LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO ALONG THE LEWIS ROAD TRAIL HEAD
This was a rough week with not a lot of running or walking…and a lot of eating…one day it was a Bavarian donut and Strudel from the best fucking bakery on the west coast!!!!( Continental Bakery in Crescent City) The next day I was someplace with barbecue near by and the smell was driving me crazy…soooo…I won’t bother mentioning it because the barbecue sauce wasn’t all that good but the meat was…..and no greens….what the hell is THAT about??? Anyway then it was Vietnamese food at my favorite restaurant in Klamath Falls I thought I gained 10 lbs but it wasn’t that bad…scale photo is at the end if you don’t want to suffer reading the rest.
My brother came over WAY to early I was still debating whether to get out of bed…9:30 or so….we sat around and had coffee while I gathered my sanity which had scattered the previous night. Then I convinced him that he needed to hang out with some rocks and trees while I went running (He has a knee injury) instead of studying his school books…
Anyway for drivings sake I headed back to Lost Creek Reservoir to run on the other side of Peyton Bridge Rogue River Trail at Lewis Rd. Trail Head…I parked by the bridge and walked up Lewis Rd. to the Trail Head…you can drive but its only a mile…this is looking back at the mountains.
Lost Creek Reservoir with old trees still standing and people in a fishing boat
I didn’t make it to Lost Creek Trail Head as I told my brother I would be back in two hours….I’m not that fast of a runner!! Especially with all of the photos I take…
This side of the trail is much better for running with only a few hills and the path is in better shape….at least as far as I went..
I actually ran most of the way out stopping for photos of course….had to walk up a few inclines…a few slippery wet patches…
As you can see from the clouds the weather was beautiful!!!
You don’t follow the road but head for the bridge instead…
I love bridges…as long as they aren’t too high…
This is Fire Glen Camp….
You can’t see the smoke in this photo but these people did not put out their fire…even in a fire ring during spring I poured my drinking water on it…
There are lots of big boulders here…
Phobia aside I manged to climb on what looked to be the biggest and safest while having visions of the fall below I took a few photos then got the hell off…thankful to have survived!!
I’m not sure why there is a fence here…made me think that there were a bunch of bears on the other side…but since I survived the boulders…What the hell…
I think this is what they call the Grotto…although I did not see any signs…this was my turning around point
I was in the middle of this bridge and could feel it swaying so I walked lightly as a Lumbering Water Buffalo can….
this bridge was a little higher…
I’m not sure what these numbers are for…
What the Fuck??? the bridge is resting on rocks in CHICKEN WIRE!!!…this has been a day of survival…..
I ran a bit on the way back but for the most part walked….the views are beautiful…
More numbers…
I love trail markers…
and flowers….
Last week was 196.6…..
And as far as miles for the week go..12.97…was worried I wouldn’t make the Nike 10 miles a week challenge over at Nike Running…big relief…..
LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO NAVIGATES MEDFORD AGAIN
This Lumber was 3.72 miles…had a tough week at work and too much travel I ended up taking about three days off…thought I would go running on the beach but like every time I have been to the coast in about six months it has been a fucking downpour and cold!!! And Windy!!! I don’t mind the cold or a bit of rain to much but the weather this year has just been awful when I go…And things that usually take 30 minutes this week took two hours…hope the sunshine brings brings ease simplicity…
But first this was the view driving to Klamath Falls on Wednesday…
but this was the road I was on..
Back in Medford and under the I-5 overpass near Hawthorne Park….
such beautiful flowers….
The creeks and were swollen from rain and snowmelt….
took a swing by the dog park….
This one was quite friendly and curious….
Every dogs wet dream a place where hundreds of dogs pee a week…lots of sniffing going on in there…
The dirt bike track….
reflections among the pond scum…
and of this trunk…
flowering tree by the skateboard park…next time I will bring a better camera to shoot the skateboarders….they are amazing!!
I wonder if there are any more little gardens like this in Medford….this one is quite old and not nearly as spectacular as the one in Brookings/Harbor that the master gardeners have going. This is going down East Main St…
but the daffodils are still a pleasure to look at!!!
view of the ivy that grows along E. Main..
The houses around here are much cooler than in the new developments which are ugly…all made out of tick tacky all looking just the same…These houses have character a bit of land and landscaping….
fallen blooms….
later…
RICHARD MARSHALL FOUND INNOCENT
I was traveling all week one side of Oregon and then the other…Thursday I came home to the good news that the first fiasco trial in the Anna Mae Aquash murder outcome was innocent!!
A federal jury deliberated for less than two hours Thursday before finding Vine Richard “Dickie” Marshall not guilty of murder in connection with the 1975 slaying of American Indian Movement activist Annie Mae Aquash.
