Kauai Part I- the South Shore

Donn and I got away on December 11 and flew through Honolulu to Kauai. It was pouring rain in Honolulu when we went through - not a good sign. Especially since the marathon was in a few days (I had a friend running her first marathon there). Storms usually pass through quickly in Hawaii but this one seemed to be hanging on. Our flight was uneventful and we landed in Kauai in time to visit a couple of places on the island before checking into our cottage in Poipu.

When we got to our cottage - Koloa Landing Cottages - we found the manager in our unit cleaning up and looking very tired. The storm we saw in Honolulu had passed through Kauai early that morning and the place, save our cottage, was a disaster. Her office was flooded and all the other cottages had leaks; she had been there since 5 AM! These cottages are slated to be razed when the economy picks up for building more condos. Ours was a cute studio that used to be a boat house and was built pretty solid. Throughout the weekend the storms came and went; some were pretty spectacular but we stayed dry. Waikomo Stream near our place; it dumped into the ocean at Koloa Landing. When we arrived this is what it looked like:

By the end of the weekend it was a torrent of raging red dirt and mud:

The housekeeper at the cottage said she had lived here 19 years and had never seen anything like it! We had considered shipping our snorkel gear back home since we thought we'd not get any in with all the murky water; so glad we didn't.One of the benefits of the rains was seeing the small animals that usually live out of sight. We got a new pet - not sure what to name him (her?)- maybe Sluggo. He (she) reminded us a lot of our cat. There were also anoles hanging out eating all the bugs, which helped keep the mosquito population down.

Our friends Sarah and Zach had been up on the North Shore three days and came into town Sunday afternoon. They were going on a snorkel tour the next morning that went along the Na Pali coast. It didn't look good for snorkeling due to all the mud in the water (sharks can't tell you from a sea turtle) but we wanted to see the coast, so we managed to secure a spot on the boat. They picked us up early Monday morning and after a little talk by Captain Trent, we were off to sea in a big catamaran! I took lots of photos -too many to post here, but here are a few:


Sarah heading to the open sea


Zach contemplates life in Kauai

When we were heading back to port, someone spotted a whale or two off in the distance, so the captain steered the boat over for a look. It was a humpback and her calf. She put on quite a show, breaching and slapping her fin. Too bad my camera was below deck by then! We also saw some porpoises and a manta ray. My favorite part was laying on the deck and relaxing to the gentle sway of the boat. After a good lunch and a beer, that really hit the spot! It was a long and fun filled day and Sarah and I were pretty tired near the end of it!

zzzzzzzzz......
All afternoon I took naps and that night I slept the best since being there. Tuesday we visited the farmer's market in Lihue in the pouring rain, and that afternoon I sneaked into the pool associated with Sarah and Zach's place. It was longer than 25 yards and had a water slide and hot tub. We took advantage of it all, getting in a nice workout, some good sliding, and good gossip in the hot tub. After dinner at our place, we met them at the bar at their condos and were treated to the best Pina Coladas I have ever had. Plus a "baked Hawaiian." Mmmm!

The next morning we met them again for an early morning snorkel - first of the trip- finally!! I saw some cool fish and had fun hanging out in the water. Later, Donn and I went to Waimea to use the internet at a cafe/art gallery and check out the west side of the island. The weather turned out to be a little cool and rainy, with some residual flooding which closed some of the roads. We kept hearing people talk about digging mud out of their homes and how much water they got, etc. Later we headed over to Kapa'a to the farmer's market. It was quite a bit bigger, and the rain had stopped, bringing out more people. Lots of hippies on this side of the island made for good people watching! Two older women who looked like aging hippies were selling vegetables. We wanted to get some kale, and one of them started giggling at her own joke about it being Russian kale - it's rushing around! I told Donn I make it a rule to never get stoned before doing retail.

The weather continued to improve and by Thursday morning it was perfect for a surfing lesson with Sarah! We hooked up with Amy from Aloha Surf lessons; we were her only two students for that 2 hour session! We did a quick ten minute lesson on land and then carried our boards down to the water where Amy stood armpit deep and helped us catch waves. She interpersed the lessons with stories of growing up in Kauai - like when Hurricane Iniki went through during her first week of high school. It destroyed the school, which made for a bunch of really happy kids! The roof blew off her house but that just meant they had to sleep in the open for a while. It was all good. Meanwhile, Donn was up on the beach and snapped photos of us. Here we are attempting to look like real surfers:

up on the board

steady now...

WIPEOUT!!




Surfin' Sarah shows great form!

It was great fun and after 1.5 hours, I was toast - There were a lot of plank poses and push ups involved, along with paddling. We took a break and then went out to try and catch some waves on our own, but they had gotten pretty crumbly. We have both vowed to continue lessons back home....

Donn and I took off for the North Shore that afternoon to our little yurt near Hanalei. More about that in the next post. We were so glad we were there for longer than a week, as the weather slowly improved. In Hawaii, just wait a while and it will get better!

Been a while....

