every walk is a sort of crusade
Today I was reflecting on the content of this blog, which started off as a guide to navigating the wild backroads and busy streets Northern California, and I noticed that the past 10 posts are comprised of:
I told myself that the move to Kentucky would not turn me into a housewife whose favorite topic of conversation is the weather, but looking at that list…isn’t encouraging.
Let me tell you, winter has arrived in Jesus Land. It is freezing and there is a chance of snow–yes, SNOW–on Friday. Time to find a winter coat.
(I’ve seen this a few times, most recently pulled from generic.)
Location: Fayette County
Distance: 7ish miles
Entry fee: $0
The “run” part of my grand plan hit a small road bump this past week…shin splints. Damn. So instead I have been swimming, spinning…and hiking! The weather here has been beautiful, and this past Saturday (when I would normally do my long run) it was 85 and clear and gorgeous, and I was bummed that I couldn’t run. So I decided to take a drive through the horse farms and hit up Raven Run, a local hike. I chose Raven Run namely because Paul assured me that the trails are wide and clear and well marked and there are families everywhere, so I wouldn’t get attacked or lost if I went alone.
On the way out there my gas light came on, so I GPSed the nearest gas station on my phone and ended up here:
I was a little nervous, because I had never pumped gas from one of these things before, but didn’t have much of a choice…the next closest station was 15 miles away. While I was inside paying, the electricity went out and they told me that the pumps wouldn’t work with no electricity. Fortunately, as I was about to leave, it came back on. Crisis averted. I finished pumping my gas and got back in my car when there was a knock on the drivers side window. It was the guy who worked there, he had come out to ask me if I “wanted to hang out sometime”. I smiled, told him oh, I’m married, and showed him my ring, and he said, “Oh, I don’t pay attention to that.” Sleazy smile. Time to go.
Got to Raven Run, decided to do the simple 4 mile loop. No problem. Sure enough, the paths were very clear, well marked, and I passed a number of families along the way. Took a few detours to some outlooks and down to the Kentucky River, took some pictures, enjoyed the view, and about an hour and a half in I should have been close to the end.
At that point I somehow veered off the red trail and onto the orange trail (red, orange…pick colors that don’t look the same when the paint fades) into some grasslands where I saw…absolutely nobody. For like an hour. I also started hearing what sounded like a large animal in the surrounding grass stalking me.
I know that I’m not in California or the mountains, where the mountain lions roam, but the UK mascot is the wildcats. And if there is one thing that I am really good at it’s freaking myself out. Fortunately, I found a plethora of these on the ground:
I have no idea what they are, but they are big and easy to throw…which is exactly what I did–started throwing them into the grass when I heard something (even though they were kind of soft). I also started singing out loud (if you’ve forgotten the rules of avoiding attacks) and picked up my pace. Finally made it back to the point where I originally veered off course (always nice to walk for a long time feeling lost and end up back in a place you’ve already been) and, after another 3o minutes of hiking, made it back to the car safely.
Total hiking time: 3+ hours. Kentucky hike #1: more or less a success. It is beautiful here.
I missed hiking, it’s good to be back.
THANK. GOD.
So, as I may have (or may have not) mentioned, after 3 months we decided it was time to move out of the in-laws and in to our very own apartment…at least for the next few months, until I get a job and we can get a loan for a house. We have been without internet or TV for almost 2 weeks. Yesterday, we got hooked up. And we have Netflix.
Yessssssss.
He weighs 300 lbs and his name is Willy.
Git your horses ready…the World Equestrian Games are in Kentucky. These are the World Championships for equestrian events and are held once every 4 years…so it’s basically the Olympics for equestrians. This is a very big deal, primarily because this is the first time ever that the games have been held in the US (apparently equestrian events like dressage, vaulting, eventing, jumping, and reining are super popular in Europe…and no one here knows what they are.) Lexington has set up a city full of vendors, exhibits, etc at the Kentucky Horse Park a few miles outside of downtown. So my sister-in-law, mother-in-law, and I headed out on a beautiful Friday to check it out.
They had all sorts of booths and demos set up to pay homage to the bright stars of Kentucky and highlight some of the equestrian events, including:
Pedro, the dancing horse (this guy’s story is pretty amazing):
The most famous Kentuckian (except for maybe Muhammad Ali), the Colonel:
The art of horse-tail braiding:
Obviously coal, the future of Kentucky:
Another no-brainer, bourbon:
…and meet Molly, the tiny horse with a fake leg.
Her story is kind of amazing, she was a Katrina victim that someone found, and a doctor that made human prosthetics decided to help her out with a leg. Yeah.
We also saw a reenactment of the Sound of Music by gymnasts in full costume doing flips on horses (a demo of vaulting, apparently), $800 cowboy boots, and a video of a horse giving birth (which I really didn’t need to see.)
Overall, pretty cool, head over there if you’re in the area and take a look. Lots to learn.
Lexington held its own Oktoberfest in a church parking lot downtown (which I’m guessing was basically the same as Molly’s experience in Munich). There was awesome beer and some pretty fantastic (though not exactly German) music.
Dr. Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Country Boys played a free concert the night we were there. (You’d probably recognize some of their music from the Oh Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack, for which Dr. Stanley won a Grammy.) Dr. Stanley is a legend in the bluegrass community…literally. He was awarded the Living Legend Award by the Library of Congress in 2000.
The performance had dueling banjos and fiddles (which I had never seen live before, it’s pretty cool), and the crowd was huge. People were going crazy.
Some additional info on Dr. Ralph Stanley, who told the crowd he has “been sangin’ for about 64 years now”, and why he is amazing.
*Photo courtesy of the New York Times
…and we’re back from break! Done with online classes, all moved in (more or less)…and what better way to start off your Monday morning than with this uplifting reminder from a Chevy in the mall parking lot:
Don’t see these much around the UC campuses.
I guess recently there’s been a big debate about allowing guns on campus, but not in the classroom. Because carrying a concealed weapon on campus is totally necessary. What if there is an uprising by against the government in between Intro to Biology and Intermediate Algebra? Don’t want to be caught without your glock.
The temperature in Kentucky this past week has been 70s with little to no humidity. It has been clear and dry and gorgeous. It’s official: Fall is here. Which excites me for a number of reasons, including:
Yesterday I learned that my excitement for football is of a different breed than that of the UK community. This is a picture of the stadium parking lot:
OK, in downloading that picture I realize it doesn’t really do the parking lot justice. The lot is full of RVs with UK flags waving, and traffic (on the other side of the lot) backed up down the street and up onto the main road.
The first game of the season is Saturday at 7:30 PM. This picture was taken on Friday at 7:00. In the morning.
And the game is against Western Kentucky, not considered a “big game”.
AND Kentucky doesn’t even have a good football team. According to Paul, basketball season is a whole different animal.
Rambulatory Ambulatory 