Bears, snakes, ticks and the REAL danger of hiking

"Watch out for bears" he says as he walks out of the classroom on Friday at 4:30 after hearing about my plan to hike in Hocking Hills this weekend.  "Wait. What?"  He just smiles at me as he walks out of the room.  Son of a...now I have to Google search "are there bears in Hocking Hills Ohio?"  The results come back that yes, there are occasionally bears in Hocking Hills...BUT really you should watch out for venomous snakes and deer ticks.  Ticks, as a lot of you know, are the worst thing in the world in  my book.  Although, I'd rather have a tick than a cute blog story about a bear fight. 

So I woke up today and hit the road for an hour drive to Hocking Hills.  But first, I hit up Tim Horton's for a doughnut.  My first mistake.  I pull into the Hocking Hills area right at 9am when my stomach starts to hurt, just a bit.  I didn't think much of it at this point.  I was more concerned if I was parking in a good area.  I decided since there were a few other cars there it had to be just as good as any.  I walk up a few steps to cross the above suspension bridge.  Very cool looking.  And very high with a lot of holes in it to see straight down to the rocks beneath it.  I quickly cross to the other side. 

I start walking along the trail which is very empty at 9am.  It's a beautiful area, with a lot of trees.  A lot of trees for bears to hide all up in.  I start walking along and my brain starts taking off thinking "Wow, there could totally be bears here.  And snakes.  And ticks.  But also murderers!  This would be the perfect scene for a Law and Order episode.  Someone could totally push me down that cliff and nobody would ever know.  At least when they find me, IF they find me, my ID is in my armband.  My cell phone doesn't have a signal, wonder if it will let me make an emergency call.  Oh man, here comes 2 men....oh they said good morning, they seem nice.  NO!  Must not let guard down...that's how people in the movies die. Oh man, my stomach really hurts.  What was that noise?  Just a squirrel.  Are those children I hear?  Children are safe.  Note to self-thank Kyle on Monday for putting the idea of bears in my head, hence leading me to snakes and ticks, hence my brain now moving on to murderers." 

At this point I've made it about a mile into the trail and I try, and fail, to read a trail map.  As I attempt to read the map something buzzes around my head, which leads me to say screw it, forget the map and move on.  The buzzing continues so I decide now is a good time to run for my life.  I hate things that buzz.  From one end of the lake to the other I reach another map.  I attempt to read it and as I do I am reminded my stomach really, really hurts.  This is when I realize that my doughnut as breakfast was a big mistake.  Doughnuts typically don't bother my stomach but today was a special day.  This, my friends, is when I realize what one true danger of  the day would be...not having a bathroom for 2 miles.  Now, I'm not one that has ever "pulled over" on a run to make use of mother nature.  I did not plan to make today the day that changed.  It would have to be dire to make that happen.

This point in the trail will now be known as the crossroads . This is where I looked at the map and realized I could turn back now and have about 1.2 miles back to my car, get in my car and drive like hell to a bathroom.  OR I can continue on walking another 1.2 miles to the visitors center which included a bathroom.  Since the distance was the same to cover in each direction it made sense to push forward and not have any driving to make.  So...I push forward.  I go about .2 miles, turn back around and go back to the map just to make sure I looked at it correctly.  I did...so I push forward yet again.  It's a good thing the trail is pretty empty because I did resort to self-talk out loud telling myself I got this...I could make it.  I tried to jog a bit in an effort to get to my destination quicker.  Mistake number two.  (insert bad pun here)  Running and stomach pains/bathroom emergencies do not mix.  Not at all.  So that lasted all of about 10 seconds.  I then apologized, out loud, to my stomach.  "I know, I'm sorry, you're angry at me.  We got this."  Again friends...the only real danger I encountered on this trail today, was myself.  I kept seeing signs-Visitors center 1 mile.  Visitors center .5 miles.  Longest 1.2 miles ever. 

