A World On A String

[Crusader Rabbit]

Weird story man. Ritual sacrifice of stuffed animals? Muppet bible reenactments? WTF?

Actually, lambs are common images on old gravestones for young children. It could be a memorial to a dead child.

 

[Jericho Mile]

Weird story man. Ritual sacrifice of stuffed animals? Muppet bible reenactments? WTF?

Actually, lambs are common images on old gravestones for young children. It could be a memorial to a dead child.

Yeah...a memorial to a dead child is my best guess. I've come upon all kinds of strange things...over the years..I've been crashing the brush. Some have been kind of disturbing....some funny...some pretty...and some pretty disgusting.

I keep an eye out for gold, native american artifacts, and bags of narco money....or any other hidden treasure. I'd not take the native artifacts...but the gold or narco money...I'd pack out. I'm one of those sorts..who fully believes..he will find a treasure someday. I'm a seeker.

When we go hiking...we take trash bags...because usually we'll find some sort of human trash. It bothers us to see our home getting trashed on...so we pack out others' neglect. just the way it is...

like I said though...in this case...we left the stuffed animal. could be some juju on it.

 

[unclefishstick]

the forest is deep and dark eh?
and the desert is vast and uncaring...
i dont know what i would do if i found narco money around here...not too far to the south they have a penchant for cutting peoples heads off...

the mountain bikers seem to be pretty responsible considering the amount of beer that gets drunk in the parking lot...there are however usually hundreds of craft beer bottle tops laying around...im about to stash some tools out there so i can build a new trail,plus theres one berm i want to fix,closes out too soon or doesnt open up soon enough,at any rate it kills the flow of that section...its two 90 degree corners right in a row,both of them blind and its the first one that throws the whole thing off...speaking of which,im heading there right now,finally a nice day,winds have been awful...got plenty of garden work done...looks like im finally making good compost after 2 years...

 

[Madjag]

Reminds me of hunting for bales near the border.....some night drops lose a bale here and there. My pilot friend once spotted what looked like a jettisoned auxiliary gas tank stuck nose-into the Organ Pipe NM desert. He thought it might have coke or heroin and I thought how the hell would he ever get rid of that kind of weight without getting killed for it. He wasn't really in the drug world, he just wanted to get rich quick however he could.

I volunteered to move it if it turned out to be weed. No luck....he drove miles in a dune buggy just to examine what turned out to be a gas tank only off an Air Force jet from the neighboring Barry Goldwater practice bombing range.

Years later, ironically (or was it synchronously), he got his chance for the big time and sold 10 kilos of coke to an undercover agent in a secret meeting at the Cordes Junction truck stop....the largest hand-to-hand coke sale and bust in AZ history at the time circa 1980 or so.

Strange how things work out sometimes....be careful what you ask for....

 

[Jericho Mile]

Observe Jericho Being Openminded

Observe Jericho Being Openminded

I'll say it was 5 yrs ago when the "Minimalist" running shoe movement kicked into full swing. Minimalist defined as shoes having very little or no padding...pretty much your feet feel everything the terrain issues you. I..myself..have documented over those years how many different shoe models I've used. From the old skool Vans to the Vibrams to the Merrells to the Inov 8 to the Altras etc etc....different brands..different concepts..often going through several pairs of a model

The Minimalist Movement in the running world has been a pretty big deal. It has made more than...a little sense. It has been liberating to many. And it has been a big trend.

Now the trend is swinging back to heavily padded shoes. That trend has almost run parallel to the minimalist trend...but has really gathered steam amongst the Ultra community specifically. Realistically....running ultra distances in minimalist shoes can be as detrimental to the body as running in over protected shoes. I found balance in the minimalist hybrid shoes (Altra Superiors and Lone Peaks are such shoes)...but then again...how can I say balance...when in fact...I have not even tried the new generations of highly padded shoes? I really can not...

* Hoka is the shoe company that started the heavily padded movement. Their designs have been very popular and have now been absorbed into other companies' concepts. Even my favorite (currently) shoe company..Altra...has borrowed some of their design...and with great success.



^ These are the 1st generation Altra Olympus. On that training run I did last Saturday...I saw so many of these shoes being worn by so many established ultra runners...that I finally started asking after them....open my mind you see...to other running shoe concepts. I heard not one single bad word...and most every review I read online..the same...everyone was way happy.

