Our Log from the Sea of Cortez

Our Log from the Sea of Cortez-December 2011
(Kaya Bothe and Jordan Snyder)

Travel and Arrival:
It’s the third big adventure of 2011 for the Bothe/Snyder expedition party. However, this time the members of the expedition were minimized to just the hardcore. Me, Uncle Jordan aka Monkey and my niece Kaya soon to be aka Silvia as this tale will explain. The previous adventures included early April, 10 days of camping across Arizona/Utah/Colorado exploring numerous amazing National Parks then a week in August, kayaking the inside passage along the Pacific west coast of Canada chasing killer Orca whales and camping in such places as Pig Ranch, inches from the Orca’s and their rubbing and breeding grounds. While heading home after each of these adventures we were in awe of what we just accomplished and wonder what next adventure would top the previous epic experience? That’s exactly where this third adventure fits in…

Six days bareboat sailing on the Sea of Cortez started with the logistical challenge of 12 year old Kaya, flying from Portland, Oregon to meet Uncle Monkey from Washington, DC. The meet-up was in one of the busiest airports in the United States, LAX (Los Angeles International). We both arrived Friday December 16th, 2011 at LAX around 10am PST. After a slight brain lapse on my part, about 60 minutes later, I finally found Kaya after bussing to another terminal, waiting at the ticket counter for a security pass and going through security with all my luggage to meet her at her arrival gate. We had a few hours to waste before our international Flight to Loreto, Mexico and found our last US food for the week, Chinese take-out.

With carry-on bags only, we touched down at the tiny yet modern Loreto airport. In line for 45 minutes and hundreds of stamping noises later, we approached the immigration desk with passports in hand. We were quizzed on our destination and why a 45 year old man was travelling with a 12 year old girl with a different last name. The notarized consent to travel form that my sister and I filled out ahead of time came to the rescue and we were through with our stamps! Next stop was customs. It was a totally random process of pressing a button in front of the customs official at their kiosk. Green light = no bag search, red light = bag search. Kaya got green and of course I got red. Before I knew it, I was unwrapping Kaya’s Hanukkah gift in front of the official and then explaining what dehydrated backpacking food in my bag was. Eventually we made it through unscathed and on to our pre-determined meeting spot, the Fox Rental car desk to find Rudolpho the owner of the sailboat we were chartering.

Throughout my entire process of Internet emails and sending money to some random person in Mexico, I was always slightly suspicious if there would actually be a boat waiting or if this was some Internet scam. Meeting Rudolpho changed everything and from the start I could tell he was a great guy. Since he worked at Fox rental cars, he grabbed a random car key and escorted us for the 20 minute drive to our hotel in downtown Loreto.



The first conversation he started was to confirm the pronunciation of Kaya’s name. Once confirmed he giggled and told us it meant ‘Shut-Up’ in Spanish. Kaya and I looked at each other and bursted out laughing. We debated whether to use her middle name Silvia for the remainder of the trip which we sort of did, but inconsistently. I am sure the locals loved it or perhaps got offended when I yelled ‘Kaya’ in public numerous times throughout our trip.

Driving through the dusty and depressed city streets of Loreto (No rain in years), we arrived at the Iguana Inn. Although safe, it was sadly obvious that people in this town are struggling to make a living. At $40 per night, Julie the innkeeper escorted us to our simple and clean room. Kaya loved the two poured concrete queen size bed frames with mattresses on top. Rearranging the furniture would require a jackhammer.

It was just 5pm local time and already a very long day. We still needed to eat dinner and buy food for the entire week on the boat. It was going to be an undertaking since practically nobody speaks English in this town plus we had not pesos.

We walked through the dusty streets to the Super Mercado. It was no Whole Foods, but did find some fresh produce plus most of our other needs from the menu we prepared while on the plane. Quesadillas would be our staple on the boat plus some strange looking non-refrigerated boxes of what we thought was yogurt. We later found out, not by translating the Spanish label, it was sour cream. A really Mexican dinner of quesadillas was at Rudolpho’s recommended restaurant La Palapa. Followed by a great nights sleep at the Iguana!

