2019 Recounted

As I like to do, here is a year-end list for 2019--

1.              Arlington National Cemetery and Gettysburg

We laid my Dad to rest in Arlington Cemetery, and visited the Gettysburg to honor his memory. 2019 will always be the year I lost my Dad, and everything else was second, and so I have to have this slotted up top. Arlington is haunting, with its fields of white tombstones. Gettysburg too, standing by rocks on Devil's Den, knowing the close quarters combat that happened there, less than two lifetimes ago.

2.              Monogram Lake

            Mike and I had  a nice, hard hike up to Monogram Lake in the North Cascades, right outside of Marblemount. Be warned: this is a climb! Maybe 5k up, but it felt like more--it felt like we’d never get there. Round trip was over 10 miles. We made it, finally, and found a gorgeous  mid-sized alpine lake, sitting beneath a cirque of cliffs. We tried to catch fish—it was a way to honor my Dad, who loved to fish—but the best I could do was lose a lure and bobber, forcing me to go for an impromptu swim. Fishing is reportedly good here--I'm just not. Great blueberries and wildflowers (lupine, astors, heather) along the way. Bear country.

3.              The Big Island

            Deborah and I visited the Big Island again, and I am sold—I could live there. Our condo was right on the water—so close, I could throw a baseball and bounce it off a sea turtle, probably. We visited Hilo and the Merrie Monarch Festival, Hawaii’s celebration of hula. This is a beloved festival for Hawaiians. I went for a pre-sunrise walk eight mornings in a row, which allowed me to see a quiet Kona and get coffee to start the day. No races this year., but a bit of running by the water. We toured a chocolate farm, visited Hawi and the north end, and attended my first luau, long overdue after many trips to the Hawaii. Aloha is a state of mind, which needs regular updating.

4.              Chuckanut 50k

            This year's Chuckanut 50k was probably not a good idea for me, but I finished, for the seventy time, fifteen yeas after my first. I am a not a good example on how to approach this though. I got up in the C-nuts before the race to train, but not nearly enough. This was a serious snow year. RD Krissy put in an early start and added an hour to the finish. I needed most of that time to get it done. I was passed by runners and walkers all day, and it got to be funny hearing how people addressed me:  “Thank you boss!” “Thank you sir!” “”Looking good!”(No.)   Great job as always by Krissy, Kevin, Gretchen, and everyone. So good to see many friends. Due to peer pressure, I am scheduled again for this event this coming March. We'll see.

5.              March Point Half Marathon

            This local course out by Anacortes is so beautiful, circling March Point and then traveling over saltwater on the Tommy Thompson Trail. I saw some seals, eagles, and herons. A small crowd for the half, but plenty of support, and a great barbq at the end. I love all the local options for events around here. Annually, there are probably a dozen half marathons within a half hour or so of home, if I start counting them up. This is one of the best.

6.              Sourdough Mountain

            My friend Craig and I both list Sourdough Mountain as one of our very favorite hikes around Washington State. It is a hard climb, but the views up top are outstanding, and it has great history and character. We finally got to cover the loop together. I was a little nervous, wondering if I was up for the distance, but it all went fine, and the hike was beautiful as always.  The back side seemed longer than ever though, with no water from the top down, and a barely cared for trail. The back side gives an entirely different view. Craig’s company made this day, as we chatted quietly about everything from John Muir to current events.

7.              Lookout Mountain

 After reading a great book on lookouts in Washington, I wanted to start tagging some of the ones I haven’t. This was a wonderful quiet morning in the early fall,  alone, This is a tough climb, and I didn’t get much in the way of views, but the Lookout was really cool.. I loved the quiet alone time on trail. The first half of the hike is the same route as Monogram. Love the North Cascades, and this one is a great trail for the hard workout and proximity to home.

8.              Monterey Bay, California and Big Sur

            I made the most of a work trip, visiting Monterey, Point Lobos Nature Reserve, Big Sur, Cannery Row, and the Salinas Valley. The clam chowder on the wharf is memorable. I also threw in a 5k—the only open race—on a beautiful out and back course in Pacific Grove.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium is really worth visiting—very educational on conservation issues, and downright stunning  aquatic viewing. 