Marshall’s supporters, who filled one side of the U.S. District courtroom, erupted in cheers and applause when the verdict was read about 2 p.m. Marshall stood and hugged Dana Hanna, his court-appointed attorney.
Afterward, Hanna noted that people have said a Native American cannot get a fair trial in front of an all-white jury in South Dakota. “We have proved them wrong today,” he said.
Prosecutors had tried to prove that Marshall, 59, provided the handgun used to kill Aquash, who some in AIM believed was a government informant.
Arlo Looking Cloud, who was convicted in 2004 of her murder and is serving life in prison, was the government’s key witness. After years of denying that he, John Graham, Theda Clarke and Aquash had stopped at Marshall’s home in Allen just hours before Aquash was killed near Wanblee, Looking Cloud came forward in 2008 to say they had stopped in Allen and that Marshall had given them a handgun.
On the witness stand last week, Looking Cloud claimed he did not tell the story sooner because he was afraid of Marshall.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Mandel suggested to jurors that there was another reason Looking Cloud didn’t talk sooner. If he had mentioned going to Marshall’s to get a gun, Looking Cloud would have been admitting he knew Aquash would be killed, Mandel said.
Mandel cited evidence that Clarke had given Graham a note that read something like, “take care of this baggage.”
“Folks, there wasn’t any baggage,” he said. “There was only a human being they wanted taken care of, and that was Annie Mae Pictou … ‘Take care of it?’ Hey, you can draw your own conclusions as to what that meant.”
In order for Marshall to be convicted, federal prosecutors had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he had both provided the gun and known it would be used to kill Aquash. Hanna suggested in his closing arguments that the government had proven neither.
“This case of the government consists of the words that came out of Arlo Looking Cloud’s mouth and Serle Chapman’s mouth,” neither of which Hanna said were credible.
Hanna argued that Looking Cloud made up the story about Marshall in hopes of getting out of prison and because Looking Cloud believed Marshall had “ratted him out” to investigators.
And Hanna questioned why Chapman, a British writer, did not tell investigators until 2008 about an unrecorded conversation in which he said he asked Marshall about the gun.
continued at RAPID CITY JOURNAL
Contact Heidi Bell Gease at 394-8419 or heidi.bell@rapidcityjournal.com
GROWING ALONG THE ROGUE RIVER
More photos from my excursion along the Lost Creek Reservoir…Rogue River..
LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO WALKABOUTMEDFORD
Yesterday I ended up having to bit of work at the mall so I walked lumbered over… which was 3.25 miles.
Of course…I encounter one of my newest phobias….barely made it past the mall parking lot carnival….palms dripping with sweat from fear….of what??? That I will be kidnapped by a carnie?….or that some of those rides had plywood under them to stabilize them…do people inspect them each time??….crazy I know…used to love the fair and all the rides…now I just think of my head splitting open as it hits the pavement…
a much better sight…although I was standing in the middle of the road and this poor car had to swerve from hitting me!!
Polluted Beautiful Bear Creek!!
Beautiful sunset not so beautiful focus…
clever bit of landscaping…if they kept it up…
Shoes with the socks still in them…wonder if this person touched their doppelganger or if they were abducted by aliens….
LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO TRIES TO NAVIGATE LOST CREEK RESERVOIR
This week as incredibly busy with work…had a hard time working in any running but on Friday I did manage another 3.2 miles but instead of seeing how far I could run lumber -I ran as fast as I could and then walked…ran then walked. Discovered the brain likes the running faster as far as producing the runners high….oodles of good chemicals hit my being…same place on the Bear Creek Greenway so I didn’t bother with photos.
Saturday morning almost noon I took off towards the Upper Rogue thinking I would try my luck on the trails around the Upper Rogue Gorge…then I remembered that I had been meaning to try the Peyton Bridge Trail Head to the headwaters of the Lost Creek Reservoir….not big on reservoirs but its better than running in Medford! I have two different books on trails in Southern Oregon which usually give detailed descriptions of hikes….but in the case of this trail there is very little so I assumed it was going to be a bit on the boring monotonous side walking through trees around a reservoir for 5 miles. I was pleasantly surprised by the variety in landscape!!
I had hiked about a mile up this trail previously about two years ago….had a little picnic and took photos…
This is Peyton Bridge…spanning Lost Creek Reservoir…
Not sure if the water is blue from algae….but most of this water comes from Crater Lake via the Rogue River and lots of little creeks that feed into it….
The thing I don’t like is that like most reservoirs there is a marina and you can hear power boats and even in the middle of the lake where people are just fishing with the engine turned off you can hear them talking….but as I discovered the further you go the less boats!!
Madrone leaves lit by sunshine..
The trail is in good shape most of the way….there were a few points where some brambles are growing over the trail and other parts where the ground is a bit soggy!
