Monthly Archives: June 2018

Prius Hybrid, Vacation

MUSINGS FOR MONDAY 25TH, JUNE 2018

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“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.  So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

“Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.” – Asian Proverb

Whistler, British Columbia – Fitzsimmons Creek

Well just got back from vacation.  Great road trip but it feels good to be home.  Decided to go to the Pacific North West.  Made it all the way North to Whistler the Ski Area in British Columbia.  Went through Glenwood Springs – Colorado, Ogden – Utah, Prosser – Washington, Monroe – Washington, Bellingham – Washington (our longest stay), up to Whistler for a day and then retraced most of the route back home.

Glenwood Springs, Colorado – Hot Springs

Ogden, Utah – Catholic Church

The longest stay was Bellingham, Washington – this was about 5 days.  It reminded me a lot of Fort Collins.  Brewery after brewery after brewery.  Bike trails, hiking trails, great restaurants.  And you have the ocean at your doorstep.  It was good to see new places and experience new things, meet some interesting people, and see some of the family that we had not seen in a long time.  The road trip was 14 days in length and covered about 3500 miles of driving.

Bellingham, Washington

Bellingham, Washington

We decided to take our new car, a Toyota Prius – Prime.  A gas hybrid.  And this was a kind of eye opener to what battery powered cars are capable of.  Out of driving 3500 miles our gas mileage averaged about 64.2 miles per gallon.  Which is really good but if there were more “convenient” charging stations, the miles per gallon would have been way higher.  Probably in the 100mpg range.  This was traveling between 65 to 80mph depending on the state laws, fully loaded.  Janet and I packed way too much!  LOL

The weak link in electric powered cars is the charging stations.  There are a lot out there but they are not all convenient.  Every motel, very grocery story, every park, every movie theater, every downtown parking area, every restaurant, etc.…  Needs charging stations.  Any place that you are going to park for an hour or more.  Out of a full fourteen days of driving and exploring we only ended up charging twice.  And the main reason for this was “convenience.”  We found one charger at a downtown public parking area in Bellingham Washington.  This worked out great to go out for dinner, shopping and just walking around while the car charged.  The second one was in a Grocery store / shopping center parking lot in Park City.  Again, this worked out great to load up on groceries, drink a little coffee and to do some other local exploring.  Not one motel that we stayed at had a charging station.  What a perfect place if you are traveling.  You could charge the car each night and it would be ready to go the next AM.  The Toyota got about 50 miles on the battery with in-town driving and about 20 miles on the battery with highway driving and the air conditioner on.  We did a lot of in-town exploring with the car at each stop and figured that at least 500 miles of the trip could have all been on battery power with access to more charging stations.

Views from Mount Baker Ski Area, Washington

I used the app called Plug-Share and it did a great job of helping to find charging stations, but again in a lot of situations they were not convenient.  The technology is out there to vastly reduce the use of fossil fuels.  It just needs to be put in place.  Tesla has a lot of charging stations and seems to get the idea of convenience.  A large Fred Meyer Grocery Store in Monroe, Washington had seven Tesla charge stations in the parking lot.  But unless you own a Tesla you cannot use them because of the amperage.  Tesla’s are superchargers and if we tried to use one it would “melt” our battery.

Anacortes, Washington

Again, a great trip.  Hope you enjoyed this short overview of it.  There were a lot more pictures and things to say, insights and reflections to share.  But I figured this was enough.  Hope everyone has a great week.  See you next week.  Adios amigos!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family, Vacation

MUSINGS FOR SUNDAY 17TH, JUNE 2018

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Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there.  May you have a wonderful day doing whatever it is that brings you happiness.

Just hanging out in Bellingham Washington.  Always a change from the scenery of the Rocky Mountains and Plains of Colorado.  There are days that I wonder what it would be like to live closer to the Ocean.  To have that option and luxury of owning a boat?  But then I think of the old quote “The best day of my life was when I got my boat and the second best day of my life is when I sold it!”  I own an RV already and I have also heard this quote for an RV.  So I get it.  Lol.  I think that I will just stick with the RV and let others own the boat.

Mount Baker in the background.  Still seems like a lot of snow on it!

We are on day 7 of a 14 day road trip.  I think that you need to do more than 7 days because the first week you are just getting the hang of it.  If I had the time and money I would probably even add another 7 days but that does get a little expensive.  And just getting the time off can be a problem for most of us.  But if you have the opertunity I highly recommend it.  Get out of your  routine, stop at the small places along the road, walk the city, the neighborhoods, talk with the people you meet along the way.   Sometimes you might get lucky and learn something.

Today is also our 35th wedding anniversary.  Damn just wondering where did the time go!!  And how did we get so lucky??  When so many others don’t make it this far?  Just want to say Happy Anniversary to my wonderful wife who has put up with me for this long?!  How have you done it??  Lol

Well that is probably going to be it for me this week.  Looking forward to heading into British Columbia in the next few days and visiting Vancouver and the resort of Whistler.

