July [a whirlwind of travel, fun and adventure]

August is already here. It's hard to believe that school will be starting soon and that our summer adventures will be coming to a close very, very soon (read two days ago). We took full advantage of July, visiting three National Park sites and six different states. We visited with friends in Nebraska and Wyoming. Went to a rodeo (thanks again Julie and Rob!). Did a little shopping and enjoyed some cool (very cold at times) mountain air.

Here's a peek into our July:

El Morro National Monument, 

Ramah, NM

El Morro is located about an hour south of our new home. We had talked about making a trip out there and then it spontaneously happened one morning after a run. We had almost a full tank of gas, no other plans for the day and a dirt road that seamed to be heading in the right direction ahead of us. We drove past the "WARNING: PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. ROAD NOT MAINTAINED BEYOND THIS POINT" sign and made it to Ramah without incident. Granted, we'll take the paved road in the future, but sometimes the best adventures are unplanned.

This historic landmark was a place of relief for travelers making their way west. From the early Americans to Spanish conquistadors El Morro was the place to stop for a break from the desert sun and a drink of cool water. Passersby marked their presence by carving their names and stories into the smooth stone walls. We happened to talk to a park ranger who actually had ancestors who had carved their names into the rock. We crossed paths on the trail and he happily pointed the names out to us! Just another reason to love our National Park Rangers!

Petrified Forest National Park, 

Apache, AZ

Petrified Forest is another pretty awesome location located an hour away from our lovely new home in Gallup. This time we had to travel west into our lovely neighboring state of Arizona. This adventure was planned with an annual National Parks pass in hand and a longing to be reunited with our tent after too many years without it.

The petrified forest is not a forest (just wanted to point that out - a ranger told us of a disappointed visitor that demanded his money back after a drive through the park because he did not see a forest anywhere nearby). In some ways it is much cooler than a forest. Billions of years ago the earth looked much different. What is now desert in the southwest was once a tropical forest. Then things changed. The earth's plates shifted, mountains formed, and those tropical forests were quickly covered up. After an unknown period of time in the right conditions (pressure, minerals... think about the formation of diamonds) the lovely trees of said forests became stone (or petrified). The National Park protects the remaining bits of petrified wood to the best of its ability. Unfortunately visitors still carry about one ton of this precious material out of the park each year. Instead of leaving it behind for future generations to enjoy they want free souvenirs or to make a profit by tumbling the stone and selling the beautiful end product. 

One of added benefits to visiting Petrified Forest (aside from seeing science at work, taking in the painted desert, and listening to fun ranger talks) was that we were able to camp for free in the back country! The requirements are simple - register and then hike at least a mile away from your designated parking location to a place where you cannot be viewed from the road. No problem! We had a lovely afternoon exploring the parts of the park that most visitors do not see and had a peaceful sunset tucked in a little canyon.

Rocky Mountain National Park, 

Estes Park, CO

Rocky Mountain National Park is a national treasure indeed. It is a place that we have visited twice, yet have not yet had ample time to explore. There are an abundance of hiking trails that are calling our names, yet we have hiked few. In a lot of places that would drive us crazy. However, even from a car this National Park can steal your heart. The landscape is incredible. The animals are amazing. And, while we didn't talk to any of them this time around the park rangers are full of interesting information that makes you excited about learning new things.

This trip we were able to drive along Old Fall River Road with Chris' parents. Along the way we spotted several marmots out sunning themselves (and seemingly posing for photos), some young fawns, gorgeous wild flowers, and determined bicyclists. Once at the top we checked out the views and then headed back into Estes Park for the most important event of the day...

Sarah and James Get Married, 

Estes Park, CO

After our lovely drive through Rocky Mountain National Park we spent the afternoon and evening welcoming James into the Hall family. Sarah and James chose an amazing location on the outskirts of the park and had one of the most beautiful backgrounds that you could imagine. The event was made complete with the mooing of cows in the pasture between the ceremony and the mountains and a coyote catching rabbits (which Sarah saw at the beginning of the ceremony). 

We were so glad to be able to join in the celebration of their marriage and to continue celebrating with them the following Saturday in Ogallala.

The Reception, 

Haythorn Ranch, Arthur, NE

The reception was beautiful and was held at the Haythorn Ranch (which was established in 1884!) in the sand hills of Nebraska. It was an opportunity for friends and family alike to eat delicious home cooked food, dance as much as they wanted, and to enjoy wonderful cake (of course!). 

Henry Doorly Zoo,

Omaha, NE

For us the party continued at Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. We are agreed that it is one of the most amazing zoos on earth. With the aquarium, desert dome, rainforest, butterfly garden, swamp, gorilla house, Madagascar center, and sky tram it is more than anyone could ask for. Notice how I didn't mention the big cats, lemurs, and other amazing displays that they also have? That's because everything is so intriguing that you lose track of time and before you know it the day is done and the zoo is closing. (We also didn't get there until lunchtime, but we still wouldn't have had enough time to do it all. Our advice, plan two days!)