It's been too long since I last posted. I seemed to notice I'm not the only one guilty of that. I think it's good to take a break once in a while, like you do (or should do) with running. So this post is meant to be a little catch up...nothing more.

Running is slowly coming back. I've been getting out on the trails with the old gang and last week did the NW Trails 10 miler at Soaring Eagle park. I did a run 8 min/walk 2 min with Robin and we had a nice time. I felt very strong coming in the last mile and my hip cooperated, giving me minimal soreness afterwards. I've decided not to worry about time (not that I did that much before) but to enjoy the moment of the run more, and it seems to be paying off.

Today I did three hours of the Carkeek 12 hour run, getting in 11.7 miles and 2580 feet of elevation gain. Not much compared to those who did more loops or all twelve hours, but it was enough for me! It was a 1.9 mile loop, which gave me lots of opportunities to catch up with friends I hadn't see in a while. I hadn't run on the trail in the dark before (I know, hard to believe) and this started out in the dark. We startled one woman who was walking her dog (with no light) through the trails in the dark. I thought that was kind of odd that she would be out there in the dark; obviously she knew the trail better than me! The more I think about it, the nicer that sounds, especially with a big dog. Anyway, I was only going to get in about three loops but it was so much fun, I kept going back for more! Put this one on your calendar for next year - and work on hills before hand! That climb out of the aid station is killer!

That's about it for now - looking forward to Wednesday when the suspense will be over. I'll either be moving to Canada or cheering in the streets. In either case, I'll be glad to see this current administration end. Don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out!

Baker Lake - more volunteer fun!

Though some might think I'm going for maniac status for volunteering, I'm really using it as an excuse to go hang out in the woods all day long. That said, I worked the aid station at Baker Lake 50K, got some more "forest time" and had a pleasant time getting to know more folks in the ultra scene. Robin and I were the aid station captains, but I felt I barely had to lift a finger thanks to the folks hanging out waiting for their runners. They were runners themselves and knew what made a good aid station work!

When the runners had all come through the first time and were safely ensconced on the trail, I sat down to my knitting to finish the cuff on a slipper. I got it done just in time - a minute later James came barreling in! He threw off his shirt, grabbed some goodies and headed back out. He was having a lot of fun! Other folks rolled in in his wake, including Eric and Michelle Barnes, celebrating their 29th anniversary with a trail run together! Steve Stoyles and his son Robin were with them at the 20 mile mark. One of the stellar helpers, a veteran of several Western States and Leadville runs, was helping Robin refill his water bladder. He told him he really needed to clean it. Turned out Robin had borrowed it - I won't say whose it was but he knows who he is! Geez - they make stuff to clean it; so use it already! Anyway, it was another fun day in the woods and the race seemed to come off really well, despite the frantic last minute re-routes. And the rain held off til the end! Nice job Shawn and tc! Enjoy the photos!

Cle Elum - more volunteer duties - briefly

Cle Elum Ridge 50K volunteer report in brief.....

Friday night - beer and pizza in Roslyn with JV, AH and WW, followed by camping and sleeping under the stars at the race site.

Saturday morning - Socializing, ES shows off his fancy water, and race starts. DM and I head to AS2 and set up; enjoy beauty all around;



replace ES's fancy water (in drop box) with empty Pringles can.



Runners start coming: JV in lead; ES panics over missing water (priceless); chat with MB waiting for SS (they later go to crew EB and RH at Plain); yuk it up with DM and the ham radio guys; go out to meet sweeps....try to take GT's photo



GT's powers prevent clear pic



meet last three runners on trail; meet sweeps and head back; take LB back to finish.

At finish - eat good food and get one of GM's beers. Shoot the breeze then head home. Good times had by all.


photo -Glenn Tachiyama

Good busy Labor Day

This was a good day - I got up this morning and decided my body could handle a little run. After a shot of espresso and a little food, I got dressed and headed out the door towards Fremont. I was able to run/walk for 30 minutes with no bad effects! Yes! From that I had a lot of energy and did a little work around the house, til we decided to load the boats on the car and get in a little kayaking.

That was pretty sweet - we went over to Mercer Island, and drove around for half an hour til we found a little secluded pocket park to put in. It was nestled between some huge gated mansions - I still can't figure out who has that much money to build those things. Anyway, we were on public land, so they had to tolerate the riff-raff. We launched the boats - we were on the east side of MI. I won't say where because 1) I don't think those folks would be very happy and 2) I couldn't tell you if I tried! After crossing the East Channel, going under I-90, and heading past Enatai beach, we went into the Mercer Slough and paddled as far as 405, where it was blocked for further navigation. It was quite a nice paddle with calm waters, some wildlife and interesting scenery. Wish I had brought the camera, but there are plenty of photos online. Coming back out of the slough, we had to cross the channel again, through rough water and windy conditions. As soon as we went under I-90, it calmed down. Back at our destination, as I was getting out of the boat, I sat down in the water. That was the worst thing to happen, and that wasn't bad. All in all, nice afternoon - and good day! I'm pooped!