Altra recently released the 2nd generation of this model (Olympus 1.5 for $135)...and whenever they release a new generation...the prices of the old generation drops significantly. Sometimes they drop down below 1/2 price. So...I said...I need some new shoes anyway...why not...let me try out a pair of the 1st generation (I mean...everyone I talked to loves the 1st generation shoe).....ordered up a pair online....for a little over $68 to the door (original price $130)



^ The Olympus on the left....a well worn pair of Lone Peak 2.0 on the right. you can see the difference. The stack height on the Olympus is 36mm and the Lone Peak is 26mm. All Altra shoes are zero drop...there is no difference between the height in the back and the height in the front...so your feet stand flush...unlike most running shoes which will pad up the back..more than..the front..therefore allowing the runner a heel strike...rather than...a mid foot strike zone.

*Heel striking is not the way to go...and tends to cause many runner associated injuries. Mid foot is the place to be. I stay on the front of my feet unless I'm braking coming down a steep hill or just standing around. My heels I view as something there for balance or for braking..that's it.

If the weather cooperates (I'm not wanting to get up at 4 AM and drive more than hr into the desert...if it's going to be shitty. we are expecting rain/snow)..I'll be on a group training run put on by the Lost Boys 50M race director..this weekend. The run will cover the 1st 15 miles of the course...so it'll be down in the desert and moving up the east side of the Laguna Mountain range....parts I've never run before. Figure I'll break in these new shoes down there...and see how I like them. Well...I'll run in them before that..so by the time I get down there...they should be breaking in to my groove

the 36mm stack height is huge....but all the people I spoke with..said that the shoes are stable..not like running in platform shoes...so I'll take their word for it. I always think about my ankles getting folded coming down a hill...when I think of high stack heights..we'll see. Wearing them around the house though...they feel kind of dreamy...maybe it's true..maybe they float over the rocks..could well be something new and different

"Jericho The Liberated" lol...holy shit...mindlessly open minded? whatever gets me there

 

[unclefishstick]

im starting to see the wisdom in a full squishy bike myself,some days im really getting beaten up on full rigid bikes...

 

[Jericho Mile]

Reminds me of hunting for bales near the border.....some night drops lose a bale here and there. My pilot friend once spotted what looked like a jettisoned auxiliary gas tank stuck nose-into the Organ Pipe NM desert. He thought it might have coke or heroin and I thought how the hell would he ever get rid of that kind of weight without getting killed for it. He wasn't really in the drug world, he just wanted to get rich quick however he could.

I volunteered to move it if it turned out to be weed. No luck....he drove miles in a dune buggy just to examine what turned out to be a gas tank only off an Air Force jet from the neighboring Barry Goldwater practice bombing range.

Years later, ironically (or was it synchronously), he got his chance for the big time and sold 10 kilos of coke to an undercover agent in a secret meeting at the Cordes Junction truck stop....the largest hand-to-hand coke sale and bust in AZ history at the time circa 1980 or so.

Strange how things work out sometimes....be careful what you ask for....

Very wise words, my friend. I would be just as happy to find an old Winchester....or better yet...some old gold coins. Last year (auctioned last year..maybe found the yr before?)...there was that find of a big stash of gold coins in Nor Cal...some of which..were sold at auction. The people never reported who they were or where the found it...but I guess it was on their own property. Think the stash was worth 10 million (don't quote me there...but it was big bucks). They kept some coins as well...and some of the money they got for the ones they sold..went to good places. Great story....keeps my hopes up.

Lot of outlaw history around these parts..on both sides of the border...and I know it's out there. We like to hike off trail after it rains hard....as we figure...that's a good time to be out and about looking for what the erosion provides us. specifically...the bottoms of steep washes.

yeah...no....I don't need to find stashes of narcotics. That...I'd pass on.

 

[Jericho Mile]

im starting to see the wisdom in a full squishy bike myself,some days im really getting beaten up on full rigid bikes...

I think you are just becoming a beast. I can tell the difference in the way you sound these days. I've seen the pictures of your ever growing bike collection...wow man..just wow

 

[unclefishstick]

lol,its nearly as big as your pile of spent shoes at this point!

got to try my new knee and elbow pads out today,i thought i was on a casual ride...and it was since i got distracted and Bam! on the ground...landed elbow first on a pointy rock,didnt even feel it...

 

[Run4theCure]

Scary part with that dead rabbit...I dont like dead animals..i have this "fear" of dead animals..gives me goosebumps ..Be carefull cuz thats deffenly a scary place to run...About them shoes...Its almost a pair of Buffalo shoes...now we just need some neon and some E and then we have a party Just kidding ..they look fun..I had a run the other day..on my barefeet..i saw a man running and i could not help my self..i shouted out loud " thats not natural " and point on hes shoes..he just laugh and told me "but im faster" .. Im also about to buy some new "trail shoes" http://www.naturligfod.dk/products/xero-shoes-amuri-venture-camo?s=recomatic

I think they are hot hot hot..one can also get them in pink ...Have a good run champ

 

[budman678]

I just have to point out how cool it is to see Jericho and uncle change so much over the past 6months. Becoming a part of the community. You can learn a lot from others as I am sure they are learning a lot from you

I participate in enough alternative sports (climbing, single track mtn biking, snowboarding) to know that cannabis is deeply engrained. Has thAt subject been breached yet with your new friends?