We decided to hop on the sky tram on this trip because it would provide a little bit of shade, be a new adventure, and give us a different perspective of the zoo. We were able to spot leopards that were hiding in the shade and out of other visitor's line of vision, flew over the heads of giraffes and ostriches, and had a bird's eye view of the rhinos. It was a real treat! (You should go, really!)

After the zoo we were able to spend the evening with our friends Jeremy and Kim who have just relocated to Omaha. We went out for delicious food and then made some delightful chocolate cherry almond chocolate chunk ice cream. You can have fun ice cream flavors like that with a little elbow grease. It's worth it, I promise!

The next day we continued our journey in eastern Nebraska to meet...

Baby Alice Hall, July 24, 2012

Blair, NE

Our newest niece (and the first Hall niece) was born in the wee hours of July 24. We received a call on our drive to the zoo that Heather was in labor and we awaited news all the day long to see if Alice had joined us in this world. We went to bed that night without a new family member, but had texts awaiting us in the morning when we woke up. 

We were excited to be in the area to meet this precious one since we have missed the births of our last three nieces and weren't sure when we would be able to make it to eastern Nebraska again. We spent a couple of hours cuddling this little beauty before we had to head back west for the next adventure.

Speedgoat 50k,

Snowbird, UT

Our final adventure for the month had us in Utah where Chris ran his first stateside ultra marathon. He chose a doozy of a race, one that the race director himself calls a nightmare. It is also called "a real mountain race" and that it is. I joyfully enjoyed this race from the top of Hidden Peak, watching runners as they pushed off of their knees for added momentum during climbs. 

Chris completed the 50k in about eight and a half hours, but I'll let him tell you more about that when he has time. It was an adventure that is not to be forgotten any time i the near future.

*****

It makes me tired just thinking about our last two weeks in July. That's right. All of the above adventures took place in just two weeks. Talk about getting the biggest bang for your buck!

School starts Monday, so stay tuned for A WHOLE NEW ADVENTURE. This time in teaching!

Visitors!

Our February adventures did not slow down after our trip to Nicaragua. In the last week of the month we were blessed with a visit from Chris' sister Sarah and her friend Molly. They escaped the [much] cooler weather of Minnesota during their spring break from law school and enjoyed a week in the sun with us.

Sarah and I in Cahuita

I met the girls at the airport bright and early on a Friday morning and it was well worth it to see the look on Sarah's face when she saw me waiting! Pure joy. (I've been blessed with incredible in-laws.) We ignored the money-hungry taxi drivers and hopped on the next bus to the center of San Jose. Once in the city we walked to the bus terminal and ate a typical breakfast of gallo pinto and queso frito. 

When 10:00 rolled around we climbed on a bus for Cahuita, Chris' and my favorite little beach town on the Caribbean coast. We were joined by a bunch of obnoxious gringos that thought it was in their best interest to travel laying in the aisles and taking up as much space as they possibly could. Needless to say, we were happy when they did not get off of the bus with us in Cahuita.

We checked into our hotel and then went wandering. We settled in at a little corner bar on the main street in town so that we could keep an eye out for Chris who was coming in from Colonia. We ordered fresh fruit batidos (milkshakes) and patacones (fried, smashed plantain) and Chris magically appeared right after our order was delivered. He must have smelled food. Sarah ran out to greet him in the street and he happily joined us for our afternoon snack.

Sarah hanging out in the national park

We went for an evening walk through the national park. We were happy to spot howler and white face monkeys in the 30 minutes that we had before the park closed for the day. With the darkening of skies we found a place to have a typical Limon-style meal: rice and beans (cooked together in a coconut oil base), fish, patacones and salad. Then we called it an early night since we were all exhausted and were hoping to snorkel in the morning.

Unfortunately snorkeling did not happen. The water level was low at the reefs and the waters were rough so the guides weren't going out. Instead we had a delicious breakfast at our favorite place in town, the Swedish bakery, and then went for a walk in the park again. This time we walked in about 6 kilometers. We saw crabs, lizards, butterflies, birds, tiny toads, snails, a sloth, an eyelash viper and on our way back some white face monkeys. Unfortunately the white face monkeys that we saw had been lured down to the beach with the promise of food from tourists. The thought of food made all of our stomachs grumble though and so we went in search of our own.

We stopped by one of the local's houses and picked up some panbon (traditional spice bread) and then Chris and I hoped we would find our Italian friend from our visit last May. We lucked out. Claudio happened to be stopped along side the road as we were turning the corner after a quick stop at the hotel to pick up beach gear. At first we didn't recognize him because he had a new bike (one that significantly increased his bread carrying capacity). We gladly purchased eggplant pizza, sweet pepper pizza and cheese pizza (they are little pizzas, I swear!). Then we stopped in the nearby pulperia (corner store) for some juice and the meal was complete.