Book Review, Exercise, Meditations

MUSINGS FOR SATURDAY 9TH, JUNE 2018

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Plunge Your Whole Life into What You Are Doing

“Just as when you sit in meditation you just sit, when you sleep, be aware of the totality of your whole being going to sleep.  When walking, you just walk.  When you eat, you are right there just eating.  Plunge your whole life into what you are doing at that very moment and live that way.  So, we train ourselves to engage our whole being in what we are doing.  Whether sitting or eating, you are not engaged in discursive, wandering, or deluded thoughts.  All of you—environment, body, and mind—is right there.  Whatever you do, whatever the task at hand, your whole life is there at that moment.

Some people may interpret plunging your whole being into the practice or into the task at hand as a very tense approach.  This is incorrect.  By putting your whole being into whatever you are doing, you are also being relieved from doing anything else at that moment.  Therefore, when you are doing that one thing, that is all you have to care about, and you can do it in a very relaxed manner and attitude.  In this light, you will better understand the meaning of engaging your whole being in the present task.  This is the relaxed and reposed attitude to practice.”

Excerpted from:  The Method of No-Method:  The Chan Practice of Silent Illumination by Chan Master Sheng Yen

 

Life has been good this week and I cannot complain too much…  Worked Monday and Tuesday at the day job (night shift) and now I am off for a little bit and that is a good thing.  Taking a little vacation with Janet.  We both decided to do a road trip and use the new car.  Should be fun.  I will post pictures in the next Blog post to let you know how it is going or not…  LOL

Well…. started to do a little bit of walking and running this past week.  And it felt great to get out.  I was happy that the injured hip did not seem to give me too much pain and I will continue to build back up slowly over the next couple of weeks.  Thinking about this, I am wondering if I just pushed it too much with the Yoga while doing hip openers?  I think that might be the original cause.  Get a small muscle tear or micro tear that you really don’t feel much but then put some running on it… and voila’ you have a full tear?  Funny it all comes down to moderation.  Too much of this or that and not enough of something else and damn?!  Your injured!

Soooooo, going forward I plan on this, one or two days, of a 9-day training cycle, do some Mountain Biking.  Yoga only on 2 days during the training cycle and not every other day (like I was doing).  And to gently ease back into harder running on trails.  Sounds simple….  Right?  Right?  Ah… the best laid plans of mice and men!!  LOL

Still bummed about missing the Dirty Thirty Ultra.  But better early in the season than late.  I really want to see if I can accomplish two distances this summer, first one is the 100k (July – Never Summer 100k) and the second is the 100 miler (September – Run Rabbit Run 100).

Love the quote that started today’s blog.  It struck a cord with me these past few weeks.  So hard to keep the mind focused.  We have many, many distractions in this day and age.  Especially living in a first world country.  To be so fortunate, it presents incredible opportunities and if not managed correctly it can be a curse.  One way to help with this is the practice of Mindfulness and Meditation.  For about 5 years now I have been practicing both.  And that is what it is – a practice.  There is no endpoint.  You don’t have to be Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist, etc.….  To practice.   Mindfulness meditation works with all religions and it works with no religion.  It will over time improve the quality of your life.  It has mine.  So, I would feel remiss if I did not share this with you.  If you are a little bit interested or even just a little curious one of the best books out there to get started is called “Mindfulness in Plain English” by Bhante Gunaratana.  I have read it a couple of times now and that is saying a lot from me.   Funny, here is a tradition that goes back 1000s of years and it is more relevant today than ever before.  The link to Amazon is https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-English-Bhante-Henepola-Gunaratana/dp/0861719069/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528561458&sr=8-1&keywords=mindfulness+in+plain+english&dpID=516m8PpEPYL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

This book can help start you on a path that will or could, if you let it, change your life.  No matter what walk of life you are from.  No matter what your background might be.  It only requires a small amount of time each day and a willingness to be patient.  It is not a get-rich-quick scheme for life.  But a slow, steady progression that with time is immensely rewarding.  Have you ever wondered why there is a waiting list to get into a Buddhist Monastery or Nunnery? They give up all worldly possessions.  They have nothing.  Even your next meal is not guaranteed.  And yet, there is a waiting list to get in!  Now contrast that with a prison, three meals per day, TV, Radio, Reading material, Education, Health Care, Conjugal visits in some cases, etc.…. but no waiting list to get in?? LOL

From the book: “Meditation is called the Great Teacher.  It is the cleansing crucible fire that works slowly but surely, through understanding.  The greater your understanding, the more flexible and tolerant, the more compassionate you can be.  You become like a perfect parent or an ideal teacher.  You are ready to forgive and forget.  You feel love toward others because you understand them, and you understand others because you have understood yourself.  You have looked deeply inside and seen self-illusion and your own human failings, seen your own humanity and learned to forgive and to love.  When you have learned compassion for yourself, compassion for others is automatic.  An accomplished meditator has achieved a profound understanding of life, and he or she inevitably relates to the world with a deep and uncritical love.”