Launch Day:
Peurto Escondido -> Isla Danzante (Honeymoon Cove)

We awoke from good nights sleep, met the innkeepers dog Zoe who showed off by fetching her  screeching toy rubber chicken. Then we headed back to the dusty streets in search of a coffee shop and found breakfast of decadent baked apple a la mode for Kaya and fancy coffee for Uncle. At this point we where experts in navigating the city street (there was only a few streets) with another round of grocery shopping since once on the sailboat we would have no place to get food. We stopped at a ‘hole in the wall’ place, that would barely be call a restaurant, for a quesadillas lunch and fresh squeeze orange juga (juice). It was all delicious. Then back to the Inn for our Noon pick-up and transport to Puerto Escondido about 30 minutes south of Loreto to pick up the boat.

Rudolpho was waiting at the dock with our spotlessly clean 22’ Catalina sailboat named Roxo. For one last giggle he told the driver to ask Kaya her name and then translated into Spanish. We all laughed.

We spent about 45 minutes going over the well supplied boat with Rudolpho. We looked at the sails and rigging, the little outboard motor, unboxed a brand new portable toilet and new portable cooking stove. We loaded our gear, food, water, pots and pans. Hit the bathrooms on shore then with the motor running, I uncleated the dock lines, pushed us off the dock and motored out of the harbor to the open water. We saw a seal pop its head out of the water as we motored in to the open Sea of Cortez.

Shutting off the engine and hoisting jib and mail sail, the wind was in our face so we tacked up wind toward Isla Danzante. Our first nights anchorage was 4 miles east from the harbor at Honeymoon Cove. This island and all the other we would sail to where part of a regional marine park and protected area. After the first few tacks we made very little headway but once we got a better feel for the boats sailing abilities, we began gain ground towards Honeymoon. It took a few hours to cover the short distance since the wind was in our face, but we finally rounded some rocks to see a small pristine anchorage room enough for just a single small boat just like ours. It was a beautiful and secluded spot properly named Honeymoon cove, blue water and white sand beach where the steep desert shoreline meets the sea. We dropped the hook within 10 feet of shore in just a few feet of water and able to get so close because our little 22’ boat had a swinging keel which means we could raise the keel and anchor in just a few feet of water and very close to land.

We hopped in the two seater kayak we had been towing behind our sailboat and paddle the few feet to shore for a hike on the barren sandy/rocky slopes of the island. At one point a prickly cactus jumped out onto the trail and grabbed my black nylon sweatpants. In the blink of an eye my favorite pants had enough been torn so much that I would never be able to wear them again. Kaya was very amused. All she wanted to do was take a picture of the damage, for insurance purposes I am sure. At the crest of our climb about 75’ from the sea was a perfectly situated cliff with a northerly view of the Sea of Cortez for dozens of miles. It was a preview of our direction we would be heading over the next few days.

Back at our yacht we dined on a fresh veggie and noodle concoction cooked on the single burner portable stove. Kaya’s suggestion of buying a white onion at the grocery store paid off with bursting flavor and would for all the meals we used it with.

Later that evening Kaya re-opened (the customs official opened once already) my Hanaukah gift to her. It was a game called Banana-Grams that played like scrabble. As we played, Kaya thought the word Eeeeeeeek and Ummmmm were appropriate since she had a lot of e’s and m’s. I cried foul and voted myself winner.

And around 7:30 pm we both headed for the forward V-berth and our sleeping bags for a tranquil night’s sleep. The boat rocked us gently to sleep. A few hours later I woke and had to wrestle for space on the berth as Kaya played her usual game of stretching out across the entire bed which was tiny to begin with. She usually wins this game and I end up on the floor however, this time I really had no option but to of course pin myself into the smallest area possible for the remainder of the night.

Isla Danzante (Honeymoon Cove) -> Isle Del Carmen (Puerto Ballandra Cove)

We woke about 8:00 am and I made Starbucks coffee and sat in the cockpit sipping away. It was calm but chilly, about 55 degrees and nothing but crystal clear blue skies and the sun streaming down. Kaya read her book in the bunk while I ignited the stove to make giant pancakes topped with fresh fruit and jam. Yum!