Sarah and Molly watching the sun rise

We walked down to the black sand beach and found a shady spot to eat our pizzas (the panbon would need to wait). With our bellies full we ignored all conventional wisdom and did a little wave jumping. The water felt amazing. Later we relaxed and chatted on the beach, the girls in the sun and us in the shade. Chris and I squeezed in one last wave jumping session before heading back to the hotel - one in which he received a welt on his stomach from the ocean and I mistimed a couple of jumps and ended up with a wave hitting my throat and another knocking me off balance and hurting my knee. (Are we getting to old for this?) It was a wonderful afternoon and we returned to the hotel to clean up and snack on some panbon.

That night we had an Italian dinner. (I personally think it is impossible to eat too much good pizza.)Then we grabbed the world's most expensive dessert (organic brownies and carrot cake) and a box of wine and hung out on the balcony of the hotel for a couple of hours. Chris called it an early night, the day in the sun stole his energy, but the girls and I stayed up well past my normal bedtime and chatted away about life. It was wonderful.

Sunrise in Cahuita

The next morning we returned to the Swedish bakery and then packed up for the trip to La Colonia. Four buses and a lunch break later we arrived at our house and quickly left again. There was a soccer game going on in the plaza and there is no better way to experience rural Costa Rica than by participating in one of its favorite activities. 

At the plaza the girls met some of our kiddos, watched a little bit of soccer, but most importantly had their hair braided by Ashlyn, one of our first graders. All the while they were interrogated as to whether or not they fall down when roller skating (the gymnasium had just been turned into a roller rink for the month of March), whether or not Santa Claus exists and if so why she did not get a bike for Christmas, and if there was really snow in the United States. It was a riling conversation, really. When it got dark out we decided to head home and have cafecito (snacks and coffee - minus the coffee since Chris and I don't drink it, but we did have agua dulce, a hot drink made with cane sugar).

The next morning we headed out for our grand adventure of the day - CHOCOLATE! We went on a chocolate tour at Tirimbina a local biological reserve/resort. Chris and I had gone in November with the parents and decided it was well worth the trip. We learned different aspects of the history of chocolate this time around and had a great time and of course ate a lot of chocolate. 

Chocolate: From bean to belly

That afternoon we took advantage of the trail system in Tirimbina and got some hiking in. We spotted a couple of toucans, a blue jean poison dart frog (actually seen during the chocolate tour) and a crazy bunch of white face monkeys. We hung out watching the monkeys for a while and shortly before we left they started going crazy (kind of like those that we saw in Corcovado). They were jumping from trees to vines, chasing one another through the jungle and screeching as loud as they could. As we were walking away there was a low grunt at ground level that got us moving a little faster. We're unsure as to whether it was another monkey or if it was a predator that was making them go crazy, but we didn't want to find out. We hustled out of the jungle and back across the river. There we took a spiral staircase down to a little island for our last trail of the day. Unfortunately Sarah was attacked by some ants (which Chris washed away by spraying her with his water bottle) and so we finished the trail as quickly as possible and left the jungle for good.

Our Tirimbina friends

That evening we had chalupas and patacones for dinner followed by fruit salad for dessert. We had insisted that the girls try fruit salad for another Costa Rican experience. While you would think you were getting a bowl of fruit, it is actually a little bit of fruit, a whole lot of ice cream and some red Jello for good measure. It's delicious (I highly recommend trying it if you're planning on visiting Costa Rica).

The next day had us up nice and early as Chris and I had our Close of Service conference to attend in San Jose. The girls took advantage of their time in the city and visited the National Theater for a dance performance, the National Art Museum, did a little shopping and went on a nearby canopy tour. We were able to spend a couple of nights together after our sessions ended and had some good food over Seinfeld reruns and great conversation.

The visit came to an end far too quickly. We are glad to know that in just a few short months we will once again be living in the same country as our family and friends and hope to see them more than once every two years! 

Thanks for coming Sarah and Molly! We had a blast!

DNDNF

This past weekend I ran my third ultra marathon, a 100k race on the Island of Ometepe in Nicaragua. For more info on our adventures before and after the race checkout Tarah's post.

I definitely had my apprehensions concerning the race right until the launching of the bottle rocket to start the race. My training had been almost nonexistent since the Panama City International Marathon in December, I had been battling injury/pain in both of my knees and the back of my right leg, and the week before the race I could hardly walk. In hindsight, I should have changed to the 50k distance as soon as we got to the island, but I didn't, and at 4:00am on Saturday I was toeing the line of my biggest running challenge yet.

gearing up

waiting for the gun

My plan was to go out super conservatively and listen to my body. The sun didn't rise until about 6:00 so we had almost two hours of running by headlamp. The first section wasn't very technical, but since it was difficult to see, I managed to twist my ankle before we got to the first aid station. At the aid station (9.1k), I checked in (there were only a couple of runners behind me) and got my first of nine bracelets for the day. We had short sections of pavement before and after the aid station so I was able to run a little more smoothly in those sections. Shortly after leaving San José del Sur, the community where the aid station was located, the course moved back to trail and eventually beach and banana fields. Through this section, I chatted with some other back of the packers and found out that a bunch of runners had missed a turn and lost a fair amount of time, so for a bit we were actually towards the front of the pack. Pat, the runner that would eventually take second, caught back up to us just as we were entering the banana fields. There was a small wall and some large roots obstructing the trail, but Pat charged past us and by the time we (the back of the packers) managed to navigate the obstacles, Pat was out of sight.

