Ecuador Day 2 – Quito Walking Tour

November 21st, 2014

On my first full day in country, I decided it would be cool to do a walking tour of Quito. It wasn’t until the afternoon, so I had plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely morning. Around 9am, I went downstairs to check my email using the hotel computer and I met a nice 20 something named Adam, from Perth, Australia.

Adam was about to start a 55 day tour of South America and had the morning free, while he waited to meet up with his tour group. So, we both decided to grab some coffee and walk around a bit.

San Francisco Monastary
The San Francisco Monestary

Enjoying a Break on the Steps of San Francisco Monastary
On the steps of the San Francisco Monastary

San Francisco Square
San Francisco Square

Commercial District Workers Protest
On our walk, we ended up in a square where there was a demonstration by a united group of workers who were on strike from their jobs in the commercial district. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ecuador Day 1 – Denver to Quito

November 20th, 2014

Tilden and I had been talking about climbing some mountains in the Alps. When we started looking at the pricing, we decided to switch to Ecuador. From Tilden’s work at the travel agency in Boulder, he knew quite a bit about the trip and set us up with some good rates on a fully guided tour. So, we made the deposits and before we knew it, it was time to climb!

At the Houston Airport
Here I am waiting for my flight to Quito, at the Houston International Airport. The flight to Quito was 4.5 hours, so I made sure to eat a good meal before I got on board.

When I arrived in Quito, it was very late at night. I had arranged for a driver to pick me up and take me to the hotel San Francisco. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the hotel. The drive wasn’t bad, but the old road was chewed up in many spots. The driver assured me that by next year, they would be opening up a direct highway from the airport to downtown Quito, which would have brand new roads!

Hotel San Fransisco
The Hotel San Francisco is a charming hotel right in old town Quito. It has a lovely garden patio area with lots of plants and flowers. It also had 2 computers with internet for use by the guests and wi-fi for those with their own devices. Read the rest of this entry »

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Trail Running – Indian Creek Fifties – A 60K Ultramarathon

November 1st, 2014

Clare and Doug Post RaceClare at Indian Creek Fifties Finish Line

On the Day of the Dead, Doug and I ran the Indian Creek Fifties. The Race Director, super nice dude named Sherpa John, apparently can’t do math…it turned out we all got to run 10K “bonus miles”. The course is really beautiful, mostly single track trail which winds from the North Rampart Range Road, to Strontia Springs, via the Roxborough State Park. Trail conditions were nearly perfect and part of the race was on the Colorado Trail!

For the Day of the Dead race, I decided to honor my Grandma Pat, by wearing a tribute to her on my race shirt. I went to a craft store and purchased some fabric markers…

My Race Shirt Front
The Front of my Tank

My Race Shirt Back
The Back. Ode to Grandma Pat

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Mountaineering – Pt 13,811 and Pt 13,832 – San Juan Mountains, CO

October 5th, 2014

Panorama From Williams Creek Trail
Lovely Fall Day in the San Juans!

Napping on Pt 13811
Time for a rest on the summit of Pt 13,811!

Clare in the San Juan Mountains
On my way to Pt 13,832 (Thanks to Frank for such an awesome picture!)

Frank on Pt 13832
Frank standing proud on Pt 13,832.

Pt 13811 and 13832 Topo Map with Waypoints
Our Route!

After my 20+ mile run, I took a rest day with Dennis in Leadville. We enjoyed a leisurely morning and used the dry sauna at the hotel. Then, we went to the Museum of Mining. Dennis used to work for MSHA and I really enjoy geology, so it was pretty fun.

Later in the day, we met up with Frank in Buena Vista. I hopped in Frank’s car and Dennis headed home. Frank and I then drove to the San Juans to join the 14ers Fall Gathering. We were excited to meet some other mountain enthusiasts and our goal was to climb “The Points” which are two centennial 13ers just outside of Lake City. Read the rest of this entry »

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Trail Running – Camp Hale to Tennessee Pass and Mitchell Creek Loop

October 3rd, 2014

Running Down Colorado Trail
Gotta Love Running in the Rockies!

I was supposed to climb Mt. Elbert, but with forecasts of extremely high winds, I decided to bail. I’d rather do a lovely trail run, in treeline, than be blown around, all by myself, on the top of the highest mountain in Colorado.

5.4 Miles Into Camp Hale to Tennessee Pass Trail
Dennis with his Bike

Dennis was planning to do a 20+ mile bike ride, from Camp Hale up to Tennessee Pass and then around the Mitchell Creek Loop. The lollipop bike ride looked like a lot of fun; part of it is on the CO Trail so trail conditions were destined to be good.

So, I decided to join Dennis. He would ride and I would run. Fun! Maps below are courtesy: Arkansas Valley Mountain Biking by Mark Wolff. Buy the book, it’s great!
Camp Hale to Tennessee Pass Topo
Camp Hale to Tennessee Pass Topo Map

Mitchell Creek Trail - Loop Hike
Mitchell Creek Loop Map

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