problems. He just will not listen to his elder and start out slower. By the time that we got to the three mile mark, he was pretty much shot.

My main running buddies were MIA today, so I am running at the back of the pack-BY MYSELF-thinking why am I doing this??????? THE BEST THING I CAN SAY ABOUT TODAY'S RUN IS THAT IT IS OVER!