the 32 photos of the inside of my hip pack

Shortly after running through the bananas, I reached the second aid station (22.57k) where I topped off my bottles of agua dulce, drank some water and PowerAde, and ate a little bit. The next section was rolling hills on pavement. I found a comfortable pace and cruised along pretty well, I passed a few people, but was still trying to conserve energy so I didn't run very hard and even power walked quite a bit. I hit the third aid station (31.52k) about 20 miles into the race right around my marathon PR so I was a little worried about how fast I was going. This aid station was located at the base of Volcán Maderas so a number of runners were changing shoes and/or grabbing trekking poles. I grabbed some energy sources from my drop bag and headed towards the climb. Despite not having gone up any real hills or mountains in over two years, save for Challenge Irazú and Chirripó, I found my groove and charged up the volcano passing a number of 50k and 100k runners. About half way to the crater, I took one of my nastiest falls running/hiking ever; as I stepped on a wet root, my foot slid sideways, like I was grinding a rail and I fell super fast and super hard. My upper lip smashed across another root and I was sure that I had lost my two front teeth. Luckily my teeth were still there and once I gathered my handhelds I was back to climbing. Shortly after my crash, I caught some more racers that were in pretty nasty shape and then made the final trek up and over the lip of the crater with Bookis, the man behind Luna Sandals. At this point of the race, running was pretty much impossible due to trail conditions. Pretty much the only solid things underfoot were roots and we were post-holing in mud that went almost to our knees. When we got to the aid station (41.13k) next to the lagoon, we chowed down on some potatoes with salt, topped off bottles and headed into the area dubbed "The Jungle Gym" - a section of trail where it is impossible to not use your hands as much as your feet to propel you forward. Shortly after the leaving the crater, my stomach started giving me fits so I bid Bookis farewell and sat for few minutes. After a few swigs of agua dulce my stomach settled and I was back on my way. With my pit stop and my cautious approach to the downhill a few of the runners that I had passed on the climb caught me on the descent, but I was still able to finish the first half of the race in pretty good standing.

I hit the aid station (50.68k) at Hacienda Merida in about 8 hours and 15 minutes. There I cleaned up my feet, changed into fresh socks, ate and drank some more calories, and dipped my kerchief in the lake. I felt pretty good leaving the station, I was tired, but the wheels were still on the track and I had gotten in and out a chair no problem. Although the next section was probably the least technical, it was still one of the most difficult. I left Merida around 12:30pm and the sun was absolutely brutal. I decided to bribe myself by allowing myself to walk when there was shade and run when there was no cover. Unfortunately I ended up walking in the sun and the shade. Eventually I made myself run more and more, but I was pretty sure I was going to drop at the next aid station. After a while, I could see Stephane, a Frenchman that I had chatted with earlier, coming up behind me. Seeing him got me moving a little quicker, but I really got going once he caught me and we were able to encourage each other to run the flats and downhills and march up the uphills. Stephane told me I couldn't quit and shortly before the next aid station (63.24k) I got my legs back and left Stephane as I was able to run the uphills too.

At Ojo de Agua, a resorty swimming hole where the aid station was located, I saw a number of runners who had decided to trade their running shorts for swim trunks, their gels for real food, and their PowerAde for Toña. Not exactly encouraging. When I sat down and started to get fueled up, a local started telling me how I didn't need to keep running, how I was going to get so sunburned, how I looked bad, that I didn't need to suffer anyone, on and on and on. Eventually I shouted  ¡Yo entiendo todo, no más por favor! and thankfully he shut up and left me alone. By then Stephane and a couple of other runners had arrived at the aid station, got their needs met and headed on down the road. After climbing and descending the hill to bathrooms I too was on my way. Even though I heard the volunteers say multiple times "left at the road" and I could see Volcán Concepción off to the left, I managed to turn right. A little ways down the road, someone asked if I was going the wrong direction, I asked a local which direction to Altagracia the site of the next aid station and turned around. I couldn't believe that I had made such a stupid mistake.

covered in maderas mud

Once I got going in the right direction, the section between Ojo and Altagracia was pretty straight forward. I moved along pretty well, alternating between running and walking and could see  Stephane, Christian and Martin in front of me, though I couldn't quite reel them in before the aid station (71.26k) at Altagracia. At the aid station, I met a Peace Corps Volunteer who serves on the island and was working the aid station. I fueled up and set off to try and catch the three guys in front of me and get to the aid station that Tarah was captaining.