Pulling up anchor and motored out of our cove, we headed northwest toward the shore of the adjacent island called Isle Carmen. We set the sails and made slow progress as the wind was again in our faces. Eventually we decided to start the iron jib (for all you non-sailors, we started the engine). We motored for a few hours and Kaya took this opportunity to relax in the kayak we were towing behind us. Eventually we came to a huge (half mile in diameter) kidney bean shaped, very protected bay carved out of the slopes of the barren island of Carmen. It was a picture perfect anchorage. We saw our first humans in a small sailboat at one side of the bay. We anchored at the other side and again within feet of a white sand beach.

From deck, we could see tropical fish swimming in the water so we donned our snorkeling gear and went in after them. Kaya the smart one, had a shorty wetsuit, Uncle had nothing and froze! During our short snorkel, we did see some amazing fish including a few pretty large puffer fish and lots of star fish. Plus, I found out that Kaya likes to swim practically on top of her snorkeling partner. :-)

Afterwards, Kaya lay on the white sand beach reading her book and I hike a bit. We eventually paddled back to the boat and cooked potato stir fry for dinner. Followed with desert of fresh made popcorn.

Our evening entertainment was shining a spotlight into the pitch dark water. This attracted some sort of large fish to leap out of the water. Let me clarify, it was dozens of fish probably about 2 feet long simultaneously leaping out of the water. They would launch themselves and fly across the water all at the same time. It was entertaining and a bit scary at the same time. We were nervous that the fish would hurl themselves into the hull of the boat or worse, into the cockpit/cabin.

Another great night’s sleep from 8pm to 8am awakening to another perfectly clear day with blue skies and Starbucks coffee.

Isla Del Carmen -> Isla Coronados

We moved our boat across the inlet to be in the warmth of the sun as we prepared and ate a gourmet breakfast of veggie and cheese omelets topped with avocado before starting out for the day. We motored out of the bay and again hoisted the sails, gliding across the open waters of the Sea of Cortez sailing the entire way (about 4 hours) to Isla Carmen with perfect wind and water conditions. As we approached the island we could again see beautiful and deserted white sand beaches. Kaya said the beach looked ‘very inviting.’ We anchored so close to shore, that I walked in 2 feet of water to the beach not needing the kayak. Kaya spent the day on the beach reading and making signs in the sand out of shells. I hiked some of the trail on the island and photographing.

Back at the boat, we had a Solar Shower. Basically a heavy clear plastic bag with a hose connected to it and filled with about 2+ gallons of fresh water. The water heats up through the clear plastic bag by the suns rays. The shower had been sitting on deck our entire journey so far and the water was slightly warm. I was able to wash my hair and face using it and felt very refreshed.

We made delicious quesadillas with cheese, rice, corn, onions and mushrooms for dinner and got another great night of sleep.

Isla Coronados -> Isla Del Carmen (Bahia Marquer)

At this point in our journey we had sailed approximately 50 miles and would essentially reverse path and backtrack toward home. Can’t remember what we had for breakfast, but I am sure I drank my morning coffee. We motoring from our anchorage and quickly set sail. Just like our arrival to this spot, we had to round a long rocky sandbar before heading southeast towards our next destination. Again the wind was cooperating so we sailed back toward Carmen. According to the cruising guide we purchased in Loreto there was an anchorage a days sail away. The guide mentioned it was a large open bay though poorly protected from the north and west. However, this would be our destination for the night.

We had a terrific sail back across the sea on a broad reach though the wind eventually died down and waters became calm. There were no other boats in sight and it seemed we had the entire Sea of Cortez to ourselves. We motored into our anchorage and dropped the hook with peaceful seas. Tonight we had yummy pancakes for dinner and settled in for another quiet night.

About an hour after lights out is when the excitement started and would continue for the entire night. As our luck would have it, the winds began to pick up out of the west. This was the wind direction that anchorage would provide no protection. The seas got a little choppy as well. It was about 9:30pm and I crawled from the V-berth to confirm that the anchor was holding. The westerly wind was blowing us and our boat toward shore which was only about 30 yards away. If the anchor dragged, it would not be long before we would hit the beach. Needless to say, I was a bit concerned.After crawling in and out of the V-berth a few more times during the next few hours to check the anchor, I relocated to a narrow bench right next to the cockpit for the remainder of the night.

