California: Part 1

After arriving in Santa Rosa airport I grabbed my rental car and shot north. My goal was Eureka and ultimately Redwood National Park. In the morning I headed up to the Lady Bird Johnson Grove. Absolutely amazing is all I can really say! In fact words do almost nothing to describe the Redwood's shear size and beauty. The Lady Bird Johnson Grove sits atop a ridge so the redwoods were not nearly as big and lofty as their lowland friends but that didn't matter because the real treat at this grove was the fog. I've seen pictures of redwood trees in fog but to see it in person was pretty ethereal.

The next grove I visited was the tall trees grove. Instead of situated high on a mountain, the tall tree grove was at the very bottom of the valley along Redwood Creek. These trees were, yes, tall. Protected from the wind and given a consistent water source most of the mature trees were well over 300 feet. Some were listed as being 320 to 350 feet but which ones remains a mystery, although I have my speculations.

The last (but not in the bit least) grove I visited was the Prairie Creek Drainage Grove(s). These trees were much closer to the coast than any of the others. Being so close to the ocean meant that the trees were bathed in constant fog and moisture and the results were BIG trees.

I asked a park ranger where I might be able to find the Illuvatar tree, the Lost Monarch tree, or the Del Norte Titan tree. These mysterious "lost" redwoods rival the size of the Giant Sequoias (in fact there are only a dozen or so Giant Sequoias that top these great Redwoods.) The park ranger laughed and said, "I don't know, but if you ever find the Illuvatar, let me know where it is." So if a park ranger doesn't know where these legendary lost trees are, then there must be only a handful of people who know where they are. Anybody who is a big tree fan knows these trees by name and knows that they are something special. However, practically no one has ever seen them. They are lost spirits in the fog.

California

Two nights ago some more thunderstorms popped up around Las Cruces. The last two times I went out to intercept the storms they fell apart like a big old Jenga tower. I got nothing. The storms were looking promising this time but I didn't want to chance it again. Taylor mentioned that if I was going to go try my luck shooting lightning, he would be willing to go. So, I decided to go. The storms did their best to taunt me by keeping their distance and sending lighting strikes everywhere but in my field of view but if there's one thing lightning has taught me, it is to be patient. Eventually I was rewarded with a couple decent shots but nothing spectacular. The wind was also very strong and I was having trouble keeping the tripod stable so the city light look a little blurry but the lightning came out clear.


Las Cruces lightning. My other photos can be seen at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamblalock/

Other things I am up to besides enjoying the wonderful weather is I am leaving for Santa Rosa, California tomorrow. The original plan was for me to try my hand at the Vineman Ironman Triathlon (my first full ironman) but since I broke my rib two weeks ago, the race is just not going to happen. I tried to change my flight to a later date but the penalty fees were crazy high. Then I tried to get a refund on the race but rules are rules and I was too late to get the refund. Now I really have no choice but to show up five days before the race that I am not going to do. At least I don't have to worry about shipping my bike now.

Brianne decided to do the Vineman half-iron aqua bike but she will not be showing up until Thursday (I hope). My mom is coming in on Wednesday so that will be very nice since it was Christmas when we were last together. So from Monday to Wednesday I have all to myself. "What will I do", I kept thinking. "Should I go to Yosemite National Park. Yeah, but it is the peak vacation period and there will be 2 billion people there no doubt. What about Big Sur, California. I like the ocean but I don't know." Then I remembered Santa Rosa is only three and a half hours south of the Redwoods. The option of seeing ginormous trees AND the ocean was enough. It's settled I will drive up to see the mighty Redwoods for a few days.

Also a little update on the rib: So I went for a 50 min. ride this morning and things felt okay. I was thinking yeah. I probably could ride the 112 mile ironman bike course and even run afterwards. However, all that twisting, jerking, and thrashing involved in that 2.4 mile swim didn't sound fun at all, or even possible. I am confident I have made the right choice not to race on Saturday. Oh, so back to the bike ride this morning. Yeah it was okay but still a little rough. Coming out of the saddle is sketchy and at one point my chain slipped forcing me to put all of my weight on my arms for balance and man, my rib sure didn't like that! But it is getting better and pretty soon I will be back to 100%.

