Training Log Archive: Swampfox

Right around the same time I started feeling not so good yesterday, I started feeling better today, and even though I had fever overnight, I reasoned it would be okay to go out for some light biking as the fever was gone. Plus I really wanted to as it looked so nice outside (and it was.)

You never know what you will see if you look, and today while I was biking I was also looking. Among other things, I saw the first sea gulls of the season. They had probably paid a visit to the landfill for some savory treats, and appeared to be headed for Hutton Lake. A little later, I saw the first red wing blackbirds of the season, gathered together in a flock and noisily hanging out in some sort of clumpy evergreen bush/tree. All well and good.

Then, on my way home, I saw something I had never once before seen in Laramie, and which, truthfully, I had never expected to see. Actually, I heard it/them first: odd bird noises which I couldn't place. And then, there they were: out in someone's yard not too far from my house was a flock of free range Guinea Fowl! Uncaged, just running around, with nobody looking after them. Quite bizarre.

Ice was off the river but the several small ponds in town I rode past were all still frozen over.

C • Ice 2

Yesterday's lack of note does not indicate yesterday didn't happen. For proof that it did happen, I offer Sir Paul.

And several apparently random and entirely unrelated observations from today:

A) When being visited by a formerly infested guest who is demonstrating some lingering signs of being still ill, your chances of contracting the infestation devastation are inversely proportional to the afflicted individual's protestations that they could still be infectious.

B) There are objects denser than neutron stars, and one of them is the vollkorn brod, especially when in partial loaf configuration.

C) The short hairs of the black dog are composed chiefly antimatter, and obey none of the usual laws of gravity. They have even been known to penetrate into the contents of an unopened can of Dew, and have been discovered populating regions of floor rugs more than 1.27 m from the nearest edge.

Despite all this, in my unwisdom, I decided I could try a very easy late day jog--a very easy late day jog--and that the worst thing that could would be collapse followed by the onset of rigor mortis. Cowboy tough. Cowboy stupid???

Despite the relatively mild promised temps and full sun, it stayed coolish feeling out due to strong west breezes. Biking west and then east made that quite clear!

I was surprised by how fine and dry the groomed ski trails stayed; even by late afternoon the only parts of the trail net that showed any glazing were sections of uphill trail facing south. Some fine snow was blowing in with the breeze.

Quite a nice day out, if a bit cooler than seasonal averages, with lots of sun. Did a quick bike around parts of town and followed up with a 1-2 ski/run mixup. A fair number of skiers and snow bikers were out today.

Concluded the day with a big fat juicy steak. Not really. Pizza.

Pre-spring turned into late winter and left a few inches of fresh snow at Happy Jack. The skies began clearing shortly after I started skiing, and by halfway around the sun was fully out, setting the scene for a spectacular late afternoon up at the Summit Loop.

Though more snow is in the forecast, today was not included in that forecast. It was up to at least a near blistering 58F (the warmest I saw), and conditions were perfect for biking/skiing/running, though I will confess that I was overdressed for skiing and was leaving behind small puddles of sweat everywhere I went. I thought about wringing out my shirt when I finished, but all that salt in the parking lot could not possibly be good for the cars and trucks that park there, plus it would probably serve as a salt lick and draw in the elk, which would make it really tough for parking.