En route to La Flor, I caught Christian and Martin so we chatted off and on and I also had some conversations with a couple of Nicas. My first Spanish conversation was with a third grade boy as he pushed his bike up a hill. We talked about his family and the race, he asked me if the two guys in front of me were my friends and how many other runners there were, then he asked me about using camionetas, but I was so tired that word didn't register so I had said that some of the other runners had used camionetas but I hadn't. That statement ended up being semi-true, though not how I had intended. After we had bid each other adio I realized that camionetas meant trucks, not trekking poles (bastones) so the statement that I hadn't used them was correct and since the runners that dropped had used them to get back to the start/finish line my statement that some of the runners had used them was also correct. A little while latter, a gentleman on a bike rode up beside me and we started talking about the race and faith. I explained to him the race course and how I had already climbed Maderas and how, Si Dios quería I was still going to climb Volcán Concepción. We agreed that nada es imposible si tiene fe en Dios, then I sped up to catch Christian and told him how after running for over 12 hours speaking in Spanish was exhausting. Eventually Christian pulled away from me and I came into La Flor aid station (80.96k) by myself (actually Tarah met me about 100 meters out and we ran in together).

T and I at La Flor

At La Flor I was ready to throw in the towel. I had already traversed more than 50 miles, the sun had set, and I was facing a 1200 meter climb (and descent). Tarah was awesome. She told me to sit for a minute, eat some food (pizza), drink some water and think about it for a bit. She called Josue, the race director, to confirm that there was still plenty of fuel at the top; he said that the aid station was still well stocked and that I had time if I wanted to give it a go. I ditched my headphones (my ipod shuffle died between Altagracia and La Flor), one of my bottles, my cap, my glasses, and my waist pack. I  stuck Tarah's headlamp and extra batteries in my key pocket, put my headlamp on, grabbed my bottle of PowerAde, a pack of Gu Chomps and a handheld light, and headed up the volcano. I'm sure that Concepción is gorgeous and probably not even that tough of a hike, but in the dark and with 50 Fuego y Agua miles on my legs, I hated almost every minute spent on it. On the way up, my headlight shined on a snake in the middle of the trail, it resembled a terciopelo/fer-de-lance but I'm not sure if they are on the island, luckily it moved on and so did I, but for a while after that every curvy stick looked like a snake. I eventually met Martin, Christian and Stephane (all individually) as they were making their ways down. I jokingly asked Christian if I was going to die on the volcano, he assured me I wasn't, but told me it was super exposed and windy at the aid station. I continued to crawl (literally) to the aid station (87.88k) and got there a little before 9:00pm. I ate a candy bar and downed some fluids and started the slow painful descent.

I met Mary, the only female runner still on the course, when I was 35 minutes from the top. I struggled down, staying upright and easing down the drops by grabbing trees along the trail. At one point during the descent, I heard rustling in the bushes next to the trail and then felt something brush against my leg, I tried to shine my lights on it, but I couldn't spot it. Eventually the trail forked and I knew that I was getting closer. Just as I was getting to the end of the trail, a pickup full of volunteers on its way to collect the volunteers from Concepción passed me and yelled encouraging words. A couple of minutes later, I came to a four way intersection where someone had removed the course markings. I headed in the right direction, but didn't see any markings ans heard some super vicious dogs so I turned back. Back at the intersection I decided to head straight for a bit, but didn't see any markings, and the road was turning into trail, plus I could hear the dogs from earlier trying to head me off. Once again I headed back to the intersection, I found the pickup and got directions. I headed in the direction of the dogs once again, but at least this time I was confident that I was going in the right direction. The pickup passed me once again and asked if I was okay I said yes, but I was worried about the dogs a little way up. They drove on ahead, and I had to yell ¡Pare! ¡Espere! as loud as I could multiple time to get them to stop and keep the dogs at bay while I motored by. Shortly after the dogs, I could "feel" lights on my back. Mary had crushed the downhill and was now right behind me. I was moving at a pretty good clip (given the circumstances), but she eventually caught up to me. We talked for a while (she too had gotten lost at the intersection). It felt like we were going at 5k pace. It felt both great and horrible. Eventually she broke me and I couldn't keep up anymore. I kept "running" for a while longer but with the poor light and road conditions I tweaked my ankle again and had to slow way down. As I approached town, the dogs got thicker and I ran the final stretch with a rock in my hand. Just before I entered town, I faced my final obstacle. I was confronted with a trench about four feet deep and three feet across, the community was installing a culvert under the road. Under normal circumstances, such an obstacle would have hardly made me break my stride, but at that point it looked like I was staring at the Grand Canyon. I surveyed my options, I knew that I couldn't get over the chasm, I thought I could get down into the trench (it wouldn't have been pretty), but I didn't think that I could climb back out, then I saw that I could walk around it if I went off road. I skirted around the hole, climbed the little hill back up to the road and was off once again. Shortly thereafter I was met by Tarah and we ran towards the finish line and then I sprinted the final few hundred meters by myself to the finish line, where I was met with thunderous applause and cheers from race staff, volunteers and fellow runners.