Well, with that thought, I think that is it for me this week.  Hope everyone has a great weekend. Adios amigos!!

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise, Family, Injury, RVs

MUSINGS FOR SATURDAY JUNE 2ND, 2018

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“Take wrong turns.  Talk to strangers.  Open unmarked doors.  And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they are doing.  Do things without always knowing how they’ll turn out.  You’re curious and smart and bored, and all you see is the choice between working hard and slacking off.  There are so many adventures that you miss because you’re waiting to think of a plan.  To find them, look for tiny interesting choices.  And remember that you are always making up the future as you go.” – Randell Munroe

Well it has been a good AND bad week.  I will start with the good….  Getting the RV ready for a little travel this summer.  And it is always somewhat of a process.  Our RV is a thirty-foot class C Diesel Bigfoot.  We have owed it for about 12 years now.  As a family, when the kids all still lived at home, we took two really long trips out to the West Coast. They were both 25 to 30 days in length.  The two older daughters got really good setting up camp each time we stopped.  Of course, I always got the part of hooking up the sewer. LOL There were some good times in the RV with the family!

It seems like that was just yesterday but in reality, the last big family trip occurred about 10 years ago.  Dang where did the time go?  Oh well what are you going to do?  Since that time, Janet and I have done much smaller trips, and a few longer ones in which we stayed in just one place.  One of my favorite spots is at Tiger Run Resort just outside of Breckenridge proper.  I think I could spend the whole summer in this high mountain environment.  Check out there website even if you don’t own an RV.  They rent small chalets.  You can find them here at:  http://www.tigerrunresort.com/

In hindsight, I sometimes think it might have been better to own a trailer or fifth wheel.   Not only do you get a camper so to speak but a pickup that can be used every day.  And there is not as much maintenance required.  Because it is a motor home you have the transmission and motor to maintain if you are not using it year round.  So far, my plan each year has been to start the engine every 30 to 45 days and drive it.  I store it about 12 miles away and this helps in that process.  I usually try to drive it each time about 30 to 50 miles just to lubricate the engine and transmission.  So far it has worked well.  As of 2018 it only has about 20,000 miles on it.

Funny, ever since we got it back in 2006 I have been thinking about getting a bigger one.  I know this does not fit with the 5-wheel idea, but….  A part of me really wants to own a big class A at some point.

A big diesel pusher.  I think that would be so cool.   I have become one of those that likes to go to a new place to camp so to speak and then I want to be there for a while to just explore the area.  To really get to know the new location.  And this idea really fits in with a much bigger RV.   Well…. maybe someday??  Who knows!!  LOL

I have pulled a car behind it since I have owned it.  The first time with a tow dolly and a Chevy Aveo.  And that was always a process, driving up on the ramps, hooking up the Aveo, making sure the straps were tight, etc.….

Now I am pulling a Subaru Outback with a manual transmission, that can be pulled with all four wheels on the ground.  And so far, it has worked really well.  I am happy with it.  A lot less effort needed than using the tow dolly.    I just need to practice with it more often to get used to it.  This may be one of my goals this summer.  To get really comfortable pulling the Subaru behind the motor home.

 

Well, now for the bad news.   The next Ultra is this Saturday or was supposed to be.  I had some right hip pain while finishing a run last week.  Did not think too much about it and it did not bother me over the weekend at work.   Did a 6-mile walk with Janet on Tuesday and still felt pretty good, just a little soreness in that area.  On Wednesday – went for a short run at about 50% effort, just to see if I was going to have some pain to that hip still.  Well I got about three miles into the run, stopped for a bathroom break and that was it.  Damn, the right hip area actually became painful.  Never really had this happen.  Painful enough that I did not feel I could run at all and even walking was hard.  Luckily, I was not too far from home.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS), liac crest, Gluteus medius, Tensor fascia latae, Gluteus maximus,Vastus lateralis, Iliotibial band, Tibia tubercle, Patella, Inflammation of the iliotibial band (ITB) causes outer knee pain and possible pain in the hip, MendMeShop TM ©2011

My best guess is that it is an Upper IT band injury or Iliotibial Band.  Most of the individuals I have seen with this injury complain about it in the knee area, but it does run all the way up to the hip.  That is where my pain is, right at that upper Red Dot in the picture.  And it does feel like the Tensor Fascia Latae muscle that connects to the IT band is also sore.  Not sure how I did it.  But my best guess is not enough cross training this year and I may have injured it initially doing Yoga.   Oh well – no matter how I did it, this will be a slight set back, I hope….  Nothing to do but to give myself time to recover and regroup.

Bummed about the Ultra.  It is called the “Dirty Thirty” and I have run it before.  50k distance or about 32 miles.  Great race and volunteers and I was looking forward to running it again.  Check out their web site at:  http://dirty30.org/.  Well time to heal instead and look forward to next year for this one.  My main races this year are the Never Summer 100k and the Run Rabbit Run 100.  And I want to be as healthy for them as possible.  Well that is it for me this time.  I will post again next Friday or Saturday!!  Adios amigos!!