Finally....I approach this bridge and thought "This is a cool bridge.  I will take a picture.  After I find the bathroom."  Finally I find the bathroom.  As did all the other visitors in the park.  Those of you that know my bathroom issues know that I have a shy bladder...so when I finally got in there and someone pushed the hand dryer and it sounded like a plane taking off I thought "thank you guardian angel for making this the noisiest public bathroom ever."   Can I just tell you how glad I was that today continued to not be the day I had to make use of mother nature as a toilet?  Sorry if this whole story is TMI but it's real life. 

Now, I continued on to Old Man's Cave...feeling like a new person.  It was such a cool area.  When I say it was a hike, it's no joke.  There were some serious stairs and inclines in the jaunt down into this cave. 

Being as graceful as I am I think I only tripped and almost fell down a few steps about, oh 5 times. 

Beautiful water area and bridges

My favorite photo of the day

After exploring around Old Man's Cave I looped back around to the area I came from.  I slowly started jogging to see how my stomach felt.  I felt good and running felt great.  I continued to run back the 2 miles to the car with a few walking breaks in the areas near the serious inclines.  At one point I approached a couple I needed to pass.  Oddly, the man wore a kilt.  I passed on the left and said "good morning" and he replied with the same greeting and I heard the woman say "Oh!" like I startled her by sneaking up on them.  I just thought to myself "lady you're lucky I'm startling you like this and not by you coming up on me squatting in the woods like you could've almost seen earlier had that bathroom not appeared."    I made it back to my car and decided to drive up the road a bit to another area of the trail.  As I started walking to a part of the park called Ash Cave I wondered if it was REALLY a good idea.  Water usually doesn't mix well with me if I already haven't been feeling great, and I chugged some water when I got in the car after that run.  I walked about half a mile and decided I wouldn't risk it.  I'd already gotten pretty lucky to get over 2 miles in before finding the bathroom earlier!  I hopped back in the car and made the hour drive back to the hotel.

Before driving straight back to the hotel I decided to pick up some lunch.  I stopped at a café nearby that I have been to a few times now called Jordan's.  They have the BEST chicken salad and potato salad.  The woman there reminds me of Red from Orange is the New Black.  Except she isn't in prison.  And she doesn't have red hair.  So basically she is Russian and a good cook.  The chicken salad has celery and golden raisins in it.  So good!  And best of all...easy on the stomach. 

Exploring Ohio and the zoo

Doing a little work trip'n again, this time to Ohio.  The office is in Newark.  There's not much to do in Newark.  I'm staying in Columbus but just outside of Newark is a super cute little town called Granville.  This cute little town has some crazy expensive houses for sale.  Some were adorable and others just had me in awe.  Broadway is the main street which is home to a lot of shops and restaurants and tends to be the place to be on Friday nights.  

We decided to try out Brew's café per some local recommendations. 

The windows were lined with bottles, every window.  The atmosphere was really cool.

All that above...was my chicken sandwich with a side of mac & cheese.  A SIDE of mac & cheese.  What?  I definitely asked for a to-go box. 

Tim Horton's is a popular little chain here with some coffee, food, and donuts.  Timbits, or donut holes, are SO good. 

At work I found the Good Neighbear had grown a bit.  He even was sporting his badge. 

Columbus claims to have the number one zoo in the U.S.  So I decided to give it a go today.  It definitely was the best zoo I've been to.  It was pretty awesome.  The animals were great and a huge variety.  This guy seemed fascinated by all the people.  I guess we were all even more fascinating from an upward view.  Hilarious...he didn't move...just hung out there holding his feet and watching everyone. 

The Lorikeets were beautiful birds!  It's a species of parrot found in Australia.  Really, really pretty.

While in the Australian animals section I went to check out the kangaroos....and discovered many of them.  Most of them appeared to be sleeping with their heads up

So. many. flamingos. 

