Ragnar...190miles...13.9miles were mine

Last Christmas I asked Derek and Alexis if I could run the Ragnar Relay with them. There are a number of Ragnar relays throughout the U.S.; we ran the Northwest Passage Ragnar that begins on the U.S./Canadian border in Blaine, Washington. The race ended on Whidbey Island north of Seattle. The relay was held on July 22 and 23. There were 12 members on our team and each team member ran 3 legs. My legs were 8.5, 3.5, and 2.9 miles. Our team name was 12 South because we were 12 people heading south.

The yellow line is the route we ran. I believe there were 300 teams who ran.

Ragnar starting line L to R: Mike Moffit, Mike Zahaiko, Alexis, Derek, Me, and Owen

We ran in Van 1 so we ran the first 6 legs. Derek started the race, then Alexis, me, Mike Zahaiko, Owen, and Mike Moffit ran the 6th leg. Mike then handed over the baton to Van 2 and they ran while we showered and rested.

Alexis hands the baton to me at the end her first Leg. 8.5 miles here I come.

As often as we could those in the Van would drive a 1/2 mile ahead and cheer the runner on as they past by. That is they would cheer unless they were slacking.

Every time you pass someone you get to count them as roadkill. My first leg the roadkill but I did end up passing 2 people on Leg 2 and 3 people on Leg 3.

My goal was to have at least 1 roadkill and I got 5. If you noticed on the front passenger window it says "Slacker Van II" Well, I was passing the van on Leg 1 and expecting them to cheer but to my surprise they were busy looking at maps in the Van. So, I called them slackers. Then when Owen ran one his legs we were not paying attention and he yelled "Slackers" as he ran by.

It was a good thing we wrote Derek and Alexis' names on a big window they needed it for all their roadkill.

I started Leg 1 at 11:00am on Friday. My 2nd leg was at 8:00 pm. And then I finished Leg 3 about 6:30am. I ran Leg 1 pretty slow. In fact I think it would be more accurate to say I jogged. For Leg 2 and Leg 3 I ran and was happy with my times. I ran each mile under 9 minutes but overall I ran a 9:11 mile. Here I am finishing Leg 3.

"Hey, O, pull my finger. "

Owen was all smiles as he ran his 3 legs.

We ran through the country, through cities and towns, past homes, and near the interstate. Derek is running Leg 2 here.

Alexis rounds the corner past Skagit bay. It was really cool that all the teams cheered for each other. There was such a positive and community feeling during the race.

We were given medals at the finish line. This medal not only rewards us for our accomplishment but it is also a bottle opener for that $1 beer at the finish line.

12 South
Back Row L to R: Keano Granger, Rachel Garcia, Jeff Allen, Amy Allen, Laura Green, and Kate Allen
Front Row L to R: Mike Zahaiko, Derek Leonard, Alexis Leonard, Holly Leonard, Mike Moffit, and Owen Leonard

West Glacier

West Glacier was a lot warmer than East. I was able to wear shorts and there was no wind. I also spent two nights camping near the West Glacier entrance. Since parts of the road were closed due to snow the rangers allowed us to walk 3 miles up. I never did see Logan Pass, the top of the road, but that is okay because I loved walking on the road rather than driving it.

I got pretty good taking pictures of myself.

This is a reflection of the mountains in Lake McDonald which is near the West Glacier entrance.

There were so many beautiful waterfalls. I walked quite a ways on the road to get just the right picture. Not sure I ever got it but this is close.

The river was really high and raging as it made its way down the canyon.

In 2006 there was a fire in Glacier. Walking through these trees was like walking through a graveyard.

My attempt to take "cool" pictures of a waterfall.

While I was walking on a trail I came across this deer. I couldn't believe how close I was able to walk near her. She didn't not run but just lifted her head to see who it was and then kept eating.

This is called the "Weeping Wall". Hopefully you can figure out why on your own.

Another waterfall.

On the way up I saw a bear foraging on a tree. Glacier is full of bears and there are lots of warnings about bear safety. Luckily this bear was far enough off and there were lots of people taking pictures

More beautiful views.

My campsite.

From my campsite I would get on my bike and ride into the village to shop and eat. There were a few paved bike trails that I enjoyed too. I was really sad to leave Glacier and would highly recommend that you take the opportunity to explore it someday.