At the finish line I was presented with my metal and a liter of Flor de Caña rum. I was the last runner to cross the line, but I was received with as much enthusiasm as if I had won, and in a sense I had because I Did Not Did Not Finish.

all the bracelets from the aid stations

me and my mud

me with the best aid station captain ever

Bonus Tracks:

1) My gear: Homemade handhelds made from disposable water bottles and old bike tubes and a $3 fanny pack from a local store. (instructions for handhelds)

2) My fuel: Agua dulce (pure sugar cane "juice")

3) Time spent running: Jan. 1 - Feb. 17: 11hours 55minutes

4) Time spent running Feb. 18 -19: 20hours 21minutes

5) 100k starters: 19 (17men, 2 women)

6) 100k finishers: 10 (9men, 1 woman)

7) Winning time: 13:08 (Way to go Ben)

8) My time: 20:21

9) Feel good moments: Being complimented on both my running and power walking form by two different runners

Ometepe Adventures

With our time in Costa Rica quickly coming to a close we have had to get serious about checking some things off of our to do list. One of those to dos was to travel to Nicaragua. It just so happened that Chris had stumbled across information for the 2012 Fuego y Agua Ultramarathon last year and so plans for a trip were in the making. We had heard wonderful things about Isla Ometepe from friends and the lure of running another volcano race was too great to pass up. And so, Chris signed up to run the 100 kilometer race and I jumped on board signing up to volunteer for the event.

Our Ometepe adventure began on Valentine's Day - not anything that we ever celebrate, but our host mom pointed out that we would get to celebrate in the city. We enjoyed a day in San Jose complete with a dance performance at Teatro Nacional. It was a lovely surprise as we had only planned on getting a schedule of events to see if there was anything we could recommend to Sarah (Chris' sister) when she comes to visit later in the month. Instead we settled in for a lunchtime show at a budget friendly $2 a person. The rest of our day was filled with cheap and delicious pizza, downtime at the hostel and later Subway subs, plantain chips and apple pie over Seinfeld reruns. It was a great way to start our vacation.

The next morning we caught an early bus to Nicaragua. The trip was very different from that to Panama. We didn't stop until we got to the border (as opposed to stopping every three to four hours on the way to Panama). There we had a little bit of a dispute about border crossing fees. We had been told we needed to pay 8000 colones ($16); that was fine until we heard other people being charged $13. After much conversation we were finally told that it was because conversion rates were different at the border - or perhaps money is being made - and so we dug out some dollars that we had pulled out to pay for our hotel in Nicaragua and used that to save ourselves $6. After that was taken care of we were anxious to just get to our end destination, Isla Ometepe.

View of Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua from the ferry

About 20 minutes after leaving the border we arrived in Rivas, where we would take a taxi to San Jorge and board the ferry to the island. First we had to find an ATM, get some cordobas (the local currency) and find a legit taxi driver. We did the first two just fine, we didn't use a legit taxi but we got a good price and had a great conversation with our driver. We passed a funeral procession on the way to the docks and were saddened by the sight of friends and family carrying the coffin of their loved one down the street. We did enjoy other sights though, those of bicitaxis (bikes with a carriage attached to the front to carry passengers), mototaxis (motorcycles with carriages attached) and horse drawn carriages. I must say they all looked like delightful forms of transportation! We also enjoyed the sight of mangos confites (small, super sweet mangoes) at the docks and bought a couple to take to the island with us.

We had a nice ferry ride. The volcanoes of Isla Ometepe loomed before us and Chris had his first glimpse of what the race might hold for him. We quickly forgot any worries though when a nice couple sat down next to me and started talking about their lives on the island. Ingelina was everything that Peace Corps had told us a host mom might be when we first arrived in country. She kept her hand on my leg most of the time, rested her head on my shoulder and frequently patted my hand as we talked. I relished the experience as it was one that I never did have with a host mom. When we landed in Moyogalpa, one of the main towns on the island, her husband Zuan carried my bag for me until we reached the main road where we parted ways. 

A welcome from The Landing

Once on tierra firma again, Chris and I checked into our hotel, The Landing, and set out to explore and find some dinner. Our walk through town was nice, most homes had a pig wandering around in the front yard, horses wandered about, we spotted a panaderia (bakery), and one little girl whooped and swung a soda bottle over her head as we passed by. Then we found what we had been looking for, delicious fish, rice, beans and cold drinks. With a long day of travel behind us it felt good to fill our bellies and then call it an early night.

We woke early the next day and walked to the panaderia. We talked to the owner for quite a while about the race and then walked away with fresh whole grain bread and a chunk of smoked cheese. We added our mangoes from the day before to the mix and had a breakfast of champions. We followed breakfast with a trash clean up put on by Josue and Paula, the race directors. We met other runners and volunteers and we able to see a little more of Moyogalpa before looking for some lunch. Lunch was delicious fish tacos (fish fresh from the lake) and batidos (milkshakes - we chose banana). We ate too much and then relaxed in hammocks until I had my volunteer orientation and pizza dinner at the race office.

On Friday we decided to go on a new adventure - a canopy tour! I popped into a "free tourist information" stand and talked to a guide about activities that wouldn't tire out Chris' legs before the race. What we came up with was a canopy tour (zip lining). I went back and talked to Chris since we try to travel on a small budget, but he told me that he wanted the trip to be about more than the race, so we went for it. It was well worth it! 

