Days off, having fun and making friends

Snow on the cars after the first wave of the storm.

It's been a wonderfully fast 6 days off here in Flagstaff. While time seemed to move in slow motion at times as the sky dumped down 2 feet of white bliss, I was constantly on the move, slipping and sliding from place to place.

No BBQ in our backyard this week

Wether it was sitting in the Wine Loft and drinking bottles of wine whilst playing board games with old friends, or skiing some fresh snow on Mt. Humphrey's solo, or playing pool for free with a bunch of new acquaintances, I was in a constant search of the fun that most people were ignoring because of the snow.

Sun setting on great afternoon of skiing. Grand Canyon is off in the distance on right side of picture.

Downtown Flagstaff seemed like a ghost town for about 4 days straight. Even though Flagstaff averages over 100 inches of snow per year it seems like as soon as the white stuff starts to fall people give up on life and stay home. However, I have found that most downtown businesses realize this and thus offer anything and everything to get you to go to their place. Whether this is free pool, cheap food, or almost free drinks, there are plenty of deals to take advantage of on a snow day.
The highlight of the week off was the 2 day NAU Slowfood Movie Festival which highlighted the environmental and social problems created by our current food system. There were some great movies and speakers as well as tons of great likeminded people who did not let the storm keep them from venturing out and supporting a great cause. A not so bad bi-produt of attending the festival was free gift certificates to a number of local restaurants.

Taking up a lot of my time this week has been applying for the Tahoe job I am hoping to get. The application process while not altogether difficult, is just tedious as I don't want to make a small computer mistake which screws everything up. However I feel I have done everything to the best of my ability and hope that by the end of March I will know I am going to be heading up to Tahoe for another awesome summer.

People braving the weather in downtown Flag while I fill out job applications


I head out tomorrow morning at 6 to drive to the canyon for 8 days of awesomeness. After I return I may be going straight to San Diego for 4-5 days to help with the big rock project going on down there. If not that, perhaps a trip to the North Rim of the canyon for a ski trip. Either way should be fun!

Truck and house after shoveling snow
That's all for now!

Feels Like Home

Our home for the 8 days we were in the canyon.

On Wednesday February 9th, after picking up my 11 volunteers from around the world, I drove off in the dark towards the Grand Canyon. It was like driving home after a long time in unfamiliar places. It is difficult to describe the feeling that the Canyon evokes in you when you spend so much time there. When you are 3500ft below the rim with no worries from the outside world it is a place of extreme tranquility and unrelenting beauty. This of course is tempered by the fact the weather can and does change in a moments notice and one can never ignore the power of the forces that created such a place.

We arrived at the trailhead at 8:30. Right on time to meet the mule packers. One of whom was one of my supervisors from the previous February. It was good to see her there and doing well. After loading the mules with our food for the next 8 days we headed down over the rim. It was a stark difference from last February when the trail had over a foot of snow on it. This time there was no snow whatsoever after a very dry January.
It was enjoyable watching the volunteers who had never been here experience the Canyon for the first time. They had endless smiles and would stop to take pictures at every turn.

I have ever been down in the canyon with such perfect weather for 8 days in a row. It was 50-60 degrees every day and we didn't see a cloud in the sky until the last two days. Most surprising of all was the lack of wind. It is normally very windy where we were camped, but we saw none of it.
I had a very diverse crew with 10 countries represented within our crew of 12: America(1 native american), England, Japan, Sweden, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Austria, Italy, and France. Overall it was quite the cultural experience and I a blast learning from all of them. They were all very hard workers and a pleasure to have on my crew.

Of course the canyon was not without its wildlife encounters as well as amazing sunsets.

Scorpion we found at the worksite

It's somewhat camouflaged but there is a big buck near the foreground in this picture

A red fox roaming around down by the Colorado River

Sunset on Monday night.