Bad people have no place else to put their used tires except to roll them down the hill!!!!
The trail goes up and down and around constantly so my running was limited to the places that were flat….or just a slight incline. But to my shame I met a man who was in his sixties on another trail in California who was recovering from prostate cancer who ran on a trail much worse and more hilly than this one….he also ran ultra marathons….50 miles and up….none of that pussy 20 mile running for him!!! (my head is hanging with shame!!!)
looking up
There are a few waterfalls along the trail not sure if they are seasonal….
Lots of bridges along this trail!!! I love bridges
Place to rest…..but didn’t. There are no mile markers along this trail….that I could see anyway
The trail leaves the forest for a time and ahead are some wonderful cliffs above!!
the reservoir stretches on….
another place to rest….but didn’t. I got such a late start and took quite a few photos…most not included in this post.
looking back at a bridge
I found this curious….closest part of the trail to a boating accident??…eaten by cougars or bears??….tree fell on them???
lots of bridges!!
hard to see through the trees and shrubs but this is a fairly big falls….they ramble over a fairly wide distance
about this time I wondered if I should turn back my feet were getting a bit tired but there is always another bend to see around….
This looks like its getting close….
finally I came to this drift wood clearing
lovely family of geese in the distance…I only brought my little digital because I wanted to run next time I will bring my back pack to take one of my “real” cameras….
There are thousands of these little burrs….stick right to you even after picking them off I kept finding them on the way back ….even found one stuck on my butt when I got back to the car!!
Cool flotsam and jetsam….lots of pumice rocks floating among the wood…
a little further is another bridge…and waterfall of course. The trail doesn’t stop here but its my turning point….hate to be a pussy but my feet were really getting tired by this time…and still there were no trail markers.
Finally….leaning over the bridge I realize that I now have the the conservative estimate of five miles back!!!
And I could swear that the hills grew bigger and there were more of them on the way back!!! Resting on one of those benches on the way back….actually did a lot more running too. Then my knee started bothering me towards the end so I walked….NO INJURIES!!! No problems today but still debating whether I will lace up my shoes and at least walk….
Since there weren’t any markers like I said I am calling it a 10 mile excursion…although I think it was a bit more after looking at maps when I got home…can’t find any decent maps either…even the one by the Army Corps of Engineers….Norton says is dangerous….
Anyway I got my appetite back and while I mostly stayed away from anything bad….I did break down and buy ice cream….to celebrate finally doing my taxes!!!!….the shame of it all!!
So far I have been weighing myself on Friday but because of an exhausting work week I completely forgot on Friday (had to watch my latest installment of MAD MEN)….anyway with an extra day I logged in 20.79 miles. Good thing I gave myself an extra day…10 of it was on Saturday…
COVERED BRIDGE AT MILO ADVENTIST ACADEMY
This covered bridge is located somewhere between Tiller and Days Creek. Its a Christian boarding school. Very well kept from what I could see. The bridge spans the South Umpqua River.
LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO FINALLY RAN A MILE….WITHOUT STOPPING!!
Actually it was 1.40 mile miles without stopping!! My usual foot photo…
And I had to take about 10 of these most ended up with my part of my head chopped off. I’m horrible at taking my own photo… That isn’t sweat…it rained the whole time!
I walked most of the way home which was good….I confess I ran a few times but for the most part I was too tired to go further than a half dozen yards…This is probably the way I will continue exercising run on the way up and walk on the way back…except for the loops…
The mistletoe is fascinating….creepy and compelling at the same time…
Bear Creek…
lone little duck…
more reflections…
I don’t run with an Ipod or headphones of any sort…I want to be able to hear birds and stuff and be able to think…Some of you know my struggles the last few years and my efforts to overcome them…I thought when I first moved back to Oregon I would shake the depression that had invaded every corner of my life and begin to run again…I did get into hiking a bit….there were so many struggles and setbacks in my personal life…financially….mentally…..it has been a roller coaster like none I had EVER experienced in my life. Anyway I really thought about why I didn’t start running again and tried to get past the excuses to what I was feeling. Running had been calling and calling…a memory of freedom. But when depression sets in when it gets its claws in you…what I think is that it becomes a control issue…yearning for the freedom to run…to break free…but compelled to grip and turn inward to a place that is static…not sure if it is comfort or fear…or the comfort of fear. Year after year waking up each morning and deciding to try to control rather than let go and be free. Holding onto darkness instead of letting go and feeling the darkness jolted off with every step. Five years later…turn around and say to yourself why did I hang onto that for so long? Even with those feelings surfacing I have to give myself pep talks to lace up my shoes….bringing along a camera helps….sometimes I don’t take photos thinking I have already been somewhere or that I have to have some exciting place to go to….combining two things I love eases the protest that still springs up as I plan to go running.