Our little 22’ boat was rocking from the increase in waves. At about 1 am, I got up yet again to check on things. This is when I decided to put down a second anchor for added holding. Kaya came on deck as I started the motor. She moved the boat a bit forward as I stood on the bow and drop the second anchor near the first. We then drift back into a hopefully more secure position as I cleated the second anchor line. The remainder of the night continued with me going on deck about every 30 minutes with spotlight in hand to make sure that both anchors at this point were not dragging from the wind and waves. Each time I looked I found everything was solid.

I lost track of the time, but eventually the wind and waves calmed enough for Kaya and me to get a few hours of quality sleep early in the morning. We woke tired, our boat unscathed and knew this would be one of the more detailed entries in our log.

Isla Del Carmen -> Isla Danzante (Honeymoon Cove)

We motored out of Bahia Marquer and back to toward our favorite picture postcard anchorage, Honeymoon cove for the last night on Roxo. It was an amazing day at sea. Once again the entire Cortez was ours with no other boats in site. We sailed all the way to Danzante figuring this beautiful day made up for the previous nights fiasco. It was only a few hour sail, we arrived into the cove in the early afternoon. With the air temps again close to 80 degrees, we had a relaxing afternoon on the beach. Kaya again made a beeline for the white sand with book, camera and towel in hand. I hike the hills of the island. At one point I came over a ridge to find a huge bay with a few boats anchored in it. Later we both watched a pelican dive within feet of our boat for fish. The pelican continued fishing for hours, successfully catching fish every few minutes and gulping them down his enormous mouth and throat. Kaya and I wondered if a wild animal like a pelican can over eat and get fat like us humans. This pelican seemed like he was on his way to obesity.

Our food supply had been slowly dwindling. At one point a few days into our sail, I was concerned we would run out of food, but also knew that we had some backup freeze dried camping food if we needed it. However, this was the last night and plenty of food was still left with a special treat to top things off. First we had rice, veggies and cheese plates for lunch and later followed by pancakes for dinner. I think that being outdoors on a boat rocking in the Sea makes just about any food taste great.

For the grand finally, I did break out a dessert treat. It was a freeze dried, good old fashion ice cream sandwich. Although it wasn’t cold, it tasted amazing. Kaya and I slowly savored it sharing lick by lick.

It was our last night on our sailboat. We had sailed close to 100 miles anchoring in coves/bays of 3 different islands exploring a very small section of the Sea of Cortez. Blue cloud less skies, light to moderate winds and close to 80 degree temperatures throughout our week provided us perfect weather conditions for our adventure.

Isla Danzante (Honeymoon Cove) Puerto Escondido

The next morning we got up a little late, took one last hike on the island of Danzante and then hoisted the sail for a final run back to Puerto Escondido. Kaya expertly sailed our boat the entire way back. We fired up the engine just outside the harbor, dosed the sails and motored slowly back to the dock to tie up at our exact starting point. We unloaded and organized our gear, empty water jugs and much of the other gear that came with the boat. Aside from washing my hair a few days earlier, we both looked forward to getting back to the Iguana Inn for a long hot shower. Kaya’s hair was wirey like a Barbie doll and needed a few rounds of shampoo and conditioner.

I gathered all the pots and dishes we had used and headed to the harbor washroom to thoroughly clean them with fresh water. In the washroom I looked in the mirror for first time in a week to see I needed a serious shave. It’s always a strange and hard to explain feeling to look in a mirror after being out of touch for a week or more.

Rudolpho showed up about 1pm. Did a basic check out of the boat and drove us back to the Iguana. We told him the highlights of our voyage, the one challenging night, and how much we enjoyed all of the islands, beaches and beautiful water. He was very happy to hear about our raving successful trip.

