FLW Forrest Wood Cup Shreveport Louisiana Run

FLW Forrest Wood Cup Shreveport Louisiana Run

Last month I was in Shreveport Louisiana for the FLW Forrest Wood Cup.  This is the Superbowl of the FLW bass fishing tour.  After a year of fishing various rivers and lakes throughout the country, the whole season culminates at this event.  Its really a good time and well attended.  I was there with Okuma and Savage Gear displaying all of our fun new stuff in our booth.
Here is a shot of our booth at the show.

 After each day of the show, I would squeeze out a little time to get a run in.  It was actually a fantastic, 3.5 mile jaunt that ran over, and around the Red River and into Bossier city. 
I would start at my hotel, Sams Town.  From there I would head up to the main street, then over to Texas Street which is the street with the bridge.

There is a nice wide, guarded walkway that leads you up and over the Red River.  From what I can tell, it was about a 1/2 mile up and over.  Once you hit the top, you have a spectacular view of the surrounding area.
Here is a look at the actual iron structure of the bridge. 

 

Looking down to the river, you can see for miles.

Once you hit the top and start your way into Bossier City, you can start to see the Louisiana Riverwalk shopping area.

Once I cross the bridge, I would make a quick right and head on over to the Riverwalk area.  In the shot above, you can see a few of the running areas. The shops and restaurants go on for about a half mile on each side of the bridge.
The Riverwalk is a nice little area with lots of restaurants, bars, and entertainment.  And as the name states, it also have a Riverwalk that you can run along.
Here is a shot looking back up at the bridge that we just crossed.

Of course being in Louisiana, all of the casinos have to be on water.  Here is a look over to the Sams Town hotel and Casino.  You can see the riverboat in front.  The riverboats up and down the river are all permanent fixtures and don't do too much river boating.

And one more looking back at the bridge from farther down the Riverwalk.

One of my favorite parts about Bossier is the Bass Pro Shops.  At the midpoint of my run, I come across the Bossier City Bass Pro Shops.  Of course, being in Louisiana, the Bass Pro Shops down here has Gators in front.  Big suckers too!

From the Bass Pro Shops, it pretty much a wind your way back sort of thing.  Back through the Louisiana Riverwalk, and up and over the Bridge.  Its a fun little run for a good 3.5 miles.  It was in the mid 90's that week and HUMID.  Probably typical for that time of year, but a little miserable for a California boy.
As I usually do, I like to follow up a run with a meal that I probably should be eating.  Being Vegan, I always try to at least make the most appropriate selections, but when in Rome!
One of my favorite places to eat when in Shreveport is The Blind Tiger. 

Good Cajun food, and the beer is always cold!

 A southern favorite, fried dill pickles!!!  These were very good, and probably not totally vegan.  Oh well.  They were awesome with the cajun honey mustard.  One of the other nights I opted for the faux turkey veggie po' boy.  It was actually very good too. 

Keep on runnin!
Dave

#running #Louisiana #Shreveport #vegan #therunningfisherman #okuma #okumafishing #blindtiger

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

Fort Worth Texas Trinity Trails Run

Fort Worth Texas Trinity Trails Run

Had a chance to sneak out for a quick run after a day of working the NBS show in Fort Worth.  This is a run that I have done over the past couple of years.  Its a run that combines some outdoor feel, with closed in big downtown buildings.

Here is a shot of a big ol' Texas star in the Fort Worth Convention Center where the show took place.  Of course being in Texas, the star is made out of various cowboy hats.

 I was based out of the Courtyard Marriott on 6th and Houston which is where I began my Trinity Trails run.  Here's a quick look of the state building from about where I started my run.

Here is a look at the building as I got closer to it.  Pretty cool acrchitecture.

 

  From here, I run down Commerce street and join the Trinity Trails system.

 

 

I actually join the trail system at a local park.  I can't really remember the name, but I enter the trail behind some building and run down a pretty cool, shaded, windy brick pathway.  Hard to see in the photo, but this brick trail winds back and forth and it kind of steep.

 

 

Once at the bottom, I join up with the Trinity River.  This is a pretty neat little trail system that consists of a dirt/gravel trail as well as a concrete trail.
Here is a shot as I am crossing the Trinity Park bridge heading over to the actual trail.

Once you get onto the trail you can see the dirt and concrete trails running parralel.

This little trail winds and intersects each other with some little changes in elevation.  I stuck to the dirt side and it was pretty fun.
Some parts of the trail get pretty close to the river.  Here is a shot looking back to the 6th street bridge.  Right about here is where I cross the river and start heading back.  I did about 2.5 miles along the river.

