Six months have finally come to an end. We always knew this day would come. It is somewhat inevitable. If there is anything that is constant in life, it is knowing that time will keep marching on no matter what (some Physicists won’t agree with me, but those geeks can shut it!).
When we first boarded our flight to Australia and left a tearful Tina and Rhona (Andrea’s mum and aunt) to begin our trip six months ago, the end of our trip in Las Vegas seemed like such a long time away. But six months isn’t very long, just think back to what you were doing six months ago and you quickly realise that time goes by really fast. It won’t be long until we are saying it was six months ago that we got back to the UK! It means that you have to appreciate every hour of every day and not wish away any moment and I think that is what we have done. It has been the trip of a lifetime and neither of us would change anything. It has been great to spend so much time together and travel around seeing some beautiful parts of the world and meeting some great people. We both feel very blessed. We know that not everyone gets that chance. Travelling isn’t some divine right and we both know that we have been very lucky!
So we have tried to pick out some highlights from our six month stint. There have been so many great things it is really hard to pick them out. We have also tried to put them into some sort of order - we know it’s a bit cheesy - based on nothing more than what we enjoyed the most or what sticks out in our minds (very subjective we know). So before we catch our flight in around 4 hours we’ll do a final countdown of our top 10 trip highlights:
10, Falls Creek. Three weeks into our trip we stopped at this beautiful little mountain resort in New South Wales. The views were amazing, the walks breath-taking and the Viking Lodge totally deserted - always a bonus.
9, Death Valley. What an incredible national park that is. The desert is totally different to anything in the UK. Seeing Badwater and getting to run up and down sand dunes was awesome fun. A must-see to anyone in the area.
8, Penguin Parade. I initially wasn’t too bothered about going to this, but on a cold night on Australia’s south coast, we saw thousands of adorable penguins making the run up the beach to their burrows. There is something really cool about seeing nature at work without mans involvement. Andrea wanted to take one of the penguins back, but after warning her that they eat smelly fish I quickly put her off.
7, Sydney Olympic Park. This is definitely more one for the geeks. Being massive fans of the Olympics, anything with the word Olympic in it, definitely has the thumbs up from us. We were lucky enough to actually stay here twice and properly explore the park. Hopefully it won’t be our last experience of Olympic Parks!! Watch this space ;).
6, Flagstaff. Our second stay at altitude of the trip. We saw some beautiful scenery including the grand canyon and the red rocks of Sedona and met some fantastic people. You guys are always welcome to stay with us!! Please come visit.
5, Universal Studios. The Simpsons, Jurassic Park, Shrek, the Mummy. So many great rides. We had an absolute blast for two days. Thankfully the queues weren’t that long either!!
4, Broken Hill. Only a week into our trip we visited this oasis in the middle of the outback. No towns or villages for 150miles before we arrived, it is literally in the middle of nowhere, but somehow people survive and they even have McDonalds and the internet! There were some amazing views and great wildlife, more kangaroos than you could shake a stick at!!
3, Blue Mountains. This is what we needed just three days into our trip. A few wobbles at the beginning of the trip were quickly dispelled with the incredible views of the blue mountain rainforest. Top that off with getting within a meter of one of the worlds most deadly snakes, it really was an incredible place.
2, KiwiRun. Words cannot describe how much fun we had on the North island of New Zealand. Fantastic places, great food and even better people. Steve, Richard, Craig, Hayden, Charlotte, Nick and Sierra we thank you all for putting so much effort into two fantastic weeks.
1, Andrea winning the New Zealand 10000m Championships. Neither of us wanted to put a running moment as our top highlight of the trip. It didn’t seem quite right as you can literally run anywhere, what is so special about a race in New Zealand? However on that night in New Zealand something changed for both of us, not only was the race a 2minute PB over the distance of 10000m on the track, but we both felt that Andrea finally ran a race which did justice to her current ability. A sort of realisation dawned on us that there are greater possibilities than we had initially thought. After working together on Andrea’s running for around 15months this was a big highlight for us. Hopefully just the start, but as I have said before it is important to appreciate what has passed. There are no certainties in running (and in life!) and this may be as good as it gets. Fortunately we have been lucky enough to enjoy this fantastic but brief moment and it is something that we will remember for a long long time.
Lastly we have to thank everyone at home (and around the world) for reading the blog and being a part of the trip. Six months is a long time to not see your family and friends, it is always great to read the comments and it makes people seem not so far away (what a great tool blogger is!!). Thanks to you all and we look forward to seeing you over the coming weeks and months.
Over and out.
Chrissy & Andrea
Wednesday 28 April 2010
Tuesday 27 April 2010
Vegas
Sin city!
It’s been a fun few days and certainly very eye-opening. Neither myself or Andrea have ever been to a place like it, perhaps because there isn’t anywhere in the world like it! Our hotel is the Riviera, at the north end of the strip. It is one of the best places we have stayed in on our trip - its great to have our last few days here. The hotel has lots of amenities including many restaurants and shops, a pool area (where fat people get a tan), a wedding chapel (with an Elvis impersonator - of course!!) and a huge casino (which is busy whether it’s 6am or 6pm) taking up most of the ground floor.
The strip is an interesting place, we haven’t walked that far down it as its 3miles long, although we have explored some of the casinos around us. There is Circus Circus, which has free circus acts playing most of the day, Treasure Island, which has a few pirate themed shows in the evening involving scantily clad women and men with their shirts off (sex sells), and also Wynn, one of the newest and poshest casinos in town, which has some blackjack tables with a minimum buy-in of $500 per game! Mental!
Our end of the strip is more our scene. We have managed to find a place which sells really cheap drinks and also found some fun slot machines which allow for 3p bets. So far we are about $14 down (as expected - the odds are all in the house’s favour), but we don’t think that is too bad for two days of entertainment!
So far we have had a great time here. Tonight is our last night in Vegas before our flights back to the UK tomorrow. We’re still deciding how to celebrate the end of our trip - perhaps we will graduate from the slot machines to a blackjack table - or perhaps not, it‘s more expensive when you lose!
So this is the penultimate blog post from us, expect only one more before we see you all back in the UK !!
The view from our window
It’s been a fun few days and certainly very eye-opening. Neither myself or Andrea have ever been to a place like it, perhaps because there isn’t anywhere in the world like it! Our hotel is the Riviera, at the north end of the strip. It is one of the best places we have stayed in on our trip - its great to have our last few days here. The hotel has lots of amenities including many restaurants and shops, a pool area (where fat people get a tan), a wedding chapel (with an Elvis impersonator - of course!!) and a huge casino (which is busy whether it’s 6am or 6pm) taking up most of the ground floor.
The strip is an interesting place, we haven’t walked that far down it as its 3miles long, although we have explored some of the casinos around us. There is Circus Circus, which has free circus acts playing most of the day, Treasure Island, which has a few pirate themed shows in the evening involving scantily clad women and men with their shirts off (sex sells), and also Wynn, one of the newest and poshest casinos in town, which has some blackjack tables with a minimum buy-in of $500 per game! Mental!
Our end of the strip is more our scene. We have managed to find a place which sells really cheap drinks and also found some fun slot machines which allow for 3p bets. So far we are about $14 down (as expected - the odds are all in the house’s favour), but we don’t think that is too bad for two days of entertainment!
So far we have had a great time here. Tonight is our last night in Vegas before our flights back to the UK tomorrow. We’re still deciding how to celebrate the end of our trip - perhaps we will graduate from the slot machines to a blackjack table - or perhaps not, it‘s more expensive when you lose!
So this is the penultimate blog post from us, expect only one more before we see you all back in the UK !!
Saturday 24 April 2010
The Calm before the Storm
We have really enjoyed our stay in Flagstaff. It has been great to have some home comforts after a month of motels and microwave meals. There are only so many different ways you can cook noodles and rice!! We have met some great people and managed to explore the town in case Andrea gets a chance to come training here next year without me. Hopefully if things go well she will do.
One of the main purposes of coming up here was to suss out quite a few of the training options available to runners. It has been really good, there are quite a few people around to point us in the right direction and so we have been to different trails and routes every day. Supposedly we haven’t even scratched the surface. There are even some good trails which open up in the summer which some adventurous runners can go on and reach peaks of 10000ft altitude. Not for the faint hearted (more for the light headed)! It really is a great town for cyclists, runners and walkers alike. We love it here!
So in less than a week we are back in UK. The volcano ash seems to have cleared and hopefully we’ll get home without any problems - we really don’t want to spend more time than we have to in Los Angeles airport!
We have one more day here in Flagstaff before heading to our final destination of Las Vegas for three days. Time to win all of our money back!
So is it red or black? What do you reckon??
Andrea has a plan to take little Cody with her. I'd keep an eye on her Alicia!!
One of the main purposes of coming up here was to suss out quite a few of the training options available to runners. It has been really good, there are quite a few people around to point us in the right direction and so we have been to different trails and routes every day. Supposedly we haven’t even scratched the surface. There are even some good trails which open up in the summer which some adventurous runners can go on and reach peaks of 10000ft altitude. Not for the faint hearted (more for the light headed)! It really is a great town for cyclists, runners and walkers alike. We love it here!
So in less than a week we are back in UK. The volcano ash seems to have cleared and hopefully we’ll get home without any problems - we really don’t want to spend more time than we have to in Los Angeles airport!
We have one more day here in Flagstaff before heading to our final destination of Las Vegas for three days. Time to win all of our money back!
So is it red or black? What do you reckon??
