Day 476 -- Jogger's Progress

	Trip	YTD	Oct
Distance	2717.1	1342.6	90.5
Time	17 days, 4 hrs, 6 min	8 days, 19 hrs, 12 min	14:47
Days	476	219	22
States	13	6	1

Well, October wasn't much of a month. It started out OK. I ran 14 of the first 16 days of the month. But I took seven days off in the second half of the month, including both days both of the last two weekends. I only had one semi-long run, so my mileage per day was low, too.

It's not really a big deal. At my age, I can't train hard all year round anyway. So October, 2007, is a down month for me, and I'm not really planning to ramp it up until January, when I begin training for the marathon again. But I do hope that I can get out a little more often, and put in some longer runs on the weekend.

I did run today, a hard 5.6 miles. It felt good. It was pretty warm, but windy.

Day 475 -- Currant Creek

Going back to the U.S. Geological Survey site, we find this nice picture of Currant Creek, "near Fruitland." How near? Don't know. East or West, North or South? Don't know. But the water is surprisingly warm for this type of year.

I took both weekend days off again. I'm getting lazy. I had planned to take Saturday off, but Sunday I just slept in. Mrs. Jogger and I went to a party on Saturday night, and got home comparatively late. But I ran this morning, and it was good.

Day 474 -- The Edge

Before leaving the Fruitland area, I thought that I should visit The Edge. According to the web site,

The Edge Retreat is the ideal setting for your workshops, wedding, family reunions or business retreats. Perched atop a cliff overlooking the Strawberry River, The Edge is known as Utah's most magical retreat.

It is absolutely lovely here. And they must attract people. I got a link to them from Salt Lake City, which is a good 70 miles away.

Today was a weird day. I decided last night that since it was cold, and since I have a little sniffle that I got from the Little Joggers, I would run inside. But when I went out, it was actually pretty warm. But I was already on my way to the gym, and I can't change my mind that fast. So, when I got to the gym, I ran 4.3 miles on the outdoor track. This kind of defeats the purpose. It's just as boring as running on the indoor track, but colder. But, that's what I did. So there.

Day 473 -- Fruitland

Today, I ran through Fruitland, Utah, literally the only town on this road for a good 70 miles or so. So if I have to thrash around to find images for the next couple of weeks, you'll know why. This picture of a store in Fruitland comes from our friend Lynn at Dreambreeze. I may cram in a few more Fruitland pics before I run off too far.

I went to the gym this morning. This was really the first time all fall that the weather has forced me in. I ran inside once before, but that's because I was running at noon on a weekday, and I didn't want to expose my pudgy body to the whole campus. Today, I just opted to come in from the cold. Then the regulars teased me about it, so I'll probably have to run outside tomorrow, just to prove that I can.

Day 472 -- Too tired to blog, never mind run

I ran 4 miles, plus a little, yesterday. It felt pretty good. Which was good, because I was in for another long day. I had two classes, three meetings, the usual pile of stuff to get through, and then an evening exam. I didn't get home until after 10:00 at night. So I didn't blog last night, and I didn't run this morning. Today was a bit better, but still busy. I need to go back tonight for a pizza party, but at least I won't be home at 10.

Day 471 - Tabiona

I'm not very near to Tabiona, but hey, there were some pictures from the Utah Water Science Center. This is the Duchesne River, near Tabiona. There's not a whole lot around here to stand in front of, so today, you get this.

I took two days off this weekend. I didn't really mean to. I planned to take Saturday off, but I meant to get up and go for a longer run on Sunday. Didn't happen. Oh, well. I ran four miles this morning, but it was kind of tough. It's hard to believe that I can run 20 miles, as hard as it's been to run four, lately.

Day 470 -- Harley Boys

The Harley Boys road through this area some time this past spring.

Yesterday was our Fall Break, so I slept in, then ran at noon. I felt great for the first mile or so. Then I turned around and ran back into the wind, and that slowed me down considerably. It was quite a windy day.

In the afternoon, Mrs. Jogger and I drove up to Madison where I gave a talk to the Math Club from the technical college there. It went pretty well, I thought. We went out for Middle Eastern food -- falafel, hummus, tabbouleh. It was great.