These guys were my favorite animals of the day.  The red panda.  The cutest little face that you just wanted to snuggle with.  If I ever wanted to buy a stuffed animal as an adult, I wanted a stuffed red panda today. 

One was just chillin up in the tree. 

The second one scurried up that tree after a bit and made himself comfortable on a branch.  I honestly wasn't sure the branch was sturdy enough but I guess red panda was quite comfortable with it.  I thought as a human it would require some great core strength to sleep on a branch not even half your own size and balance on your stomach while your limbs just lazily hang off both sides.  They were pretty cool to watch.

This is Shaggy.  Shaggy likes lettuce. 

And now Shaggy likes me.  Thanks to sharing my lettuce. 

The Cheetahs were in their area...with a dog!  I will have to put the picture of the dog up too.  I guess dogs help protect the cheetah by not letting the cheetahs attack livestock, therefore, not getting shot.  So even in a zoo setting the cheetah's are raised with a lab puppy.  They play and roam together.  So adorable. 

My attempt at a selfie with a giraffe.  Obviously he was not interested in having his picture taken. 

When you have long legs, I guess you have to be creative to really get something you want off the ground with your long neck!

I, of course, had to make a stop at the petting zoo along with all the other toddlers at the zoo. 

So cute I can't stand it. 

This guy really enjoyed having his neck scratched. 

After my trip to the zoo I wanted to hunt down a Target for a few things I needed.  I found one, in possibly the sketchiest area of Columbus.  But I found one.  And it wasn't even crowded.  Tomorrow morning I'm running a 5k here in town and I'm hoping for great weather for it!  It should be a really fun one! 

Diva dash 5k

Saturday morning treated us to a nice 93% humidity forecast to run the Diva Dash 5k. 

We had fun playing with the props prior to the race starting.  I wasn't sure how I would feel running this one since I haven't been running much more than once a week lately.  I've been focused more on lifting weights.  I was happy to feel relatively good for most of the race.  The humidity really was the biggest challenge.  I typically don't have sweat dripping in my eyes.  The course was flat with a few very small inclines.  Unlike the 5k I ran in July, the sun wasn't beating down.  There was zero shade on the course so the overcast day, despite the humidity, was great.  Instead of thoughts of death knocking on my door that I had last month, I was thinking thoughts of how grateful I was that the sun wasn't out, that my legs and body were functioning so well after not running consistently, and thinking how grateful I was that the course was so flat. As McKenzie later pointed out, when the first mile marker for mile marker 1 appeared, I think we all thought "are you kidding me, only mile 1?"  Those mile markers can be a pleasant surprise if the miles are flying by...or they can be a glaring reminder of how far you have left to go.  Saturday they were the glaring reminder.  There were spectators and cheerleaders all along the course.  I wanted to walk a few times but knew I'd have trouble getting going again if I did.  I mostly wanted to walk between mile 2 and the finish line.  I told myself if I had made it that far I could keep going.  Mile 2 to the finish line was pretty much a straight line...which was great except I knew that road so I knew just how far away the finish was. Closer to the finish line there was a kid with a sign with a Turbo button colored on it, holding it out for everyone to hit the "button."  I gave it a good tap and told the kid thanks, just what I needed.  When I rounded the corner to run to the finish line I gave it a little extra turbo boost, thanks to the button.  Then thought "is the finish line moving backwards every time I move forwards?  Why is it SO far away!?"  It took a good 45 seconds to run from that corner to the finish, I knew because I could see the clock.  I do minute interval sprints on the treadmill but I don't usually do them after already running 3 miles.  I was digging deep.  The fastest person in my age group finished around 21 minutes...I don't aspire to finish in that time.  Ever.  I only beat my July 5k time by about 8 seconds...which compared to what I have been doing earlier in the year isn't great but as with heat, humidity and I are not friends.  So given the humidity and the once a week runs I've done lately, I'm all good with that. 