Ledge from which I enjoyed the sunset


Work itself was pretty straight forward as we mainly did general trail maintenance work with some people doing rock work to armor one of the steep sections of trail as well as put liner rocks on the side of the trail.

My crew hard at work

Putting in some liner rocks

Armoring the trail with riprap.

All smiles after finishing their liner rocks


We finished work early and on the second to last day we went hiking down to the river. I had heard of a big horn sheep trail that miners used in the old days to get down to the river. So I took the brave people, who for some reason trusted me to get them to the river, on quite the adventure. We almost gave up right away because we could not find the cairn marking the entrance to the particular canyon we were trying to get down. Luckily our patience paid off and we found our way in. Now we just had to find the rest of the way.

Happy we found our way into the canyon

The going got quite steep

From there we somehow made a number of very good decisions at possible junctions and made it safely to the river, except for the Austrian girl Nora who was hit by a falling rock. Luckily it was just a flesh wound and we patched it up and continued on.

Nora just before being struck by a falling rock

Yoann picking his way down the ridge.

This is a picture looking towards the route we went down to the river.


After hiking out I took my crew to a secret location that was shown to me last year where there is a very cool sinkhole on the canyon rim that you can climb down and it pops you out on a ledge on the side of the rim no more than 1 foot wide.

The Italian Samuele climbing down into the sinkhole

Samuele and Andrew on the edge of the canyon after climbing down the sinkhole.

Also nearby the sinkhole is an overhang on the rim with indian drawings on it.


Following this I took them to see the Grand Canyon IMAX which capped off an amazing 8 days.

I am now back in Flagstaff for 6 days off. I am currently getting over a calf injury I sustained on my birthday, but I hope to be able to start running again tomorrow. A storm is rolling into town and should dump a good amount of snow so I hope to hit the slopes as well.

That's all for now.

Back in Flagstaff

BREAKING NEWS: Congratulations to Kimmy for getting 8th at the US Cross Country Championships in San Diego! She may be heading to the world championships! It's great to see Mexico paying off. After seeing her and Addie run so well I can't wait to see how Brie does.

now for our scheduled program:
So I am now back in cold, beautiful Flagstaff. Although not before spending some quality time with family and friends. Last weekend I had the great fortune of being able to spend a night in Davis with some old friends. I also was able to spend a night at home and eat some delicious birthday cake my mom made for me.
I then made the 12+ hour drive back to Flagstaff over the course of the next two days. I slept in my truck in Needles, CA before making it back to Flag.
I was scheduled to lead a chainsaw crew out at Wupatki National Monument cutting down invasive tamarisks. However, that never happened. First I had to run down to Phoenix on the first day of the project to get 2 new chainsaws and the next 3 days of the project were canceled due to cold temperatures. We needed to spray the Tamarisks stumps with a pesticide after sawing them, but the cold temps froze the pesticide making it unusable. How cold was it you may ask?
The HIGH on one of the days was -8 degrees fahrenheit with the windchill. At night it was down near -30. The other two days did however get above 0 degrees which was nice. We ended up just working in Flagstaff at the office and apartments doing repairs and painting. This was a welcome treat for me as it meant I was able to spend my birthday here in town rather than out in a tent in below zero temps.
My birthday was a blast and has rolled over to the past two nights as coworkers have gotten back to town.
Last night in particular was incredible. I had no intention of even going out but it was the Friday art walk and there was free beer at the local bead store. So we went there and then over to the Lumberyard where they had $5.95 32oz mason jars of white russians. After 64oz we abandoned the terrible country music and went to Flagstaff Brewing Co. where there was an impromptu concert by two musicians playing a harmonica and resonator guitar. We danced there until 2am. It was awesome.
I am now biding my time in Flagstaff until I head out to the Grand Canyon on Wednesday for 8 days of work. I am so stoked to be going back down in the Canyon. We will be camping down on the Tonto Plateau about 5 miles down into the canyon on the S. Kaibab Trail.

My second home for the next few months.