Epic Race Today

Carnage all over the bike course. Many technical sections of the course including downhill’s into hairpin turns leading to crashes and ambulances everywhere with deluge of rain and winds throughout. Not sure if it was fun. I made it unscathed though I was slow on the bike and didn’t wreck. I finished in 2 hours 3 minutes, 174 place overall out of a field of 577. I also noticed that 62 racers or about 10% of the field did not finish. Thats a lot!

Here is interactive view of my race: http://www.zumtri.com/race_files/ITUDuathlon2009/ZumTri.html#r=65&r1=171

NASCAR Country for 2009 - Eve of Duathlon Worlds

I am listening to the rain on the roof , as I am laying in my cubby hole of a bed in our RV. My Team USA teammate, a friend and I drove from Washington, DC to Concord, NC for Duathlon Worlds 2009. The weather report calls for storms, thunder and lightning throughout the race day tomorrow with 70% chance at 3:30pm when our race wave starts.

We have been here for 2 days living in the RV getting acquainted with this NASCAR Racing Town that is pretty much deserted except for the duathlon teams from all over the world including South Africa, Japan, France, New Zealand and many more.

Anyway, I have mixed feeling about the approaching weather conditions. Since I am not strong on the bike I am hoping the rain will be the great equalizer. Particularly since the bike course is very technical with many turns.

Watch for a blog update in a few days with results.

Duathlon Nationals 2009, Richmond, VA

The Duathlon National Championship was today, Sunday, April 26, 2009. It’s my most important race of the year and a qualifying race for the Duathlon World Championships, just like last year. Top 12 in each age group go to World’s. Hundreds of hours and thousands of miles of running and cycling all culminate with this race! Many say that World’s is more important, but you can’t go to World’s if you don’t qualify at Nationals.

The race was again in Richmond, VA. My buddy, Alex, was going to pick me up at 10:30am Saturday morning for the drive. I awoke early and got my stuff together. I went outside to jockey some cars around in my parking lot, moving my car from one parking spot to another. Upon getting out of the car, POW!!! My back blew out and instantly went into a spasm! I was almost down for the count. Debilitating back pain and instant contortion of my torso into an S shape. This has not happened in close to a year. I had been telling everyone that I had finally figured out my back problems, and it would never happen again! JINX!!!

I struggled to make it back into my house, quickly popped 3 Aleve, and lay on my bed. It had been so long since the last spasm that I just couldn’t remember all my secrets to combat it. The question mark deformity of my torso instantly kicked in. Any movement of my core sent stabbing pains to my back. I waited 20 minutes for the mild numbing effect of the Aleve. I needed to get my back ‘taped.’ It was a trick I learned from a Physical Therapist a while back. The taping locks your back in an extended position and provides a ton of support. Harriet, the master taper was not home, but Jenny was. She owed me from all the computer and house repairs I have done for her. J It was about 8:45am and, thankfully, she was on her way. I gave her taping directions as she applied strip by strip of medical tape to a one square foot area of my lower back. She was a life saver!!!

My next decision was whether to take Prednisone, which I horde as an absolute last resort for just this purpose! This is a miracle drug that, within a few hours, could provide some relief from my muscles spasms. The side effects are bad, however, and the drug lingers in the body for months. It’s truly my last resort, but I saw no other choice. Six tablets the first day, five the next…

Thankfully, I already had everything packed. When Alex arrived I had him carry my bike downstairs and load it onto his car. I reclined the passenger side car seat for the 2.5 hour ride. Sitting is the worst! Moving around and walking is the best to loosen things up. We got to Richmond and went straight to the race packet pickup location. I stepped out of the car with a grossly contorted body. I have pictures, but I’m too embarrassed to show.

We eventually checked into the hotel, and I iced my back and lay in bed for about 4 hours. I was not a happy camper! At this point, I actually wanted to just go home. I texted a friend and offered him my entry into the race for free hoping he would drive down, and I could take his car home. Surprise! He did not bite.

8:00 pm comes around and Alex wants dinner. I drag myself out of bed and hobble to the hotel restaurant. I am now feeling sorry for myself and decide to throw in the towel for the race and go into self destruction mode. I order two Jack & Cokes and eventually smile for the first time all day. Don’t forget, alcohol is a muscle relaxer!