Tarah

Chris

Between zip line sections

The crew at Chico Largo Adventures was great. The company is owned and operated by Nicaraguans which made it even better. The staff joked with us and made sure that we had a good time. The tour consisted of about ten zip lines (the final one has you reach speeds of approximately 110k/h), a Tarzan swing, a suspension bridge and two free falls. We flew like Superman and even went together on one of the lines. There were shouts of joy, surprise and shock. We had great views of the lake, local lagoons and of course Volcan Concepcion and Volcan Maderas. We finished our tour in time to meet the taxi that we had made arrangements with for transport back to the hotel. We stopped in at the Cornerhouse where we split a hummus sandwich and carrot cake for lunch. Then we spent more time in hammocks until we went to the pre-race dinner at Charco Verde.

At Charco Verde we had a nice pasta dinner, watched a beautiful sunset, met some amazing people and got squared away on the final race details. The meal was followed up by some baile tipico (traditional dance) and then a bus ride back to the hotel. 

Sunset at Charco Verde

Baile Tipico

Morning came quickly as the 100k started at 4:00am. Chris left the hotel shortly after 3 and I followed to meet up with him before the starting gun went off. The runners were anxiously wandering at the starting line, ready for their big island adventure. (More to come on the race with a blog from Chris).

Chris (red hat) and Ben (blue shirt & eventual winner of 100k) at the start line

I hung out at the race office until my volunteer crew showed up and then we went out to set up an aid station that would serve the 25k runners before and after they climbed Volcan Concepcion and the 100k runners at about 81 kilometers in. We had water, Powerade, Honey Stingers, peanut butter sandwiches, pizza and more. Runners (and volunteers!) were well nourished throughout the day. It was a lot of fun to see the runners come through and to encourage them to keep on going. 

View of Volcan Concepcion from La Flor aid station

The hardest part of the day was when I would receive information on 100k runners that had dropped from the race. Knowing the Chris had gone into the race coming off of an injury (he could hardly walk without pain the week before) I kept worrying that his number would be next. But then he came into my aid station at about 14 hours. He was ready to call it quits, having tired legs and a 1200 meter climb ahead of him. He sat down and got some food into him and then decided to keep going. I couldn't have been more proud (even if I was very worried - did I mention it was dark?) . After that it was a long wait. I got word that he reached the top and from there there were not any more aid stations to report his whereabouts. 

Chris made it to La Flor! 81k and 14:10, ready for a 1200 meter climb.

At about 12:21am, 20 hours and 21 minutes after he left the morning before Chris crossed the finish line. After descending Concepcion he had twisted his ankle, lost the course and was tracked by dogs. He had a rough final 6 kilometers but made it. The purpose of our vacation had been achieved. There was a crew of about 20 people still waiting at the finish line when he crossed, including fellow Peace Corps Costa Rica volunteers, Theresa and Jessica. There were even some Peace Corps Nicagagua volunteers there! A great end to a long day.

100k - check!

Sunday morning came far too quickly. I had volunteered to run with kids in the Calzado 5k (OK, so it was really more like a 3k). I hung out at the office waiting for my ride to the start line and picked up one of the kids that was running while I was there. I turned out that his community didn't show up for the run, so I became his partner. We lined up together at the start line and when the run started kids went crazy. They went from being in two lines to spreading out over all of the exposed land. They ran as fast as they could, looking for someplace where they could establish their own pace. Eventually my little guy and I found our pace and he ran all the way to the end. When other kids hitched rides in the backs of passing trucks, he kept on running. When other kids stopped to walk, he kept on running. He told me that he wants to run the ultramarathon one day. At the finish I made sure he got his participants t-shirt and finisher's medal. I may have been tired, but I got my own little race in and had a great time!

Church, Isla Ometepe

The rest of the day was pretty relaxing. We got cold drinks and went to clean up. Lunch was back at Charco Verde, all of the runners and volunteers were recognized for all of their hard work. We were able to talk to other runners and volunteers. The whole event was really amazing. The people and the places were just great. After lunch we returned to the hotel for some more hammock time and then wrapped the day with fabulous pizza. We were joined by other runners, Matt and Christian, and we spent the evening chatting about life. It was an excellent way to end our time on the island.

The next morning we hopped on a ferry at 6am and started our long journey home. We met some more great people during our travels and ate some delicious anise seed rolls. The journey was long and filled with bad movies. We arrived in San Jose at 5:30 and the last bus that would get us home was at 6. We went on the craziest taxi ride of our lives; the driver had to have broken every rule in the book. But, we made it there on time and alive. We got into Puerto Viejo with enough time to grab some empanadas before the final bus to our community. Our driver dropped us off at our door and we couldn't have been happier to be home.

Lanchas for the trip across the lake (we took a larger ferry)

It was a quick trip and we look forward to the day when we can return to the island. There is so much more to see and do (though we will probably try to go back for the race again...). It was an amazing adventure.

Remember to check back soon for a race recap from Chris!