I am hoping to do some skiing between now and then and perhaps some rock climbing and just enjoy life. That's all for now.

Back to the States

Well the last 10 days have flown by. I can't believe I am back in the bay area now and will be back to work next Monday in Flagstaff.

Since my last post a lot has happened and most importantly all three ladies made it back to the states alive and not injured. Mission Accomplished.
I am stoked to see how they do in their upcoming races. First up will be Addie this Saturday at the US Half Marathon Champs in Houston, and then Kimmy at US Cross Country Champs in San Diego and the Brie will be racing indoors come the middle of February.

But I digress. Back to the previous 10 days. Let me think. On Tuesday the 18th Kimmy and I headed up to the Golf Course at 7am so she could get some work done on the grass. However it was not without it's complications. First she did not wake up from her alarm due to the new and improved ear plugs she had acquired, and secondly I lost the keys and spent 15 minutes frantically searching for them. Just when I thought I had ended her chance of working out that morning I found them at the bottom of my bag. Golfers would be on the course starting at 8:30 so we had to get the workout done before then.
We surprisingly made it through the security gate at the club without trouble and Kimmy got underway. Her 10x500m went very well and I was bummed that my injury would not let me partake.

Kimmy starting the workout just as the sun comes up over the horizon

Finishing up her workout

After her workout we headed back just in time for breakfast to meet up with Addie and Brie who had just awoke. They then hit the track and trail for their workouts. I timed Brie on her 12x300m while Kimmy took pictures of her and Addie working out.


Addie definitely set the record for most times around the mile dirt loop at the training center.

The following day all three ladies only had one run to do so we headed out to explore the town that afternoon. Our first stop took us to a frozen yogurt place which we would then proceed to frequent often during the rest of our trip.


Next door we found there was an italian restaurant. We went there to eat dinner on Friday. It was delicious.

Following frozen yogurt we drove to the Central Historical District. We were fortunate to find a very good parking spot and a nice gentleman who spoke some english helped us pay the parking fee and washed our car.
We walked around for about an hour checking out the old buildings and ducking into a few shops and taking pictures.

Main square

Building which is on their license plate. Must be important.

Big church. One of many many churches

A local chilling with her friends

About to turn down a street on which every shop on both sides of the street for 4 blocks was an eyeglasses store

On our last Friday the ladies all had a 3 mile tempo as part of their workout so they did it together.



On the last Sunday long run we went to Tangamanga and its a good thing we did as it was super windy. If we had gone to the same place as last Sunday it would have been miserable. As it was, Tangamanga was a big dustbowl.
Here is a baseball game which became invisible from time to time


Finally on Tuesday the time came to leave San Luis Potosi and venture back down to Mexico City. This was a day that I was not looking forward to. Although it was the reason I was here in the first place so I was at the same time excited for whatever adventure may come. It didn't set our nerves at ease when we were told that morning at breakfast that we were crazy/braze for attempting the drive to and more specifically through Mexico City.
The ladies did their final workouts at altitude that morning. Brie and Addie ran at the training center and Kimmy went to the park. The field where she was to do her workout was being watered at the time by some huge sprinklers which she had to run through. She nailed the workout and its safe to say if it should rain at San Diego she will be ready.

Somehow she timed it so that she was sprayed at every possible time by the sprinklers.

After the workout we ate lunch and loaded up the car. We were packed to the brim as the ladies decided to each bring their whole closet with them.
We took off at 1:30. We made great time and had no trouble getting to Mexico City in just under 4 hours. However as we arrived around 5:30 on a Tuesday we would be stuck in quite a bit of traffic. Luckily the traffic is so slow that chance of serious injury is low and if you are hungry you can purchase food from any of the hundred of individuals who stand in the middle of the highway selling such items.

It took over an hour to get through the city to our hotel. I read before coming down that driving here was insanity, but I thought they were over exaggerating. They weren't.
It's difficult if not impossible to explain the craziness of driving in this city, but I will try and give you some tips in case you ever find yourself behind the wheel down there.

