Dust Bowl Half Marathon Series : Ulysses, Kansas

Welcome to Ulysses!!!

It's (my) day 2. Of course, it's really "day 3" for the Dust Bowlers... 

It was, again, very chilly -- 28 degrees as I left the hotel. While I was sitting in the charming breakfast area (TATER TOTS! ON THE BREAKFAST BUFFET! YES, THEY'RE JUST MINI HASH BROWNS!!!) I kept hearing a car alarm go off for a bit, then be quiet. I wondered if if was the wind, or...

When I went outside, I saw two runners standing somewhat helplessly next to a car. They would try to unlock it, set off the alarm, and then lock it again. Oh dear. I tried not to stare -- there's nothing worse than rubberneckers! -- but one of the women asked if she could get a ride to the start with me. I hesitated ... mainly because my mind wasn't working super well, and because I knew I wasn't going back to the hotel after ... but when the woman quickly said, "Oh... I could ask him if that's better ...." (referring to the man next to me, getting into *his* car), and I said, "No -- I mean, of course!" 

The other woman declined a ride as she wanted to see to her car. It was only later than I realized it was "costume lady".

Bev got in the back of the car ("sorry, the front is a mess!") and we chatted as I got myself sorted. She told me this was her first Mainly Marathons series, that she isn't actually a 50-stater, but stumbled across it on the internet and thought it sounded fun. She booked the trip for herself, then posted that she had hotel rooms booked in every town and was looking for a roommate on the group's Facebook page. That's how she met her car-troubled, costume-lovin' roommate. 

It was fun to meet someone else who had a little skepticism about the races ... again, she was only on day 3!! I told her I had been the same way, but as each day passed I had more and more fun. 

Got to the start area, found parking, and then sat in the car chatting for a bit -- it was really too cold to go outside! Eventually, at 7:15, we got out and headed to the "village". 

I love these people ... and I swear it's not just the endorphins talking. Here is the start area ... the watering hole getting set up, the timing/registration table signing newcomers in, and the pre-dawn sky...

Mainly Marathons start/finish area, Ulysses, Kansas

A few minutes before the start, Clint got up on his ladder and made some announcements ... I had the usual wistfulness about not getting a caboose. :) 

Clint on his ladder for the race talk

Then we set out, running around Frazier Park, right next to the Bentwood golf course. Really pretty sunrise ... While I've been here the sunrises and sunsets have been pretty amazing. Of course, that might be because of all the prairie fires I keep hearing about...

why, yes, we did start at O-dark-thirty

Today's course looped around a small lake, this time on a packed gravel path. Mostly flat, with just one gradual, not-super-steep hill. 

the sign in this picture is a list of the wild birds who live here

The area is also a wildlife preserve, so we might have seen wild turkeys, pheasants, and other birds ... but I think the clever ones have gone south. Or are inside keeping warm, at least...

I thought I had read that today would be 11 laps for the half, 22 for the full. Bev had clearly read that, too -- we chatted about it in the car. But turns out we only needed to do 7. Somehow, fewer, longer laps are always better for me, mentally. Seven laps might be the ideal number, too... You do one while you're fresh and raring to go. Or in my case, a little stiff and tired, but therefore a little oblivious. You come in, get your first rubber band, pick up an egg or maybe some candy, and then head back out. By the time you complete your third lap, you're loose, and you realize that you only need three more rubber bands. Come back after four and your're more than halfway done. Sweet!

back and forth, back and forth

And, of course, it's always nice to see Black Cone, the turnaround marker...

hello, Black Cone!!!

It was a little funny to feel like an outsider with insider's knowledge.... to know a bunch of folks, at least by name and by sight, and therefore get more than my share of cheers and greetings. Had a quick chat with Trisha (Tricia?) -- she couldn't remember where we had run together, but knew she knew me and my name and my smile. I told her Center of the Nation last year ... and that I ran with my "hairy husband Wil". At which she said, "OF COURSE! Sunny and Wil! Always smiling!" 

Trisha --genuinely the friendliest runner in the world!

I  didn't have a great run, unfortunately ... the wind kicked up and I just felt tired, and I couldn't force myself to pick up the pace. So it took me more than 3 hours to get around... but most of the morning I spent chatting and cheering my fellow runners on, so that was nice. 