9.              New York City- Global Citizen and Central Park

            We attended the Global Citizen Festival again, on the Great Lawn in Central Park, which was incredible. My favorite was Alicia Keys, especially her New York song. Queen was great too, and Carole King. The passion of the kids and celebrities supporting great causes was inspiring. I also got out one morning and ran the full 6 mile loop of Central Park. Crazy to see commuters on skate boards cutting through the Park. We visited Liberty Island and Ellis Island, Little Italy, and Chinatown.  We also walked through the Park to go to The Met, and I got my fill of Van Gogh and Rothko.  The Play It Loud exhibit, filled with instruments from all the legends, was terrific. A really great trip.  Now, every time when we see we the Big Apple on a TV or a movie, which is just about every day,  we say, “We were there!”

10.       Packrafting the Sauk River

Seth and I got out twice this year, as I recall.  The first was a very pleasant walk in the snow on the Cascade Trail for the Woolley Half Marathon. We walked most of the way, and the conversation was good. Terry joined us for a bit. Later in the year, I tried "packrafting" with him and Ellen on the Sauk, a tributary of the Skagit.  I was a complete and total disaster on the river, and we had to walk me out after I got hung up and later dumped. Alive and well, it makes for a funny story now. This will always be a favorite memory of mine for this past year, due to the adventure of it, and thepure beauty of the Sauk River. 

The year was filled with many other great experiences. I think one of my favorite moments was attending the Rolling Stones concert with Deb in Seattle. They were outstanding, and a band I always wanted to see. Giddy. We also saw Queen and Adam Lambert in Tacoma with Dan and Heidi, in addition to at Global Citizen. Mike and I caught The Who at T-Mobile not too much later, with a guest appearance from Eddie Vedder. Deb and I saw the Mariners and the Aquasox a few times, always a summer joy. There were local birding trips. I rekindled my joy for reading books, opting for books over other forms of entertainment often. 

There were a number of other races. I finished my 16^th Baker Lake 50k. Another Nookachamps Half in the books, slow if I recall correctly. I also completed the 50^th edition of the Seattle Marathon, on a chilly day. Another Skagit Flats half, and some  volunteering with Skagit Runners. I also volunteered at Cascade Crest 100 at Little Bear, visiting with many old friends. It wouldn’t be the Fourth without a Great Sedro-Woolley Footrace. Mike and I also ran the Labor Day Half, a race I PRed in back in the late '90s, on a Redmond trail I've biked, hiked, and ran on since the early '80s. Who says you can't go back?

In between football games on Sunday, I put down a beautiful 10k on Little Mountain, to support local trail work efforts. Also, so great to hike the back end of the Baker Lake Trail one rainy Saturday with Deb, Carrie, and Brad. Going slow here opened up new sights to me, and it was the company that made the day special. There was a crazy night, where I got up at 12 AM and drove out to Samish Island, to look for the aurora borealis. I saw a few columns, standing in a spooky field. Early in the year, I ran most of the Cascade River Trail by myself, to join Skagit Runners for pizza at Annie's. This is a club tradition.

Today is the start of a new decade. New goals, new hopes, new adventures. Thanks to all who check in here, and for your continuing friendship. All my best wishes for the new year and decade to you and yours.

Global Citizen Festival

We attended the Global Citizen Festival in New York City again, this past weekend. Exhausted from the travel and the non-stop activity, but we did well.

We stayed near Central Park, and I had opportunity to run the big loop of the park this time, which is about six miles. New Yorkers love the park, and going out early was a great way to see a bunch of serious runners clocking miles. I enjoyed watching some people commuting in to work via the Park, on skateboards, electric scooters, and electric skateboards. It was toughing sticking to the perimeter, as the trails draw you in, but I made other trips to the park and checked out some of these trails too. New York fascinates me in its conflicts--concrete and nature, for one. At one point, I read that per capita the people of Manhattan do very well as far as their ecological footprint goes.

