The wilds of Idaho, Bates Road

Things I saw on yesterday's slow, dragging run.

Horses wearing clothes

Knock it down already!

Fancy fence post

Roof work needed

One of the many barns that looks like this on Bates Road

Barn leaning to the East

I know this cow doesn't look miniature but it is!  Short and stocky like me.

Teton River.  It smelled like spring down by the river yesterday.  Smells like a blizzard today.

Well used spud cellars and the dog that followed me for a mile

Sick Chicks and overcoming the training partner problem

This picture is totally unrelated to the story.  It's funny because the sign says "No Motor Vehicles" and the only tracks you see are from snowmobiles!

Yesterday I attended a luncheon with a bunch of women from here in the Valley.  All of them had chronic illness of some sort.  It was such a pleasure to be in the company of so many proactive, chronically ill women who are active!  Sometimes I feel like a mutant because I am able to do so much some times and so little other times.  Being in the presence of others who experience the same things was really nice.

I didn't even know that some of the women who were chronically ill were chronically ill until yesterday.  They work, volunteer, ski and exercise and are all around active, they don't look sick!  It's nice to know that there are so many people out there that can do so much despite the obstacles we all face as women with chronic illnesses.  

Another thing I thought was interesting (and sad!) was that despite the disease the woman was living with, the complaints about the doctors were the same as what we as Addisonian's face.  The doctors tend to be clueless and misinformed about disease and treatment.  They don't tend to research drugs or recent developments in treatments but act as if they know everything and the patient is an idiot.  Perhaps this is only a problem when one lives in an isolated, rural area but I don't think so.

Anyway, I'll try to keep this short.  As many of you know I've had trouble finding someone to work out with.  Either they make a commitment and never show or will only work out on their schedule and never try to join me with mine.  I've worked around this and I'm enjoying it!  

Linda A signed me up with a virtual running team.  It's awesome!!!  You keep track of your miles and post them.  There's a forum for the team where members discuss running, races, family, mileage, etc.  Also as far as day to day running goes, I am getting used to my Garmin and although I go out alone, I feel like I have to try harder since I know exactly how far I'm going, elevation, and most importantly for me, how slowly I'm going!  Because I know my speed (or slowness as the case may be), I'm trying harder to go a little bit faster.  Since I don't have anyone to work out with at the gym and I've been making my own workouts for 4 years now.  I'm getting a little tired of myself.  We've got Netflix and instant viewing of movies through it.  I looked up exercise and, holy crap, there are more execrise videos that I'm willing to do in a lifetime.  I can do them anytime and now I can learn Pilates or yoga.  Yahoo!!

If theres' anyone who wants to join me on a run, bike ride (in my garage or yours), skate, ski at the hill or whatever, contact me.  Until I find someone, I'm pretty jazzed about my virtual training partners.

This picture is totally unrelated too but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to show this beautiful dog.  I love St. Bernards.  He's huge and sweet.

Beauty and all that crap (too many pictures too)

The snow bank is so high on the side of the road that I had to take a picture through the bank.

Yesterday I woke up to 5 degree F temperatures.  At 10 am, 6 hours later, it was 11 degrees F.  It was -12 in Jackson (9 miles as the crow flies) so I guess we were lucky here.  Regardless, my motivation to be outside in the freezing cold for 4 - 6 hours was pretty small.  I really wanted to run but not be cold and sweaty and carrying many pounds of hats, pants, gloves, etc in addition to all the water and food I have to carry because there's nowhere to refill along the way.  

My attitude about this cold weather stinks.  When most of the US is looking forward to warmer temperatures and flowers, we can't even start letting ourselves look forward to that here because we're going to get hit with some big snow storms and bitter cold weather for a couple of months before warmth is a possibility.

Beauty and all that crap...so on my run, when I finally got my lazy, unmotivated ass out the door, I tried really hard to appreciate the pretty and amusing sights along the way.  I am really looking forward to getting back on the trails, wrestling bears and getting dirty when I run!  Here are too many pictures.

Paul running toward me on Cedron Road with the Big Holes in the background.  We had different routes on our runs yesterday but passed each other.

The only green I've seen outside for months.  It's a warm spring.

The Grand, Middle and South Tetons

It's even colder in the shade!  Beautiful, hilly road with no traffic right against the Big Hole mountains.

A shot up sign.  I'm not exactly sure why it's fun to shoot up signs but it seems to be a past time around here.  

Pine Creek campground in the winter.  There's well over 3 feet of snow covering this campground.

View, looking west, over the top of Pine Creek Pass.

Here's the snowmobile portion of the program.  The parking lot at the top of Pine Creek Pass was FULL of snowmobile apparatus.  Seeing all of these expensive vehicles that tow expensive trailers, that hold very expensive toys can make a person wonder if there's really a problem with the economy.

One way to tow a snowmobile and get it off the trailer.

When you don't have a trailer or ramp, you back your truck up to a snow bank and drive it off the back of your truck.

Beautiful view on the way down Pine Creek pass.

A view of the Grand on the way down Pine Creek pass.  

Running past the local elk farm.  Only in Idaho.

Cows at the dairy farm playing Queen of the Mountain on a frozen pile of cow crap.