Once I cross the river, I run back upriver for about a half mile then join back into civilization running up one of the main streets through town.
Here is a shot of one of the pretty churches along the way.

I came across this monument when running by a park.  This was a tribute to William...somethingrather who donated land to the Fort Worth area.  Kind of cool, and really tall.

 

 

Once I pass the monument, I end up right back in downtown.  Here is a quick shot of some of the building that I like to wind through.



 

In running through downtown, there are always some neat storefronts, and lots of big windows.



After I took the above picture, I realize that someone inside was waving back to me.  From here, I only had about a block left.  I ran back to the hotel and took a quick shower.  This run came in at 4.5 miles. 

 

I did a little research, as I tend to do when on the road, and found a great little Vegan restaurant not too far away.

The name of the restaurant is Spiral Cafe and Bakery.  Pretty darn awesome.  I actually ended up going here two nights. 
Night one I opted for the Canyonero Burrito and Disco Hash.  This was pretty amazing and had just enough spice to make me refill my water glass multiple times.  The Disco Hash was phenominal.  It basically is hashbrown smothered in "cheese" and their own country gravy.

 

 

 

Night two, after the above run, I went back to Spiral Diner and went with the Truck Stop Burrito.  I started off with their Spicy Chipotle "Queso"dilla. 

Here is a shot of the Quesodilla.

 

Here is a shot of the Truck Stop Burriot of Love...with side of hashbrowns.

 

 

And of course, after any successful show, and run, I like to wash it all down with a nice cold one.

 



 



 

We had a great NBS show this year, and even had the chance to sneak in a nice little run.

Happy running!

 

Reno & Truckee Work, Run, and Fish

Reno & Truckee Work, Run, and Fish

Since my blog is called TheRunningFisherman, I thought I'd throw in a fishing report, and even a little business aspect to what I do.

Just got back from a business trip to Reno Nevada.  The biggest little city in the world.  You'd be able to see it in this photo if I hadn't tried to take it while driving.

This trip was for one of our buying groups called Worldwide.  They are a group of retailers who pool their resources and form a buying group.  Its a pretty fun show with lots of neat things to see.  Everything from pool toys, to submachine guns can be found.  And of course, fishing tackle.
Here is a shot of my Okuma booth.

The show took place at the fabulous Atlantis Hotel and Resort.  Its a nice casino property located right in the heart of Reno.
The weather in Reno was pretty warm in at about the mid 90's.  I really only had one chance to sneak out and get a run in on this trip.  Between the altitude, a little over 4500' and the warm temperature, it was a tough run.  In fact, I only got in two quick miles. Actually, the reason I only got such a quick run is, is that I ran to the Sportsmans Warehouse store to grab my fishing license.  There really isn't too much around the hotel as far as running scenery goes.

Here is a shot of my hotel as I'm running down the street.  There really wasn't much to see other than concrete, construction, and cars.  Really not too exciting.

So prior to this trip I did a little research on Vegan restaurants in the Reno area.  Pretty slim selections really, but I did manage to find a place called Freeman's Natural Hot Dogs.
http://fnhotdog.com/Freemans_Natural_Hotdogs/Home.html
This place was pretty awesome, and had some great Vegan dog selections.  I decided to try it out on my first night and had the Vegan Italian Sausage.  Came with a Asian Slaw.  Pretty incredible.

Day two of the show went really good.  We had some great meetings with some of our great retailers, and wrote lots of orders.
On some of my business trips, I like to try to bring along my fly fishing gear.  If I'm close enough to some fishable water, I'll try to get out and wet a line.
After day two of the show, I had a chance to drive over and fish the Little Truckee River.  I brought the fly gear and had a great time.  I managed two little rainbows, but it was great just being out on the river.

It really is pretty water, and I pretty much fished until dark using both wet and dry flies.  The air was warm, but clean and fresh.  There were no other people for miles.

Day three started off with an early run to the big Truckee river right in down town.  Big, fast moving water that has a plentiful population of big brown trout and rainbows.  Unfortunately, neither of those guys wanted anything to do with me.

Here is a shot of the Truckee River as it passes near Idylewild Park.

It was a beautiful morning, and always great to get out and fish before a day of work.

Once I was done on the Truckee by 7am, I made a quick stop at one of my favorite little Diners.  The Black Bear Diner.

The food is always good, and always large.  I ordered up the Granola Nut cakes.  Pretty darn yummy!

In looking at this picture, it doesn't look totally appetizing, but it was excellent!

