My foot hadn't been great since the fracture, Cole's hip problem resurfaced last week, the National Parks were closed, my travel companion and second driver had to cancel and the final straw was a very lame horse.
The consensus was that I should cancel and retry at a later date. The rationale being "when one door closes, another will open". I say get a bigger battering ram.
Angus, my lame Percheron, finally responded to two weeks of treatment and blew an abscess out his heel.
The Parks have reopened.
The dog and I will not overdo the trail running before our ultra on the 26th.
My pretty itinerary was scrapped to more directly route myself to Utah. No visiting friends and less shunpiking (new favorite word meaning to avoid turnpikes in favor of the road less travelled).
All I had to do was get away from the boss-- which can be difficult when self-employed.
Trying to finish up some jobs put me 20 hrs late leaving for the trip-- but, we did it! 6 AM Saturday morning, I bumped into my petsitter coming in as I was going out.
Travelling without a plan isn't my forte. But, if you don't stray out of your comfort zone every once and a while, you won't grow. Besides, I'm armed with oodles of information from an experienced RV vagabond and a runner familiar with my travel destination.
First stop: Trace State Park, northern Mississippi. The park is known for its off road vehicle trails, but I found some great quiet trails. Cole found squirrels.
Other wildlife.
The pine needles were so thick it was like running on shag carpet. 4 mile jaunt.
A tour through the historic cemetery of Pontotoc, MS revealed this tombstone.
To avoid Memphis, I drove through Mississippi delta farm country.
At 10 PM Saturday night, I'd arrived at Mount Nebo State Park in Arkansas. Too late to check into a camp site, I parked at a lookout. This is what I awoke to the next morning.
Sunrise Point lived up to its name.
Cole and I ran around the mountain a couple times. 9 miles.
Beautiful views and neat grottoes.
My first run above 2000 feet and my feet were dragging. Nothing a hot shower and good food didn't cure.
Enough food from home for two weeks. 2 dozen eggs from my hens, homemade everything (pesto, pasta, breads, jams, applesauce, stews), dehydrated fruit, Cole's selection of canned meats and even my salt and pepper grinders. this is my version of luxury travel.
Driving up to the park in the dark wasn't as much fun as the drive down.
"The mountains are calling and I must go". John Muir
