18 in 2 chunks: 10 weeks 'til Ragnar

My road is most always paved with good intentions and Saturday was no different. With a start goal of 5:30 a.m., I'd hoped to log 15 of the day's 18 to Delmar and back along Hwy. 136 before the 9 a.m. start of kid2's baseball tournament in Charlotte. Unfortunately I've felt majorly tanked this week and slept in, which meant FAB conditioning for the August Ragnar River Relay! I wasn't able to hit the road until after the first ball game.

High Noon . . .

Groovy gaiters and new shoes! With as dry as it's been, I knew rocks and weeds

would be a factor. As for the shoes, while I enjoy trying new brands, after failures

with the Saucony ProGrid and Etonic Endurance, I opted for the latest version of

the Asics Keyano. I loved the 16's so much I still use them for everyday, but wasn't

impressed with the 17s, which is why I didn't instantly pick up the 18s. But let

me state, these bad girls are HEAVENLY!!! Big HUG&KISS to Asics!

'Leaning Crib of Corn'

I snapped a shot of this small, antique corn crib last spring, but her listing has 

me wondering if she'll see another harvest before falling down.

Mere feet from the 'Leaning Crib of Corn' is a barren ditch.

I'm pretty sure this is a Wild Prairie Rose, Iowa's state flower.

I thank my 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Ann Ott for teaching

me sweet little factoids about our wonderful state!

Spotting the next farm through the window of this old, decrepit excavator.

When it came to Saturday's blazing sun, I and the dude to the left 

appeared to be the only dumb animals.

There's a couple of curves on Hwy. 136 that give me the heebies and cause me

to run fast. This is one of them. Visibility sucks and the ditches aren't the greatest. 

I'm no stranger to walking those grassy inclines in an effort to run safe and 

avoid getting smashed like a skunk. Wish other runners would be as mindful.

It doesn't matter how many times I've run this road, I NEVER tire of these

gorgeous vistas! Nor do I tire of Good Samaritans, the latest being my husband!

I could only carry 20oz. of fluid with me and normally it would last me the 6.5

miles to Delmar, but with temps nearing 90 I was dry by 4. Fortunately, Hubs

had gone to Delmar to reload on ice and Gatorade for the day's Minor League Baseball

tourney in Charlotte and not only stopped to refill me, but planted 2 bottles in a bag

of ICE along the return! Big HUG&KISS to you, too,  Dear!

Closing in on Delmar . . .

After refueling with 2 Nuun tabs in my water and a can of Mountain Dew at the

Casey's General Store, I headed back east. For a couple weeks, I've been

wondering about the little green boxes on some sign posts. I was hoping it was one of

those Geocaching things and maybe a nice crispy $100 bill was waiting for me . . .

Nope. Just dead bugs.

With 2.6 miles left, I looked down and saw this neat-o looking old metal bar.

No clue what it is, but I liked the shape.

What was more neat-o was looking up from the metal bar and seeing a neighbor

come down the road with a load of hay. Makes me think of Hayden Fry's "ANF,"

which pains me to admit. I bleed "Cardinal and Gold" for my beloved Cyclones!

Just an idyllic little view of a neighbor's farm . . .

I thought the little one tucked down into the tall grass was so cute!!!

Two hours later . . .

Following the 3:30 game, I was back on the road by 5:15 for the last 5 miles

of the day's 18er. I had to kick it up because we had evening plans. I kept it 

simple and ran into Charlotte where I admired this little peek-a-boo pig!

Heading back home along Charlotte's back road is this little park-like area.

I never see anyone there and the only evidence of it being a park is the

manicured lawn and the falling-down bench, but I find it a peaceful little spot.

Ashes, ashes, we all fall down . . .

A westerly view from a Hwy. 136 bridge spanning Deep Creek as 

it meanders into Charlotte. Such a pretty end to the day's running.