PJ's Run: Glass 60% full or 40% empty?

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Glass 60% full or 40% empty?

When we got back from our June/July trip to Michigan - with a stop in Ohio for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park trail run in my 28th trail-quest-state on the way to Michigan, a run along the North Country trail in Michigan for state #29, and a stop in North Dakota for trail/state #30 - one of my running buddies said "you know you still have 40% of the states to go." Fortunately, the attitude that had me always believing I would be running into Petoskey from my starting point in Boulder is still going strong with this quest to run a trail in every state. Yep, I've had the delight of running a trail in 30 - THIRTY - states so far during this quest. How cool is that!?!?!

I must admit, though, North Dakota's trail was pretty goofy. We were on a bit of a tight deadline to get back to Boulder so looked for trails toward the eastern side of North Dakota. I found a trail system in the town of Jamestown with a trail that wound some number of miles around the area of the National Buffalo Museum which was of great interest to me, being the University of Colorado Buffaloes fan that I am. When we arrived at the spot where the trail was supposed to start we found a dirt road but no trailhead so down the road we went ("down" being the operative word - steep!). We finally found a trail marker - Yay! - and out I went with the temps in the 90s - Yikes!. The dirt trail wound through tall prairie grass. I ran along, keeping an eagle eye out for snakes, circled around a little grove of trees and realized the trail seemed to be turning back toward the dirt road. I looked around and saw some bits where the prairie grass was flattened so I followed those and found myself in a bunch of loop-dy-loops ending back at the trail that headed back to the dirt road - so back to the dirt road I went. Following the road back the way we came (since the other way led to a city street and seemed all wrong) I watched closely for more trail signs. Found one! Whoop! But, alas, there was a fence, gate, padlock, and barbed wire between me and what looked to be the trail. I ran alongside the fence a bit but got to a dead end at a large culvert with still no access through the fence to the trail. So - back to the road once again. And, once again, found another little trail marker. This time the trail went up up up and I could see the museum grounds ahead so texted Kendall that I was coming his way running uphill. But, oops! there the trail goes down down down back to the road again. Good golly Miss Molly what the heck?! So back to the road, no more trail signs, and up the hill to be greeted by Kendall and Taz - who wasn't able to run with me due to the heat but loves licking the salt off his favorite runner. So, yes, got a trail run done in North Dakota, and I'm counting it - but I figure I owe North Dakota another visit for a Real Trail.