WATER BUFFALO LUMBERS OVER BY THE AIRPORT….
I was going to walk to Costco which is 6 miles but it is all cement on a road with lots of traffic so once again I searched for someplace to run where my feet would take less of a pounding. There is a fairly cool website called MAP MY RUN and you can click on different points and it will tell you how far it is. Also you can down load it to that gadget Nike has called Nike+ for 50 plus dollars!!!
Since I was driving to Costco and I know that there are a bunch of roads behind it that receive hardly any traffic I could at least run on the asphalt and it was by the airport. I thought I could get photos of planes taking off or landing….
Shopping Mecca….People always tell me that they can’t get out of Costco for less than 200 dollars….not me! I have been on this earth too long to fall for nonsense in retail….
Actually my average Costco trip is a bit more coffee….more fruit and cheese…socks….and pants for work…Occasionally I splurge….for instance I bought a lobster tail for breakfast about two months ago.
Oh and that is DAVE”S KILLER BREAD a bit expensive but well worth the extra money. His motto is JUST SAY NO TO BREAD ON DRUGS….he is an ex-convict…and now a bread winning success!!
So off I went towards the airport….
I thought the road I had picked would have a better view of the runways but not so much except right by the gate. No matter I like seeing new areas of Medford…
Not the prettiest road but there is no traffic allowed its asphalt and there is actually room on the side to run…which I actually did for about a mile….very slowly…then I walked and ran and walked and ran…then just walked…or rather lumbered…..when I hit 159 I’ll change the title of the running posts from lumbering water buffalo to something like….hmmm….I need to think about that some more….can’t go with something too fast and sleek…
Look at all of that nasty foam in the drainage ditch….probably from the new car lot not far from here….
Yes I could be running by nice houses in a nice neighborhood but….they are all made out of tick tacky and they all look just the same….
if you just knock the sign more it loses its meaning…
I don’t know why I love urban decay so much…or industrial decay…
Too funny this is a pink van with a wood bumper!
This is called Airway Drive…I thought it would have good views of take-offs but I was wrong…
Here is a cool business for those of you in the market for sheds! THE SHED GUYS
Greenhouses…
and how cute is this chicken coop….I wish I had a herd of chickens!!!
then you can lift the door to collect the eggs from their nests…too too cute!
And I swear at 44 years old I just wanted to play in this when I saw it….THE BIG VALLEY….THE RIFLEMAN….
GUNSMOKE!!!
Seriously there should be a refund on tires the way there are bottles and cans….trade those fuckers in for some whiskey!!!!
This is reminds me of one of those scary truck B movies…..where they come to life and take over a town…I was half waiting for the headlights to suddenly come on and hear the roar their engines starting and being that it was near the end of the route…I was too fucking tired to run…
As I made it back to the airport there were a bunch of cars and people watching the planes take off. Now this is Medford….so you have to wait awhile for planes to take off and land…probably one or two an hour….any way I wasn’t close enough to take a photo but a plane took off and it seemed a bit old and slow….when I stopped to talk to one of the plane watchers he informed me that everyone came to see that plane take off it was a B-17
This is what a B-17 looks like!
Today’s journey was 4.35 miles. My ankle is a bit swollen though….took some ibuprofen hopefully it will be better in the morning….
MORE PICS OF UPPER TABLE ROCK
So many people I left my bear spray in the car…I ran into someone a few weeks ago that said he lived on the outskirts of Medford and actually ran into a brown bear that charged him…didn’t see any cubs…but it backed off after the charge. A round here they say you should actually try to look big and be more confrontational if they don’t go running in the opposite direction. I looked for cougar tracks but didn’t see too many lots of scat with hair…
The first time I was on Lower Table Rock I almost stepped on a rattlesnake but luckily the nice snake rattled and I jumped in one direction and he took off in the opposite…Ticks? luckily I have always felt them crawling on me before they latched on….you HAVE to check your dog…there are no dogs allowed but people take them up anyway…
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LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO CLIMBS UPPER TABLE ROCK
Yesterday (Friday)I was looking for a place where I could run or walk on something other than asphalt or cement that wasn’t too far away so I thought I would look to see where runners in Medford liked to run. There is a running club in Medford. SOUTHERN OREGON RUNNERS.….they say they are the oldest running club but their favorite runs link has ONE trail description…Medford is no Eugene when it comes to running trails…unless the club is keeping them a secret! There are plenty of trails in Southern Oregon but you have to do a bit of driving to get to them….and as I described before Bear Creek Greenway is asphalt and its hard to consistently and comfortably run on the side. Even with my Shox the hard surface takes its toll on my overweight body. So I got out my Southern Oregon hiking book… and since I have never climbed the Upper Table Rock and it was the middle of the day I thought it wouldn’t have too many people…
I was WRONG!! I hiked the Lower Table Rock a few times which is a bit harder and more dramatic there were only about 3 or 4 other people each time. Actually for the amount of people it wasn’t bad and once at the top I avoided the popular scenic spots and took of on the road to the radio tower.