Wednesday 21 April 2010
Grand Canyon
Today was our eagerly anticipated visit to the Grand Canyon. Less than two hours drive away from where we are staying in Flagstaff, we took the opportunity to visit one of the seven natural wonders of the world and we weren’t disappointed - despite me learning that the Grand Canyon is infact a completely different place to the Rocky Mountains - an illusion I have been entertaining for quite some time.
We arrived at the visitor centre and made our plans for the day, which included walking from one end of the ‘Rim Trail’ to the other (about 3 miles) along the South Rim, and then succumbing to being an American tourist and hopping on the free shuttle bus back to our parked car.
From the car park we couldn’t see a thing - nothing remotely canyon-esque, but this quite excited Chris who was predicting a big wow moment every time we emerged from behind a building or a tree. Despite the noisy construction work taking place directly behind us, the first glimpse we got of the canyon was pretty spectacular, and we spent some time taking photos of the painted picture like view into the canyon. Surprised a little by how high up we were, we also noticed that all perspective on distance was lost, and had it not been for information gleened from wikipedia earlier on in the week, we wouldn’t have know if it was a mile or three hundred miles across to the other side of the canyon (it is in fact around 16km average).
After waiting almost in line to get the typical photo with the canyon behind you, we carried on with our walk. We were a little disappointed that there were so many people getting in our way. One has this image of visiting somewhere like this and being the only people there, but everyone seemed to have the same idea as us. Fortunately most of the tourists evidently preferred the shuttle bus in both directions and once we neared the middle section of our walk, the crowds thinned out significantly and we were able to saunter along in peace.
It was a pleasant walk but neither of us felt we were really seeing a different view, and not having the proper equipment to take a hike into the canyon itself, we then headed back. No skywalk glass floor for us today after we learnt it is over 250 miles away from where we were and closer to Las Vegas. Never mind, I’m still recovering from the Jurassic Park ride t Universal Studios anyway.
Chris standing in front of a painting
Spectacular - it doesn't look real does it??
We arrived at the visitor centre and made our plans for the day, which included walking from one end of the ‘Rim Trail’ to the other (about 3 miles) along the South Rim, and then succumbing to being an American tourist and hopping on the free shuttle bus back to our parked car.
From the car park we couldn’t see a thing - nothing remotely canyon-esque, but this quite excited Chris who was predicting a big wow moment every time we emerged from behind a building or a tree. Despite the noisy construction work taking place directly behind us, the first glimpse we got of the canyon was pretty spectacular, and we spent some time taking photos of the painted picture like view into the canyon. Surprised a little by how high up we were, we also noticed that all perspective on distance was lost, and had it not been for information gleened from wikipedia earlier on in the week, we wouldn’t have know if it was a mile or three hundred miles across to the other side of the canyon (it is in fact around 16km average).
After waiting almost in line to get the typical photo with the canyon behind you, we carried on with our walk. We were a little disappointed that there were so many people getting in our way. One has this image of visiting somewhere like this and being the only people there, but everyone seemed to have the same idea as us. Fortunately most of the tourists evidently preferred the shuttle bus in both directions and once we neared the middle section of our walk, the crowds thinned out significantly and we were able to saunter along in peace.
It was a pleasant walk but neither of us felt we were really seeing a different view, and not having the proper equipment to take a hike into the canyon itself, we then headed back. No skywalk glass floor for us today after we learnt it is over 250 miles away from where we were and closer to Las Vegas. Never mind, I’m still recovering from the Jurassic Park ride t Universal Studios anyway.
Monday 19 April 2010
Flagstaff
We have been in Flagstaff now for almost two days. After an eight hour drive (that is nothing these days) east from Walnut we arrived in Flagstaff around 3pm. Flagstaff is really nice and is one of the prettiest places we have been to so far in the US. It is like living in a forest, there are tall trees and parks wherever you look and the town is serviced by hundreds of miles of trails - a reminder of the towns logging history - which weave in and out of the forest into parks and joining up with the residential parts of town. Oh yeah and it’s at 7000 feet altitude, making it the highest elevation place we have ever been to!!
That is the main reason why we are here. Flagstaff has become a haven for distance runners. Not only because of the altitude (which elite distance runners have been using for years to attain higher fitness levels) but because of the amazing network of trails around the town. We are only here for 8 days, not long enough to benefit from the stimulus of altitude, but long enough to work out the trails and best places to train for future trips. Plus we are staying in a house of runners so hopefully we’ll get some good advice!!
Yesterday we went to Sedona, which is a couple of thousand feet lower than Flagstaff and descends into the red rock canyons. We were blown away by some of the views and amazing rock formations, which line the drive. Sedona itself is a tourist haven and has many gift shops, which actually have some really cool stuff; lots of native American artefacts and artwork. Damn us having no luggage allowance left for our flights!!
Today we are going to check out downtown Flagstaff itself and maybe catch a movie (it’s a hard life), before checking out some of the other natural wonders in the area. A trip to Grand Canyon awaits!!
Aaaahhhh! Alicia's (our hosts) cute little pug.
A view of the red rocks from Sedona village
Walking some of the trails around Sedona
That is the main reason why we are here. Flagstaff has become a haven for distance runners. Not only because of the altitude (which elite distance runners have been using for years to attain higher fitness levels) but because of the amazing network of trails around the town. We are only here for 8 days, not long enough to benefit from the stimulus of altitude, but long enough to work out the trails and best places to train for future trips. Plus we are staying in a house of runners so hopefully we’ll get some good advice!!
Yesterday we went to Sedona, which is a couple of thousand feet lower than Flagstaff and descends into the red rock canyons. We were blown away by some of the views and amazing rock formations, which line the drive. Sedona itself is a tourist haven and has many gift shops, which actually have some really cool stuff; lots of native American artefacts and artwork. Damn us having no luggage allowance left for our flights!!
Today we are going to check out downtown Flagstaff itself and maybe catch a movie (it’s a hard life), before checking out some of the other natural wonders in the area. A trip to Grand Canyon awaits!!
Sunday 18 April 2010
Mt SAC Relays
At the end of last year Chris could be heard bragging that he hadn’t been to watch an athletics event all year. If he hadn’t already, our 2 days at Mt Sac Relays in Walnut more than made up for it.
The Mt Sac relays is basically an open athletics meeting. However it attracts some of the best athletes from across America aswell as many elite foreign athletes. Despite my withdrawal from the competition we decided to attend for the first two days to watch.
One of the main differences between this race and anything we get in the UK is the depth of the races. This means that rather than having a 5000m and a 10,000m for men and women, we sat through a total of six 10,000m races and eight 5000m races, each with around 30+ athletes in. It might sound comparable to watching some paint dry but for true athletics geeks like us it was great and we loved every minute. There were some great personal bests by some of the British athletes as well to boot.
After two days and 15 hours of athletics action (including an 11 hour stint on Friday) we felt pretty exhausted. The Mt Sac relays do in fact go on for another day on the Saturday, however we are heading to altitude in Arizona for a stint of training. In less than two weeks we return to the UK and events like Mt Sac relays and the Stanford Invitational will seem like miles away. We wish all athletics meets could be as enthusiastic and entertaining as this one...
Beginning to get busy at the Mt San Antonio College Track
The Mt Sac relays is basically an open athletics meeting. However it attracts some of the best athletes from across America aswell as many elite foreign athletes. Despite my withdrawal from the competition we decided to attend for the first two days to watch.
One of the main differences between this race and anything we get in the UK is the depth of the races. This means that rather than having a 5000m and a 10,000m for men and women, we sat through a total of six 10,000m races and eight 5000m races, each with around 30+ athletes in. It might sound comparable to watching some paint dry but for true athletics geeks like us it was great and we loved every minute. There were some great personal bests by some of the British athletes as well to boot.
After two days and 15 hours of athletics action (including an 11 hour stint on Friday) we felt pretty exhausted. The Mt Sac relays do in fact go on for another day on the Saturday, however we are heading to altitude in Arizona for a stint of training. In less than two weeks we return to the UK and events like Mt Sac relays and the Stanford Invitational will seem like miles away. We wish all athletics meets could be as enthusiastic and entertaining as this one...
Thursday 15 April 2010
Palm Springs
The 150th blog post! I’m glad you're still here!!
We had heard that Palm Springs was meant to be a nice, so took our opportunity to visit as we are based less than an hour away. So far we have had mixed opinions on US towns and cities and were wondering whether a trip to “LA’s retirement village” would possibly change that. One interesting fact about Palm Springs is that it has over 100 golf courses to satisfy its 40,000 strong population. Crazy!
When we arrived we thought it would be a good idea to drive randomly around the town to get a feel for it and inevitably got lost. As we drove aimlessly around the town we both thought it looked pretty; palm tree lined boulevards and grass on some of the sidewalks (yes we know, some Americans do actually know what grass is!) We ended up stumbling upon, what we would consider, the most European style recreation area we have seen since coming to the US. It was really nice and on a gloriously hot day we had our lunch there and basked in the sunshine for a couple of hours. We then had a wander around downtown Palm Springs, stopping at a café, before heading back to Joshua Tree.
Tomorrow we are heading to Walnut California to watch the Mt Sac relays. I’m hoping that Andrea won’t get too depressed as she was hoping to do this event, but all it means is that she gets to race more over the summer in the UK! And after the success of this blog, I’m sure she’s going to have hundreds of adoring fans lining the sidelines for her, chanting her name, when she makes her return! ;)
We had heard that Palm Springs was meant to be a nice, so took our opportunity to visit as we are based less than an hour away. So far we have had mixed opinions on US towns and cities and were wondering whether a trip to “LA’s retirement village” would possibly change that. One interesting fact about Palm Springs is that it has over 100 golf courses to satisfy its 40,000 strong population. Crazy!