The Global Citizen Festival showcases some of the worlds most popular music talents, performing in interests of global causes. Tickets to the one-day festival are acquired via lotteries, with lottery tickets available to persons who perform certain activist tasks. The causes are good--eliminate extreme poverty, fight climate change, gender equality, healthcare, and so on.  The festival corresponds with when the United Nations is in session.

This year's big name performers were Queen/Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Carol King, Pharell Williams, One Republic, and H.E.R. Kelly Clarkson did a duet with Carol King, one of my faves. Alicia was my favorite for the night--she killed it with Girl On Fire, New York State of Mind/Empire, and then a duet with H.E.R. of Aerosmith's Dream On. Didn't see that coming, but so good. "New York..concrete jungle where dreams are made of..." still in my head. Pictured above--we were right up front.

The celebrity speakers may have been even brighter starts--Leonardo Di Caprio, Ramy Mallek (sp? from Bohemian Rhapsody), Natalie Portman, Anna Kendrick, Hugh Jackman (host), Iman, and the list goes on. Many national and international leaders spoke too. The whole thing was in Central Park, attended by about 60,000, and broadcast on multiple channels.

We got their early, like last time, but were surprised to find out that we were some of the first to be admitted. We had a great place to stand, next to a railing, where we positioned ourselves for the next several hours. It was exhausting, and we were older than most nearby, but it was so worth it. The memories will last.

Other things:  well, we wanted to get out on the water, so there was the Statute of Liberty, and Ellis Island.  Loved Ellis Island--worth taking more time to visit.  We did the High Line, a converted trail on an elevated metro track. We found Joe's Pizza, reputedly the best. Vanessa's Dumplings, also the best.  There was an afternoon stroll and evening walk through Chinatown and Little Italy.  Spaghetti and meatballs, with a canoli chaser.

And the Met. I really enjoyed the Met, loved the Met, and the three or four hours we gave it were not near enough. I was amazed at the pottery and other items that were 2500 years or more old. Below is one of those Greek pots with painting of athletes on it. Probably priceless. We caught the "Play It Loud" exhibit on its second to last day, which was stacked with instruments of rock legends. Very popular exhibit. And I raced around the place, in some weird personal game of art tag, trying to make sure I saw the most legendary works, like the Van Goghs, Da Vinci, and abstract works that I like so much.

My heart will always be in quieter places, but I've always enjoyed my visits to New York, and I hope we get back soon again.

Central Park

 

Statue of Liberty, from below on Liberty Island

The Beatles instruments from 1964 Ed Sullivan Show Appearance, 

at the Met's Play It Loud Exhibit

Building art of Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama, seen from the High Line Trail

Ran the Six Mile Loop of Central Park

"The Lighthouse at Two Lights," by Edward Hopper, at the Met.  

Hopper is a favorite of mine and many.

Hummus and falafel, NYC style

Jackson Pollack - only a small portion of a full wall drip painting

Ancient pot with Greek athletes

Adam Lambert and Queen, headliners at the Global Citizen Festival

 

 Natalie Portman, one of many celebrity speakers, at Global Citizen

Ellis Island

New York City

Last week we went to New York City for the Global Citizen Festival.  I've never spent significant time in the city that never sleeps, and so we added a few days to be tourists. I've read the New Yorker for maybe twenty-five years, and have always wanted to visit. While my heart is in quieter places, New York is an amazing city, and for me this was an adventure of the first order.

Trains, trains, trains. For five days, we were subway and train gurus. We had our apps for schedules, but often I'd just ask someone. "Take the L to the A and get off at such and such station."  I even had an app which told me the best place to enter and exit a train. Grand Central Station at rush hour is sort of scary, with wall to wall people pushing to get onboard. On the ride to Yankee Stadium, a troupe of rapping, break-dancing, pole-dancing entrepreneurs entertained.

We stayed three nights in Brooklyn. Had pizza at the hipster pizza joint, Robertas, which has two Michelin stars. They had this radish dish that reinvented the bitterroot--loved it. Our neighborhood was full of graffiti and young Europeans, with a few food trucks, Brooklyn's Natural Grocery, and a feeling of rejuvenation. People walking around at all hours.