The trail starts off at an incline so immediately you start getting a workout just by walking..
Lots of oak trees and volcanic rock …
Where ever there was a flat part or a slight incline I ran instead of walking…only three or four places that was possible…
Mt. McLaughlin in the distance…
The first resting place…of course I use the excuse of taking pictures to take A LOT of rests….and I had a hell of a time adjusting my shoe laces…to tight….then too loose…..I almost gave up…but didn’t…
Manzanita branches like tentacles…
Another resting point about this time a man came along running….up the mountain…not even huffing and puffing like me…put me to shame especially since he looked to be about 10 years older than me!
Almost to the top…
And look at all of the pretty little yellow flowers!!!
The table rock you can either turn left and head for the view overlooking the many buildings and farms of Medford and Central Point or you can head straight and see the Lower Table rock….
Lots more yellow flowers…
and looking behind to the East is Mt. McLaughlin…I was jogging to the scenic view but you have to jog with your head down so you know where to put your feet!!
The Lower Table Rock..
Down below…
I have lots of energy so I jog off on the road that goes to the other side of the table rock and past the radio station
This is one of the reasons to have running shoes for trails…people sliding all over…even the deer prints had skid marks….I walked around this part!
Some of the vernal pools….
The radio tower in the distance. The tower helps planes get their bearings as they descend into Medford
The road continues past with nice gravel but by this time I am way too tired to do anything but walk…
Might keep out cattle but not us Lumbering Water Buffalo!!
A much bigger pond….
I went probably another quarter of a mile or less and turned around…I was getting really tired by then and while I didn’t make it to the end I have some thing to look forward to next time…..
Before I jumped in the shower as I did last Friday I jumped on the scale…FINALLY under 200 for the first time in four years!!! I did weigh myself again after I ate and re-hydrated….less than a pound difference!
Almost forgot the trip was approximately 6 miles while much is written about how long the trail is to the top there isn’t anything that I could find about the road that goes around the top I based my calculations by measuring conservatively a topographical map. Since I am weighing myself on Fridays I’ll make that my running week.
So I started posting these because while I was inspired by the NIKE RUNNING CHALLENGES. But first of all it is for people who actually have money to spend….the Nike+ device costs over 50 dollars!….I have to save to buy new shoes!!! Secondly though their site reminds me of the crap on Twitter…but then again people probably think I say too much! Actually my Dad raised an anti-joiner of just about everything….So anyway I WOULD have signed up for the ten mile a week challenge….but altogether running and walking I managed 23.5 miles! All that with days off to recover…
LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO FORGOT HER RUNNING SHOES…
I took two days to recover from the sore butt and Achilles and was headed to Klamath Falls for work brought my running clothes water but forgot my shoes and lunch…waahhhh!!! It was a good excuse to buy some RILEY’S JERKY!
I DID have my hiking boots with me so I headed for the Link River Trail it is 1.5 miles each way so I did get in 3 miles of walking and not on concrete although my feet didn’t feel to great as my boots are a bit tight these days…They were loose when I bought them but gained weight so I may need to get a larger pair! EVERYTHING costs money…..
Oregon Avenue runs across the Klamath Lake outlet
I have never been on this trail before but have made fun of it in the past because it looks from the trail head to basically follow power lines….it does…basically this trail connects Klamath Lake to Lake Ewauna and Veteran’s Park.
My hiking, walking and running always get deterred by things of interest…this must be investigated!!
Can you believe all of these scary spiderwebs….kept me out!!
Oh boy this must be the first dam on the Klamath River….or maybe its just an electric plant…
PARK BENCH FAIL! But I am going to guess that the bench was there first and then the tree grew in front of it!
Finally I have found the trail to Klamath Falls….that which the town is named after
Surely they mean everyone but ME!!
Those are the “falls”…I had heard before that there weren’t really any falls….so I wasn’t disappointed
Back on the River Trail we begin to travel along a perfectly charming irrigation ditch…
The river below…
my shadow
Now this was exciting….tunnels in the little trees that grow along the river….
very cool the trails go in all directions
looking up…
Ah Ha….where the children play
It actually has partial walls made of branches
trails that open up to “rooms”
Klamath River was filled with ducks but when I came lumbering along they scattered.
The houses lined along the river
HA!! I went in anyway!!!
The trees are watching….
Hmm…I wonder how you get through this door….
Next time I’ll see where these lead to…
This Oak tree had all sorts of dried whirly-bird things and the wind was blowing and it made a wonderful rasping noise. Speaking of wind it was cold AND windy. My hands were frozen by the time I got back to my car….I encountered a few runners and they all had gloves on their hands!