When we arrived we thought it would be a good idea to drive randomly around the town to get a feel for it and inevitably got lost. As we drove aimlessly around the town we both thought it looked pretty; palm tree lined boulevards and grass on some of the sidewalks (yes we know, some Americans do actually know what grass is!) We ended up stumbling upon, what we would consider, the most European style recreation area we have seen since coming to the US. It was really nice and on a gloriously hot day we had our lunch there and basked in the sunshine for a couple of hours. We then had a wander around downtown Palm Springs, stopping at a café, before heading back to Joshua Tree.
Tomorrow we are heading to Walnut California to watch the Mt Sac relays. I’m hoping that Andrea won’t get too depressed as she was hoping to do this event, but all it means is that she gets to race more over the summer in the UK! And after the success of this blog, I’m sure she’s going to have hundreds of adoring fans lining the sidelines for her, chanting her name, when she makes her return! ;)
Wednesday 14 April 2010
Joshua Tree National Park
Before today, I thought that Joshua Tree was a rather random name for a national park. I wondered if it had maybe been named after someone. A Mr J. Tree. Perhaps a quite unfortunate name if there ever was one. It never once occurred to me that it was named this because of the type (and one of the only types) of tree that inhabit the park. The tree is called, yep you guessed it - the Joshua Tree.
The Joshua Tree
So as you can imagine, a large portion of the day was spent trying to get the perfect photo of a Joshua Tree. Tricky considering the number of things out to ‘get us’ and distract us from our mission. Kangaroo rats (we think), pheasant-y type birds, humongous beetles, prickly cacti and of course a large number of lizards - each demanding a portion of our time, attention and roll of camera film. Even the large, boulders and rocks that are scattered across the park - weathered into weird shapes and sizes - hindered us. Each cried out to be climbed or hopped across - or indeed to be sat on by a new lizard - one which we had not seen before so requiring excessive photographing and cataloguing by explorer Chris and his willing helper.
Joshua Tree National Park
Interesting rock formation
Lizard number 1
Lizard number 2
And so the day was spent in such fashion. We visited four or five different ‘points of interest’ in the Park and took a stupid number of photos. By the third stopping point Chris announced he didn’t need any more photos of cacti and we had to stop by the side of the road for a 20min sleep we were so exhausted. Nearing the end of the day, hope was beginning to fade of finding the elusive snake. I was devastated by this as you can imagine. Infact I celebrated with a rather large glass of Root beer upon our return to the motel and put my feet up (with a bag of ice) whilst Chris, dissatisfied with the days efforts decided to go out on the bike.
All in all a good day. Whilst the park was great, it was a little less spectacular than Yosemite or Death Valley national parks (sorry Mr Tree), however our furry and scaly friends more than made up for it.
So as you can imagine, a large portion of the day was spent trying to get the perfect photo of a Joshua Tree. Tricky considering the number of things out to ‘get us’ and distract us from our mission. Kangaroo rats (we think), pheasant-y type birds, humongous beetles, prickly cacti and of course a large number of lizards - each demanding a portion of our time, attention and roll of camera film. Even the large, boulders and rocks that are scattered across the park - weathered into weird shapes and sizes - hindered us. Each cried out to be climbed or hopped across - or indeed to be sat on by a new lizard - one which we had not seen before so requiring excessive photographing and cataloguing by explorer Chris and his willing helper.
And so the day was spent in such fashion. We visited four or five different ‘points of interest’ in the Park and took a stupid number of photos. By the third stopping point Chris announced he didn’t need any more photos of cacti and we had to stop by the side of the road for a 20min sleep we were so exhausted. Nearing the end of the day, hope was beginning to fade of finding the elusive snake. I was devastated by this as you can imagine. Infact I celebrated with a rather large glass of Root beer upon our return to the motel and put my feet up (with a bag of ice) whilst Chris, dissatisfied with the days efforts decided to go out on the bike.
All in all a good day. Whilst the park was great, it was a little less spectacular than Yosemite or Death Valley national parks (sorry Mr Tree), however our furry and scaly friends more than made up for it.
Tuesday 13 April 2010
Into the Desert
Today we left the sanctity and safety of city life and drove from Oceanside on the Californian coast into the South-Western Sierra Nevada to the small town of Joshua Tree. This is where our base is for the next few days while we visit Joshua Tree National Park (which is 10 minutes drive away) and the town of Palm Springs - where many of America’s rich retire to.
The town of Joshua Tree itself consists of not much more than a main road, a few motels and a few hundred houses. It seems that a whole industry has developed in the town to service the national park which is right next door. When we arrived in Joshua Tree we took a walk up one of the mountains just behind our motel to check out the landscape. We enjoy staying in the desert, partly because of its incredible beauty and also partly because there are not many people. It almost feels like we are discovering something new or at least seeing something that very few people in the world do.
Below is a photo of Joshua Tree and the mountains of the national park behind. We are both looking forward to visiting the national park tomorrow after our fantastic experiences in the last two. Bring it on…
The town of Joshua Tree when looking towards the mountains of the national park
The town of Joshua Tree itself consists of not much more than a main road, a few motels and a few hundred houses. It seems that a whole industry has developed in the town to service the national park which is right next door. When we arrived in Joshua Tree we took a walk up one of the mountains just behind our motel to check out the landscape. We enjoy staying in the desert, partly because of its incredible beauty and also partly because there are not many people. It almost feels like we are discovering something new or at least seeing something that very few people in the world do.
Below is a photo of Joshua Tree and the mountains of the national park behind. We are both looking forward to visiting the national park tomorrow after our fantastic experiences in the last two. Bring it on…
Monday 12 April 2010
Carlsbad 5000m
The main reason we were staying in Oceanside was so that we could watch the “world’s fastest 5000” road race in neighbouring Carlsbad. We were up early as the festival of running started early - the masters races began at 7:05am!!
When we arrived in Carlsbad most of the roads were shut off and there was a party atmosphere - live music, beer drinking and lots of stalls, oh yeah and some races going on. There were quite a few mass-participation races before the elite races got going and we enjoyed watching some gritted teeth, fancy dress and sprint finishes (which turn into walks by the finish line).
Unfortunately as the morning went on the wind picked up and by the time the elite races got going there was a gale blowing and any chances of course records (which also happen to be world records) went out the window. Despite the hard conditions the races were still strong and the men’s and women’s races were won by Eliud Kipchoge (two time Olympic medallist) and Meseret Defar (two time Olympic champion) respectively.
It was interesting to see how the races were organised and note differences between those in the UK and those we have seen here. There isn’t too much difference, although we particularly liked the idea that race participants were able to enjoy two free beers after the races in an open air bar!! UK race directors take note please. We like that idea a lot!!
Elite women getting on their way
When we arrived in Carlsbad most of the roads were shut off and there was a party atmosphere - live music, beer drinking and lots of stalls, oh yeah and some races going on. There were quite a few mass-participation races before the elite races got going and we enjoyed watching some gritted teeth, fancy dress and sprint finishes (which turn into walks by the finish line).
Unfortunately as the morning went on the wind picked up and by the time the elite races got going there was a gale blowing and any chances of course records (which also happen to be world records) went out the window. Despite the hard conditions the races were still strong and the men’s and women’s races were won by Eliud Kipchoge (two time Olympic medallist) and Meseret Defar (two time Olympic champion) respectively.
It was interesting to see how the races were organised and note differences between those in the UK and those we have seen here. There isn’t too much difference, although we particularly liked the idea that race participants were able to enjoy two free beers after the races in an open air bar!! UK race directors take note please. We like that idea a lot!!
Sunday 11 April 2010
Injury Woes :(
Bidding our farewells to Los Angeles (at least for four days anyway) today we were travelling about 80 miles south to a small town called Oceanside. I say 80 miles, but whether or not it was further or much closer I don’t know, in fact does anyone know where Los Angeles stops and other towns and cities start? It seemed as though we had only shortly got out of a built up area and then we had arrived at our next destination.
Oceanside is a small coastal town only forty miles north of San Diego. Despite it being a pretty little town with a busy beach, our primary reason for stopping here was to enable us to watch the Carlsbad 5km road race tomorrow - which is boasted to be the fastest 5km race in the world and attracts a high quality elite field. Oceanside is staggering distance from Carlsbad so it seemed a sensible choice.
An obliging pelican sitting on the pier overlooking Oceanside
We also bring some bad news today (and it isn’t that we are home in just two and a half weeks, although that is, granted, a pretty scary thought). Due to a niggling foot injury, coach Chris and myself have made the decision to pull out of the race next Friday, the Mt Sac Relays, and the race which I was most looking forward to. It’s gutting, but we’re hopeful the injury is not serious and that a few days of rest should take care of it. It also means that my target of reaching 2000 miles run in the duration of the trip is in serious jeopardy so fingers crossed I’ll be back on the training in the next few days…. In the meantime, it’s spectating for me and a few days of feeling like a blob!
Andrea
Oceanside is a small coastal town only forty miles north of San Diego. Despite it being a pretty little town with a busy beach, our primary reason for stopping here was to enable us to watch the Carlsbad 5km road race tomorrow - which is boasted to be the fastest 5km race in the world and attracts a high quality elite field. Oceanside is staggering distance from Carlsbad so it seemed a sensible choice.