1. Every rule you learn in the states about driving a vehicle needs to be thrown out the window in order to survive let alone get from point A to point B. The shear number of cars on the road and lack of space for said cars forces everyone, including you, to be a jerk.
2. To drive here you have to be simultaneously aggressive(there is no bad reason to cut someone off or to honk) and patient(it's not worth getting upset at being cutoff or being honked at).
3. Traffic signs and lights are blatantly ignored by all.
4. Don't drive in the left lane. You will inevitably get stuck behind people trying to make a u-turn.
5. Don't drive in the right lane. You will inevitably get stuck behind buses picking up people, double parked cars or tents.
6. Don't drive in the center lane. All the locals follow rules 5 and 6 which makes the center lane a parking lot and cars and busses that are double parked will suddenly lurch in to the center lane from the right lane.
7. Expect the unexpected at intersections. People will blow through red lights. People will turn left from the right lane and right from the left lane and people in the center lane are rarely going to go straight.
8. If a police car is behind you with its lights on, ignore it. They all have their lights on and at most he is trying to intimidate you to get you to make you change lanes.
9. Never stop at a stop sign unless you want to hear a roar of horns behind you.
10. Lanes marked on the road(if they even are) are never used. A 3 lane road often has 4 or 5 cars abreast.
11. Don't even think of using your turn signals for turning. They are only used to signal the person in front of you that they are going too slow and they should get the f*&% out of your lane.
12. Your horn is your best friend.
13. If you let someone in your lane or put on the brakes you can bet the person behind you will let you know how pissed they are about it.
14. Beware of the over 6000 speed bumps in the city, most of which are illegally placed and will severely damage your car if you hit them too fast. But hit them too slow and you will be honked at to no end.
15. And finally whoever has the shittiest car or cares the least about getting a dent has the right of way. If you want to change lanes then check and see if the car you want to get in front of is more or less expensive than yours. If it's more expensive lurch the front of your car into that lane and they will slow down. If it's less expensive wait for another car that is worth more than yours.

So, we make it back to the rental car place and turn in the car. The relief of being done with driving in that city is indescribable. I am just thankful we got there in one piece and did not damage the car.
We head in the shuttle over to the Camino Real. Brie and Addie do their double and Kimmy and I explore around finding a place to eat dinner and how to get across the skywalk to the airport. We succeed and meet up with the ladies for dinner around 7:45. After an enjoyable meal we get some internet and then say goodbye to Brie who is leaving on a 7am flight and head to bed.
Addie and Kimmy run the following morning. We get breakfast, pack up and head over to the airport around 10:30. My scheduled flight isn't until 3:45 putting me in San Francisco at 11:45pm. This doesn't sound like fun to me so I attempt to get an earlier flight. I am successful in doing so and my new flight will deliver me to SFO at 7:30pm. Much better.
Addie and I are on the same flight to Dallas while Kimmy is flying delta so we part ways at check in. It isn't until Addie and I get through security that we realize Kimmy was in the wrong terminal. I am not sure what was involved in her getting to the other terminal, which is not at all close to where we were, but she was successful in getting there.
I exchange my leftover pesos for American Dollars and board the plane to head back home.
Upon take off I am able to look down upon the cluster that is beautiful Mexico City.


I arrive at SFO on time and catch BART to the Montgomery St station where I meet up with Ben who had just finished up work for the day. How, with no qualifications or experience, he became the cross country and distance coach of soon to be Division 2 San Francisco Academy of Art will forever be a mystery to me. But I think jumping head first into new experiences is the best way to learn and I think he will do an excellent job.
We head back to his and Tyler's place and catch up on anything and everything.
Those two gentlemen headed to work early today while I slept in.
I walked from their place to downtown to deliver Ben's forgotten checkbook and explore the downtown area for a while before heading over to Rockridge to get some food and internet.
And now here I am finishing up my blog in Rockridge and about to catch BART up to Martinez at which point I will meet up with Bri and head to Davis for the night to visit old friends and have a grand old time.
That is more than a long enough blog and so I will spare you more blabbering and conclude by saying that the past month was an awesome change of pace and experience. I hope that I can continue running once my injuries heal up and I wish the 3 ladies that I was lucky enough to spend January with all the best in their running adventures.