Of course I just love the “privacy” fence!! wonderful layer of textures…
Hopefully a run tomorrow…..now I am way late getting to bed…but I don’t have to work tomorrow!!
THE LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO DUSTS OFF HER NIKE SHOX III
Good thing I looked at the calendar….It was the 5th….last day to pay rent so I looked up how far the office was…2.5 miles one way…5 miles total. Today because of the cement sidewalks and too much traffic to run in the street I kept it to walking except for one incline with no sidewalk just nice dirt….ALMOST made it to the top…
Anyway this is the sun coming up over Jackson St….
38 degrees but the flowers sort of fake you out…make it seem like 58!
This church is very cool and I need to take photos on a sunny afternoon..
Love antique cars..
This is the “good” part of town…funny how the streets are named “Hill Crest”, “Kensington” , “Piccadilly” Which reminds me of the time I asked my Dad who served 20 years in the Navy…”Why is everybody so overboard about Diana and Charles getting married”? DAD (dryly): Americans forgot who won the goddamned war.
The view from the top of Black Oak Drive…
I love the color of new growth
Can’t help but smile looking up at this tree…all curly like Shirley Temple
Big cool ivy monster
One thing about Oregon is that there are parks EVERYWHERE…
I guess this is a weeping cherry
looking down Jackson St
I don’t get this logo…. I see it every day…I guess you are a stiff white square and by getting pain management you become a….healthy blue square with rounded corners??? Looks more like paint samples
Tomorrow….
SIN AND DOCTORS OF CRIME UNDER A BRIDGE IN MEDFORD
These are from under a bridge in Medford…too many to put on one of the Lumbering Water Buffalo posts!
Well…..I ain’t dead YET!
I didn’t get close enough to this ejaculating penis to figure out if it was painted with the dirt below or feces!
This is awesome a surveillance camera spray painted on the ceiling…wonder if it helps deter crime?
Triplicate SIN!
SIN alone..
i aerosal brain?
Hmm…that looks like the devil to me….
SIN for the Christmas holiday…
THE LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO DUSTS OFF HER NIKE SHOX II.V
Haven’t gotten a damn thing done all day….and definitely wasn’t up for exercise as I have trouble standing up and sitting down. Here are the rest of the photos of yesterday 7 mile walk…
Another park bench although this one is a bit more interesting with graffiti!
This Greenway is interesting in that it isn’t all that “green” at least at this part….it runs along I-5 from Ashland to Central Point…I was about a half a mile from the fairgrounds and its just sort of strange that is runs along the Interstate….aside from not being very nice to look at the noise drowns out everything else. I don’t know why they didn’t put it on the other side of Bear Creek although I’m sure it would still be noisy!
And right across from I-5 is the Espy Wildlife Station….don’t get why this is right by I-5 but there you have it!
And as you can see there is trash every where and not a trash can in sight!(OF COURSE THAT IS NOT AN EXCUSE!! You know how I feel about trash…next time I decide to walk this way I’ll bring a trash bag the way I do when I’m hiking in the Redwoods…
There were about five or so ducks and geese in the pond but no solitude as there are 18 wheelers hurtling by not far away…
I do try to find beauty where ever I go and some of trees were silhouettes against the sky
raindrops from the previous shower…
across the Interstate…
more newborn leaves…
Gatorade…liquor….Pepsi….beer cans but LEA & PERRINS???
The weeping willows are just beginning to sprout their leaves
Oh how I love texture….and this was just beautiful…
Under another bridge…
Bear Creek.
Finally with my batteries running down on the digital and my legs hurting I find the Train Park..but it had to wait another day…
Another favorite photo….LAYERS AND TEXTURES!!!
Like modern art against the sky
Have to wonder if there was a mill here this is right in the middle of Medford. I don’t know much about Medford…
And under the last bridge
Depending on how I feel when I get up…may take another day off!
LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO DUSTS OFF HER NIKE SHOX II
OUCH!! Just ate and took three ibuprofen….it was that sort of day….
I ended up walking today because I was a bit sore from running that half mile yesterday…now I live in Medford and would have sworn to you a week ago that is mostly without hills…especially where I live. But when you haven’t run in 6 years and weigh 200 the “hills” along Bear Creek Greenway are treacherous and some of my muscles were a little bit sore. I found a map online of BCG and decided to walk 2 miles to the Train Park four miles walking would be perfect and I took my backpack with my manual Albinair MS-2 film camera which weighs a ton…with the 80-200mm lens. I need practice using it. One of my dear friends gave it to me. I took the little digital too so I would have instant photos…
reflection on the Greenway
and under a bridge..