We also bring some bad news today (and it isn’t that we are home in just two and a half weeks, although that is, granted, a pretty scary thought). Due to a niggling foot injury, coach Chris and myself have made the decision to pull out of the race next Friday, the Mt Sac Relays, and the race which I was most looking forward to. It’s gutting, but we’re hopeful the injury is not serious and that a few days of rest should take care of it. It also means that my target of reaching 2000 miles run in the duration of the trip is in serious jeopardy so fingers crossed I’ll be back on the training in the next few days…. In the meantime, it’s spectating for me and a few days of feeling like a blob!
Andrea
Friday 9 April 2010
Universal Studios
Wow, what a two days!
We wanted to do one of California’s big theme parks, Disneyland and Universal Studios Theme Park were two we had in mind, both were expensive but a “two days for the price of one” deal at Universal Studio’s Hollywood made our decision for us. For those who are unsure Universal Studios Theme Park is a theme park owned by Universal Studios, who make attractions which have themes from their movies.
The great thing about Universal Studios is that it literally has something for everyone. There are interactive shows on the production of Universal films including shows on ‘special effects’ and the ‘animal actors’ used in their films, while there are also more lavish productions with ‘real’ actors. There are also a few conventional rollercoaster’s for the greater thrill-seekers.
We ended up doing everything and some things more than once. Andrea surprised herself by even doing the rollercoaster rides. She has a bit of fear for this stuff, but in the end did actually really enjoy some of the scarier rides.
Out of the dozen or so attractions that we went to there was not a single one that we didn’t enjoy. In fact we enjoyed all of them. Our particular favourites were the Shrek 4D ride, Jurassic Park (Andrea’s favourite) and the Simpsons ride (my favourite).
We definitely have a bit more of a taste for theme parks. Andrea even says that she has lost a bit of her fear!! Our aim now is to get a Universal Studios franchise to open in the UK, care to sign our petition below??
Proof that we really are in Hollywood
Outside the Simpsons ride
Looking good in 3D glasses
We wanted to do one of California’s big theme parks, Disneyland and Universal Studios Theme Park were two we had in mind, both were expensive but a “two days for the price of one” deal at Universal Studio’s Hollywood made our decision for us. For those who are unsure Universal Studios Theme Park is a theme park owned by Universal Studios, who make attractions which have themes from their movies.
The great thing about Universal Studios is that it literally has something for everyone. There are interactive shows on the production of Universal films including shows on ‘special effects’ and the ‘animal actors’ used in their films, while there are also more lavish productions with ‘real’ actors. There are also a few conventional rollercoaster’s for the greater thrill-seekers.
We ended up doing everything and some things more than once. Andrea surprised herself by even doing the rollercoaster rides. She has a bit of fear for this stuff, but in the end did actually really enjoy some of the scarier rides.
Out of the dozen or so attractions that we went to there was not a single one that we didn’t enjoy. In fact we enjoyed all of them. Our particular favourites were the Shrek 4D ride, Jurassic Park (Andrea’s favourite) and the Simpsons ride (my favourite).
We definitely have a bit more of a taste for theme parks. Andrea even says that she has lost a bit of her fear!! Our aim now is to get a Universal Studios franchise to open in the UK, care to sign our petition below??
Tuesday 6 April 2010
Hollywood
Today, we tried to do the almost impossible – Hollywood and Beverly Hills on about $10. Before that though we had another challenge to overcome, the roads and traffic of Los Angeles. Roads seem so busy in LA, and every road seems to have multiple lanes, bizarre slips roads and tricky junctions. Add in the customary larger than normal potholes and an extensive array of crazy traffic fearless pedestrians and it can be somewhat stressful to take even the shorter of journeys.
We managed to navigate our way up to Beverly Hills without incident though (hootings of horns and potential near misses no longer count as ‘incidents’) and as an added bonus we sussed out some free street side parking down a pleasant looking side street. Beverly Hills seemed quite quiet and with a lot of boutique shops blatantly out of our price range, we wandered across to a road side park where we planned a spot of lunch. It was a nice day and we spent a bit of time sat in the park, which was basically a wide grass verge with some trees and a bench. A nice grass verge all the same!! Pleased with our free parking, we treated ourselves to a hot chocolate on one of the street side café’s before setting off to brave the roads up to Hollywood.
One of the first town signs we have seen without gunshot holes in it!
To be honest, we were both a little disappointed with Hollywood. Think Blackpool but maybe with more people and an even wider range of tourist shops and gimmicks. Even the stars embedded in the pavement failed to interest us a great deal, probably because we recognised only about ten of the names in the whole street. We did manage to get a snap of the Hollywood sign on the hill, so we can honestly say it is now ticked off the list and we don’t need to ever return.
The gov'nar!!
The Hollywood sign between the Paris Hilton and Kick-Ass boards
Before we headed back, we took a short drive up onto the hills and along Mulholland Drive where we were pleasantly surprised by some of the views of the city. Los Angeles looked surprisingly green from a height, but you also got to see just how big a place it is. There are buildings as far as you can see and at any one time there seems to be around four aircraft in the sky leaving or arriving at one of LA’s many airports.
We’re not blown away by LA, but maybe our jaunt to Universal Studios in the next couple of days will sweeten us up a bit!
We managed to navigate our way up to Beverly Hills without incident though (hootings of horns and potential near misses no longer count as ‘incidents’) and as an added bonus we sussed out some free street side parking down a pleasant looking side street. Beverly Hills seemed quite quiet and with a lot of boutique shops blatantly out of our price range, we wandered across to a road side park where we planned a spot of lunch. It was a nice day and we spent a bit of time sat in the park, which was basically a wide grass verge with some trees and a bench. A nice grass verge all the same!! Pleased with our free parking, we treated ourselves to a hot chocolate on one of the street side café’s before setting off to brave the roads up to Hollywood.
To be honest, we were both a little disappointed with Hollywood. Think Blackpool but maybe with more people and an even wider range of tourist shops and gimmicks. Even the stars embedded in the pavement failed to interest us a great deal, probably because we recognised only about ten of the names in the whole street. We did manage to get a snap of the Hollywood sign on the hill, so we can honestly say it is now ticked off the list and we don’t need to ever return.
Before we headed back, we took a short drive up onto the hills and along Mulholland Drive where we were pleasantly surprised by some of the views of the city. Los Angeles looked surprisingly green from a height, but you also got to see just how big a place it is. There are buildings as far as you can see and at any one time there seems to be around four aircraft in the sky leaving or arriving at one of LA’s many airports.
We’re not blown away by LA, but maybe our jaunt to Universal Studios in the next couple of days will sweeten us up a bit!
Sunday 4 April 2010
Death Valley and Sand Dune Races
From our base at Ridgecrest we would be able to visit our second national park in the space of a week - the frighteningly named, Death Valley. We had enjoyed Yosemite so much earlier in the week that we had high hopes for what Death Valley lay in store for us.
After a short run in the morning we hit the road and after crossing some steep mountains (we rose around 4000 feet in 10 miles) we descended into the valley. We were immediately struck by the incredible views, which stayed amazing all day. In every direction there were jaw-dropping mountains surrounding us, different colours, structures and shapes meant that no view was the same. The park was massive and with only one day to explore we had to pick and chose our selections wisely.
Our first major destination (apart from all the pitstops for photos) were the sand dunes, which we passed on our drive in. They are what a lot of people think of when they think of a desert. If it hadn’t bee for the crowds of people we could have imagined we were in the Sahara Desert. I found out on Wikipedia the night before that Star Wars had been filmed around here. In fact the whole of Death Valley is very popular with Hollywood, perhaps because of its close proximity… After some photos me and Andrea ended up having a race running up and down some sand dunes. The video of which is below. I won’t tell you who won, you’ll just have to watch!!
Relaxing on the Sand Dunes
We then headed south and deeper into Death Valley to Americas lowest point - Badwater. It sits approximately 280 feet below sea level and is famous for its salt plains and perhaps also for the crazy 135mile ultra marathon which starts from here every July. The salt is so white it can almost be mistaken for snow and we both had to check (just to be sure) when we crossed onto it. It was here that we saw our first film crew of the day, who were doing something involving wedding dresses!!…who knows what!!
Badwater Plains. Its not cold its actually really really hot!!
We then started to head back via Zabriski Point, which overlooks the highest and lowest points in Death Valley. Here there are some amazing rock formations which have developed over thousands of years. We also saw another film crew shooting a music video. We felt quite sorry for the band as they were all dressed up and the day was pretty hot… We got some photos and then headed back. Zabriskie point was a great way to round off an amazing day of exploring. Tomorrow Los Angeles beckons us…
Zabriski Point overlooking Telescope Mountain and Badwater
After a short run in the morning we hit the road and after crossing some steep mountains (we rose around 4000 feet in 10 miles) we descended into the valley. We were immediately struck by the incredible views, which stayed amazing all day. In every direction there were jaw-dropping mountains surrounding us, different colours, structures and shapes meant that no view was the same. The park was massive and with only one day to explore we had to pick and chose our selections wisely.
Our first major destination (apart from all the pitstops for photos) were the sand dunes, which we passed on our drive in. They are what a lot of people think of when they think of a desert. If it hadn’t bee for the crowds of people we could have imagined we were in the Sahara Desert. I found out on Wikipedia the night before that Star Wars had been filmed around here. In fact the whole of Death Valley is very popular with Hollywood, perhaps because of its close proximity… After some photos me and Andrea ended up having a race running up and down some sand dunes. The video of which is below. I won’t tell you who won, you’ll just have to watch!!