I Found Some Clouds

First off, I would just like everyone to know how well I am doing keeping my blog up to date. Yes you all should be very proud of me. Second, the main reason for this post is to mention that yesterday some great thunderstorms erupted around the area. That afternoon I needed to head down to my Leyendecker Farm plot to check on things and take pictures of my cayenne chile anyway so I was in luck when the storms fired up. The storms looked very intense from far away but as I got closer they seemed to loose their vigor. By the time I got there all that was left of the storm was some interesting mammatus. Later on that eventing after dark, I drove back out to one of my favorite high points in the desert to try and get some photos of lightning but the storms were just too far away.


Mammatus.


This crappy shot is all I managed to get from the storm. Isn't it creepy looking?

You Know What? I Really Like Not Training!

Today is day 9 after my big bike accident and honestly, I don't really miss training that much. Everyone has been super supportive and concerned for me. I really appreciate them for that. There words of encouragement involved stuff like, "You will be back on your bike before you know it", "You can do some weights now to increase your strength for when you return to training", and "Now you can properly have a rest week to let things recover so that when you come back, you will be even stronger." All of these words of encouragement are heart-felt but truthfully, I am enjoying myself so much doing the other hobbies I used to do before training I don't miss it all that much.

I am still actively involved in triathlon however, but in a more indirect way. Currently I have decided to volunteer to be the running coach for the NMSU Race Club. Last year was fun but there seemed to be no structure in the workouts or meaning behind them. I am looking forward to creating the ultimate 5 and 10K running calendar. I am confident that I can get everyone in the club to take big chunks off of there current 5 and 10K PR's. Yak yak yak. We will see.

The other day Taylor and I went to the Home Depot for some minor supplies and I passionately stumbled on some amazing Cattelya and Vanda orchids for sale. Yes you heard me correctly, Vanda orchids, the most exotic and beautiful of all the orchids as far as I am concerned. Remembering my obsession for these rare and gorgeous plants I bought one of each. I didn't care if I spent my last dollar on them, I just had to have them to play with. I also bought some tropicals and a nice palm for the tropical garden that is coming together nicely. Next I might get a fountain of some sorts.


Vanda coeurlea 'Blue Magic'

At Barns and Nobles I bought a sketch journal and am excited to start drawing and sketching again. I am pretty rusty with my hand eye coordination after 6 years off but it will come around. And if it doesn't oh well, I am fired up to start intimately observing the world around me once again.

Also, our yard is starting to finally come together and the plants and grass are growing madly because of the little bit of water they are receiving. In the desert, if a plant so much as "senses" moisture it puts on the most dramatic display of growth ever. All this growth persuaded me to buy a push mower (which not only works better than a motorized mower, but is way more fun to operate). And then last night I caught a baby gecko! Yes our yard it becoming so much of an oasis that the lizards and geckos are having babies!

Oh, and I guess I can give a brief update on the chin and rib. So I had my stitches taken out yesterday. That was nice. My scab came off. That was even nicer and way to satisfying. My rib still aches pretty bad but it is, for the most part, getting better (slooooooooowly though). I think I may have broken more than just one rib while I'm talking about it. I for sure brok the number 9 rib but a rib more on the side and up a few ribs feels very achey and bruised too. I should get the x-ray so I can have a look for myself.

Emotion

What are emotions? Why do we feel? What evolutionary advantage has being able to feel given mankind? Why are some able to control their emotions while others let theirs run amok? I have wondered about these questions for just about my whole life but the last several days they have particularly been fresh on my mind.

I have never been truly emotionally strong. It is just the brain I was dealt I guess and I do the best I can. For years my parents wondered why I cried and was sad so often. It wasn't surprising that later on I was diagnosed with depression. It all made sense. My mother had it, my grandmother had it, and my great grandmother had it. It is unquestionably scattered throughout my whole family. I was just one of the lucky receivers of the "faulty" gene. Doctors though that perhaps by taking a simple pill once a day could solve most of my symptoms. Well it worked and mostly, I am a happy person who takes great pleasure in life. I remembered how awful feeling sad and depressed was and I never wanted to go back.

Obviously I am not happy and energetic all of the time. Like everyone I get sad, mad, angry, and irritated. I know I can not help the way I feel but I CAN help how I treat others. No matter how badly I want to punch or yell at people sometimes, I don't. I have self control. If I can do it, I assume others can too. Maybe I am being self-absorbed because, again, as I see it, if I can do it, anyone can. I'm not talking about climbing Mt. Everest, or solving String Theory, just plain old self control. Am I wrong?

