Monday, July 15, 2013

Moloka'i West End Run

Moloka'i West End Run

Had the opportunity to get over to Hawaii at the end of last month with the family.  13 of us to be exact.  We had a great time relaxing at the Manahale Estate.  There isn't a ton of things to do on the island which was perfect.  We all lead such busy lives, that some time to just sit back and relax was much needed, and very, very nice. 
During the 8 days we spent on Moloka'i, I had the chance to get out and get in a couple of runs.  Unfortunately...and fortunately, the weather was very hot.  Great for soaking up the rays, but not so much for getting out and running.  Oh, and it was pretty darn humid too.
From our house, we would make a run down to Dixie Maru beach.  This is a small cove at the end of the road near where we were staying.  It was a nice 4 mile run.  Two out and two back. It was a nice street run and pretty darn scenic.

Here is a shot as I am approaching Dixie Maru.  You can see that it is old pavement and not totally well maintained.  There isn't much traffic on this end of the island, and in fact, if you do the 4 mile run and actually see a car, consider yourself lucky.

Its a long, hilly, curvy road.  It was also quite windy while we were there.  The wind was a blowin', and it actually took a little edge off of the humidity and cooled me down nicely.

Here is a shot along the road approaching the estate where we were staying.


On one of the afternoons I was running, it had just finished raining.  We had pretty much an unlimited amount of rainbows in most directions. 

Here is a shot as I was leaving the beach and looking back at our estate.  You can't tell here, but the rainbow was ending right where we were staying.  Very beautiful.
 
After multiple runs during the week, I generally ended up back at our place relaxing on the porch or swinging down on the hammock.  Here is a quick view from our porch looking down at the beach.  Everyday was absolutely gorgeous and hard to leave.
 
After our time on Moloka'i, my wife and I stopped by to visit her family for a couple of days.  The are dipping their toe into the vegan lifestyle, and have really embraced it.  In fact, every time I am out, they are trying out new recipes and experiments on me.  I'm always game for a great Vegan meal.
Here is one of the meals they made us while visiting.  Great Hawaiian Vegan Chili over white rice.  Fresh Maui Greens with Maui onions and other fresh toppings.  They even made us a batch of vegan Pad Thai, that I thought was absolutely fabulous.  To top of the whole meal, they brought out a batch of freshly made vegan chocolate macaroons.  Scrumptious!
 
 
We all had a great trip to Moloka'i, and though it was very slow and different from what we were used to, it was fabulous.  I'd go back in a heartbeat.  And its always great to spend time with family and to visit my wife's family at the end of the week, made it all perfect.

Mahalo! and Happy Running!
Dave

#Molokai #Hawaii #running #vegan

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Running through Salt Lake City

Running through Salt Lake City

Had the opportunity to spend two days in Salt Lake City on a little business trip.  Unfortunately, when my plane landed at 5pm, it was 97 degrees outside.  Regardless, I still laced up the Free's and went for a run.  Asking the lady working the front desk of my hotel where to run, she directed me to the Murray Parkway Trial which happened to be only a block from where I was staying.
I was told that this was a nice, paved run that runs along a river that runs through the entire valley for miles and miles.  I was also told that it was probably the coolest (temperature wise) spot in the valley as well.  So I thought, what the heck.
I took a quick jog on down to where I would be joining the trail and made a little loop down through the tunnel.  There were several tunnels along the trail and each was decorated with some urban artwork...if you know what I mean.
Once through the tunnel, I ran along a nicely paved trail.  There were a few runners out as well as bicyclists.  In the below shot, you can see the trail as it runs along the river.  You can kind of see the river in the background.
The trail continues on and I eventually get to a marsh area.  As I approach, I notice that the trail turns into a planked trail.
This wound on for a good half to three quarters of a mile.  It wound on through tall grasses, trees,  and wetlands. 

Toward the end of the tall grasses, came more of the wetlands, and I think we were actually running over water at this point.  I still had the planked trail, but now there were railings to keep me safe.
It was very nice and cool, probably a mid 80's type of day at this point in the shade.  But not too bad at all.
After getting off of the planked trail, I ended back on the paved surface.  We slowly work our way close to the water, and further away, and close again.  At a couple points, you actually cross the river.

There were numerous planked bridges over the river.  And the river itself was flowing nicely.

All in all, it was a nice little find that I did a couple of times in the two days I was there for about 4 miles per run.  Always good to get out and hit the pavement.

Happy Running!
Dave

#running  #saltlakecity #vegan #therunningfisherman