You know I love my graffiti….I wonder if the artist sprayed it on the “ceiling” of the bridge to mock God’s “traditional territory” or if he/she put it there because the columns have texture and are not ideal for spray painting…
and I wonder if the homeless moved those few rocks for a place to sleep. While it is a bit scary to enter a dark bridge and see homeless people sleeping….it also is a bit weird going through the effort to make it uncomfortable to do so…getting out of the rain….feeling save with a “roof” over their head….its a bit weird that as a society we choose to spend money in that way to “solve” the problem.
Water from the sewers run into Bear Creek…that is one of the reasons it is one of the most polluted waterways in Oregon…of course the vineyards and orchards contribute lots of fertilizer and pesticides….
I hope this person is alright!!
This wasn’t the prettiest side of the Greenway….I try to find beauty where ever I go…but there were stretches of fence lots of traffic and the banks of the overgrown murky Bear Creek
The new baby leaves are adorable
Here is a good idea….artist benches. That is how they should all be along the Greenway instead of memorial for dead people…They should have a variety of artists though…like the Artist Doors in Grant’s Pass….
As dirty as my Shox are I haven’t used them for much I mostly wear my Crocs….or work shoes. I’m not sure if I will like them for running….yesterday was my first day wearing them. My last pair just had the Shox on the heel. Anyway my heels were slipping so I had to put the laces through the last hole. It did the trick and my feet felt better….I forgot to shave the back down to see if that would help the Achilles…WAAHHHHH!!! (tribute to Artie Lange).
Bear Creek water….what the fuck are those bubbles??? I wonder if the homeless drink from here….
details of another bench…
Hmmm….how did I end up here???
I had to head back there aren’t any real signs on the Greenway lots of codes for runners spray painted on the asphalt..the bridge looked promising…
And look little arrows to follow…
I ended up missing the Train Park and went 3.5 miles totaling 7 miles….I’ll post about the other half tomorrow. The POOR LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO is very tired, aching and needs a nap….until tomorrow….(no exercise tomorrow)
LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO DUSTS OFF HER NIKE SHOX
WAHHHHH!!! Yup that is how I have been feeling the last month! I have been on an up and down cycle for the last four years letting myself get run down and exhausted. Stress and worry have been crushing me until I can hardly breathe…and what do I worry about?? THINGS BEYOND MY CONTROL….so my new motto is from MAD MAGAZINE … WHY WORRY?
For awhile I had up a weight issues page and took it down. It was quite a popular page on my blog so I know that people are either genuinely interested or like the blog PEOPLE OF WALMART they were coming to see a train wreck!….but I wasn’t in the right frame of mind (not that I have ever been…) and unlike what they say about posting such things publicly will shame you into sticking to your goals….doesn’t work with me. My self esteem doesn’t come from what I look like. The over 200 I have been carrying around for the last four years distresses me because I have always lost weight easily but not anymore. And I feel like crap….my back is almost always in pain and unless I take ibuprofen before I go to bed I toss and turn due to the pain. I HAVE CELLULITE!!! I used to take great pride that when I weighed 150 I had very little cellulite compared to those skinny movie stars that the paparazzi takes pictures of in their bikinis with lots of bad looking stuff on the back of their legs. ( Guilty of viewing train wrecks myself…)
So I don’t remember feeling this bad for this long….my body can barely tolerate alcohol or lack of sleep. I haven’t had health insurance since moving back to Oregon. First time in my life that I haven’t had coverage. Not that I’m fond of going to the doctor….save that for another post. But guessing I would say that I have stressed out my thyroid and pushed my immune system to the breaking point. And from what I read about thyroids the majority of the problems can be self corrected through diet and exercise. The diet is problematic only in the sense that I do have a sweet tooth. I’m a perfectly healthy eater (my brother can attest to this as he always complains when he comes over my house that there is nothing to eat. Lots of veggies and fruit….rice…nuts….quinoa…that sort of stuff. He’s lucky if I have eggs on hand.) But then I can’t leave Sherm’s without icecream….Ben & Jerry’s and that new Haagen Daaz FIVE….IS TO FUCKING DIE FOR….ginger icecream and they used to have brown sugar if you bought the two at the same time….ORGASM!!! And now they have a new lemon flavor…ok enough you probably get the point I’m one of those people who thinks that A PINT IS ONE SERVING….
I finally hit 218 and said that is enough!! I love running but I knew it would be tough at that weight so I pulled out my TAE BO dvd and started doing that 4 or 5 days a week for about a month and lost around 7 lbs. Which is when I really knew that something isn’t right…when you weigh over 200 lbs and doing tae bo the lbs should fall off until you hit around 150….I wasn’t eating that much icecream maybe a pint every other week. Discouraged I became and broke down and bought my other favorite Easter eggs the malted kind….the big bag. Then I got sick….two weeks now I haven’t recovered. And now I realize that my body simply cannot tolerate any type of junk food.