I do love the way Mainly Marathons sets up ... note the great big food table on the left, the the watering hole behind it. Then on the right, in the shadow of the camper, is the timing table. Farther back is Norm's Kitchen. Straight ahead is the rubber bands table ... ah, sweet rubber bands!!!

So... much ... food...

seriously, a race without hard-boiled eggs, gummy bears, and Fritos pales in comparison with these races...

This park even had bathrooms with flush toilets and running water ... so after the race I quickly cleaned up a little, put on street clothes, and headed off as I had a long drive through the wilds of Kansas and Oklahoma (and a teensy bit of Texas) ahead of me... 

Well, there's always time for a bib and medal photo, of course!

discovered, when coming home, that I had left my "run happy" hat in the rental car :(

Not a whole lot to tell ... other than I drove mile after mile through ranchland, farmland, and the occasional small town, stopping only for gas.

Pulled into Clinton, Oklahoma, and made a beeline for the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, a charming little museum with nice dioramas and history. 

well if you ever plan to motor west...

Then I drove -- keeping to historic 66 as much as possible -- into Shamrock, home of Texas's tallest water tower...

why, yes, this is a historic landmark...

a piece of the real Blarney Stone ...

(happily, they're going to move this from its current location in a small park to "downtown" Shamrock...)

... and the glorious Tower Station and U-Drop Inn... 

Sadly, the tourist information center and gift shop was closed for Black Friday... and isn't open on the weekends ... so I didn't get to go inside. Pity.

I did stroll around Shamrock a bit ... including trekking out to the park to see the Blarney Stone. I hear they're going to move the stone to a new "Blarney Plaza" in "downtown" ... probably a better spot than its current location... That said, for St. Patrick's Day the town wraps the street signs to the park in green foil, declaring "Railroad Avenue" part of the "Green Mile". 

I checked into the immaculately clean Shamrock Country Inn -- adorable! -- and then decided that I should go ahead and have some dinner while I waited for it to get dark. I was simply unable to resist the lure of Big Vern's Steakhouse and Saloon, where I sat at the bar and had a massive, delicious dinner.

I can't attest to the steak, though the other food was delicious and folks seemed very happy!

I was also served my beer in a frosted goblet. Despite it only being a pint, the glass itself was so heavy that I needed both hands to lift it to drink. Seriously. 

#everythingisbiggerintexas #itsnotaglassitsachalice

Finally, it got dark... and at 8pm, the neon went on at the Tower Station ... this is why I came to Shamrock!

Look familiar? It should ... it was the model for Ramone's House of Body Art in the movie Cars (and in Cars Land, at California Adventure). 

Tower Station, Shamrock

Ramon's House of Body Art, Radiator Springs 

I was sad that the shop was unexpectedly closed ... and anxious that that meant the neon would for some reason not turn on. But it did ... ahhhh.

After dinner I headed back to my room, filled up my mint-green bathtub, and relaxed with a book and a cocktail before having an early night. 

pity about the new shower surround, but the pink tile with dove grey trim, plus a mint green tub and toilet... retro goodness!

I was just about to type that it was a pretty uneventful day ... but then I realized that I ran a half marathon in Kansas today ... that's state #36! 

Yellowstone, day 2

Another bright and early morning in Yellowstone! We got up and dressed, then headed downstairs to check in on the next geyser eruption... timing it really, really well. We toyed with the idea of grabbing breakfast in the little cafe, but then decided to eat the rest of our leftover Chinese / Thai food (this time heated up in the little microwave in the Inn). We walked along the boardwalk to the benches, walked past a little clump of people, chatting about the day to come, and, well, boom.

Oh! Good morning Mister Buffalo! Quick PSA: this is a TERRIBLE thing to do. We were absolutely clueless, and had the guy actually been on the boardwalk we probably would have walked right past him, or even brushed against him. "CLUELESS TOURISTS GORED BY BUFFALO AFTER BUMPING INTO HIM ON SIDEWALK! SEE THE HILARIOUS FOOTAGE HERE!"

We moved away quickly, and then wondered what would happen when the geyser erupted. Sure enough, about 3 minutes before it was due to go off, the buffalo wandered away. Then, as we happily ate our breakfast...

I think Old Faithful looked extra gorgeous in the crisp morning light!