Day 469 -- Starvation Lake State Park

According to the Utah State Parks web site,

The name "Starvation" has been credited to two legends. One saying that a group of mountain men caught in winter snows survived by stealing a cache of food belonging to local Indians and as a result the Indians starved. The other more often told legend, relates the opposite story of the Indians stealing the trapper's cache of food leaving the trappers to starve. It is, however, very likely that neither legend, even if true, bears reference to the naming of the dam and reservoir.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, cattlemen and homesteaders tried to make a go of it along the banks of the Strawberry River in the area now occupied by the reservoir and dam. Their story is one of hardship, perseverance and facing near starvation in a very hostile and harsh environment. Winters were hard, long and extremely cold. Their cattle and livestock often froze during these winter months, and the short growing season was hindered by flooding, hailstorms, early frosts and other calamities. They nicknamed the area "Starvation" and it was from this reference that the highway bridge, reservoir, dam and state park received their names.

I ran five and a half miles this morning. There was a light rain when I started, but it wasn't cold at all, and it went away fairly quickly. It felt good. After not running yesterday, I had a hard day. I don't know if that's cause-and-effect. But I felt much better after today's run. The healing power of exercise...

Another good line that goes unheard because of Political Correctness

A student who had an appointment this afternoon sent me e-mail to cancel it, saying, "I hate to bow out on you, but I'm in over my head. I'm waist deep in school work and papers and life right now." I so wanted to write back that if she'd get her head out of her ass, that couldn't happen, but I was afraid she'd take it wrong.

Days 467 and 468 -- Duchesne Library

While I am in the vicinity of Duchesne (and with nothing else in particular around), I decided to visit the Duchesne library. According to their website, "The Duchesne County Library is the perfect place for research, studying, and is a great place to spend time with your children." Why do those two things seem to be mutually incompatible?

I didn't post at all, yesterday, because I never turned on my computer in the evening. I just had time to get home, and Mrs. Jogger and I turned around and went out for a meeting of people from our church. A lot of us are a little disgruntled with the state of the church, and we had a meeting to vent and to plan what we can do. We got home around 8, threw the Little Joggers into bed, and continued to vent and to plan.

Today is another busy day. We're going out to see a production of Charlotte's Web, The Musical, starring the First Little Jogger. Well, featuring the First Little Jogger. Special Guest Star. She's the third townsperson from the right, or something like that.

Day 466 -- Duchesne

Made it today to Duchesne, the county seat of Duchesne County. This is the county building.

I ran eight miles today, my longest run since the marathon. Having taken it pretty easy for three weeks, I was kind of hoping that eight miles wouldn't be so bad. But it was. I wanted to quit after four miles. I wanted to quit after six miles. I did tough it out, which is good, but I'm tired and sore now.

Days 464 and 465 -- Birding

I couldn't resist this wonderful rainbow over Wolf Creek Pass. I don't know exactly where Wolf Creek Pass is, but it's in Duchesne County, so close enough. This photo was taken by Marlene Faord, and is posted on a Utah birding site.

I did run yesterday. For the second Thursday in a row, I slept in, but for the second Thursday in a row, I ran later in the day. I ran three miles in the late morning, right before lunch. And today I got up and ran four more. So that's six days in a row I've run, and I'm taking tomorrow off, and no apologies.

Day 463 -- Myton

Myton, Utah, has an entry in Ghosttowns.com, even though they admit that it still has a few residents. They say, "Myton was established in 1905. Befor this time it was an Indian trading post. By 1920 around 700 people lived here. During the depression years the banks failed and arson destroyed a lot of property. By 1930 a big part of the population had moved away." I like the way they posted the picture in black and white. It gives it a much more ghost-towny feel.

I ran five miles this morning, but it doesn't seem to have done much for my mood. I've just been in a crummy mood all day, and I'm not even sure why. I went to a bunch of useless meetings, but what else is new? I had a student show up after taking three weeks off from the History course (and missing an exam and two papers), wanting to know how to get caught up. And I worked hard, and got few rewards. Poor, poor me.

One funny bit. We were standing outside the classroom, and one of my students was chatting with a friend. They were talking about what class was just ending, and what class was beginning, and how is that class anyway? My student was being careful, because he didn't want to say anything really bad with me just standing there, but he managed to put his foot in his mouth, anyway. He said something like, "Well, there are student presentations today, so it should be OK." The implied comparison was not, probably, the most flattering to me. There goes his grade.

Day 462 -- Ioka

Here I am on the farm where Clarence Wall grew up, near Ioka. Unfortunately, his family lost the farm and they moved to Idaho and Montana. But Clarence got to visit again in 2001.

It was much nicer this morning than yesterday. It was a cool 52 degrees, perfect for a four mile run. Tomorrow it threatens to be even colder, perhaps as low as 40. But I'm not complaining. Somebody reminded me that this time last year, it was snowing.

I just remembered something I was going to blog about...I dreamt about running the marathon last night. I ran and I ran and I ran and I ran...and then the alarm went off, and I had to get up and run. It was a little weird. But then again, in real life, I only ran four miles, so it wasn't as bad.