Back in the states. San Francisco seems mellow and free of traffic in comparison to Mexico City

More of the same

Wake up, eat, run, shower, sleep, watch tv, find internet, run, eat, watch tv, sleep. Wal-Mart if we are feeling adventurous.
Such is the life at La Loma.
But the life of monotony will not be without its rewards.
For me, I will be rejuvenated and ready to head back out in the wilderness for another awesome season in the Grand Canyon.
For the ladies, they will certainly be reaping the rewards when they head back down to sea level and it comes time for them to race. It has been another great week of workouts and they are adapting very well to the altitude. I am stoked to see how they do in their upcoming races and I know they must be getting anxious to race as well.
While I had to tone back my running this week because of a number of different aches and pains I was able to hit the main days with the ladies. Friday I jumped in the middle of Kimmy's workout and did 3xmile and then finished off with Brie at the end of her tempo.

Kimmy at the start of her workout

Brie enjoying her tempo run through the park

Saturday I attempted to meet up with the local running group to go out and scout a new possible place to do a long run. I failed. I met up with them and tried to understand their directions to where we would run at which point I realized I would need the car since there was not enough room. I got the car and made it back in time to follow them at which point I realized I would need gas. I got gas but then drove around for an hour in the countryside unable to find them. Oh well. The social highlight of the week was today though as we ventured off to Wal-Mart to buy some food type things. It was an enjoyable trip.

Sunday we headed up to the same place as last week to do our long run since I failed to find a different place. We were praying for better conditions than last time. We made it up there a bit earlier in the day and it was slightly cooler and best of all there was just a slight breeze(although it felt a bit stronger by the end of the run). We pulled up to a large crowd of locals waiting for the bus and I'm sure we seemed a bit out of place. We took off down the road around 10:15am.
The same barking cocker spaniel was there to great us 3 minutes into the run, but besides that all went very smoothly. Kimmy is stoked on her new long run drink concoction of coffee, perpetuem and water I believe. She claimed it was way better than last week's orange juice/perpetuem combo, but I still think it tasted nasty. Either way she felt great and claims it was all thanks to the drink. I think taking the previous day off might have also had something to do with it.
I made sure to take my camera out on the run with us to get some shots of them running. I think it is a beautiful, although barren area. Rather than write anymore I will just show some pictures and you can decide for yourself.

About a mile into the run and enjoying the sun

About 3 miles into the run. Almost to the top of a long gradual uphill

Addie and Brie nearing the highest point of the run about 5.5 miles in

Kimmy and Addie can be seen way down the road shortly after turning around at the 6 mile point. You turn around and head straight uphill into a head wind. It's fun

Still uphill into a headwind at 7800ft. Mile 103 for the week for Addie, must feel good.

Kimmy and Addie nearing the top of the hill

Flat ground for a little bit

Running back through a small farming community

A couple horses grazing in the ruins of an old building.

Brie is but a small white dot off in the distance and the other two ladies enjoy a long gradual downhill about 10 miles into the run
We finished the long run and made it back in time for lunch and then relaxed the rest of the day.

We had a lovely run at the park this morning. It is certainly warming up though. It had been lovely for much of last week as it was cloudy and in the lower 60's, but it will be in the high 70's to low 80's for the next few days. Ouch

Tomorrow Kimmy and I will be headed up to the golf course at 7am to get a workout in on the grass. That should be enjoyable. I will then be timing Brie's workout and perhaps jump in on part of Addie's 7 mile cutdown workout. Who knows. That's all for now though.