 

[unclefishstick]

mostly beer drinkers here,but i dont shy away from smoking in front of the core group..

 

[Jericho Mile]

I just have to point out how cool it is to see Jericho and uncle change so much over the past 6months. Becoming a part of the community. You can learn a lot from others as I am sure they are learning a lot from you

I participate in enough alternative sports (climbing, single track mtn biking, snowboarding) to know that cannabis is deeply engrained. Has thAt subject been breached yet with your new friends?

When I ran that Oriflamme 50K training run...I'd gone down the canyon 8 miles...saw a good rock right on the trail..and started packing a bowl. 2 other runners came up on me as I was toking/blowing clouds. They didn't smoke..but they were cool about it...I guess...

I have no issue at all telling people I run high...but there are a lot of ultra runners with past dependency problems. Fair share of ex junkies...ran with one for a few miles...last weekend. Don't know if its the chemical reactions...but running is an alternative to doing dope. The guy I ran with..was hard into Narcotic Anonymous...said Cannabis would lead him to picking up the bag again. For sure..I wouldn't offer some to somebody like this...but at the same time...I'm going to do my thing. Dude wants to run with me..wanted my phone #..so I guess it didn't bother him.

I know there are lots of stoner runners like myself...but surprisingly..I've not come across that many thus far..in my social outings.

Man..this club I joined...has training runs about every weekend. Pretty cool...except they are all scheduled at 6-6:30 in the morning...and I prefer running afternoons. Pick and choose..I like to garden in the early mornings.



^ First run in the Altra Olympus...went 13.4 miles....lot of steep hills on the trails...lot of steep hills off trail. Brush crashing (I wear gloves when I know I'm going to run a lot of off trail) my way onto a sliver of trail I'd never been on. Yeah...saw it the other day..when the wife and I were at that cross rock outcropping. Looked over and saw it...straight shooting up the spine of a long climbing hill. Think it was based off an old dozer line that was put in during the Cedar Fire of 2003....pretty sure..it's in the right place..but yes..yeah

that thing was pretty mean...the trail I mean. Lot of false tops..lot of rocks...no switchbacks/all straight up and much of the trail was being reclaimed by the brush field. I headed up it..after...I was already 10 miles into the run...and had to actually...at the top...crash a wall of brush and climb over a barb wire fence..to pick up a dirt road which then..took me to a jeep trail...and back down the hill...lot of effort in that piece of the run...tough stuff

Breaking in the shoes. Gave them no mercy today. Totally have a different feel. It's going to take me a few more runs in them before..I really learn how to drive them. No issues though...they were working fine. Pretty solid start.

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

It used to be that I hid my smoking from the disapproving older generation. Was with a friend recently who is two years older than me. We wanted to smoke and she thought just out in her yard was the best place. She was concerned about the disapproving old guy next door. I'm sixty now. Maybe it's time to stop worrying about this since for me, soon there won't be an older generation left to disapprove.

 

[dank.frank]

mostly beer drinkers here,but i dont shy away from smoking in front of the core group..

LOL...

I like to cycle a bit - and I'll never forget this one ride. It was all flat road, rhythm riding - and I was on a mountain bike. That was the first thing all the fancy pants on their custom built $5k+ bikes scoffed at. Some 18 miles in - the first rest point / hydration point came up and I held my own in the front of the group. Couple people chatted me up, but I was new to this particular weekend group and for the most part stuck to myself.

I pulled out a fatty I had pre-rolled and boy did that get some looks. One person commented how smoking while riding was bad and if the bike hadn't slowed me down, there was no way I'd be able to keep up with tired lungs...

I ignored and meandered further away from the group...I had already put SOME distance before I sparked up...but, eh, could tell it wasn't a favorable crowd.

After the short rest - I jumped back on an quickly found myself with just the right buzz and easily found my rhythm again...except this time I was just lost in it. Starring down at the white line watching the cracks in the pavement zip by. The next 30 mile section was a blur...but I know I reached the next hydration point with extra time to kill...and only two other riders with me...

Needless to say, that sparked some interesting conversation that opened a door and I was able to do a bit of de-programming. I didn't get all over the top preachy about things...careful not to reveal my passion...but was able to put down the foundation to change a couple opinions that day.