Day 461 -- Ballard

Ballard, Utah, according to Lynn, is not listed as an official town in the 2000 Utah State census, which lists only 235 of the 466 cities that she has visited. Nor is it big enough to have its own Zip Code. But it's there, by golly, and today, so am I.

I ran 3 miles this morning, at a steady but not spectacular pace. A cool front came through this afternoon. It was quite warm this morning, but should be nice tomorrow.

Day 460 -- Pelican Lake

Pelican Lake, Utah, is southeast of Fort Duchesne, which I've already run through, so I'm not really near the lake today. But, I found this cool theme for Window Maker on Linux machines. I'm not a Linux guy. One of my friends in the Computer Science department tried to turn me into one, but it didn't take. But if you are a Linux person, feel free to cruise over there and check out the themes.

I ran after church today. I couldn't get out of bed in the morning. I was up in the middle of the night with a bad migraine. I think I ate too much chocolate to celebrate my birthday. So I didn't sleep well, and I stayed in bed in the morning. But by the end of church, I was antsy enough that I went out for a quick 3.5 miles. I hope that will get me through the day.

Happy Birthday, Dear Jogger

Yes, today is my birthday. Forty-three years down, and who knows how many to go. Fewer than 43, I suspect. A sobering thought.

But, I'm not sober today. I'm in a good mood. It's Friday, and I survived what has been a pretty long week. It's my birthday, and I survived what has been a pretty long year. I've got four smiley and well-behaved kids (I traded the Little Joggers for them last week) and a loving wife. Life is OK.

Grandma Jogger and her housemate are coming in this evening. We are putting off the cake and ice cream until tomorrow afternoon, so we can celebrate with them. However, I might manage to sneak a treat yet tonight, when no one is looking.

Day 459 -- Fort Duchesne

I can see that this gal is going to come in handy over the next couple of months. To quote:

This page represents the documentation for an objective of mine -- to visit EVERY town and city in Utah. Of the 466 Utah towns and cities in Utah,(sometimes not much more than just a named location with a few houses or ranches) I have now visited and taken a picture of ALL of them.

Well, that's a Jogger's dream. Any time I get stuck for a picture, I'll be back here. The only thing that I don't get is why I didn't run across her sooner.

Fort Duchesne doesn't seem to be much. Lynn has taken a picture of a boarded up Post Office. Do they ever actually close post offices? Or is there a new one on the other side of town, next to the Wal-Mart?

I ran three miles this morning. I wasn't sure if I was going to, after running just 14 hours previously. But I had trouble sleeping this morning, so I got up and ran. Anyway, just yesterday I swore that I was never going to skip a day again.

Day 458 -- Afternoon Delight

I swear, I am never going to skip a morning run again. I'm going to run every morning for the rest of my life. I got up this morning, turned off the alarm, and went back to bed. I'd been tempted the last two days, and today I did. Well, let me tell you, the extra 40 minutes or so of sleep didn't do me nearly as much good as a 3 mile run would have. I was just in a funk all day. And, unfortunately, it wasn't a good day to be in a funk. I had way too much to do.

So, I came home at 4:00, laced 'em up, and went for a run. I needed it. My brain was totally locked up. But three miles (well, 2.8) unlocked it, and now I'm feeling good.

(Sorry about the video. The run has got me in goofy mood.)

Day 457 -- Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation

These people are removing non-native fish from the Duchesne river, with the purpose of making it safer for native fish. I'm not really sure how close I am to them. They are somewhere on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation, the eastern edge of which I have about reached. But it's a big, big, reservation, and I haven't tried to figure out where the Duchesne river is on it. Or, for that matter, where they are on the Duschesne river.

I managed four miles this morning. It was a nice, cool morning, good for a run. I've been having some trouble dragging myself out of bed the last few days, but I'm glad that I have. That morning shot of endorphins is just about the only thing that has gotten me through the day.

Day 456 -- Randlett

Behind me, the Uinta River at Randlett, Utah, looking downstream. I ran 3 miles again this morning. It was fine. Somehow, I managed to run faster than I was expecting, and it didn't kill me.

Day 455 -- More Vernal

I'm eight or nine miles outside of Vernal, but I didn't want to leave without posing in front of the big pink dinosaurs. Yes, plural. The one above, from a blog called Big Bonton, seems to be just a road sign for Vernal. The one below, from RoadsideAmerica.com, is advertising a particular hotel. No word from The World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things which is the World's Largest Big Pink Dinosaur. Erika, you are slacking.

I ran three miles this morning. There was a light rain when I first left the house, but it ended before I could get too wet.