ten hours of sleep and almost no dizziness

I slept till almost 10 after going to bed around midnight. I felt much better with a very slight sense of dizziness. I did a hike, opened up the kayak to dry completely, did a wash, cleaned the dishes, did leg raises, weights and yoga. I went and did some pruning on the pasture road and got a nap before I headed out to go drop off the Miyazaki tapes at VT for Gyorgyi. After that I picked up my bike but as soon as I got to the CRC, the bike sounded awful so I had to head back and fortunately, they were able to fix the problems with an adjustment to the main sprocket and a new chain. It ended up costing me over $300 but I now have a good backup bike and a fully repaired original bike. Then it was off to meet Rob for a very good walk (I will see him tomorrow for my fatigue and dizziness) and then off to VT for the rest of my first bike ride, cut short by a big storm. I called Kelly and I hope she is well and I talked to Claire Gallo who is not feeling so well and wanted to not hike on Thursday, which is fine with me. Dinner and video games and/or bowling will be fine. I should have dinner with Cathy tomorrow and that will be fun.

the dizziness is getting worse

Today was a decent day but I was pretty dizzy at points throughout the day so I called Rob’s office to set up an appointment on Wednesday. I hope it is nothing too serious (perhaps my weight loss or my meds or the pre-diabetic stuff). I am starting to worry a little about driving and riding my bike. I don’t want to hurt anyone else or myself. I had one instance on my bike where I had to stop and I almost had to sit down. I need to figure out what is going on. I am a little dizzy right now. This morning I took a hike to the orchard and back and it was hard for me. I needed a nap when I got back but I was able to do my leg raises, weights and yoga before I headed out to meet Claire for lunch at Nagoya’s. She is doing very well and I hope she gets one of the full time positions at Tech or Radford. I went to play golf, feeling a little dizzy but I played okay. I was one over bogey golf for 4 holes (including the par 5) but I got an 8 on the next hole and then a 7 on the next. That meant I had almost no chance to break 50 (I would need a 4, 4, 5, not impossible but very difficult). On hole 7 I put my second shot in the water and then chipped to within 8 feet and fortunately made the putt for a 5. That meant I needed a 4, 4 to break 50 and it didn’t look good on the par 3 after my first shot rolled off the back of the green. Very fortunately, I putted to within 4 feet and made the putt for a 3. Now all I needed was a 5 on the final hole, a difficult, uphill par 4, and my first two shots were quite good. My third shot was good but it rolled way back off the green so I had about a 40 foot putt. I hit it well but I still had 5 feet and amazingly, I sunk the curving putt for a remarkable 49. I then went to RU for a nap and then my lumosity session, and then to the Perry Street Garage to ride my bike while the weather outside continued poor.

back home and into the swing of things

Today, Saturday, was productive. I got up at 6:30 and cleared around the house all the saplings that were brushing the house and all the Virginia creeper that was growing up the side. After that I took a walk to the orchard (going back down twice more}. I practiced my piano—and I am getting better—did my leg raises, weights and yoga, then cleared around the house with the trimmer. I had a wasp nest in the door that I had to spray but I didn’t get stung. Friday was also a good day with a morning hike (st. johnswort, heal all, fleabane, Deptford pink, still some oxeye daisies). I ate some of the last wineberries and some black berries, and sliced up an apple and ate half of that. The grass is cut and the road is in pretty good shape. I did my leg raises, weights and yoga and then I practiced piano before heading in to play golf and ride my bike twice, once on the river trail and then on campus.

the end of another western trip

I am back home, having gotten home in 4 and ½ days. The trip home was pretty uneventful with some bike riding, some golf, and not much else. The kayak trip on Saturday was a blast and the water seemed at points to be 3 plus, comparable to Nantahala falls. I almost flipped a couple of times and I was definitely lucky not to. The pictures are outstanding and I am attaching a few of them. We did two sections, the first a lot of non stop class 3, and the second, the Bridges (the rock at Killer Bridge was underwater) and I don’t think I ever paddled as hard. I should really buy a lighter paddle; that would give me a quicker stroke which would be very helpful. After a night of simple incredible rain at the KOA near Ashland, I was going to head right home, but I stopped at Castle Rock to play nine holes (48) and I needed some good holes at the end to do that. The rain threatened but I got all nine in and then I stopped to ride my bike for 40 minutes at tech, the rain cutting that ride slightly. Then it was home by 4:30 and unpacking the wet truck, doing a laundry, doing the leg weights and the arm weights and yoga, I heading into town for salad and coffee and I hope another bike ride.