After dinner Alex and I meet up with Team Bike Rack in their room adjacent to ours. I am feeling pretty good, if you know what I mean. Richard, the video guy on the team is not racing in the morning, so I drag him back to the bar. Needless to say, I continue the self destruction well into the night. I think the bachelorette party that we met did not help the situation and encouraged the Jagermeister shots. We had fun. By the time I arrived back to my room, it was 1:00 am, and I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

6:30am came around quickly. I popped Aleve for my back and was amazed that I didn’t have a hangover. I waited the usual 20 minutes before I rolled out of bed. I paced the room to loosen things up and decided I might just be able to rally! My back was still a mess, but I actually had this crazy idea that I could do this race. I put on a pair of shorts, went out into the hallway to jog a few striders up and down the corridor. I could function, but was still grossly contorted and had subdued (thanks to the Aleve) stabbing pain. I walked back in and told Alex, “I think I can do this thing!” He was a little stunned, and so was I.

I had a ton of time before my 9:30am start. Still without a final decision, I continued my morning race preparation of putting my numbers on, filling water bottles, topping off my tire pressure, and putting on my racing skin suit. The suit only accentuated my deformity.

It was game on!

I grabbed my bike, and Alex and I walked to the transition area to set up. Now I was in my element, and I started to feel good about my decision. Running has always been a back pain reliever for me, but the bike was murder, especially with a time trial bike like mine when in aero position!

Duathlons are comprised of run, bike, run. Since the first is a run, that would help to loosen up my back a lot before climbing on the bike. And to finish with a run would also help. I planned to go out in the middle of the 40-44 age group pack to see how things felt. The one type of running that is not good for my back is steep down hills, and, of course, the race start was at the top of a ridiculously steep downhill. That would be my first test. The horn sounded, and we were off! I stayed in the middle of the pack for the first few miles and things went without a hitch. Then I started to move up. All American Jeff Miller was way ahead, but a group of five was just behind him. I eventually made my way to that group and hung there throughout the run. (10k run split 37:12)

The next test was mounting the bike. That also went without a hitch, but I discovered a new test before I mounted the bike: finding my bike in the transition area. It may have been the heat or the drugs, but my mind was completely blanking on where my bike was amongst thousands. I knew the general area and eventually found it. I put on my helmet and was about to grab the bike, only to discover it was not mine. I took off the helmet and cluelessly continued to search for my bike. At one point, I was convinced someone else had taken it, but then what seemed like minutes later, I found it! DUH! (T1=1:40)

The first lap of the three-lap bike course was slow for me because I didn’t trust my success at this point. I soon came to realize that I may actually be able to finish the race. Qualifying for World’s never crossed my mind. Finishing did! As always, we had our ages on our calves, and I was being passed by a handful of people in my age group.

During laps 2 and 3 I began to start pushing things and becoming more aggressive by standing on the up hills and holding aero on some pretty steep downhills! I am convinced the deep dish ZIPP racing wheels that Bonzai Sports loaned me offered extra speed. I had lowered my seat a bit before the race to take some strain off my back. That was working, but it increased the strain on my hamstrings, and my right hamstring was on the verge of cramping. Plus, did I mention it was HOT!!! Management of fluids was crucial! I could see racers cramping and dehydrated all over the race course with people walking their bikes or huddling in the shade! People were dropping like flies.

The bike leg couldn’t have finished sooner.(40k bike split 1:07) I had just run out of fluids and headed into the transition area. Thirty-seven seconds in transition, the way it should be, I was running the final 5k. This was where I put the pedal to the metal! I was passing buckets of people in my age group, including two guys in the last quarter mile. I passed with authority even though I was beginning to fade. (5k second run split 16:28, the 5k was short otherwise this time would equate to 5:18 minutes per mile and i can't do that on a perfect day)

With a 10k run, 40k bike, and 5k run completed, I crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 3 minutes! I finished 12th place in my age group and qualified for the Duathlon World Championships! I was shocked that I placed so high in my age group! And amazed that the human body can take such a beating!