We then headed south and deeper into Death Valley to Americas lowest point - Badwater. It sits approximately 280 feet below sea level and is famous for its salt plains and perhaps also for the crazy 135mile ultra marathon which starts from here every July. The salt is so white it can almost be mistaken for snow and we both had to check (just to be sure) when we crossed onto it. It was here that we saw our first film crew of the day, who were doing something involving wedding dresses!!…who knows what!!
We then started to head back via Zabriski Point, which overlooks the highest and lowest points in Death Valley. Here there are some amazing rock formations which have developed over thousands of years. We also saw another film crew shooting a music video. We felt quite sorry for the band as they were all dressed up and the day was pretty hot… We got some photos and then headed back. Zabriskie point was a great way to round off an amazing day of exploring. Tomorrow Los Angeles beckons us…
Saturday 3 April 2010
A Drive into the Desert
Having exhausted all the free activities in Santa Barbara, today we were bound for Ridgecrest, a small town in the Californian desert. Sitting two hundred miles from Santa Barbara we planned to use Ridgecrest as our base from which to explore the sinisterly named Death Valley National Park - another park which comes highly recommended by the guide books and locals.
We managed to complete the journey in an almost unheard of two stops, although this was most in part due to the fact we were on a highway with no stopping places not because of the lack of potential photo opportunities. After an hour or so driving along the coast road, we veered off in land and it wasn’t long before we hit the desert. I wasn’t expecting to see camels and cacti however I was still a little surprised at what awaited us. There were vast flat plains with nothing but sand and a few bushes, but then you had spectacular red, brown and orange mountains at either side. Every so often, you came across a little cluster of houses, semi deserted, a bit like something from a horror movie. It therefore came a bit unexpected that we experienced some of the best bits of road so far in the US. On what must be newly sealed roads there were none of our friends - messers pothole, crack and ridge were to be seen. Strange how you learn to appreciate simple things!
One of the views from the car
We stopped briefly in Red Rock Canyon State Park which was enroute and took a short walk up the nearest hill to snap the scenery. The red rocks were amazing, but having listened to Chris talk endlessly for days about which snakes he wishes to spot, and remembering half way up about the existence of scorpions, I have to admit that progress was somewhat hindered by unusual serpent shaped twigs and branches which suddenly seemed to be everywhere.
Red rock canyon park
We arrived in Ridgecrest mid afternoon - just enough time to have a quick explore and check out not one but two supermarkets (one twice!). Ridgecrest seems quite quiet but one of the biggest places we’d seen since entering the desert. It seems to have everything you might need although probably only attracts people like us - on route to Death Valley. It’s a good temperature here but very windy. It’s meant to be like this all weekend. Always the way when there’s a track session looming!
We managed to complete the journey in an almost unheard of two stops, although this was most in part due to the fact we were on a highway with no stopping places not because of the lack of potential photo opportunities. After an hour or so driving along the coast road, we veered off in land and it wasn’t long before we hit the desert. I wasn’t expecting to see camels and cacti however I was still a little surprised at what awaited us. There were vast flat plains with nothing but sand and a few bushes, but then you had spectacular red, brown and orange mountains at either side. Every so often, you came across a little cluster of houses, semi deserted, a bit like something from a horror movie. It therefore came a bit unexpected that we experienced some of the best bits of road so far in the US. On what must be newly sealed roads there were none of our friends - messers pothole, crack and ridge were to be seen. Strange how you learn to appreciate simple things!
We stopped briefly in Red Rock Canyon State Park which was enroute and took a short walk up the nearest hill to snap the scenery. The red rocks were amazing, but having listened to Chris talk endlessly for days about which snakes he wishes to spot, and remembering half way up about the existence of scorpions, I have to admit that progress was somewhat hindered by unusual serpent shaped twigs and branches which suddenly seemed to be everywhere.
We arrived in Ridgecrest mid afternoon - just enough time to have a quick explore and check out not one but two supermarkets (one twice!). Ridgecrest seems quite quiet but one of the biggest places we’d seen since entering the desert. It seems to have everything you might need although probably only attracts people like us - on route to Death Valley. It’s a good temperature here but very windy. It’s meant to be like this all weekend. Always the way when there’s a track session looming!
Friday 2 April 2010
Santa Barbara
We are so glad that we chose to stop off at Santa Barbara. It really is a beautiful little town, with palm trees lining all of the main routes through the town and the Los Padres National Forest covering the mountains as a backdrop. It is idyllic and unsurprisingly has made Santa Barbara a hotspot for retirees and tourists alike.
Our motel is situated on the main road into Santa Barbara, so in the morning we took a walk through to the main shopping strip. We found that there were many up-market restaurants and cafes and even on a Thursday morning it was really busy. We continued down to the beaches and piers, stopping off for a tasty burger along the way, before making our way back.
The view of Santa Barbara towards the sea from the courthouse tower
The promenade
In the afternoon we had a walk around a mission that was set up by the Mexicans to bring Catholicism to the American public in the late 1700’s. We took some pictures from the outside and then had a sunbathe on the lawn before wandering around a botanical garden in the north of the town. Our attention span for native Californian plants was pretty low and we again descended into lizard spotting! How sad we are!
The Mission
We really enjoyed our short stay in the town and have exhausted most of the free activities here. Maybe some day we will return with a bit more money to enjoy some more of Santa Barbara’s fine dining and fancy bars!!
Our motel is situated on the main road into Santa Barbara, so in the morning we took a walk through to the main shopping strip. We found that there were many up-market restaurants and cafes and even on a Thursday morning it was really busy. We continued down to the beaches and piers, stopping off for a tasty burger along the way, before making our way back.
In the afternoon we had a walk around a mission that was set up by the Mexicans to bring Catholicism to the American public in the late 1700’s. We took some pictures from the outside and then had a sunbathe on the lawn before wandering around a botanical garden in the north of the town. Our attention span for native Californian plants was pretty low and we again descended into lizard spotting! How sad we are!
We really enjoyed our short stay in the town and have exhausted most of the free activities here. Maybe some day we will return with a bit more money to enjoy some more of Santa Barbara’s fine dining and fancy bars!!
Thursday 1 April 2010
Big Sur, the Californian Coast and the Return of the Lizard
Today we bade farewell to San Francisco. It had been a great few days and we were sorry to leave. Having now boshed out the rest of our accommodation bookings for the remainder of the trip (all of four weeks :( ) we have lots of look forward to. Our itinerary for today involved meandering our way to Santa Barbara, 300 miles away down the Californian coast. We planned to take the scenic route which took us through ‘Big Sur’, a popular and recommended area due to the great views of the coast.
Despite getting on the road by 10am, it took us most of the day to reach our destination. Our progress was severely stalled by the frequent stops we had to make once we entered the Big Sur region, and the discoveries we made. We had planned a stop in Julia Pfeiffer State Park where we knew of a short walk we could complete, however by the time we had even reached there, a fair few photo stops had already taken place and we were already behind schedule. The reason? The views of the pacific ocean were truly magnificent, and it was simply impossible not to stop to try and capture the images – even with a camera which really doesn’t do it justice.
Some amazing coastline
After arriving at the State Park, it then took us over an hour to undertake what was around an 1km walk. It didn’t take long to photograph the waterfall into the sea, or the cliff view, but it was here we made an exciting, or should I say, two exciting discoveries. Yep, the lizards are back!! The first lizard was basking in the sun on a rock and Chris was able to get close enough to take about 20 photos. Then just when we started back to the car, I made an even more exciting spot, in a bigger lizard – with a blue tail. I think I win this one.
Chris spoiling the view of the waterfall
The lizards are back
Almost Chris' best ever photo!
Happy with our wildlife spots, we got back on the road and with over 150 miles still to travel and with it already getting late in the afternoon, we were determined not to stop again. We were doing quite well until we saw a gaggle of people in a car park ahead. They seemed to be looking out at the beach to where there were lots of light brown, long rocks. Strange. We weren’t entirely sure what was going on. As we approached, I suddenly realised that these ‘rocks’ were actually the biggest seals I have ever seen in my whole life. A rather dodgy, last minute manoevure from Chris and we careered into the car park on two wheels to investigate.
There was hundreds of what are called ‘elephant seals’ just sleeping and flipping sand over themselves on the beach. It was amusing to be so amused by a bunch of fat seals who were so lazy they almost looked dead. Chris rather liked watching a particularly fat seal ‘shimmy’(?) down to the sea – blubber wobbling in ajelly like way. I think I might quite like to be a seal when I grow up.
We still couldn’t get back to the car though as there was a tiny bunny and then a cheeky squirrel in the bushes demanding their photos taken. It was a bit like something from a film where the animals are out to get you.
Fat seals!
Cheeky squirrel
Finally, much later than planned we made it to Santa Barbara, where a run in the dark for me followed whilst Chris recovered from his nausea after having to pay twice the price for some petrol at some country garage (we were pretty low). Despite the travelling, it was a pretty cool day and just what we had been hoping for.
Despite getting on the road by 10am, it took us most of the day to reach our destination. Our progress was severely stalled by the frequent stops we had to make once we entered the Big Sur region, and the discoveries we made. We had planned a stop in Julia Pfeiffer State Park where we knew of a short walk we could complete, however by the time we had even reached there, a fair few photo stops had already taken place and we were already behind schedule. The reason? The views of the pacific ocean were truly magnificent, and it was simply impossible not to stop to try and capture the images – even with a camera which really doesn’t do it justice.