Finally a few fish

It is Friday and the day started well with a half hour of fishing the Big Thompson, a very tempting stream. I got two hits on a Royal Wulff and had to stop when my right knee started hurting. I have to be very careful not to reinjure it. I am signed up for a kayak trip tomorrow and then I start home. I should get back by the following weekend and that feels like a good idea. Yesterday I entered Rocky Mountain National Park from the western entrance and at first I was not impressed. The first 15 miles were not very interesting but once you got into the middle of the park, it was quite grand, not as spectacular as the Canadian Rockies but very impressive. Later I fished a tiny stream above 10,000 feet on Old River Road, a winding dirt road that ended up at the Alpine visitor’s center. I later fished a lovely stretch of water at the start of the road, but the water was pretty fast and it was tough to fish. I did get 25 minutes of biking in along with almost an hour of riding earlier in the day. I am back to doing yoga and working out with a ten pound weight I bought. My upper muscle tone has really declined but three days of working out has already helped. I have done a good bit of evaluating where I am in life right now and I think I am in a decent place. I am a good friend to Kelly, Rob, Claire, Gyorgyi and Cathy and the girls. I am still teaching okay although my memory is not what it was. However I worked hard on the Lumosity training and have raised my scores to the highest level I have ever achieved. I have set some new top fives so I guess my mind is still okay. I am still writing some and my commentary on Ferguson, Missouri and my radio essay on babysitting were decent pieces. I am still in touch with Gloria, although I haven’t heard from Dolores and don’t expect to. My health is pretty good and I exercise quite a bit so I think I can put off the knee surgery for a few years. I still love living in my hollow and I think if my health remains good I can stay at least till seventy. I have mixed feelings about serious relationships. I cancelled Match because I wasn’t even checking it but there are moments where I feel too isolated and lonely, not too often but enough to bother me at points. This has been a very expensive year for me but I don’t expect my spending to continue at such a rate. I still have a chance of retiring after 5 semesters but it looks like it will probably be 6. I still get angry too easily and I have to constantly control that. Fortunately, that anger usually doesn’t affect my relationships but it is a trait I wish I didn’t have. I finally got a chance to fish some perfect water, a long pool on the Poudre, and had a ball, catching and releasing 4 trout and bringing up a few more on Royal Wulffs.

Kayaking and the Black Canyon

It is Tuesday evening and I am sitting in an Applebee’s in Montrose, Colorado. I have just had tortilla soup and a side of broccoli. I had a long and productive day mainly because it was lovely weather all day with just a sprinkling of rain around 8:30. I got up around 7 and started drying out all the kayak and fishing gear. I put up a line and clothespinned all the wet stuff and then started cleaning up the rest of the truck when I decided to dry out the kayak also. I wanted to get it dry and I figured if I wanted to kayak the animas in Durango I could rent a duckie if a company had one. I decided to take a ride over to the whitewater park about a half mile away and there were a number of drift boats getting ready to put in. The whitewater park looked tempting but I wanted the kayak stowed away so I just looked fondly at the class 2 rapids. I was almost finished with my ride when I decided to ride back, check on my stuff, grab my breakdown rod and reel and some lures and head back to fish a bit from the shore. I fished one spot above the put in and it was promising water but I didn’t get a hit, and no hits at the two spots below. However, I enjoyed it quite a bit. When I got back I tried to get on the internet but it didn’t work well and I figured that when the drying was done I would go play golf at the course just outside of Gunnison. Then it struck me that since it was so nice, I should head for the Black Canyon. I checked it on the GPS and found that it was 55 miles away but it still seemed a good idea and I could spend an hour checking out the overlooks and the get into Montrose for the Women’s Soccer Semifinal, which the USA won against the favored Germany. The Black Canyon National Park was stunning, simply put and though I got to see three or four of the overlooks (the others demanded too much walking for my limited time) I was very inspired by this amazing place (I am thinking I may return tomorrow before heading to Durango. On the way out to head to Montrose I decided to take a look at the east portal and it was interesting but didn’t seem that great a place to come back and fish. So I drove into Montrose, got there with five minutes to go in the first half and then ate a salad and watched the second half. I had spoken to the fellow at the Black Canyon Golf Course and he said if I got there by seven, I could play nine and after the US scored its second goal I headed off and made it with ten minutes to spare. It was a long course and I didn’t shoot too well so I ended up with a 51. Still, it was nice to play. My kayak trip on Monday through the Bighorn Sheep Canyon on the Arkansas was fabulous. The early water was a lot of fun and the canyon was solid Class 3 and I couldn’t have handled any more. The guide thought I did very well and I can’t disagree. I am very glad I hired the guide (for 150) or I would have never been able to run such ambitious water. Later I drove to Gunnison and was just able to get in a little fishing up near Three Rivers just before dark. Then I had a nice pizza dinner in Gunnison before heading to my site at the KOA.

Denver

I am sitting in Oscar’s Bar and Grille in dumpy little Limon, Colorado, having just finished some food and iced tea. I ended up playing 14 holes of golf and then I took another long bike ride about 40 miles from Limon, this one for another 50 minutes. I eventually got to Limon in time to watch the end of the Canada / England women’s world’s cup. I was hoping Canada would win but England prevailed 2-1. I am staying at the KOA here, certainly not the best one I have ever seen. A hot shower is a hot shower, however, and it felt quite good. I got a text from Kelly about the open house. There were 3 families that came and they thought the house was a bit overpriced. I think it will probably have to be reduced a bit, but I think that is to be expected. I have set up a kayak trip on the Arkansas with a guide since I couldn’t hook up with a rafting company and I do want to kayak the Arkansas. It is Sunday morning and I am in common grounds, a coffee shop in Denver just off the 16th street mall. I slept fairly well at the KOA in Limon. I did my laundry (so now I am set for 10 days) and got to sleep after midnight. The ride in was easy and I was bike riding along the Platte by 7:30. The river was way up so I couldn’t ride along cherry creek. I rode for almost an hour and I was struck by all the transients along the river, dozens, to be sure. I am going to walk some and maybe see a movie before taking another bike ride.