After a full day of working the show, I decided to make the run back down to the Little Truckee.
Here is a shot of me as I work my way down to the river, and getting ready for some natural trout action.  Okuma Tuscani Fly Reel and Guide Select Fly Rod were the weapons of choice.

The fishing was fun again, and we had a great little hatch happening at sunset.  This brought the trout up to the surface.  This made for a fun little dry fly bite.  The fish weren't monsters by any means, but there really is something about catching natural fish on a fly.  Pretty indescribable.
Here is a shot of one of the average fish.

Ok, don't laugh.  Unless you are in the water working these fish, you probably don't get the thrill of catching these little guys.  Pretty great.

On the way back from the river, I was having a conundrum.  Couldn't decide what I wanted to do for my final nights dinner.  I decided to run back to Freeman's and go for one more dog.  I guess I splurged a little and went for the Wholly Dog.  The Wholly is a Italian Sausage, Hummus, Tomato, and Lemon Tahini Sauce Vegan dog.  Heck, I even through in a regular vegan dog for good measure.
Here is a shot of the Wholly Dog.

All in all this was a great trip.  We had an excellent show business wise, and some great fishing.  I even had a chance to sneak in a little run.

Happy Running!

Indianapolis Urban Run 2

After a long day 1 of the show, had a chance to sneak out for a quick 4 miler.  Took a little different route around the canal district and through downtown.  It really is a beautiful area.
Here is a quick shot of my run along the canal, with the storm clouds a'growin.  Every bridge along the canal has artwork from a local artist.  Pretty neat.

After leaving the canal I took a route through downtown.  The only real issue with urban running is traffic and construction.  This is a shot of the biggest crane I have ever seen parked outside my hotel.  All traffic blocked off and diverted.  Once you got within a block or so there was no traffic, but the cops kept telling me to move along.

As I mentioned, I only got in a quick 4 miles.  Made it back to the hotel for a quick shower, then took a nice long 1+ mile walk back along the canal to Creations Grill.
One of my favorite things after a nice run is a cold beer.  Note the sun through the vortex bottle. 

I ate here once before, but something else caught my eye this time.  This is called the Garden Party.  It is a Grilled Portobello and Breaded Eggplant sandwich with sweet potato fries.  Yummy!

Obviously football is quite big out here.  The Colts even have their own ketchup.  Maybe this is why we don't have a team in LA.  No ketchup commitment.

Anyhow, another beautiful day in Indy. 
Happy Running!

Indianapolis Canal District Run and Dinner

Got into Indianapolis for a fishing tackle buying group show.  When I arrived, I had a chance to do a little running tour of downtown Indianapolis and the Canal District.  What a great little running town.  After starting from my hotel, I passed the Capital building.

Once you pass the capital building, its about another block or so to the actual Canals of the Canal district.  This is an awesome running area, with a good deal of runners and walkers out getting some sun and excercise. You can rent kayaks, or even go for a romantic gondola ride. More fun to get all sweaty and run around though!

You can run on both sides of the Canal and make a good, close to three mile loop if you'd like.  I didn't do the loop, but exited the Canal at 10th Street and headed over to the White River Wapahani Trail.  This wasn't as exciting as I was hoping it would be.  Paved, and not real good on the N /W side of the river. Though the trail wasn't too exciting, I did manage to see some pretty cool things.  One was this cool, old bridge that I had to cross.

From there you sort of continue on a few different driving streets and wind your way through the Purdue University campus.  Made me feel pretty old.
I did pass a cool little NY Sept 11 memorial.  Looks like it is beams from what were the WTC buildings.

This just about completed my loop.  Here is map of my rout.  A little under 5 miles on this one.

Since I'm new to the whole blogging thing, I had some requests to also add in some of my dining adventures.  I see quite a few odd things while traveling the country, and find some pretty unique places to eat.  Being a traveling Vegan, dining options are sometimes a little difficult. I'll do my best to add photos of places I find, and what I eat into my blogs.
This night I found a little place called Creation Cafe.  I didn't really find it, but one of the front desk girls pointed me in this direction. 

This was a good little find.  Not a lot of Vegan options in Indianapolis, and this was more vegetarian than vegan, but sometimes you just need to choose your battles.
The first thing that caught my eye was something called Portobello Fries.  Sliced Portobello's, breaded and fried.  Probably not the healthiest of items, so I only ate a few.  The sauce was a wasabi dipping sauce, and most likely...not so vegan.

For an entree I opted for the Black Bean Burger w/ guacamole and grilled red peppers and mixed green salad with fresh ginger dressing.  Pretty darn good.

Anyhow, that is just a quick recap of an afternoons run in Indianapolis and a pretty solid meal to follow it up.
Good running!
Dave