Since I have been sick I have lost another 7 lbs….and not by starving myself. I eat even if I’m not that hungry but things like avocados, whole wheat bread and hummas with chia seeds on top….apples and oranges. Trying to keep the processed stuff out. Eggs and herring(mmmmlizzylovessmellyfishandcheese)
Ok so now to get to blowing the dust off of my running shoes. My poor shoes have been calling to me and its weird but in a way it is almost a terrible emotional pain to go out running. I’m not sure why….I have been thinking about it for ages…I SHOULD start running again…horrible mental block for ages. But running stuff keeps popping up in my life like a neon sign no matter that I just want to stick my head in the sand and pretend to be invisible. Why that logic prevails is beyond me. ….Hey let’s wake up each day and do what makes us miserable in the long run….every day….day after day!!! Crazy some of us humans are. Then a few days ago I was reading about my cellphone carrier (Sprint) and how they do a bad job defining their company and the measure of this was how Phil Knight defines his company….mother fucker made me cry…longing to lace my shoes up and experience the freedom of running. So last night I went on the NIKERUNNING website and there they have these challenges like 10 miles a week (I think that was the lowest…I CAN DO THAT!! So I go to sign up and a little window pops up about agreeing that third parties are allowed to view your progress…..WHAT THE FUCK??? WHAT THIRD PARTIES??? ANY OF THESE???
Apparently Nike does not receive very many junk email….I have it in spades!!!! Every whack job lottery….prize win….help me with money transfer….and even women soliciting me for relationships. Oh but never mind apparently everybody already has my email address except for the people who I would like to have it like….TOMMY LEE JONES…VIGGO MORTENSON…..SAM SHEPARD….
But I was not deterred by this and just decided that I should post it on my own blog and record the miles here. SUFFER THE READERS! So I actually went to bed early woke up at six had my copy while shaking my head at the headlines and then bit the bullet and took off. Luckily in addition to my Nike shoes I have a Nike windbreaker(note to the FCC I make NO money off of my blog and receive NO free merchandise.) that still fits with nice deep pockets cause you know I can’t leave home without a camera…
Of course I pick the day with storm warnings….but its Oregon…if you wait for a perfect day in Oregon….
graffiti in Medford
The polluted Bear Creek (they got a D+)
I bought these in Vegas years ago at the Nike Outlet…I fucking hate buying shoes of any type as I have a foot that is hard to fit wide with a narrow heel and have to try on shoes for…EVER before I find one that fits…I’m not sure why but for some reason the shox have done well for me this is my second pair. While I am a fan of Nike having grown up in Oregon before they came out with the Shox I wore Saucony a lot…but even with the Shox I try on multiple shoes. It bothers me to pay over 50 dollars for anything but for my feet I will splurge. This is the first time I went running in these I have been on a few walks and worn them around the house ….so I’m hoping they will hold up for at least three months. Even when I weighed 60 lbs less I went through running shoes faster than most people they last maybe 4 months if I’m lucky. Come to think of it I think I quit running about the time I invested in Shox….I hope they aren’t jinxed.
My right Achilles was hurt about a month ago doing tae bo and I thought it was all better but it is aggravated again so tomorrow I may just end up walking. But I’ll cut the back of the shoe to see if it helps before I go running tomorrow.
speaking of running I actually only ran about 3/4 of a mile and stopped twice in the middle of that but between walking and running I totaled 2.5 miles.
This must be a sort of lovers spot with all of the graffiti on the trees…
even on a dreary day the flowers are celebrating!
Never mind when I’m dead someone quick get me a bench while I am alive to enjoy it!!
There was a homeless person sleeping on my way out and on my way back I stopped and took a picture amazed at how the hell anyone could sleep on those rocks….I bitch and whine about my back all the time with a mattress and when I go camping I have to bring my air mattress I can’t sleep on the hard ground. Seriously!!! One of the things I should be more grateful for…
Always curious I wonder what this is??
OMG!!! TRAINWRECK…..oops I mean LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO!! Next time I’ll take better pictures and won’t crop off my head….It was so long and my head was in a weird position trying to see the camera.
I’m only doing the scale thing once a week….I’m not one to torture myself….if I’m under 200 next week it will be the first time in 4 years….OUCH!!!
BLOSSOMS AND BLOOMS
Thank you to those of you who have expressed concern over my irregular posting and for those of you wondering I have had quite a nasty cold/flu that morphs into something new every three days. I felt myself getting run down a few weeks prior to my collapse in health. TOTALLY MESSED UP MY VACATION! …in addition to trying to keep up with work that has fallen behind the blog suffers a bit. Hopefully by next week I will be back to speed with lots of photos and resuming my commentary on the borderline series.
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