Why am I so tired?

I have slowly been starting to get back in the triathlon training but this last week something very strange has been happening. I have absolutely no energy. I feel like I am way over-trained but that is impossible because I have hardly been training. To give you an example of what a typical day feels like I wake up at around 8:00 or a little earlier and then try and remember my dreams if I had any. I have been keeping a dream journal and enjoy writing down all my crazy dreams so I can remember them later. I roll out of bed and proceed to brew some coffee and eat a bowl of cereal and a piece of fruit like a banana or an orange. I drink a cup or two of coffee and then figure out what I need to do for the day. I always have to water the greenhouse so I usually go do that first. Then while watering the greenhouse it feels like all my muscles are slowly getting weaker and weaker and I am becoming heavier and more paralyzed. If I am to walk up any stairs I will become incredibly light headed and need to pause to keep from falling over. All I want to do is stop moving and lay down. After staggering back to my bike (which I wish was now a car because I don't know how on earth I will pedal home) I slowly and awkwardly pedal the mile back to my apartment. I immediately haul myself back into bed (which is strangely very difficult). I fall asleep around 9:30 and proceed to sleep until 1:30 in the afternoon. I just don't understand what is going on.

Later I might go for a walk because I am tired of looking at the ceiling and I just don't have the energy to go for a swim bike or run. I walk around and then it hits me again. I want to lay down in the middle of my walk and just rest for a couple of hours. I make the walk back home and then drink the rest of my pot of coffee thinking that will wake me up. Unfortunately it never does. I then eat something and start my homework or screw around online for a while if I have nothing really very important to do. By 9:30 I am getting ready for bed and am usually asleep by 10:30. What is happening to me?

Some other strange symptoms I have been having is I can not gain weight. I have really been trying but I can't do it. I have not weighed as light as I do now since I was a Sophomore in high school. Also my heart rate is incredibly low. I mean it is even low for an athlete. Sitting in class it is usually around 40 and laying down it is around 35. My blood pressure is high however. So figure that one out. And every time I eat something I feel incredibly bloated and sick. I seem to be falling apart and I can't figure out why. Sometime this week I will go get some blood work done and perhaps a physical so get to the bottom of these strange symptoms. I know no one reads my blog but if you have any thoughts on what is going on shoot me an email.

Carlsbad Caverns

I just loved the way everyone parked at the parking lot at Carlsbad Caverns. Obviously the parking lines went the other way. I parked the correct way as did that red truck. If everyone drove off a bridge, would you?

Here is the natural entrance to Carlsbad Caverns. Unfortunately there are no bats this time of year. They have migrated south into Mexico for the winter. Even though I am about as south as one can get in the United States, sometimes I wish I could do the same. During this whole trip the temperatures struggled to get out of the 30's. Come on Spring!


This is right about under the lip of the natural opening. It appears that it goes down for a little bit (maybe a 150 feet or so) then levels off. It is very deceiving because what you see here actually continues for about 800 feet almost strait down into the abyss. You keep thinking it has to level off but you just keep getting deeper and deeper.


Looking back up at the last of the light. From here on you are entering a world of complete darkness.


Down and down the path goes into the earth. After you reach the true bottom you have walked nearly a mile.


This is in the King's Palace. The room is off limits to the public because it is so incredibly beautiful and fragile. I was lucky enough to tag along with a tour group. It was hard at times trying to keep up with everyone while I set up my camera and tripod. The underground world is so surreal. I asked several of the rangers on the tour if they have ever been inside the Lechugella cave which is known the world over as the "Most Beautiful Cave" in the world. It is also the fifth longest cave in the world. Unfortunately the best story I could obtain while asking was an riveting story about changing the locks on the front door. It seems no one knows anything about Lechugella Cave. It is one of the last mysteries of the world. What else is down there?


Still in the King's Palace room/chamber.


King's Palace room/chamber yes we got to walk under and between those massive stalactites. It was through this walk way I believe I felt something strange. Yes I definitely felt it. There was a wind blowing through this passage way. Believe it or not Carlsbad Caverns has wind. It is the caves way of trying to even out the barometric pressure and temperature difference from all the way up at the surface.


This is the Bashful Elephant. Can you see it. At first I thought it looked like a tooth.


Green Pool in King's Palace.


This had to be one of my favorite sculptures. It's the Lion's Tail.


One of the many "hallways" on the way to the Big Room in the heart of Carlsbad Caverns.


I believe I am in the Big Room at this point. Those two holes at the bottom are more than 90 feet below my vantage point. They open up into more caverns and passageways, many of which are still unexplored. They are off limits as is about 95% or more of the Carlsbad Caverns.