I have only been emotionally involved with two people in my life and both of them had some trouble (my point of view) keeping their mood stable. Are all people (particularly girls) really that emotionally unstable? I don't have much experience to base my theory off of but I am not like that at all, even though I have been clinically diagnosed with depression. Why am I able to keep my emotions on a relatively controlled leash while others let theirs run wild and rampant? I just don't get it. Up down up down up down, Let's ride the roller coaster again. I am getting sick.

Maybe it's for the Better

Today is day three after my bike wreck and I have been thinking a lot about stuff. Instead of the train-a-holic most people view me as I have had several days now to sit and just think about things. Before I get to my thoughts I will share a little update on how my injuries are progressing.

This morning getting out of bed was still quite painful but not as painful as the first morning. However, I wouldn't say that this morning was any less painful than yesterday. Maybe that's because yesterday I took a fair amount of Vicoden. Anyway, I can't hardly feel my chin and it's stitches anymore, which is nice, but my rib just seems to be sore all the time. Again I don't know what it is but getting up in the morning is excruciating. Perhaps not moving for 8 hours has something to do with it. I have also noticed that it is starting to make a ugly, grinding, popping, gurgling sound whenever I take a larger breath. It doesn't really cause pain but the sound and feeling it makes is rather nauseating. Mom informed me that taking and staying on top of your pain is important so that the pain does not get unbearable. Lots of pain equals shallow breathing which could lead to pneumonia. Improvement does look to be hovering just over the horizon but it will still take a little time to get there.

Other things I have been up to is reading my new book "Grapes and Wine" by Oz Clarke. I am not really a wine drinker but the growing of grapes has intrigued me for a little while now. It probably started after I took that Viticulture class at the University of Idaho and then now with my planned trip to Napa Valley, California for the Vineman Ironman Triathlon. Which reminds me, I need to contact the race director (Russ Pugh who is a giant pumpkin grower [another old hobby of mine I might talk a little bit about later]) and see if I can possibly get a refund on my race. So back to grapes. Most viticulturists, I feel, are too concerned and fixated on the making of wine and drinking of the wine. The bottom line is that you need exceptional grapes to get an exceptional product. Most people don't realize just how important good grapes are. With my horticultural background I believe I could produce a superior grape given the time and space. I can do it with vegetables and flowers, why not grapes?

All this extra time has allowed me to get caught up and in control of my masters research project. I honestly forgot how much fun I have, pretending to be (oh wait, now I actually am) a "mad" scientist. I have been doodling in my notebook about potential experiments I can do in the greenhouse this winter with plant growth regulators (plant hormones). Currently I am working with ethylene and the ripening of cayenne chile peppers but my professor and I believe there is another plant growth regulator (or several) involved. Mainly abscisic acid. But most of you don't care so that is all about that insightful little essay.

Brianne and I have been on neutral terms for a little while now. I really miss her but she thinks that this is because I have all of a sudden had lots of time on my hands and I am probably just feeling vulnerable. I don't know. I have always enjoyed spending time with Brianne. She is very funny, outgoing, active, smart, pretty, and intellectual. She makes me feel good. Sometimes Brianne's moods can change so suddenly that they throw me for a loop and I don't know what to do other than just get away because nothing works. She can be downright mean and she knows just what to do and say to hurts my feelings. But she knows about these moods and she is working on it. We occasionally talk about these feeling and how to better control them. She is actually doing better. I am really happy for her and glad to help when I can.

Lastly, I have also been thinking a great deal about triathlon. I really truly do enjoy swimming, biking, and running, but the time it takes to excel at all three is almost foolish. Even if you are exceptional at all three and probably have what it takes to turn pro and possibly make some money, is it really worth it? For example, I really like gardening and spending time around plants. I also like photography, and reading, hiking, camping, traveling, and learning. Being so focused and single minded is also hard on relationships. Is one able to fulfill their life meanings and pleasures doing just one or two of their favorite things. For some it might be. For others... Is that what I want? At times I think it is. But now...? With this down time after the crash, I have had time to sit back (something I haven't done in a while) and think about where I want my life to go. What do I want? What is REALLY important to me?

