1) Mindy & Jimmy Caving
2) lush and green
3) the entrance to Conkle's Hollow
ZZZZ! ZZZZ! ZZZZ! Man did we sleep late! We didn’t crack a dedicated eye toward daylight until almost 9:30am. Neither of us could believe it was that late. I’m certain that the limited light had as much to do with it as the fact that both of us were simply exhausted. It was still raining, too. So the sound of the gentle rain against the roof and skylight did nothing but further promote the desire to sleep in. But my day had to begin! I needed to exercise and eventually head out for an exciting run in beautiful Hocking Hills.
Even though Mindy was awake, I tried my best to be somewhat quiet as I carried on with my morning routine. But that proved difficult given the openness of the chalet. I made coffee and found my tennis shoes. I moved the natural wood coffee table out of the way so that I could tuck my toes and crank out my sit-ups. Just as I finished my push-ups, Mindy joined me.
I slid the sliding glass doors open to check the air temperature. It was surprisingly warm. It felt like it was 60 degrees despite what was forecast (mid 40’s). Since Friday afternoon, we’ve been living in a very “Glenn-like” climate. Moderate temps, constant light rain, and gray skies. We had a couple cups of coffee before I readied for a run. Mindy began cooking some maple bacon and scrambled eggs just before I left. I told her to come looking for me if I wasn’t back in 30-35 minutes. Although I was joking, the possibility that something could happen weighed on my mind.
I took off to what I later would learn was to the west. Almost immediately I ran into very hilly terrain that challenged my stamina. I’ve run hills before however, and knew all to well what it would take. It’s as much about technique as it is about having enough energy. Lucky for me, the first few slopes were gradual and helped me get a good lather going. The further I went, the more curvy and more hilly the terrain became. I realized, too, while descending a long curvy hill that I would eventually have to pay the piper by going back up. Running down steep inclines isn’t that easy either. It requires a different technique. But in the end, nothing zaps ones energy like running up a long, steep incline. My heart was racing faster than ever as I conquered the first big hill. I was careful not to over exert myself ( I think). I took a road called Chillcote, and another named Cupp Rd. I ran each direction on both roads until I hit steep inclines. Each time I turned around knowing that I had a couple of nasty inclines to navigate in my return. I needed to save my energy.
Finally, I could see our chalet in the distance. That was a site for sore eyes. I was a bit over dressed, too, truth be told. While it was wet and rainy, it was a warm and humid rain, and I’m sure the temperature was close to 60 degrees. When I made it back, Mindy said I was gone exactly 35 minutes. I was awfully sweaty and happy to be back.
Breakfast was ready and smelt terrific! Mindy asked how I felt about Mimosas. Are you kidding me? Hell yes! I popped the cork on our bottle of Spumante’ and happily poured two mimosas with orange pineapple banana juice. We ended up having two each. After cleaning up our breakfast mess and just before readying for a rainy hike, we got in the hot tub. The tub was about the same size as ours at home. The difference was the water quality. The water in this one, while I am sure it was clean, was ultra foamy. It left me with an unclean feeling, real or imagined, sitting there in a warm pool of foam. Can you say Mr Bubble! We stayed in about ten minutes.
After our soak, we changed into our hiking attire. We were wise enough to bring our snow ski waterproof/resistant gear. I didn’t bring my water proof boots, however, but noticed that Mindy did. I was more concerned with traction. We left after packing only water, nuts, camera, and candy. We didn’t figure on being gone all that long given the inclement weather. Out the door, we drove towards Conkle’s Hollow, which judging by the map was only minutes from our chalet. We weren’t sure if we would take the gorge trail, the rim trail, or perhaps even both.
Somehow we got turned around and headed the wrong way for about a mile. Lucky for us, we caught our mistake quickly and rebounded. And just as expected, Conkle’s Hollow was just a couple minutes from our chalet.
Just as we pulled up the rain came down as hard as it had all weekend, Friday included. We chuckled at the irony. Dressed for rain, we got out to do our hike anyhow. My spirits were only slightly dampened by the thought of my camera getting wet. Starting out, at least we were plenty warm and water resistant. The park was surprisingly populated with other hikers dawning similar gear. There were even couples with babies in strollers that were toughing out the rain. Because of the heavy rain, we selected the gorge trail. It’s only a half mile each way compared to 2.5 miles for the rim trail.