We did the water taxi tour, seeing the skyline, the Statue of Liberty and hiking the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge walk is very worthwhile, as is getting a few insights from a tour guide. We passed Ellis Island, the landing place for so many immigrants, and a personally significant sight for me.

We visited Ground Zero. The memorial is moving, and well done. Writing about it makes me sad though. I couldn't linger there too long. The memorial is actually two memorials, one for each tower, with one pictured below. 

Times Square. Crazy. The building size reader boards are worth seeing, and then leaving. So many people, coming, going. We got a few pictures with people dressed in costumes (Minion, Wolverine, et al.), and saw all the things you see on tv. So cool to connect these commonly televised sights with personal experience.

We happened upon a Comedy show at Carolines on Broadway. This was the score of the weekend, unexpected. Pete Davidson, the youngest cast member of SNL, was the featured comic. I think he's the funniest guy on the cast right now, and so this was amazing luck for me. His father died in 9/11, and he talks about it, darkly, sometimes. Great show, and I think he's going places. Jordan Rock, Chris' brother, also landed some haymakers. This is New York--we just happened to walk by, and were drawn in. Save Broadway for next time.

Yankee Stadium.  I love baseball. Great to ride the rails to the game, with all the Yankees fans in jerseys. I went in 2001 to the old stadium. The new stadium is much bigger, with legit 400 level seats.  Old time announcer.  Vendor options and atmosphere doesn't match early season Safeco. Around the 7th, I walked the stadium and checked out the Yankee Museum. So worthwhile. Yankee history is incredible, probably unmatched, though the BoSox might be right there. So many greats. In particular, I liked the featured exhibits on Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra (who just passed last week), Reggie Jackson, and Tino Martinez. They love Tino in New York.

One night we stayed next to Central Park, and I ran there the next morning. Central Park is a special place. You can escape there, and forget you're in the middle of Manhattan. New Yorkers love to run loops there--lots of runners hitting their strides. Its perhaps the greatest urban park in the world, so glad to get there. We actually spent all day their too on Saturday, on the Great Lawn.

Many other sites. Rockefeller Plaza. The NY bagel with cheese. More pizza. Williamsburg area of Brooklyn. Wall Street. Chelsea District, and the Trailer Park bar. A visit to the local clinic--so interesting to see how NYers live. Taxi ride. Also, Pope Francis was in town, as was the UN General Assembly, making it a big weekend for New York, even by New York standards.

The purpose of the trip, and the highlight, was the Global Citizen Festival. This was an all-day concert in Central Park, featuring Pearl Jam, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, and Coldplay. Guest stars included Tori Kelly, Common, Sting, Ariana Grande, Bollywood's top singer, and others. Guest speakers included Michele Obama, VP Joe Biden, Malala (Nobel Peace Prize winner), Leo DiCaprio, Bono, Usher, Steven Colbert, Hugh Jackman, Kerry Washington, Olivia Wilde, Big Bird, Bill and Melinda Gates, featured videos from Mark Zuckerberg and Barack Obama, and it goes on. The music was terrific, and Pearl Jam closed it out. Pearl Jam's rendition of John Lennon's Imagine, and the Eddie Vedder-Beyonce duet of Bob Marley's Redemption Song, with a Nelson Mandela voice track, were highlights for me.

The Festival was special, for many reasons. 60,000+ attendees, all on the Great Lawn. At least 48,000 attendees did not pay for their tickets, but won them through a lottery after taking advocacy steps for these various causes, such as signing petitions, tweeting, and calling Congress people. I was a lucky lottery winner. The effort wasn't hard, and the causes are very worthy. The focus on the Festival was the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development, which are geared towards ending extreme poverty by 2030. The goals form a real business plan for the world's sustainability, and were adopted last week by the United Nations. No poverty, zero hunger, climate action, quality education, clean water and sanitation, and more--each cause is legit, and each cause had a luminary speak out for it. 

This was a truly inspiring day. It was terrific to be a part of this special event, and to see so many young activists there. Promising for the future, and a good time in Central Park.