After arriving at the State Park, it then took us over an hour to undertake what was around an 1km walk. It didn’t take long to photograph the waterfall into the sea, or the cliff view, but it was here we made an exciting, or should I say, two exciting discoveries. Yep, the lizards are back!! The first lizard was basking in the sun on a rock and Chris was able to get close enough to take about 20 photos. Then just when we started back to the car, I made an even more exciting spot, in a bigger lizard – with a blue tail. I think I win this one.
Happy with our wildlife spots, we got back on the road and with over 150 miles still to travel and with it already getting late in the afternoon, we were determined not to stop again. We were doing quite well until we saw a gaggle of people in a car park ahead. They seemed to be looking out at the beach to where there were lots of light brown, long rocks. Strange. We weren’t entirely sure what was going on. As we approached, I suddenly realised that these ‘rocks’ were actually the biggest seals I have ever seen in my whole life. A rather dodgy, last minute manoevure from Chris and we careered into the car park on two wheels to investigate.
There was hundreds of what are called ‘elephant seals’ just sleeping and flipping sand over themselves on the beach. It was amusing to be so amused by a bunch of fat seals who were so lazy they almost looked dead. Chris rather liked watching a particularly fat seal ‘shimmy’(?) down to the sea – blubber wobbling in ajelly like way. I think I might quite like to be a seal when I grow up.
We still couldn’t get back to the car though as there was a tiny bunny and then a cheeky squirrel in the bushes demanding their photos taken. It was a bit like something from a film where the animals are out to get you.
Finally, much later than planned we made it to Santa Barbara, where a run in the dark for me followed whilst Chris recovered from his nausea after having to pay twice the price for some petrol at some country garage (we were pretty low). Despite the travelling, it was a pretty cool day and just what we had been hoping for.
Tuesday 30 March 2010
Yosemite Park
After visting a dozen or so Oregon state parks over the first 7 weeks of our stay in the states, today we finally got to see one of the big guns - a national park! A mere four hours (!!) away from San Francisco was Yosemite National Park (pronounced Yo-Sem-It-Ee) and we were determined to see as much of it as time would allow.
We were up at 5am so that Andrea could do a track session at a nearby high school before it opened at 8am. It went well and we then came back and rushed to get ready so we could hit the road as early as possible. It was a long drive and with only my rough drawn map we managed to get to the park perimeter with only one 20 minute detour.
Our primary destination was the Yosemite Valley, which is the main tourist center, mainly because of the incredible views of the many waterfalls and surrounding cliff faces. There are also many trails and walks that hikers may take up to the fall heads and in the valley itself there were many families on bikes and the odd jogger making the most of the miles of paths.
On driving into the park we were immediately struck by some of the magnificent views of the valley. There were some convenient stopping places, so rather than driving off the road trying to crane my neck to have a look, we were able to stop and get a proper peak.
Messing about
Looking across the valley
After 4-5 photo stops we eventually reached the valley basin and headed for the trail leading to Nevada Falls. The previous evening we had been advised to take a look at them by some of Doug’s friends. However, we found that a few of the trails were closed off, so what should have been a 5mile round trip, would have turned into a 10-12 mile trip. On our tired legs we decided to give it a miss, but still managed to get some more great views of Vernal Falls and the other side of the valley (to what we had seen on the way in) at the cliff top.
Yosemite Falls
On our way home we stopped by a Sequoia grove. A Sequoia tree being the most massive living entity on the planet. Andrea was really tired from having done two runs and already walking half-way up a mountain at altitude so I decided to go it alone. It was getting dark and it was meant to be a 3mile round trip, so inevitably I decided to run it. Having not run for a couple of months, running on 2feet of snow and at 5000ft altitude wasn’t the easiest. Especially on the way back which was all up hill!! After forty minutes I returned, very tired and hot. Luckily nobody saw me stripped to my underwear as I ran back up the hill towards the car. I did say I got hot didn’t I!!
Sequoia Tree
We eventually arrived back at our motel at 11pm. A very long day, but totally worth it. We’re looking forward to our next national parks now!!
We were up at 5am so that Andrea could do a track session at a nearby high school before it opened at 8am. It went well and we then came back and rushed to get ready so we could hit the road as early as possible. It was a long drive and with only my rough drawn map we managed to get to the park perimeter with only one 20 minute detour.
Our primary destination was the Yosemite Valley, which is the main tourist center, mainly because of the incredible views of the many waterfalls and surrounding cliff faces. There are also many trails and walks that hikers may take up to the fall heads and in the valley itself there were many families on bikes and the odd jogger making the most of the miles of paths.
On driving into the park we were immediately struck by some of the magnificent views of the valley. There were some convenient stopping places, so rather than driving off the road trying to crane my neck to have a look, we were able to stop and get a proper peak.
After 4-5 photo stops we eventually reached the valley basin and headed for the trail leading to Nevada Falls. The previous evening we had been advised to take a look at them by some of Doug’s friends. However, we found that a few of the trails were closed off, so what should have been a 5mile round trip, would have turned into a 10-12 mile trip. On our tired legs we decided to give it a miss, but still managed to get some more great views of Vernal Falls and the other side of the valley (to what we had seen on the way in) at the cliff top.
On our way home we stopped by a Sequoia grove. A Sequoia tree being the most massive living entity on the planet. Andrea was really tired from having done two runs and already walking half-way up a mountain at altitude so I decided to go it alone. It was getting dark and it was meant to be a 3mile round trip, so inevitably I decided to run it. Having not run for a couple of months, running on 2feet of snow and at 5000ft altitude wasn’t the easiest. Especially on the way back which was all up hill!! After forty minutes I returned, very tired and hot. Luckily nobody saw me stripped to my underwear as I ran back up the hill towards the car. I did say I got hot didn’t I!!
We eventually arrived back at our motel at 11pm. A very long day, but totally worth it. We’re looking forward to our next national parks now!!
Monday 29 March 2010
Pier 39 and a traditional Japanese dinner
After only a couple of days out of Eugene we are well back on the tourist bandwagon and today continued our discovery of San Francisco.
After a long run around Alameda, just ten minutes drive from our Motel and a nicer area (ie looks like there may be less chance being shot), we headed into downtown San Francisco. We had a couple of items on our itinery for the day - firstly a trip to Pier 39 - home of the sea lions and hoards of fellow tourists and then onto Doug’s house (who we met on our Kiwi run tour) for a spot of dinner and socialising.
Pier 39 didn’t disappoint despite us feeling a little chilly in our shorts. The pier consisted of lots of typical souvenir shops and a number of delicious looking (and smelling) café’s. We marvelled at them for a while whilst sat outside eating our squashed homemade cheese sandwiches, planning what we would buy when we come back with nice fat juicy bank accounts. We didn’t stay too long as I was keen to see the sea lions. I have to admit to not really knowing what a sea lion was - I thought they were basically seals. I wouldn’t have been so far wrong except they are absolutely huge! Bigger even than me, and not something I’d like to have fall on top of me that’s for sure (not sure I‘ll ever be in a situation where that could happen though so it‘s all good). They had attracted quite a crowd, and were entertaining everyone by barking loudly and plopping off the pier into the water for a swim.
Pier 39 Sealions
Crazy backflipping breakdancers in town
After negotiating the street car back to Doug’s house, we spent the rest the afternoon and evening with Doug, Doug’s wife Kazumi, and Emi, Doug’s daughter, aswell as another couple of Doug’s friends. We had a really enjoyable evening and Kazumi cooked a traditional Japanese meal which was delicious and more than made up for our budget lunch. After dinner, I was challenged to some Wii fit by Emi and I was horrified to achieve a ‘Wii Fit age’ of 37!! I’m going to blame that on the couple of glasses of champagne consumed beforehand, either that or the machine malfunctioned just when I stepped on and then was fine for everyone else!
Our fantastic hosts
After a long run around Alameda, just ten minutes drive from our Motel and a nicer area (ie looks like there may be less chance being shot), we headed into downtown San Francisco. We had a couple of items on our itinery for the day - firstly a trip to Pier 39 - home of the sea lions and hoards of fellow tourists and then onto Doug’s house (who we met on our Kiwi run tour) for a spot of dinner and socialising.
Pier 39 didn’t disappoint despite us feeling a little chilly in our shorts. The pier consisted of lots of typical souvenir shops and a number of delicious looking (and smelling) café’s. We marvelled at them for a while whilst sat outside eating our squashed homemade cheese sandwiches, planning what we would buy when we come back with nice fat juicy bank accounts. We didn’t stay too long as I was keen to see the sea lions. I have to admit to not really knowing what a sea lion was - I thought they were basically seals. I wouldn’t have been so far wrong except they are absolutely huge! Bigger even than me, and not something I’d like to have fall on top of me that’s for sure (not sure I‘ll ever be in a situation where that could happen though so it‘s all good). They had attracted quite a crowd, and were entertaining everyone by barking loudly and plopping off the pier into the water for a swim.
After negotiating the street car back to Doug’s house, we spent the rest the afternoon and evening with Doug, Doug’s wife Kazumi, and Emi, Doug’s daughter, aswell as another couple of Doug’s friends. We had a really enjoyable evening and Kazumi cooked a traditional Japanese meal which was delicious and more than made up for our budget lunch. After dinner, I was challenged to some Wii fit by Emi and I was horrified to achieve a ‘Wii Fit age’ of 37!! I’m going to blame that on the couple of glasses of champagne consumed beforehand, either that or the machine malfunctioned just when I stepped on and then was fine for everyone else!