Julie and I with our medals

Glenda, me, Julie and McKenzie 

It was definitely a fun run.  And any run that has high heels laying around to take pictures with is a winner in my book.  Now time to gear up for more miles in September. 

July Favorites

August already?  Senior year is about to start for one member of the household which is absolute craziness.  July went by quickly.  Here's what I discovered. 

I prefer men's deodorant.  I have replaced my Secret with Old Spice.  Not only is it working better for me, it's half the price!

The Naked Smoky palette that I didn't think I needed....I need it.

I love it.

I seem to go in phases with my blush colors...July was this rosy color from Clinique in Heather Pop. 

I apologize in advance for recommending these.  I honestly wish I had never discovered them because they are THAT good.  Greek frozen yogurt with 6 grams of protein per serving...cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip....it is seriously a danger to keep these in my house now.  I mean at least a whole pint is a whopping 24 grams of protein if you were to say, accidentally eat it all.  Not that I would.  Or did.  Or will again. 

I think my favorite flavor of Quest bar is officially S'Mores.  I've tried several now and was excited to try the mint chocolate chip.  It was a let down.  It totally didn't take like girl scout cookies.  My expectations were probably a bit too high but I want a protein bar to taste as good as a protein bar can taste. 

Now my not so favorite for July...the dentist.  Probably a lot of people's not so favorite thing. 
I, like most people, really dislike going to the dentist.  Thursday was no exception.  I was not looking forward to it and was not looking forward to the small talk that is typically done.  I woke up with a headache and neck ache which I knew would not mix well with the dentist chair.  I waited about 30 minutes past my appointment time and during this time I learned everything about the new patient Sue.  She was very concerned about the front desk lady knowing her history and even got into the details about the meds she was on that helps with her “pee dribble.”  Yes, that conversation actually happened.  Finally my name was called and I was happy that the hygienist I had was not a talker.  She, like me, didn’t appear to want to be there.  We did the x-ray thing then proceeded to the cleaning.  I’m not sure if she was just being a bit rough or what the issue was but that awful sounding, sharp pokey tool was pretty painful when she did my back teeth.  That is my least favorite part.  Next she asked me if I wanted cinnamon, spearmint, or peppermint flavored polish to which I wanted to say “which flavor do you think pairs the best with the blood taste I have going on?”  But I simply said the spearmint.  In case you are wondering, this is definitely not a good pairing.  After polishing comes the flossing of course and then I remember maybe this is my least favorite part.  I hear “I’m getting quite a bit of blood, are you flossing regularly?”  I take this to mean that now my mouth must look like a scene out of Spartacus because I already thought the “quite a bit of blood” thing had been happening earlier.  I give her the so-so hand signal…the answer I give every single time I go to the dentist.  By now my right, tensed up shoulder is numb and I would really like to stretch my neck.  We finally finish this whole, bloody process and she tells me the dentist will be in soon.  I thought “for the love of all things holy, please just sit me up in this chair.”  Instead responded “ok.”  She handed me my little goody bag and like a little kid I peek in to see what color toothbrush I got and pout a little when I see it is the same color I always get.  My third purple in a row.  She finally leaves the room and I can do my much needed neck stretches.  As I wait for the dentist to come in I eye his dentistry books lining the shelves and wonder just how many pages you can fill with discussions on teeth.  Here comes the dentist finally…does his pokey thing and tells me that we finally need to replace the filling we have been watching for the past 3 visits.  I didn’t think he’d appreciate me responding with “hashtag awesome” in a not awesome voice.  So went with the standard “ok” again as he showed me my x-rays and I pretended to see whatever he was showing me.  So I will probably have a not so favorite of the dentist again in September when I go back for my filling replacement. 

Favorite TV show of the month I accidentally discovered:  Downton Abbey
Favorite Song of the month:  Let You Go by the Chainsmokers

August is set to be a busy month...like every month of the year seems to do, I'm sure it will fly by!