Today was a relaxing day at the Canyon for the guys. They all woke up and went to the cafe to get some breakfast around 7:30. Andy said he was feeling better today after all the rest he got the previous night. When they got to the cafe, it was packed! Andy said it surprised him that it so busy that early in the morning. Andy had a bagel and some cereal - the most he has been able to eat in a couple days. Los had a bowl of cereal, while Matt and Ken had a danish that was the size of each of their plates! It was the kind of place where you leave your plates on the table, and they are bussed after you leave. There were two unopened milks on the table next to them, and Los decided that he was going to take advantage. He went to go get them, but put it back when he discovered a napkin was stuck to it. I am not sure why that mattered, but it did to him. After being poked around by the guys, he went for a second pass. This time there was a little girl drinking out of a different cup at the table. Los accused the guys of making him steal from a little girl! They finished up breakfast and left the cafe.
This is where the guys split up and the guys got a little alone time. Ken did nothing. He just laid around, wrote a bunch of post cards, and relaxed. Durkin went exploring around the canyon. He would find a secluded space, sit, and write in his journal. When his spot became crowded by others, he would go and find another. He did this for the entire morning - just enjoying nature and the sights. He also talked to the University of Redlands Head Cross Country Coach, who gave him the official word he would be the XC Graduate Assistant in the fall! Congrats Matt!
Andy and Los were dropped off by Ken (before his day of relaxing) at the mile marker where Los had picked Andy up the day before. Andy wants to reassure everyone that he was completely safe yesterday. He was in the heart of the largest National Park in the United States with cars on the road all morning. Had he not let the guys go ahead, they would not have been able to get to the campsite. The 3 guys and all their gear would not have fit in Los' car. So he made the decision and told the guys to go on ahead. Los picked him up not too long after.
Los and Andy walked the last 12 miles left on yesterday's run. Andy was really happy that Los was around. They were able to catch up on life and discuss Los' new job in Utah. Apparently, Los loves Andy's long hair. He went nuts when he saw it the first time! Andy has always had his hair short, so it is quite a sight to see it as it is now. At the end of the travel, Los had his cameo mileage up to 23.5 miles, and is looking to tack on some more on Sunday.
The team met back up around lunch time from their various activities this morning. They grabbed some grub at the cafe, discussed their mornings and then headed back to camp. Los, Matt, and Andy decided to shower. Ken decided to skip this and relax some more. The guys had to pay $2 for 8 minutes of shower time. Matt and Los' turned off promptly after 8 minutes, but Andy's kept running! He said he must have gotten a solid 15 minutes out of it, and then had to turn it off! Andy said that he felt so much better after showering, it really helped him kick some of the uneasiness. After the showers came laundry and then some exploring. They took the shuttles around some parts of the canyon, and walked a bit on the rim trail of the canyon. They got to see some really cool views of the canyon, and sit right on the ledge. Los has some great pictures that hopefully we can get you all soon. They walked some more and ran into this couple pushing a Chariot baby jogger! They talked with the couple about what they were doing, and how weird it was to see someone using the jogger for its intended purpose! They had imagined it to be used only for running across the country, but the couple assured them it was perfect to hall around their little bundle of joy.
The guys rode the shuttle a little more, which Andy enjoyed because it was travel without him having to walk or run. They ended at another lounge on the other side of the canyon to get some food. Ken really wanted to go here, so they did. It ended up being the same food that was right next to their campsite! Ken described it as, "Going to Hulbert instead of Wilsbach when you are at MacDuff." (That's for all the O-State readers out there) As I talked to Andy, they were hanging out at the sports bar with Ken and Matt enjoying a nice cold brew. Andy was really hopeful that with a lot more sleep tonight he would be feeling 100% better tomorrow.
Thanks for checking in! Only 24 days left! (18 until I get to meet up with the team!)
- Rick
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