Corcovado National Park [day 2]

After a long day on the trails, we decided to take it easy on day two of our trip to Corcovado National Park (if you missed day one, look here). We rose with the sun and hung out around the biological station, enjoying the sounds of the jungle. We chatted with the guide we had met the day before and finally discovered that his name is Pablo. He helped us to identify some of the birds that we had seen the day before and pointed out some of the critters that were hanging out in the trees in front of us.

The peaceful morning sounds were soon interrupted by the buzzing of a small plane approaching to make landfall right before our eyes. No worries though, it wasn't crashing, just dropping off a load of park visitors that decided to take the easy way in. This routine continued well into the morning and started up again in the afternoon to pick up other visitors. 

In between the comings and goings of the morning flights we enjoyed listening to the excited (or perhaps aggravated) grunting and shouting of the howler monkeys occupying one of the trees alongside the landing strip. We also laid eyes on more squirrel and spider monkeys and some toucans and parrots that were flitting about the runway. We ate some granola bars and raisins, watched a coati make a playful appearance and then went on our way.

We walked across the airstrip and were immediately engulfed in the jungle. The trail was well maintained, yet it swallowed us in a blanket of green as we made our way along the log cookies that were placed to help hikers out during muddier times. Butterflies and birds bounced gracefully from branch to branch as we passed them. We stopped to adore the monstrous trees that grew around us, their bark ranging from pure while to rich red. Occasionally the howler monkeys would make their presence in the jungle known, grunting off in the distance. We arrived at a fork in the path and took the option that would lead us to Rio Sirena.

The trail popped us out onto the beach. The Pacific Ocean greeted us with a wave and we tracked hermit crabs and little sideways running crabs along the shore until we reached the mouth of the river. We had been warned that this river is frequented by bull sharks at high tide, we did not have the pleasure of seeing one of their fins, but we did see a crocodile sunning itself on the opposite shore. We talked to Pablo a little bit and then took our leave, ready to see what the other trail had to offer.

As we made our way back to the fork we had earlier encountered we spotted spider monkeys dancing overhead. As we were watching them we crossed paths with a guide who asked if we had seen the peccaries yet. We told him that we had not and he let us know that they were just 100 meters down the trail. We proceeded with caution, Pablo's tale of attacking peccaries still fresh in our minds. As we approached the herd we kept an eye out for trees to climb and then watched the animals graze the jungle floor. Just our luck, they were getting ready to cross the trail that we were walking down. We tried to inch forward, but when one large peccary started grunting we were quick to give it all of the space it could have dreamed of. It stood ground as its family passed in front of us and then moved on its way.

We moved forward and a few meters later we safely arrived at the fork in the road and took the remaining path. This led us back to the Sirena, though a little further down river. There we could see the crocodile sunning itself as well as an additional one swimming through the river. We watched it for a minute and then continued on our way. As we made progress down the trail we heard one of the most beautiful bird songs I have ever heard before. We crossed some muddy streams and bypassed large tour groups. 

As we continued on our projected loop that would have us returning at the biological station in time for lunch we stumbled across a family of coati. They were sniffing out their own lunch and sneaking through the underbrush. Our presence was of no concern to them, they were intent on completing their mission. We watched in awe for several minutes and then decided to go find our own food.

After quick PB&J tortillas we headed back into the jungle. This time our ventures took us up, and up, and up. Every time that we thought we might start heading down another hill would present itself. As we journeyed uphill we discovered many lizards, frogs and toads hanging out alongside the trail. We arrived at a point where we were above the sounds of spider monkeys screaming below. It was the most prolific monkey sound any of us had ever heard. The imagined argument was "stay away, she's mine." These were some pretty impassioned creatures.

As the sounds of those spider monkeys died off we continued on our way. Not too much time had passed when we discovered a family of spider monkeys hanging out overhead. They were dancing in the treetops and enjoying life to the fullest. Then one noticed that we had paused to watch them. It wasn't too happy about it and growled at us. It wasn't exactly the sound one expects to hear from a monkey. We moved a little further down the trail, but continued to watch. When it growled again we took our leave.

The day was growing long and we wanted to make it back to the beach in time for sunset. We picked up the pace (just as we were going downhill - my least favorite part of any hike) and before we knew it we had arrived at the mouth of Rio Claro, the river we would need to cross the next day. Chris and I ventured off trail at that point and walked along the river; however, not knowing if it would safely get us to where we wanted to be for sunset Kevin ran down the remaining bit of trail and we all met up later on the beach.

The sunset was a magnificent way to end the day. The clouds were pretty much perfect, the sound of the crashing waves and the glowing orb that descended into them reminded us just how wonderful nature is (in case we hadn't been reminded enough throughout the days adventures!). A family of coati snuck through the jungle behind us and made a presence on the beach. The end of day bird calls got us moving so that we would return to the station by dark.

We ate some cold bean burritos for dinner followed by Christmas cookies drenched in dulce de leche. Then we crashed. What a day!

Stay tuned for day three!

[note: linked photos were those taken by our friend Kevin, photos appearing in the blog were taken by us]