We trudged forward in a downpour. The last time I hiked the Hollow it was about 90 and sunny. Too, the trail in the gorge was natural. Now, they’ve installed what amounts to a concrete sidewalk that winds almost to the trails end terminating just a couple hundred yards short. There’s something peculiar about hiking on a perfectly poured concrete walk! The sites were still something to behold. The place simply amazes me each time. I noticed too that much more light gets to the gorge floor during winter. In summer it’s almost always dark in the gorge.
I took about thirty pictures while on the hike, although I was skeptical of their quality. We’ll see! I was careful not to get my camera wet as moisture is its single biggest enemy aside from a long hard drop.
We hiked back out of the Hollow. We were gone about one hour exactly. I asked Mindy if she was up for the Rim trail. She was not. I didn’t blame her, though. The weather was a big factor. Despite our water resistant ski gear, we were getting wet. We learned that our gear is much more effective in the cold. Instead, we decided to head back to our chalet and exchange back rubs, play more cards, and drink some wine and beer. That sounded amazingly good!
We were back in a jiffy! I wasted little time getting out of my wet attire and back into my PJ’s. We tuned into some college basketball while waiting on the 8pm football game. We couldn't watch the early Seattle game because we couldn't get Fox in the Hills. We were able to listen via radio, however. While listening, we played another game of euchre (I won again). We exchanged back rubs too. Around 6pm we began making our dinner. We had boneless chicken breast sautéed in butter and garlic then topped with a can of cream of chicken soup diluted with 2/3’s a can of half & half. Additionally, we enjoyed a garden salad and green beans.
Later, for dessert, we had keylime pie!
Incidentally, the Seahawks blew their chance to beat the silly Bears. I was surprised that the Bears won another close game. They just don’t seem like a Super Bowl team. Their day’s coming! After dinner, we tuned the TV to the Patriots/Chargers game. The Patriots somehow won. They won with smoke and mirrors because the Chargers were clearly the better team.
Mindy asked me to play some 500 rummy since she couldn’t beat me in euchre no matter how hard she tried. I could tell that her ego was bruised, so I gleefully played and allowed her to win without letting on. She celebrated ecstatically and was none the wiser. As I always say, a happy wife is a happy life ! :)
By then, my half bottle of Jack Daniels was all but gone. I had a pretty good buzz going. We were both ready for bed. Once again, we crawled up the rickety wooden ladder to the loft to take another long winter’s snooze.
1) Mindy & Jimmy Caving
2) lush and green
3) the entrance to Conkle's Hollow
ZZZZ! ZZZZ! ZZZZ! Man did we sleep late! We didn’t crack a dedicated eye toward daylight until almost 9:30am. Neither of us could believe it was that late. I’m certain that the limited light had as much to do with it as the fact that both of us were simply exhausted. It was still raining, too. So the sound of the gentle rain against the roof and skylight did nothing but further promote the desire to sleep in. But my day had to begin! I needed to exercise and eventually head out for an exciting run in beautiful Hocking Hills.
Even though Mindy was awake, I tried my best to be somewhat quiet as I carried on with my morning routine. But that proved difficult given the openness of the chalet. I made coffee and found my tennis shoes. I moved the natural wood coffee table out of the way so that I could tuck my toes and crank out my sit-ups. Just as I finished my push-ups, Mindy joined me.
I slid the sliding glass doors open to check the air temperature. It was surprisingly warm. It felt like it was 60 degrees despite what was forecast (mid 40’s). Since Friday afternoon, we’ve been living in a very “Glenn-like” climate. Moderate temps, constant light rain, and gray skies. We had a couple cups of coffee before I readied for a run. Mindy began cooking some maple bacon and scrambled eggs just before I left. I told her to come looking for me if I wasn’t back in 30-35 minutes. Although I was joking, the possibility that something could happen weighed on my mind.
I took off to what I later would learn was to the west. Almost immediately I ran into very hilly terrain that challenged my stamina. I’ve run hills before however, and knew all to well what it would take. It’s as much about technique as it is about having enough energy. Lucky for me, the first few slopes were gradual and helped me get a good lather going. The further I went, the more curvy and more hilly the terrain became. I realized, too, while descending a long curvy hill that I would eventually have to pay the piper by going back up. Running down steep inclines isn’t that easy either. It requires a different technique. But in the end, nothing zaps ones energy like running up a long, steep incline. My heart was racing faster than ever as I conquered the first big hill. I was careful not to over exert myself ( I think). I took a road called Chillcote, and another named Cupp Rd. I ran each direction on both roads until I hit steep inclines. Each time I turned around knowing that I had a couple of nasty inclines to navigate in my return. I needed to save my energy.