Sunday 28 March 2010
San Francisco
The great news about our rental car meant that we would be able to spend some time in the bay area and central California. We were both really excited that we would be able to see a bit more of the area than we had initially anticipated and today we made the most of it.
After renewing our car rental agreement in central San Francisco we had some lunch in Union Square, where there was some street dancing and filming going on for some tv program. We’ll never know which one, but our performance of ‘excited faces in crowd; number 100 and 101’ means that we are probably going to be in high demand as we venture south to Hollywood in a couple of weeks.
After lunch we set out on our driving tour of San Francisco, which was a great way to see some of the cities most famous sights in 3-4 hours. Our first stop was Lombard Street, the wiggliest street in America, which was born out of a need to reduce the 27% gradient so that cars could still drive down it. It is also made famous by movies ‘Bullitt‘, ‘Vertigo’ and ‘Herbie the love bug’! The top of the street is also one of the highest points in downtown San Francisco and gave us some great views of the city and also of ‘Alcatraz Prison’!
Lombard Street, America's turniest street!
Alcatraz - home of some naughty naughty men
We then took a drive past Golden Gate Bridge, which is what most people think about when they think about San Francisco. We managed to find a free car park (of course) a hundred meters away from the really touristy pay one. It is an amazing sight and we were pleased we managed to get some good shots. We then drove along some of the headlands, through some of the posh areas of San Francisco and through Golden Gate Park, which is similar to New York’s Central Park, I.e. massive. It was very pretty and green and unsurprisingly very busy. Everyone likes to go to the nice parks on a sunny day!!
My face ruining the Golden gate photo
That's better!!
We had a great day and so far, as tourists, San Francisco is our favourite area of the US so far. Looking forward to another days sightseeing tomorrow…
After renewing our car rental agreement in central San Francisco we had some lunch in Union Square, where there was some street dancing and filming going on for some tv program. We’ll never know which one, but our performance of ‘excited faces in crowd; number 100 and 101’ means that we are probably going to be in high demand as we venture south to Hollywood in a couple of weeks.
After lunch we set out on our driving tour of San Francisco, which was a great way to see some of the cities most famous sights in 3-4 hours. Our first stop was Lombard Street, the wiggliest street in America, which was born out of a need to reduce the 27% gradient so that cars could still drive down it. It is also made famous by movies ‘Bullitt‘, ‘Vertigo’ and ‘Herbie the love bug’! The top of the street is also one of the highest points in downtown San Francisco and gave us some great views of the city and also of ‘Alcatraz Prison’!
We then took a drive past Golden Gate Bridge, which is what most people think about when they think about San Francisco. We managed to find a free car park (of course) a hundred meters away from the really touristy pay one. It is an amazing sight and we were pleased we managed to get some good shots. We then drove along some of the headlands, through some of the posh areas of San Francisco and through Golden Gate Park, which is similar to New York’s Central Park, I.e. massive. It was very pretty and green and unsurprisingly very busy. Everyone likes to go to the nice parks on a sunny day!!
We had a great day and so far, as tourists, San Francisco is our favourite area of the US so far. Looking forward to another days sightseeing tomorrow…
Saturday 27 March 2010
Stanford Invitational
We made it to San Francisco in a mere eleven hours yesterday and were able to get a good night’s sleep despite our Motel being virtually on the Freeway itself. We were excited because today was the Stanford Invitational. The track season is officially underway when it comes round to Stanford and the start lists for the distance races looked great.
The day got off to a great start when the car rental company in San Francisco saw sense and agreed to let us renew our rental agreement in the city rather than making a special six hour one way trip to Los Angeles. It means that we can stay a bit longer and explore. The day got even better when we stumbled upon a Nike Store in the city centre and the long searched for snazzy racing vest was purchased. We had an hour or so wandering around down town San Francisco killing some time. The centre seems quite nice. There are some high rise buildings (Chris’s favourite) and we also went to the Union Square which is busy and has lots of trams, shops and café’s. We’re looking forward to exploring later in the week when I am not sick with nerves at the prospect of running 12.5 laps of the track.
We arrived at Stanford University mid afternoon and had quite a long wait until my race which was scheduled for 8:23pm. This would be my first 5000m in nearly two years and we were hoping to inflict some serious damage on my personal best time. Conditions were perfect and despite my training being a little up and down over the past month, we were fairly confident that we would be able to achieve our target time. The result? 10th place in 16:08.
It is strange how when the gun fires, everything you have learnt over the last few races can be instantaneously forgotten. The best way to run is by going off steady and picking it up as the race goes on. That is what we had planned. That is what has worked so well for me over the last few races. ‘Whatever you do, you shouldn’t lead it’ Chris had warned me before the race. Ahem, yes well, I wanted to run my target lap times, I wanted to run a consistent pace the whole way, I wanted to make my target happen rather than rely on other people to pace me, what other excuses can I think off? I was so focused on running my times, I forgot about working my way into it, picking it up as the race went on. It seems crazy that I lead the race for over a mile as a group of seriously fast people (much faster than me) all bunched up behind me. The pace I was running was only slightly quicker than what we were planning so it wasn’t a disastrous plan, however the effect of some interrupted training showed and I became really tired on the last few laps and my hopes of breaking 16 minutes were gone. A more conservative effort earlier on and it may have been different. I thought I had been teleported back two or three years when I used to do this sort of thing quite often. I haven’t done it for ages, and I hope it’s ages before I race that way again. I have never been so disappointed about running a 31 second personal best before (it‘s strange how after the race all sense of perspective is instantaneously forgotten too)!
We hung around for the next couple of races and watched the women’s NCAA 10,000m record being broken in an amazing solo run by Lisa Koll. It was great to watch but slightly sickening to know that I was running a slower pace in my 5K than she was for double the distance. I have a lot of work to do. Let’s get on with the training!
The day got off to a great start when the car rental company in San Francisco saw sense and agreed to let us renew our rental agreement in the city rather than making a special six hour one way trip to Los Angeles. It means that we can stay a bit longer and explore. The day got even better when we stumbled upon a Nike Store in the city centre and the long searched for snazzy racing vest was purchased. We had an hour or so wandering around down town San Francisco killing some time. The centre seems quite nice. There are some high rise buildings (Chris’s favourite) and we also went to the Union Square which is busy and has lots of trams, shops and café’s. We’re looking forward to exploring later in the week when I am not sick with nerves at the prospect of running 12.5 laps of the track.
We arrived at Stanford University mid afternoon and had quite a long wait until my race which was scheduled for 8:23pm. This would be my first 5000m in nearly two years and we were hoping to inflict some serious damage on my personal best time. Conditions were perfect and despite my training being a little up and down over the past month, we were fairly confident that we would be able to achieve our target time. The result? 10th place in 16:08.
It is strange how when the gun fires, everything you have learnt over the last few races can be instantaneously forgotten. The best way to run is by going off steady and picking it up as the race goes on. That is what we had planned. That is what has worked so well for me over the last few races. ‘Whatever you do, you shouldn’t lead it’ Chris had warned me before the race. Ahem, yes well, I wanted to run my target lap times, I wanted to run a consistent pace the whole way, I wanted to make my target happen rather than rely on other people to pace me, what other excuses can I think off? I was so focused on running my times, I forgot about working my way into it, picking it up as the race went on. It seems crazy that I lead the race for over a mile as a group of seriously fast people (much faster than me) all bunched up behind me. The pace I was running was only slightly quicker than what we were planning so it wasn’t a disastrous plan, however the effect of some interrupted training showed and I became really tired on the last few laps and my hopes of breaking 16 minutes were gone. A more conservative effort earlier on and it may have been different. I thought I had been teleported back two or three years when I used to do this sort of thing quite often. I haven’t done it for ages, and I hope it’s ages before I race that way again. I have never been so disappointed about running a 31 second personal best before (it‘s strange how after the race all sense of perspective is instantaneously forgotten too)!
We hung around for the next couple of races and watched the women’s NCAA 10,000m record being broken in an amazing solo run by Lisa Koll. It was great to watch but slightly sickening to know that I was running a slower pace in my 5K than she was for double the distance. I have a lot of work to do. Let’s get on with the training!
Friday 26 March 2010
Watch the Stanford Invite live on Flotrack
Follow the link. Coverage starts at 12:30am GMT on Saturday morning and finishes at 6:30am. Andrea's race is at approximately 3:25am.
Flotrack LIVE coverage of Stanford Invitational
See you then...
Flotrack LIVE coverage of Stanford Invitational
See you then...
Wednesday 24 March 2010
Leaving Eugene
After just over seven weeks, we are finally leaving Eugene. We have grown quite attached to our one bedroom apartment and the running and cycling routes we do every day. But everything has to come to an end. This was always meant to be a recuperative section of our trip and now we feel ready to hit the road again and do some more traveling like we did in Australia but this time in California.
So we are both excited and a little bit sad. We have some fantastic things to look forward to over the next month. On Friday this week Andrea is racing a 5000m in Palo Alto (just south of San Francisco), before doing some more races around Los Angeles and Carlsbad. These are races that we have wanted to do for some time, so to finally be going to them is very very exciting.
Inbetween the races we hope to do a load of sightseeing and see some of California’s National Parks and famous sights. We are still unsure of our overall plans as a lot depends on our rental car (we may have to drive 6 hours south to Los Angeles for no good reason this weekend and we won‘t know until Friday). After that we have organised staying with some runners in Flagstaff Arizona for just over a week before heading to Las Vegas for a few days of glitz and glamour before flying home. It certainly looks like it is going to be an action packed month and we can’t wait!!