Looking across the Big Room.


The Bottomless Pit.


This formation reminded me of the White House for whatever reason.


Giant stalagmites everywhere!


A scene from across the Big Room.


The Rock of Ages.


Detail on the Rock of Ages.


There were holes and passages everywhere that no doubt opened up into more rooms and passages. I took a picture of this one because it looked like it was oozing slime.


So beautiful and delicate.


Believe it or not they have a restaurant and a gift shop at the bottom of Carlsbad Caverns. What is this sad sick world coming to! Needles to say I was very disappointed.


Now I'm at the surface exploring the desert wild life. Here is an (Escobaria tuberculosa) or Arizona Pincushion Cactus.


A Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus (Echinoereus stramineus).


Ocotillos (Fouquieria spendensand) and Lechuguilla Agave (Agave lechuguilla) are growing here on the edge of this limestone cliff. The Lechuguilla Agave only grows in the Chihuahuan Desert.


The Texas Rainbow (Echinocereus dasyacanthus) on the left and an a Findlar's Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus fendleri) on the right.


And I went to Mexico! See here I am entering back into the United States. Ok so not really. I will explain. I took a wrong turn and said to myself, "Oh well I'll just take the next exit and turn around." Unfortunately there was no exit and soon I was stopped at the border by the Mexican border patrol. I tried to explain that I had made a wrong turn and did not want to go to Mexico. The Mexican border official spoke very little English but I think he under stood that I just wanted to turn around. I finally got through the gate (going into Mexico) and turned around to wait in line for half an hour to get through the United States customs. I thought there was no way they are going to believe me. I have no passport, a beat up silver truck, and a bunch of dirty camping supplies. The US border patrol drilled me several questions then took my drivers license and made a couple of phone calls. He let me off the hook and I was able to finally return home.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Driving the Tran-Mountain road by El Paso, Texas a baseball sized rock fell off of one of the cliffs and wouldn't you know it, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. You can also kiss my wiper blade good bye.


After the baseball rock to the windshield I pulled off the road into the Franklin Mountains outside of El Paso. These mountains are teeming with unique plants and beautiful scenery. I will have to come back some other time when I have more time to poke around and see what I can find.


Here are some salt flats to the west of Guadalupe Peak. That high mountain-rock-looking thing in the far back ground is in fact Guadalupe Peak.


There is El Capitan in Yosemite National Park and El Capitan in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Both are dramatic cliffs rising straight out of the ground. I managed to capture El Capitan here in the Guadalupes just as a low cloud was passing by.


I am now botanizing the desert floor of Guadalupe Mountains National Park looking for unique and interesting plants. I have a fascination with cacti and I always keep my eyes peeled for species I have never seen before. Here is a Christmas Cholla (Cylindropuntia leptoclulis).


My camp site at Pine Springs Canyon in the Guadalupe Mountains.


It took me forever to figure out what the heck this plant was. It is a Mexican Orange (Choisya dumosa). It is interestingly a member of the Citrus family and is highly aromatic.


These were easily my favorite trees around the park. They are Texas Madrones (Arbutus xalapensis) and have incredibly red-orange shiny bark and gnarly twisted shapes. Needles to say, they made great photo opportunities. I have also heard they are the hardiest of all the Madrone tree species.


The Guadalupe Mountains were a hot bed for agave. The agave I found in the park were slightly different than most of the other agave I have seen. They had an amazing ice-blue felt/matte color but had jet black spikes and spines. I think these specific agave are (Agave neomexicana).


Texas Madrone.


The live tissue looks like a tumor or alien growth growing over the dead wood in this Texas Madrone. I took so many pictures of these plants and each new tree I came came across seemed to become weirder and weirder.


Texas Madrone.


Foggy cliffs in Pine Spring Canyon.


Here is an Agarita (Mahonia trifoliolata). It produces edible red berries (not pictured) and is a member of the Barberry family I believe.


Crossing a beautiful clear stream in McKittrick Canyon in the Guadalupe Mountains. McKittrick Canyon had been described by some to be the most beautiful place in Texas.


Stream in McKittrick Canyon.


Approaching the top of Guadalupe Peak, El Capitan came into view. From up here you can really see just how massive the cliff face really is.


This is El Capitan from the top of Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas. 8,749 feet.


At the top there is a metal pyramid. I wonder how many times it has been struck by lightning?


Me on the summit of the highest point in Texas. Guadalupe Peak. I forgot to mention it was ridiculously cold up there.