So Now What Am I Supposed To Do

After the crash yesterday I have been steadily getting worse and worse. The pain yesterday was not to bad and I thought I was just going to be one of those super heroes that bounce right back after big injuries. Well this morning I couldn't bring myself to sit up and get out of bed. The pain had somehow intensified drastically since last evening and any small move I did resulted in a deep sharp stabbing pain to my left side. It was bad let me tell you. Not wanting to face up to the pain just yet, I laid there for the next 2 hours drifting in and out of sleep. I began to wish Brianne was sleeping next to me like she used to. I just wanted Brianne there. Someone to talk to and share my pain with. I started getting sad and then angry at myself for not treating her better, for not appreciating her. I didn't realize how much I missed her until she was gone. Finally I mustered up enough courage to stagger to the bathroom in excruciating pain to pee and go take a pain killer that I thought I was too tough for. Not now anyway.

Eating is also a major chore because I can not open my mouth very wide. My chin is swollen and sore. I am also scared that if I open my mouth too wide I will tear some stitches and start bleeding again. Yes life as of now is pretty awful. However, I did go to the book store the other day so now I can start some books I have been very interested in reading. I can also type all of this nonsense in my blog and feel good about it because I just took some Vicaden.

Changing gears I have been meaning to post some pictures about my new house. It is a great little find here in Las Cruces where housing is already dirt cheap. $650 a month with 4 room mates doesn't get much better. I have been slowly cleaning up the yard and planting plants all over the place. It is great to finally have a private place to play in the soil once again just like I used to do all the time living back home in Spokane, Washington.

I think I better end this entry there because I am finding it harder and harder to keep focused and think clearly. The Vicaden is really kicking in now. Bye for now. Is that even how you spell Vicaden?


The front of our new house.


The back of our new house. There is actually quite a lot of yard.


This is the side yard. I'm attempting to create a lush tropical grotto. Eventually it will get there.

15 Stitches is the Least of my Worries

This weekend I decided to do my first fresh time trial and second road race ever. It all started when I went to go ride with the local Zia-Velo cyclists here in Las Cruces. Most of the crew was going to be absent and those that were left were going to drive down to El Paso for a 30K bike time trial. Dave and Jason got to talking and convinced Taylor and I to go with them since they had two extra seats.

I had never done a fresh time trial but I thought it would be a terrific idea seeing as I could accurately gauge my fitness since it was about three weeks until the Vineman (my first ironman). Well the time trial went well. I ended up placing fourth in the 'A' category and fifth over all. Not bad. After the race (or maybe it was before?) Jason mentioned that there will be a 50 mile road race the next day. Were Taylor and I interested? Taylor and I though about if for a minute, then agreed. Nothing beats free race entry. You rock Jason!

So the next day we rolled off at 7:30 for the road race. It was a hilly little course that finished atop the Trans Mountain Road (the biggest climb in the area). I was excited the finish would be up hill since, one, I can't go down hills, and two, I can't sprint. Riding in a big group is still very scary for me. I would still rather be on the front setting the pace or strung out on a climb. Each time we started creeping up a hill I found myself near the front. I chased down every break and was working my ass off when Bret hollered at me to stop chasing every rider down and to basically chill out. Realizing that this is indeed an endurance event and not a sprint I backed off and just rode sensibly for a while.

Now coming up to the final hill our group was easily half the size it started out to be. Then, when nothing exciting in the world was happening and I was minding my own business...BAM! I was on the ground with intense pain and confusion. The rider behind me hit my head and down he went too breaking his collar bone. I laid in the position I landed in for a good minute before moving up off the busy road. My ribs hurt very badly and blood was gushing from my chin creating a small red pool below my head. The bike race was unquestionably over and before I knew it, I was in an ambulance heading to the hospital.

Cutting out some gory details I ended up breaking my left number nine rib and received 15 stitches in my chin including three or four very big deep ones. When I met back up with Taylor and Tim (who was kind enough to drive me home) we didn't even need to say anything. We both knew that the Vineman in three weeks would probably be out. How did this happen? Why did this happen? Why me? An Ironman is plenty to bite off if you are healthy, but with a broken rib? I just don't know.


15 stitches to the chin.