When we first arrived in the US, Andrea wrote about some of the differences we noticed between the US and UK. I think it is now time to add to that list. So some more things that we have learnt whilst in Eugene:
1, Very very few people ever walk anywhere. The car reins supreme.
2, Customer service is great here. Capitalism reins supreme.
3, There are hundreds of homeless people in Eugene. A big downside of the version of free market capitalism that the US thrives on.
4, IHop pancakes are amazing.
5, Denny’s burgers are amazing.
6, The national anthem is played a lot. Before all sports events and even before we get to ride a mechanical bull in a cowboy bar.
7, National and local pride is woven into the fabric of American society. Everyone supports the ducks (the University of Oregon) and wears the gear. When I say everyone, I mean everyone!! (well maybe 50%).
8, Eugene lives up to the title of “Track Town USA”.
See you in San Francisco!!!
So we are both excited and a little bit sad. We have some fantastic things to look forward to over the next month. On Friday this week Andrea is racing a 5000m in Palo Alto (just south of San Francisco), before doing some more races around Los Angeles and Carlsbad. These are races that we have wanted to do for some time, so to finally be going to them is very very exciting.
Inbetween the races we hope to do a load of sightseeing and see some of California’s National Parks and famous sights. We are still unsure of our overall plans as a lot depends on our rental car (we may have to drive 6 hours south to Los Angeles for no good reason this weekend and we won‘t know until Friday). After that we have organised staying with some runners in Flagstaff Arizona for just over a week before heading to Las Vegas for a few days of glitz and glamour before flying home. It certainly looks like it is going to be an action packed month and we can’t wait!!
When we first arrived in the US, Andrea wrote about some of the differences we noticed between the US and UK. I think it is now time to add to that list. So some more things that we have learnt whilst in Eugene:
1, Very very few people ever walk anywhere. The car reins supreme.
2, Customer service is great here. Capitalism reins supreme.
3, There are hundreds of homeless people in Eugene. A big downside of the version of free market capitalism that the US thrives on.
4, IHop pancakes are amazing.
5, Denny’s burgers are amazing.
6, The national anthem is played a lot. Before all sports events and even before we get to ride a mechanical bull in a cowboy bar.
7, National and local pride is woven into the fabric of American society. Everyone supports the ducks (the University of Oregon) and wears the gear. When I say everyone, I mean everyone!! (well maybe 50%).
8, Eugene lives up to the title of “Track Town USA”.
See you in San Francisco!!!
Sunday 21 March 2010
Oregon Preview
So today was the long awaited outdoor track season opener. We had both been looking forward to this meet for weeks. Having been to watch the Ducks compete in a range of sports, we would finally get the opportunity to see them compete at home in what is of course the best sport. We were interested to see how much interest this early season meeting evoked in the general public and if Eugene lives up to it’s name of ‘Track Town USA’ in terms of public interest, not just by the number and quality of athletes.
I was also making my 2010 outdoor season debut, and as preparation for future races in the season over longer distances, we had entered the I500m. This is an event that I have not competed over in many years and a near sprint for someone whose best prospects lies in distances more than 26 times longer. We were excited though for what might be my one and only chance to compete at the historic Hayward Field track – where Steve Prefontaine ran many of his legendary races.
A few laptop associated problems and $200 dollars aside, the day got off to a good start. It was probably the best day yet that we have experienced in Eugene with the sun shining and with it being pretty warm. Chris was also pretty pleased to get a ‘coaches pass’ which not only gave him free entry into the stadium, but also gave him access to the spectator restricted areas such as the warm up track and call up room. He wore that bright pink wristband with pride!!
Fortunately for me, the 1500m was one of the earlier events in the programme, and considering I was very nervous, it was good as we would be able to enjoy watching the later events in the programme stress-free. I was fortunate enough to be placed in the top seeded heat so we were hopeful for a personal best time. The race was not my best by any means – the first lap was swift and, probably having not raced over 1500m for such a long time, I was worried and backed off quite a bit over the next lap and a half. It was only when I got to 400m to go that I realised that I was actually feeling comfortable and had a lot more to give. I picked it up and managed to pull out my quickest ever last lap in any track race and finish in 4:23.49 – a personal best by 7 seconds. I’m happy, I’ve got to be. This time last year I was struggling to string together any training, let alone run PB’s, however I’m still frustrated that I ran a bit of wimpy race and I’m determined to do better next time!!
After a bit of a post race tempo run (always thinking of the bigger picture!) we spent the afternoon basking in the sun and watching the rest of the races. It was such a great atmosphere and the announcer reported an attendance of almost 6000 people. It reminded us a little of the UK National Championships in terms of atmosphere, as they had the big screen working, kit carriers and victory laps – all of which contributed to making it a bit of an occasion (and went down in Chris’s notebook as to how to host a good meeting!). We really enjoyed it, but went away feeling a little gutted that we will miss the big one – the NCAA outdoor Championships which are being held at Hayward Field in June. Now that would be really worth seeing!!
Footage of my race can be found here. Skip to 43 minutes to find my race!
I was also making my 2010 outdoor season debut, and as preparation for future races in the season over longer distances, we had entered the I500m. This is an event that I have not competed over in many years and a near sprint for someone whose best prospects lies in distances more than 26 times longer. We were excited though for what might be my one and only chance to compete at the historic Hayward Field track – where Steve Prefontaine ran many of his legendary races.
A few laptop associated problems and $200 dollars aside, the day got off to a good start. It was probably the best day yet that we have experienced in Eugene with the sun shining and with it being pretty warm. Chris was also pretty pleased to get a ‘coaches pass’ which not only gave him free entry into the stadium, but also gave him access to the spectator restricted areas such as the warm up track and call up room. He wore that bright pink wristband with pride!!
Fortunately for me, the 1500m was one of the earlier events in the programme, and considering I was very nervous, it was good as we would be able to enjoy watching the later events in the programme stress-free. I was fortunate enough to be placed in the top seeded heat so we were hopeful for a personal best time. The race was not my best by any means – the first lap was swift and, probably having not raced over 1500m for such a long time, I was worried and backed off quite a bit over the next lap and a half. It was only when I got to 400m to go that I realised that I was actually feeling comfortable and had a lot more to give. I picked it up and managed to pull out my quickest ever last lap in any track race and finish in 4:23.49 – a personal best by 7 seconds. I’m happy, I’ve got to be. This time last year I was struggling to string together any training, let alone run PB’s, however I’m still frustrated that I ran a bit of wimpy race and I’m determined to do better next time!!
After a bit of a post race tempo run (always thinking of the bigger picture!) we spent the afternoon basking in the sun and watching the rest of the races. It was such a great atmosphere and the announcer reported an attendance of almost 6000 people. It reminded us a little of the UK National Championships in terms of atmosphere, as they had the big screen working, kit carriers and victory laps – all of which contributed to making it a bit of an occasion (and went down in Chris’s notebook as to how to host a good meeting!). We really enjoyed it, but went away feeling a little gutted that we will miss the big one – the NCAA outdoor Championships which are being held at Hayward Field in June. Now that would be really worth seeing!!
Footage of my race can be found here. Skip to 43 minutes to find my race!
Thursday 18 March 2010
Portland Part 2 and the Worlds Best Running Track
Amazingly another of my friends had a conference in Portland during the time that we are staying in Eugene. So we decided to go up and meet Daphne for the evening, hopefully give her some respite from all the Physics geeks. It is strange to see our friends from back home when we are over here. You almost feel like you are back in the UK again. Just for a few hours anyway!
On our last trip to Portland (when we visited Lui around a month ago) we missed out on going to the Nike Campus in Beaverton. We had heard good things about it, apparently it has a wood-chipped trail around the perimeter and also a running track we had heard was worth visiting. We weren’t disappointed, Andrea just had to do an easy run in the afternoon and made the most of the trails and then had some drills and strides to do, which we did on the track. The track was fantastic and totally worthy of the hype. It is set to the edge of the campus and is surrounded by tall redwood trees which cross over into the centre of the track so as you are running around it you are unable to see the other side. We both reckon it is now our favourite running track in the whole world!!
Michael Johnson statue overlooking track
Nike Campus running track
In the evening we met up with Daphne at the convention centre in Portland and walked back to where she was staying to grab some food. We ended up eating below where Daphne was staying, which turned out to be a British style pub with traditional pub food options. They had live music and St Patricks Day celebrations going on. It was a pity that none of us were drinking! We stayed until around 9:30pm before taking the now boring interstate number 5 south to Eugene. That will likely be the last we see of that section of the road on this trip!
On our last trip to Portland (when we visited Lui around a month ago) we missed out on going to the Nike Campus in Beaverton. We had heard good things about it, apparently it has a wood-chipped trail around the perimeter and also a running track we had heard was worth visiting. We weren’t disappointed, Andrea just had to do an easy run in the afternoon and made the most of the trails and then had some drills and strides to do, which we did on the track. The track was fantastic and totally worthy of the hype. It is set to the edge of the campus and is surrounded by tall redwood trees which cross over into the centre of the track so as you are running around it you are unable to see the other side. We both reckon it is now our favourite running track in the whole world!!
In the evening we met up with Daphne at the convention centre in Portland and walked back to where she was staying to grab some food. We ended up eating below where Daphne was staying, which turned out to be a British style pub with traditional pub food options. They had live music and St Patricks Day celebrations going on. It was a pity that none of us were drinking! We stayed until around 9:30pm before taking the now boring interstate number 5 south to Eugene. That will likely be the last we see of that section of the road on this trip!
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