Still one of my favorite rides ever...the eye ridicule I was given at first and the disbelief that followed after the fact...



dank.Frank

 

[unclefishstick]

theres no greater joy for me than passing stuck up roadies on my fat bike! take that leg shaver!
i have to say im mildly shocked there isnt a bigger stoner crowd among the mountain bikers,it seems like a natural match to me...but then again very few riders around here are full time,my approach is inherently different than someone who just drives out to the trails to ride...

 

[Jericho Mile]

It used to be that I hid my smoking from the disapproving older generation. Was with a friend recently who is two years older than me. We wanted to smoke and she thought just out in her yard was the best place. She was concerned about the disapproving old guy next door. I'm sixty now. Maybe it's time to stop worrying about this since for me, soon there won't be an older generation left to disapprove.

I detest having to hide it. Living in California..it's no big thing..lot of people treat it as legal. Really...if someone were to take issue..wouldn't matter to me..as they would be someone I'd not get along with anyway. I mean..if someone has a problem with someone else blazing up some herb..while running in the great outdoors..I'd not be able to take them serious.

To be up front...I'll say this...I do all my lone training runs high as hell..but when I'm running longer distances...like the 32 miles last weekend...I don't smoke. I don't smoke because smoking requires water as smoking dries out an already parched mouth. When I'm that tired and dry..smoking herb is not what I want to do...not what I'm thinking about. As well..I haven't stopped to smoke during a race...because..well because..it costs me time. I'm unable to pack, light, and smoke a bowl while running..I have to stop.

Old Skool



^ The "A" expression...Old Time Moonshine f2....day 26. Yeah now..this one is blowing up. She still has her 5 gal smartie elevated though...so in comparison to the plants flanking her which are not elevated..she's still not a big stretcher. Going wide...starting to bud up



^ I showed these before...couple of the OTM that were flowered in their 1.7 gal veg squares. Day 44...smelling up..fattening up

We're about to get hit with a few days of winter weather. Hopefully...after it passes..I'll be able to pull the 4 Old Time Moonshines that are in the 1.7 gal squares...out of the flower studio..and flush them out on the back deck. Have to watch the forecast..see what comes after this storm system. Coming into March...a tricky month around here

* ever hear that Shooter Jennings and Hierophant song "all of this could have been yours".....bad ass running song. When I'm hurting bad..it sometimes pops into my head. Gets me emotionally in an accepting place...makes me get down into the work

Baker Street (gerry rafferty)...extended version. Love this song..the lyrics and the beat..to me..are about running distance.

46 & 2 (tool)...totally what distance running is about. Shedding skin..picking scabs..muscle memory...analyzing the beast...the shadow. When things are getting dirty...when I'm getting weak..this song can pull me through

I have all kinds of music pop into my head while I'm working the trails. Some of it...I'm sure..is totally made up in my head..by hearing the sounds around me. The sounds of my feet striking...sucks me in..trance outs..sometimes I hear laughter that is not there..it's such a wild state to get yourself into. Yes...the intake of cannabis helps dramatically...it is true

 

[unclefishstick]

theres a trail cleanup day tomorrow for a foot race on one of the local trails,they have 10,30,and 50 mile options...im debating heading out to lend a hand,it is a bike trail as well..and horses...but the horse people never help,they just destroy the trail and leave shit everywhere...anyway,gonna be a bad day to be on a bike,when the weather forecast has the windy symbol around here its gonna suck...but if its coming from a good direction for the ride home it could be worth the ride to get out there...

 

[Jericho Mile]

Yup...our weather is looking windy, cold, and wet. Wind advisory and winter weather advisory. Stacked wood in the house...battened down the hatches...and did some trimming.

Already decided to not do that training run in the desert. I'm feeling no need to drive down there and back..in shitty weather. no reason for it.

I'll train elsewhere and on my own schedule tomorrow. Decided I'm going to begin doing longer training runs by myself...refueling by using my house as an aid station. Figure...as long as...I'm staying within a 15 mile radius of the house..I can stay supplied. I have some of the best trails within that 15 mile circle....my favorite ones..and plenty of off trail opportunities to. great hills. no brainer...that's the easiest way for me to bump my milage and train alone.

Even on the group training runs..I end up by myself. Still prefer being by myself when I'm training. I like talking to people for a little bit...but then it becomes a distraction. Many people prefer running with someone else..and they do..but it's not for me.

* Believe it was the other day when I mentioned I hadn't found any beans on the Queen Moxie clone in a long time. Well..I was getting some lower air buds together for my hash bucket...and found 4 or 5 beans in wispy flower. Sweet. Those will be the next thing I germinate.

** I'll make some hash tomorrow. I'm totally out...and that does not resinate with me. pun intended

 

[unclefishstick]

i just made an ounce of hash myself,was a good run...