Vrooommm...

Laura, John's sister, and her husband Richard, blew into town tonight on their Harley Davidson. Their goal was the UT-Alabama game and they made for half time, just in time to savor the Alabama win. Did I mention they are both employees of the University of Alabama??!

A blurry pic of Richard and Laura. For some reason, my little Nikon would not take a good flash. I think it had to do with the nice, bright, energy saving fluorescent bulbs in John's garage and a photographer (me) in motion.

Pig in a Harley vest, a present for Laura and Richard's daughter, Jessica!

If it is fall, it is time for fresh pesto...

My run got off to a rough start this morning. The early temperature was cold and I shied away from getting out first thing. After a couple of hours of work around the house, I had just about decided not to go. That was when I realized I was headed down the same road as last week, a road that did not include running. I quickly dressed in running gear and climbed in my car.

Still not wanting to run, I found a couple of reasons to stop along the way, specifically the dry cleaner and Fresh Market to pick up some cheese for pesto. With cheese in hand it was, of course, necessary to drive back to the house to secure it in the frig. Okay, so fresh Parmesan does not need to be chilled immediately, but...

At this point I figured my run was done for but my good self pulled through and drove to Cherokee Boulevard to put in a 3 mile effort. The run was not particularly comfortable until I realized I was picking my feet up and running faster than usual, then it became a game. I finished the effort at just over an 11 mmp, feeling strong and satisfied with the effort. I am going to credit Saturday's 3 mile bike climb with the increased leg turnover. Another good reason to keep riding!

Earlier this afternoon, I harvested my second batch of basil leaves and made another batch of fresh pesto. Usually I make pesto with pine nuts but today I used walnuts and am really pleased with the results!

5 cups of fresh basil

A cup of walnuts, plus garlic, cheese and olive oil result in several cups of pesto. We will freeze most of it to use this winter on pasta, pizza and other such delights.
This is a pesto based appetizer I made for Roger and Susie's potluck. The layers include cream cheese (low fat), sun dried tomatoes and pesto. While I think the layers of tomato were too thick, the appetizer was well received. There was nothing left to take home!

Annual trip to Carver's Apple Barn...

We look forward to this excursion every year, our annual trip to Carver's Apple Barn in Cosby, TN. We left home early Sunday afternoon, spent an hour or so picking out apples and had a leisurely drive home through Cosby and along some back roads.

Scenic view along the Foothills Parkway. This is the section from Newport to Cosby, not the section we rode Saturday, which is from Hwy 321 in Blount County to Chilhowee Lake. Visible on the mountainside above the trees is the remnants of a fire.

John and me in a "self-photo" taken at one of the scenic stops along the Foothills Parkway. As you can see from the photo below, the leaves have just begun to turn.

Pippin apples for sale. Apples change year to year, depending on a lot of factors (that is as much as I know about apple growing). In the past, Pippin apples have been reliably crisp and a combination of tart and sweet. This year the apples were a little softer and a little tarter. Our new favorite was a variety we have not seen before, "Nutter," which is sweet and crisp.

Me trying out the Pippin apple. Yep, softer and tart. John gave the Pippin a thumbs down but we purchased a bag for drying and cooking.

John in line at the checkout. Our basket is filled with several bags of apples, jam, pumpkins and fresh cider. Carver's Apple Barn was very busy! The restaurant, opened on the property several years ago, had a waiting line of about an hour.

I think I can, I think I can...

I have been absent from running this week, bicycling too. I thought I would miss them but I didn't. If left to the whims of my lazy self, I would probably never exercise again so I decided that today was a good day to put an end to this relaxed state of mind.

Mid morning, John and I loaded our bikes and drove to Old Walland Road in Blount county, a rode favored by local bicyclists. The road is as flat as one can find in the foothills area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and follows the Little River. Farms, cabins and forest line both sides of the road providing ever changing scenery.

We started pedaling slow, drifing between 13-14 mph and riding directly into a brisk wind. I rode in front so John would not pedal off and leave me (did I mention that we are totally mismatched in speed, strength and experience?). I felt the usual nervous twitch in the pit of my stomach, a no confidence vote for my legs. About 3 miles into the ride, John dropped the "F" word, Foothills Parkway. I think he said it as a joke because he knows I am not a strong climber and the Parkway begins with a steep 3 mile climb. But recently I have been thinking about using hills to develop leg strength and I surprised us both when I muttered under my breath OKAY!

We had another mile to the Hwy 321 turnoff and John asked me no less than 3 times if I was sure I wanted to do this. I knew I could stop at one of the first scenic stops and wait for John to ride as far as he wanted, so I kept saying yes. In no time, we were at the base of the mountain, adjusting our gears for the effort ahead.