We packed up our few things, then checked out of the Inn and hit the road. Well, okay, we stopped at the visitor center so that I could get my park passport stamped (priorities!), and then we were off. We stopped at a few places on the way north, including Biscuit Basin: 

Monument Geyser Basin:

our first REAL "road block" ... extreme buffalo sighting!

pardon me...

buffalo, coming through....

nothin' to see here, folks

 Then the loop trail at the Artists Paintpots:

with some pretty colors...

and awesome bubbling mud:

Then on to Norris Geyser Basin, which we visited briefly yesterday, but didn't make time for the longer loop. Today we were all about the big hissing vents:

I just keep thinking of what this must have been like to stumble across 200 years ago. You come over a ridge and into this massive plain... all smoking and steaming and bubbling. It must have been nuts. It's STILL nuts.

Then it was time to start heading out of the park... we knew there were roadworks between Norris and Mammoth, and to "EXPECT DELAYS". So we just got into line and crawled through. Amusing: a couple of times what we thought were construction delays were really buffalo delays!

We arrived at Mammoth over an hour later, slightly jangled from crawling through the roadworks, and all I wanted to do was put more miles under the tires. We had a long way to go before our hotel reservation, so we just put wax on trax and, again, imagined our next visit. (BTW, we've decided to go on an American road trip every 10 years... I fully expect that in 2025 we'll spend some quality time in South Dakota and Wyoming!)

Not much to report from the drive... but we did arrive at our final destination of the road trip... the Rivers Edge Resort in Alberton, Montana. Why there? Well, because it's the place we stumbled into, after dark, on the first night of our first road trip back in 2005. Seemed a fitting place to stop for the night!

view from the back door of our room at the Rivers Edge Resort

We had a nice dinner in the restaurant while watching Monday Night Football. (Really, a $5 taco bar is irresistible... but the "proper food", from the salad bar to the steak to the pasta, looked really delicious.) Then back to our room for our last night on the road, where we sat outside and looked at the moon and stars and listened to the river. Bliss.

The next morning we were up bright and early, and decided to drive a while before breakfast. We fell into the 1313 Bar and Restaurant in Wallace "Center of the Universe" Idaho, had a great meal, and then, really, just drove and drove home.

Well, okay, we did stop in North Bend to visit Twede's / the Mar T / the Double R Diner, since filming had wrapped up and the diner had reopened. Silly me, ordering a large order of fries... #toomanyfries ...

All in all, the trip was amazing -- we met some great people who are crazy for running. We saw some cute small towns, and some gorgeous national parks. We also ran SIX HALF MARATHONS in SIX STATES in SIX DAYS. And that's somethin'.

Yellowstone or Bust!!!

The morning after we completed the Center of the Nation Series, we woke up bright and early. After all, we had been getting up every morning by 5:15. I was still feeling a little wistful about the series being over... but luckily, we had something awesome planned for the day .... YELLOWSTONE!!!

Now, look, there's nothing I can tell you about Yellowstone that you don't already know, or haven't already seen. But I wanted to share some of the awesome snapshots we captured over the two days we spent between Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone. 

(So indulge me, okay?)

truly grand

Were up and out of the hotel by 7:30, and soon found ourselves on the edge of Grand Teton National Park. I always feel bad for GTNP. Anywhere else in the country it would be a total showstopper. The way the peaks just rise out of the plains, sans foothills, is astounding. It's absolutely gorgeous. But sitting on the doorstep of Yellowstone... YELLOWSTONE!!! ... well, it is sadly "the park you drive through on your way to or from Yellowstone."

I wish I could tell you that we broke the mold, that we spent quality time there. Because, well, it's amazing. 

But we didn't. 

That said, we spent more time there than I ever had before. We visited their very beautiful visitor center and looked at some of their exhibits. 

We then decided to drive the longer scenic drive along the Teton Park Road, past Jenny Lake. (Not that the "main road" on highway 191 isn't scenic, mind you... but it feels like more of a highway.) We started having our usual "what if we just spent a week or so here?" thoughts that we always have when we're somewhere beautiful. So many places to go, so little vacation time...

Eventually, of course, we reached Yellowstone. I get super nerdy at this sort of place. Not just my usual nerdy, SUPER nerdy. Geysers! Mudpots! Stinky sulfurous vents! BRING IT ON. Oh, and did I mention... BUFFALO!!!!!