Finally, I could see our chalet in the distance. That was a site for sore eyes. I was a bit over dressed, too, truth be told. While it was wet and rainy, it was a warm and humid rain, and I’m sure the temperature was close to 60 degrees. When I made it back, Mindy said I was gone exactly 35 minutes. I was awfully sweaty and happy to be back.
Breakfast was ready and smelt terrific! Mindy asked how I felt about Mimosas. Are you kidding me? Hell yes! I popped the cork on our bottle of Spumante’ and happily poured two mimosas with orange pineapple banana juice. We ended up having two each. After cleaning up our breakfast mess and just before readying for a rainy hike, we got in the hot tub. The tub was about the same size as ours at home. The difference was the water quality. The water in this one, while I am sure it was clean, was ultra foamy. It left me with an unclean feeling, real or imagined, sitting there in a warm pool of foam. Can you say Mr Bubble! We stayed in about ten minutes.
After our soak, we changed into our hiking attire. We were wise enough to bring our snow ski waterproof/resistant gear. I didn’t bring my water proof boots, however, but noticed that Mindy did. I was more concerned with traction. We left after packing only water, nuts, camera, and candy. We didn’t figure on being gone all that long given the inclement weather. Out the door, we drove towards Conkle’s Hollow, which judging by the map was only minutes from our chalet. We weren’t sure if we would take the gorge trail, the rim trail, or perhaps even both.
Somehow we got turned around and headed the wrong way for about a mile. Lucky for us, we caught our mistake quickly and rebounded. And just as expected, Conkle’s Hollow was just a couple minutes from our chalet.
Just as we pulled up the rain came down as hard as it had all weekend, Friday included. We chuckled at the irony. Dressed for rain, we got out to do our hike anyhow. My spirits were only slightly dampened by the thought of my camera getting wet. Starting out, at least we were plenty warm and water resistant. The park was surprisingly populated with other hikers dawning similar gear. There were even couples with babies in strollers that were toughing out the rain. Because of the heavy rain, we selected the gorge trail. It’s only a half mile each way compared to 2.5 miles for the rim trail.
We trudged forward in a downpour. The last time I hiked the Hollow it was about 90 and sunny. Too, the trail in the gorge was natural. Now, they’ve installed what amounts to a concrete sidewalk that winds almost to the trails end terminating just a couple hundred yards short. There’s something peculiar about hiking on a perfectly poured concrete walk! The sites were still something to behold. The place simply amazes me each time. I noticed too that much more light gets to the gorge floor during winter. In summer it’s almost always dark in the gorge.
I took about thirty pictures while on the hike, although I was skeptical of their quality. We’ll see! I was careful not to get my camera wet as moisture is its single biggest enemy aside from a long hard drop.
We hiked back out of the Hollow. We were gone about one hour exactly. I asked Mindy if she was up for the Rim trail. She was not. I didn’t blame her, though. The weather was a big factor. Despite our water resistant ski gear, we were getting wet. We learned that our gear is much more effective in the cold. Instead, we decided to head back to our chalet and exchange back rubs, play more cards, and drink some wine and beer. That sounded amazingly good!
We were back in a jiffy! I wasted little time getting out of my wet attire and back into my PJ’s. We tuned into some college basketball while waiting on the 8pm football game. We couldn't watch the early Seattle game because we couldn't get Fox in the Hills. We were able to listen via radio, however. While listening, we played another game of euchre (I won again). We exchanged back rubs too. Around 6pm we began making our dinner. We had boneless chicken breast sautéed in butter and garlic then topped with a can of cream of chicken soup diluted with 2/3’s a can of half & half. Additionally, we enjoyed a garden salad and green beans.
Later, for dessert, we had keylime pie!
Incidentally, the Seahawks blew their chance to beat the silly Bears. I was surprised that the Bears won another close game. They just don’t seem like a Super Bowl team. Their day’s coming! After dinner, we tuned the TV to the Patriots/Chargers game. The Patriots somehow won. They won with smoke and mirrors because the Chargers were clearly the better team.
Mindy asked me to play some 500 rummy since she couldn’t beat me in euchre no matter how hard she tried. I could tell that her ego was bruised, so I gleefully played and allowed her to win without letting on. She celebrated ecstatically and was none the wiser. As I always say, a happy wife is a happy life ! :)
By then, my half bottle of Jack Daniels was all but gone. I had a pretty good buzz going. We were both ready for bed. Once again, we crawled up the rickety wooden ladder to the loft to take another long winter’s snooze.
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