Category Archives: Covid-19

Lily Mountain Trail

23 Saturday May 2020

Posted by in Britt&Eric, Colorado Trail, Covid-19, covid-noir

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After my Keurig run, Karen told me to enjoy the Keurig one more time, then pack up.  The Covid’s comin’.  Gear up to hit the trail.  We got as far as Estes Park where we thought we could get some grub.  We were greeted with signs like this, reminding us of just the other week when it was that way at home too.  We were happy with the takeout from Bird & Jim.  And they had a better sign.

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The girls took our flight in stride.  One more road trip for old times, I heard one of them say.  Ellie Rose will go off to the Colorado School of Mines this fall, leaving Karen and me to discover our new normal as empty nesters.  Ellie Rose should be safe in the mines.

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Estes Park did have good food, but we found ourselves surrounded by the Colorado Mountain elk herd that’s been ranging these slopes for eons, or at least since 1913 when the then extinct herd was reintroduced from Wyoming.

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We waited for the elk to fall asleep and made our escape under the cover of darkness.  With the next morning’s sunlight, we found ourselves on the Lily Mountain Trail.

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Karen told us this trail would lead to a new world.  A place free from the horrors of 2020.  She told us we would be happy in this new place.

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When we got there, we saw this.  We knew this hike was the right choice for the Memorial Day weekend.  Karen was right.

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New generations will blaze new trails up here in Karen’s woods.  Summer is coming, calling all of us outdoors, hopefully not like sirens to the rocks.  Wear a buff on the trail.

Runner’s Pandemic Etiquette

17 Sunday May 2020

Posted by in Covid-19, Running

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Knock on wood, I’m starting to gain traction with my running routine.  I’m back home for a few days and was worried the altitude would discourage me, but I’ve discovered that if you run slow enough, altitude doesn’t matter.  Damned race director won’t cancel this October’s Boulder Marathon, so I’ve got some training to do.

I’ve been gleaning post-shutdown trail running etiquette that I don’t mind sharing with you.  Seems like most people get why runners would run without a mask, but many are in fact wearing them.  I would tell you this is because runners and bikers are all about the gear.  A bandana is just one more thing they get to wear.

Regardless, the manner on the trail is this.  Runners wear their bandana around their neck, and then raise it to cover their mouth and nose as they pass another runner on the trail.  I’ve experienced this on both the LoBo Trail and East Boulder Trail.  Anecdotal, I know, but that’s what you get from a runner’s blog.

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I wasn’t wearing a mask or bandana myself, but will be for future trail runs.  I’ve been conscientious about wearing one when I go out, it just didn’t seem needed or practical for running.  But a light-weight scarf hanging around my neck, that I only raise over my nose as needed, doesn’t bother me at all.  In fact, it might be helpful to protect my skin from UV rays.  After looking for a Shoes & Brews bandana, I ordered a purpuse-built, all-white, runners neck gaiter.  The new normal will include stylish neck-wear.

 

Keurig Runner

10 Sunday May 2020

Posted by in Covid-19, covid-noir, Storytelling

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The uber that picked me up was like out of some Ridley Scott movie.  In the age of Covid, a transparent plastic curtain held up by gray duct tape was all that separated me from the driver.  Viral transmission was too viable for my comfort level, so I squeezed the metal strip on my mask tighter over my nose.

There were less drivers on I-35 than on Mars.  Still, traffic slowed down through downtown where the highway splits into the lower and upper ramps.  It always does.

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The line at security was empty, but I stood behind two guys in TSA-Pre, because I was TSA-Pre.  There was no line at the airport lounge, but unless you were a well-connected woman, you had to order your cerveza take-away.

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I’m on a coffee run for Karen.  She has this thing for Taste of San Antonio.  You can’t buy it where I’m from.  I’ll be back for more soon.

Guitar Hero

18 Saturday Apr 2020

Posted by in Covid-19

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Ibenez AEG18L

There are three Guitar Center shops in the Austin metro, one right here in Round Rock.  All are closed, of course, so I ordered this left-handed acoustic-electric online.  Their Dallas shipping site is closed too, so it has to ship from California.  That’s okay, I’ll wait.  I’m just glad it’s in-stock.  Left-handed guitars are less available.

I’m mostly ambidextrous.  I write and eat left-handed, but can do both with my right hand.  I play sports right-handed.  I can’t throw left-handed but can switch hit.  I can play guitar right-handed, but it doesn’t feel comfortable.  Finding a quality left-handed guitar at an affordable price made me happy.

I need something new to keep my sanity in check.  I’ve been staying with my mom in Texas since late January and even without the apocalyptic social distancing conditions, I can’t get out much.  I can no longer go for long runs on the weekends.  I work ten-hour days, when I’m not working twelve, in a small office on the phone and computer, and I really need some sort of release afterward.  I like a beer at the end of the day, but drinking doesn’t do that much for me.  If I have to watch any more news, my head will explode.

I never played an instrument growing up, but took guitar lessons before I turned fifty.  I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed it.  I swear, it released more endorphins than distance runs.  I didn’t keep it up.  After a small health scare at fifty-one, I turned my focus to massive running, and later to writing.  A man can only have so many hobbies.

I feel it’s time to turn back to music.  I’m still able to go for some short runs a few days each week, but I’m losing interest in writing and reading.  And at my current weight, running is hard.  I feel like music is what I need to get through these trying days and nights.

Isolated a thousand miles away from my wife and family, music is the cure.  Don’t ask me to tell you the name of songs or bands, but I can sit in a dark room and listen to music for hours.  Playing music will be orders of magnitude more satisfying.

How are you coping?