We entered the park from the South Entrance (duh), then essentially did not stop until we arrived at Old Faithful. Knowing we would see the geyser there later, we just stopped in at the visitor center (and, well, the gift shop...) to gather information. The main thing I wanted to see was the Grand Prismatic Spring...

You know the one... the improbable / impossible / holy cats that's gorgeous rainbow hot springs. I knew that we wouldn't be able to see it in all its glory -- for that, you need an airplane and a hot day so there's less steam. Then you might see this:

photo courtesy NationalGeographic.com

But I still wanted to see it -- at least from ground level -- to see the colors on the edges. So we drove to the Midway Geyser Basin. On the way there we hit our first "road block" -- a herd of buffalo grazing just across the river from the road. 

Then into the Midway Geyser Basin itself ... well, first a wait for a parking spot, and then we were in...

more buffalo!!!

 We headed straight to the Grand Prismatic Spring... which... well... was steaming mightily in the cold morning air. Yes, you can see some of the color... but for the most part it's not super bright. One reason, I suppose, to brave the Yellowstone crowds in the summer!

It was still pretty fantastic, of course... though the walkway was partially closed ...

Why was the walkway closed? OH!

A ranger was stationed on the boardwalk, turning people around and reminding them that buffalo are dangerous, okay?

After the G.P.S., we headed north toward Madison, stopping to drive Firehole Lake Drive, which was awesome -- no tour buses, no RVs, and hardly any people. We looked at a bunch of bubbling geysers... but decided against waiting this guy out:

Hey, that's only 10 - 24 hours away! (But, seriously, I bet some people were there waiting...)

But hooray for gorgeous, oh-so-inviting water that would scald your skin clean off:

And just general geothermal goodness:

We then decided to head toward the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, to see Inspiration Point and the falls. On the way there we made a lunch stop in Canyon, where we tried to find hot vegetarian food, but ended up just heating up some of the leftovers from the awesome Chinese / Thai food we'd had the night before. (Okay, maybe that microwave was for people to heat up stuff they had purchased at the store, but no one was using it... and we bought a pair of beverages...)

Lunch eaten in the company of some very large ravens (which I cooed and croaked at, because I love them), we then set off to see some more of the pretty. Next stop, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone:

One very sad thing: we saw an elderly man take a tumble on the very uneven path. It could have been much worse, but he fell hard and hit his head. Within seconds he was surrounded by helping hands, and an ambulance came to check him out in under 3 minutes. But it was super scary to see. He seemed like a tough fella -- got right up (with a little help), and probably had a larger bump to his ego. Plus he might have an awesome scar and stories to tell. (Oh, this one? Got it at Yellowstone. Took a tumble! Could have gone over the side!)

Anyway, I keep thinking about him and hope he's doing okay.

After that, well, I just wanted to head back and get settled. Besides, our lodging for the evening was an attraction in and of itself!!!

I had managed to reserve a room in the old part of the Old Faithful Inn -- which was super exciting. I remember staying there as a little kid. Tiny, creaky, wooden room with a sink, and the bathrooms / showers down the hall. Again, we daydreamed a little about staying there for multiple days, just hanging out in the lobby in the evening, watching the geyser erupt from the viewing deck, etc.

The lobby is, of course, spectacular:

Yeah, I know, that doesn't do it justice. But here's something sweet -- the guest rooms all have an adorable little bear soap. You know I took this little fella home:

We checked in to the Inn, were delighted to learn that our dining reservation was in the system (phew!), and then discovered that Old Faithful was going to erupt in the next 30 - 50 minutes. Perfect! Gave us a little time to explore, have a quick drink, and then head out to the viewing platform.

Because it was almost sundown, the area was pretty empty other than hotel guests -- much more pleasant than elbowing for room with the tourbus crowd!

I love that they have this sign behind the front desk, and update it after each eruption.

Then we headed in to the dining room, which is gorgeous:

We were seated in the far back corner, which would have been perfect, but our server was distracted by a couple of large parties nearby. Still, the food was surprisingly good. I mean, it's a captive audience, so the food doesn't have to be great ... but we enjoyed the vegetarian options on the menu... and the huckleberry margarita. (Sour!)

the view from the back corner of the dining room

After dinner we sat in the lobby for a while, then wandered around outside under the stars, hearing a geyser erupt nearby. We then went back to our lovely little room and slept like angels. (Well, until I needed to go to the bathroom at 4am and couldn't find a room key, but that's another story...).