2009 began with me in massage therapy school in Santa Fe, NM. Art was more or less restricted to anatomy flashcards and the occasional illustration (see below).
During school break in January, we took a short road trip to the Las Vegas (NV) area. Stopped at Hoover Dam along the way. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting "Bodies: The Exhibition" at the Luxor as well as seeing my third Cirque du Soliel show, "Mystere". Love the art at the dam (above), and the creativity and colorfulness of the Cirque shows (check out "KA" if you get to Vegas, especially if you are a climber). "Bodies" was truly amazing -- if you have interest in actual dissected human anatomy, this exhibit was very educational and done in respectful taste!
Two illustrations finished while in school -- Ice Lake Basin (L) and Kalalau Trail (R).
I ran past several sculptures along Canyon Road* in Santa Fe while training (Feb, Mar) during second semester at NMAHA for a half marathon (the Flying Pig, in Cincinnati -- May). You can run right up Canyon to Upper Canyon Road and access several of the Dale Ball Trails. My favorite long run went up this way, up & over to Hyde Park Road, then back to Canyon, Alameda, and ultimately down Agua Fria.
*Canyon Road is an area of Santa Fe with many art galleries. Check it out if you get down there, as well as the Dale Ball Trails. You could even book a massage at the New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts graduate or student clinic!
A winter shot of one of the Dale Ball trails above Santa Fe. You can do a couple miles or many on nice, singletrack trails!
After school finished in March, we road-tripped down to Carlsbad Caverns NP & Guadalupe NP. This shot shows the natural entrance to the cave... it's amazing! You descend, descend, and descend some more to get down to the main area. They do not let people hike back out, though. You have to take the elevator! Go figure!
A nice sunset shot of ocatillo silhouettes. I love New Mexico!
Yucca at White Sands, NM, on the same road trip.
Ahhh, Moab! While camping up on Sand Flats road isn't free anymore (gosh, that's been a long time ago), it's still beautiful with the La Sal Range in the background. Best of both worlds, mountain & desert! We rode a few new mtn bike rides... can you believe I had never been on the ride to Klondike Bluffs?! Somehow in the past, I would always end up in Moab on my own. Caution kept me to the most popular trails (i.e., Slickrock, Porcupine Rim). Steve discovered running on the Slickrock Trail and prefers that to biking it.
May took us out east, to lead the Kentucky Bluegrass bike tour. Along the way, we stopped in Cincinnati to visit Steve's relatives and run 'The Flying Pig'. Steve qualified for Boston in the marathon. My trail running body is not so fond of pavement. However, I managed to finish my first half marathon on pavement. The hardest part, though, is not the running. It's waiting in line to use the porta john (and will cost you valuable time, I might add)! LOL.
June took us out to Oregon -- did I mention we drive a LOT? Working seasonally for a tour company that does tours all over the west takes us, well, all over the place. It can be a challenge to get from Denver to the west coast in a few days and throw in a couple of workouts. Who says tour guides have an easy way to stay in shape?! I beg to differ. :)
This shot (above) is from the Dog Mountain hike. It's on the Washington state side of the Columbia River Gorge. The hike itself is only about 7 or 8 miles R/T, though steep, and you get to see a nice view of the area, provided the weather cooperates. You can also get a glimpse of Mount Hood...
This is Mt. Hood (above) albeit from Timberline Lodge! There's a really fun hike called 'Tom, Dick, & Harry Mountain' just south of Mt. Hood. I've never been able to get a good photo from the top (maybe this year?) but trust me, it's a moderate, user-friendly peak. Check it out if you are in the area. If you do it in June, you might see some of the rhododendrons blooming. Pretty cool!
Lupine & Mt. St. Helens taken from the Ape Canyon trail, I think. We were on some days off in late June and had to head from the Portland, OR, area down to Yosemite. We took our time driving the coast to get down there as well as visiting the Tillamook Cheese Factory! Check it out if you are wandering in that area -- they have fantastic ice cream!
Classic Yosemite Valley with El Capitan (left foreground), Half Dome (back right), and Clouds Rest (back center). I would soooo love to spend more time exploring Yosemite's backcountry. Guess I'll put it on the list...!
I just like this pic of one of our guests, Katie, taking a break along the Panorama Trail that goes from Glacier Point to Yosemite Valley. That's Half Dome in the background. This is a must-do hike if you can get out there. Classic.
August found us in Glacier Park, MT, leading a bicycle tour. It's easy for me to lead a tour in Glacier as it is one of the most beautiful places in the USA where I've been fortunate enough to spend a good bit of time. The mountains there are distinctive: sort of a slate gray, very angular, with turquoise lakes nesting in valleys. Flora & fauna abound... moose, sheep, mountain goats, wildflowers of all sorts, huckleberries! Truly an amazing and magical place. When people ask me where's my favorite place, I'm often tempted to say Glacier. Just tempted, though. What about Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton/Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, Bryce/Zion, Hawaii, etc.? We are so fortunate to have these places all in our country! Unbelievable.
Isn't this an incredible trail? This is coming down off of Alta Peak, in Sequoia NP in September. Our whole gang made it to the summit. My photo from the top didn't turn out that well but I think this one shows more of what the hiking was all about near treeline. We certainly had a "Peak Climbing Day". The weather held and better yet, everyone made it down in time for dinner!
I didn't list all of our wonderful trips from '09 (such as the Northern New Mexico Alpiner, one of my all time favorites -- didn't I say it was hard to choose?). It was a tough season what with the economy and all, but I must say I was grateful. Grateful for all the wonderful people I met along the way. Grateful that I finished school. Grateful that I enjoyed some tours/work. Grateful that we were able to visit some pretty cool places (did I mention Olympic NP?). I can only hope for and work towards making 2010 just as awesome!
P.S. Just added that 'Follower' gadget today!