East Glacier

On my way to Seattle I decided to take a detour and go up to Glacier National Park. I arrived on June 30 and stayed 2 nights in East Glacier near St. Mary's Lake. It was really windy but absolutely beautiful. The road that connects East and West Glaciers is called "Going to the Sun Road". It is named this because the road goes by a mountain called "Going to the Sun". The sun is a very important part of the Native American Tribe that lives near Glacier. Parts of this road were still closed because they were still removing snow. I was able to drive my car to Jackson Glacier but no further. Even though cars were not able to travel further, the rangers allowed us to walk 2 miles up the road. This was awesome because I got to see so much more than I would of from my car.

Nice and Cozy in my one woman tent.

A few Christmas ago Derek and Alexis got me the burner, pot, and spork. I had lasagna for dinner the first night and ...

Oatmeal for breakfast

This was the view I saw as I drove into St. Mary's entrance into the park.

In the middle of the lake is an island called Wild Goose Island

The mountains were so majestic and had little vegetation on them. West Glacier was the complete opposite.

St. Mary's Lake

The glaciers cause the water to be this beautiful blue but once the glaciers melt completely the color of the water will change.

I went on a boat ride on St. Mary's. It was so amazing. I recently purchased a new camera and I took more pictures than I needed to.

St. Mary's Waterfall

Pretty flower

I really loved East Glacier. I was only about 30 miles from the Canadian border. The town is really small, there are no showers, and it was such a refreshing experience.

Mormon Trail

On my way back from Logan, UT in June I decided to follow the Mormon /Oregon Trail. I have never traveled this route and it was awesome. I could actually see where the trail was. I left Logan at 10:00am and did not get back to Cheyenne till 12:30am. Then on my way up to Seattle I stopped and saw Ft. Laramie, Registration Rock, the ruts in the rocks from the wagons, and Independence Rock. It is amazing that people left their homes and walked across this often hostile terrain. Even though I took the pictures going West to East, I have put them in order from East to West since that is how the saints traveled.

So, Ft. Laramie was the eastern most part of the trail that I saw. The saints and other travels would stop at the Fort to trade and buy things. Ft. Laramie was also the half way point for the handcart companies.

This is from Registration Cliff which is just west of Ft. Laramie and near the Platte River.

Just east of Registration Cliff are ruts in the rock from the wagons. Some of the ruts are really deep.

This section of the trail and ruts was the deepest. I can't imagine traveling through the rocks and sand. This area had a lot of white sand too.

This area as also quite hilly and I sure very hard to travel through.

Independence Rock. I have been told that Parley P. Pratt and Willard Richards carved their initials in this rock but I could not find it. Independence Rock is very close to Martins' Cove and was a marker that people recognized.

I wasn't sure if we were allowed to climb to the top so I just walked around. Then I saw a dad with four kids (the youngest being about 4 and barefooted) climbing so I joined them. It was really windy on top but very cool to see. There were TONS of names carved all over the rock. I still didn't not find Parley's or Willard's but it was cool to see.

This was one of the clearest names I could see, many have faded.

In the distance is Martin's Cove and Devils Gate (which is the where the slit is). The Martin's Handcart was rescued here but many saints died.

This shot was taken near the Willie Handcart visitors center, which I did not know existed till I was driving by. I made a quick u-turn to check it out. Unfortunately it was 7:30pm and the center was closed. So, I just took a quick picture of the Sweetwater which the saints crossed many times.

This is the area in which the Willie Handcart company was rescued by saints from Salt Lake. There is a monument here signed by President Hinckley, President Monson, and President Faust regarding the 2nd rescue or Temple Work. This is the Sweetwater River.

This shot was taken west of South Pass but you can see it in the distance.

These are examples of graves that one might of used to bury family members who died along the way.

This picture reminds me of the primary song, "Pioneer Children sang as they walked and walked and walked."

As you drive down the highway there are markers like these all over showing where the trail is.

Here is an old ferry at the Green River. Some saints actually set up camp and built a ferry and earned money taking pioneers from one side to the other.

The Green River. This is where I joined up with the trails. I really enjoyed stopping at taking pictures of these sites. It gave me a better idea of what the saints went through and a great appreciation for their faith.