My 1st Fourteener in Colorado

The centerpieces of the Colorado Rockies are 54 mountain peaks over 14,000 feet, or “Fourteeners,” as they are affectionately referred to by climbers. I decided to solo climb on in the middle of the winter and below is my trip report as posted on the official 14ers.com website.

As you may be able to tell from my nickname, I am from the East Coast, and this is my first attempt at a 14er in CO. I successfully climbed Mt. Bierstadt last Tuesday January 20th, 2009. Luckily, it was during your little Colorado heat wave. I am guessing temps during my day hike ranged from 30 first thing in the morning to 45 degrees around noon.

I picked this 14’er hoping it would be on the easy side and successful for a newbie going solo in the winter like myself.

My alarm clock went off at 4am and I left Denver at 4:21am. Thru Georgetown, I easily navigated the empty yet; very muddy sometimes one lane Guanella Pass to the road closed sign and parked. I was the only one around for miles it seemed. Plus, this early in the morning, the road construction did not present any issues except a few sections of one lane of road. The return later in the afternoon was a little different story…

I brought my small day pack with snowshoes/poles and no other climb equip. In fact I never even had to throw on the snowshoes. However, the poles came in handy. The approx. 2 mile walk along Guanella Pass to the actually trail head was simple on the snow covered road and navigating the ‘willows’ was just as simple.

I could see the summit from the TH and essential followed existing footsteps in the snow from others for almost 4 hours, reaching the summit around 11:00am. As I ascended, the snow got sparser and footing rockier. The final 200ft of elevation gain was probably the steepest of the day. The sky was crystal clear with a beautiful panoramic view of whatever mountains where around me. At the top, I celebrated my first CO 14er, took a panorama photo and headed down. 2.5 hours later, I was back at my car completely exhausted!

Ah, the trip back down Guanella Pass was a bit longer. I got stopped at a temporary road closed sign with a half dozen other vehicles for 1 hr and 5 minutes! Finally at 3pm, the flagman let us through! I slept almost the entire wait time, so it was not a big deal. Although, i ended up hitting a ton of rush hour traffic through Denver which i may not have hit, if i didn‘t have to wait.

Anyway, it was a successful day in my book!!

2008 Duathlon World Championships – Rimini, Italy September 28th
My free frequent flyer ticket took me from Dulles airport to Newark for a four hour layover, then to Bologna, Italy after a stopover in Lisbon, Portugal. A million hours later I was in Bologna, but my bike was not, and the airline could not locate it. I filled out all the forms, and they told me it would be delivered to my hotel Friday - the following day.

Duathlon World’s was in Rimini, a beautiful beach town on the East coast of Italy. The Team USA hotel was a picturesque hotel in a great location on the main strip pinned between cafés and (surprise!) pasta/pizza restaurants. I was sharing a room with my teammate, Chuck Harney. I felt like I was back in college in my single bed shoehorned into the tiny room. Plus, we had 2 toilets in the bathroom. One was like a water fountain. :-)

My race was Sunday at 11:30am, and my bike finally arrived Saturday afternoon. Yea, I was sweating it out until delivery. In the meantime, we ran the course, studied the transition area, drank lots of café lattés, and ate tons of pasta.

Race day couldn’t have come sooner. I wanted to get it over with… At the start line, I looked around and could tell it was probably the most competitive field of athletes I have been up against since my collegiate track days. The race started with a 300+ field of fired up 35-50 year old males. Like everyone else, I pushed my way as close to the start line as possible. It was a narrow corral, and I knew there was a sharp left hand turn only 100 yards ahead. Without any warning the gun went off, and the pushing and shoving began as the mob surged ahead. The elbowing continued until past that first turn! People were tripping and falling all around me. It was an incredible rush, and with one hand on some random guy in front of me, I was able to stay on my feet.

The first 10k run was flat, fast, and actually measured incorrectly. The total distance was more than 12k, or almost 1 mile longer than it was supposed to be. It was a 4 loop course with fans cheering the entire length. I was toward the front of the pack with a time of 38:47 going into the bike transition. Then came the bike… as usual, I was holding on for dear life! Even with my $3000.00 ZIPP wheels that my buddy Andy from Bonzai Sports lent me, I got passed by many!

However, many of the competitors that passed me were cheating!!! Drafting is not allowed in age group duathlon and we were all warned before the race that there would be ‘bunching’. It was a crowded six lap course, and groups of cyclists would fly past in a tight pace line! It was blatant cheating, but, to their credit, the course marshals (on motorcycles and scooters) were trying to break things up as best as possible. I saw a few riders get ‘yellow card’ penalties. This meant they had to stop their bikes, unclip from pedals and lift the bike off the ground before continuing. Needless to say, I did not join in the drafting.

26+ miles later (it was supposed to be 40k, or 24 miles) I was back in transition after 1:11:32 on the bike and immediately out with running shoes on and calves\hamstrings cramping. While on the bike, I could feel my right hammy tighten. While dismounting from my bike, I could only hope not to crumple to the ground with full-on hamstring cramps. I only had 5k to go and passed many more during the final run. 50 yards from the finish line, someone from the crowd handed me a small American flag. I carried it through the finish line physically and emotionally exhausted!

With my usual game face of complete exhaustion for the finish, I placed 27 in my age group and 3rd American after 2 hours and 11 minutes of heart pounding excitement! I was pretty happy with that!!

Still to come:
Florence- Statue of David, Lots of cafe latte's, Trespassing into a fancy Rowing Club
Cinque Terra (Five Towns)- Wrong train at midnight, Amazing scenery
Pisa- the whirlwind tour

A 15 mile run across the Golden Gate Bridge is practically a requirement when 14,000 Cisco employees descend on San Francisco for this year’s Global Sales Meeting (GSM). Why? Because the Cisco logo is fashioned after the bridge!

About 40 runners woke early and met in front of the Ferry Building (Clock Tower) at the end of Market St. (across the Embarcadero) at 5:45am. This was the 6th annual GSM run. After taking the ceremonial photograph, we were off. I ran with two employees -- Suzanne and Aaron -- whom I know from previous runs. Suzanne kicked my butt last year in Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas. Aaron almost qualified for the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials. Needless to say, our pace was fast!

The route took us along the San Francisco wharf, past the fat stinky sea lions at Pier 39, followed by the fresh smells of the sourdough bread bakery, thru the Presidio, and finally across the Golden Gate Bridge. The timing was perfect because the sun began to rise just as we hit the bridge which provided a picturesque start to the day.

We touched the signpost on the far side of the bridge and turned around, retracing our steps for a total of approximately 15 miles at about a 7 minute mile pace.

There are rumors that next year’s Cisco GSM will be in Barcelona! Maybe we will be running with the bulls!

Aquatic Park, San Francisco!!

I haven’t swam since my car/cycling accident and shoulder surgery almost a year ago, but I would never turn down an open water swim opportunity in Aquatic Park, San Francisco with my work buddies.

Aquatic Park is a small lagoon nestled between Fort Mason and Fishermen's Warf. It’s nearly encircled by two piers with a small opening out to the Bay. The water temperatures range between 53 and 62 degrees. However, it can drop as low as sub-50. Today seemed warmer than past swims, but that didn’t stop Matt, Stu, Adam and me from slipping on our wetsuits and grabbing our goggles before wading into the San Francisco Bay waters. Stu and I had insulated hoods as well.

Other swimmers were in the water with nothing but bathing suits. In the past we have been taunted by 75 year old ladies who happily leap into the Bay with minimal apparel all year long. Yea, we are east coast wimps!

Within the lagoon are buoys that mark an out and back 800’ish meter course. With some ripples on the water and a slight breeze, we swam toward the line of buoys, turned parallel with them and headed toward the far end of the park.

It felt great to be back in the water swimming. Plus, the added buoyancy of the wetsuit combined with the salt water allowed me to effortlessly glide over the water. We swam a little, then stopped and chatted. Happily, I stopped after one lap (14 minutes). The others completed another lap. Back on the small beach we rinsed off, changed into dry clothes and following tradition, we walked one block uphill to the Famous Buena Vista Club for two rounds of awesome Irish Coffees!

The trip to San Fran was now a success!