The climb started out strong. My pace slowed to 4.5-5.5 mph as I crawled up the mountain. John stayed behind me, yelling to warn me before cars passed. The road was not as busy as I expected for an October afternoon and I was very happy about that. About 1 mile into the climb, my legs were still feeling good and I realized that our goal of 3 miles up was a real possibility.

Time passed quickly and as the first and second scenic stops flew by on our left, I knew I could reach the 3 mile goal. I didn't spend a lot of time studying the fall colors along the way, I was focused on staying close to the edge, but not so close my tires would slide off the pavement. Suddenly, just beyond the next curve, our turn around point appeared. I had made it!

We stopped, took a few pictures and tried hard not too be broken hearted about a stray, but friendly dog that had obviously been abandoned here. No way we could tie him to our bikes and take him home.

Soon it was time for the ride back to the car. I surprised myself by being so frightened of the downhill. I pumped my brakes to keep my speed low. John told me I was faster on the flats than the downhill. He finally passed me and disappeared around the curves as I tried to manage my speed around 18-20 mph. My hands hurt from clutching the brakes and handlebar and I thought I would have a meltdown before I arrived at the bottom. Luckily the ride down goes a whole lot faster than the ride up and we were back to Hwy 321 in some 10 minutes or less.

The wind was fierce on the ride back to the car. John took the lead and told me to "hang on" to the back of him. Last weekend on the SMW ride, I learned about the benefits of drafting, not only can I go faster, but I can also coast some to rest my legs, almost like a tow. Our return ride flew by with John pushing me to keep up at an 18 mph.

We rode a little over 20 miles and I feel great about the effort.

Cornfields at the beginning of Old Walland Road. In the distance are the rolling foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

John at the turnaround on the Foothills Parkway

Me at the turn around in one of John's cycling jerseys (with a wind jacket stuffed in the back pocket), my hiking shirt and my running shorts. It is a mixed look for sure. Eventually I will update.

Autumn arrives at my house...

I went outside today and discovered the ash tree in my yard had dropped most of its leaves. It appears that fall arrived while I wasn't paying attention!



The ash tree is not known for showy fall color. With very little fanfare, these leaves faded to dirty yellow, dropped to the ground and are patiently waiting to be raked!


Variegated solomon seal is also showing the effects of the cooler fall weather. Soon the leaves will disappear until next spring.

Smoky Mtn Wheelman Century and 26 miler...

Today, after being back on my bike for only 2 weeks, we participated in the Smoky Mountain Wheelman Annual Fall Century, Metric Century and 26 Mile Ride. The ride was held in Loudon County along some spectacular country roads. Although I think John would have preferred to ride the 62 miles, he rode the 26 mile route with me to ensure that I would not take a wrong turn and end up lost in the country. Have I mentioned I have a poor sense of direction?

We had a great time! The weather was perfect and we enjoyed being out together. After the ride, we dined on a super delicious meal of fresh guacamole, salsa, chips and burritos catered by Big Fatty's in Knoxville. I have included a few pictures below. More are available on our new Picasa site (http://picasaweb.google.com/johnandbeverly74 )

John in the parking lot at the beginning of the ride. We woke at 5:30 AM and left for Loudon at 6:15 AM. It was an early day to be sure.
Riders lining up at the start. Lots of brightly colored jerseys in the group!

These guys drew a lot of attention with their tandem. Hope they were good friends, the guy in the back planned to stare at the jersey of the guy in the front for 62 miles.

John waiting while most of the other riders get in front of us. Except for the Neighborhood Bike Ride, I have not had my bicycle in a group in years. I am still trying to eliminate most of my weaving and drifting.

A beautiful fall day on a country road!

Potluck for Roger and Susie...

Last night, Will hosted a potluck dinner for Roger Jenkins and Susie McDonald, who are in town as a part of a 3 week road trip. Roger and Susie were long time residents of Knoxville, very active in the environmental community and frequent hikers until several years ago when they retired to Bozeman, MT to take up such activities in the Bozeman community. We enjoyed seeing Roger, Susie and others we have not had a chance to talk to since summer.

Although my pocketable Nikon Coolpix is usually perfect in any situation, the photos from this event are a little dark (additional photos are here http://picasaweb.google.com/johnandbeverly74/HelloRogerAndSusie1092008# )

Ron Shrieves, John and Will Skelton in Will's kitchen

Ever have one of those moments that you recognize someone but have no idea who they are or where they from where? So it was with Polly and Hartwell Herring (left of photo). I had hiked with them once or twice in the 1990's, they moved to NY and I haven't thought about them since. They were in town and came to Roger and Susie's party. Also in the photo, John Finger (blue shirt) and Ray Payne (green shirt).

Kim and Barbara

Terri Cox and me

Susie with Dave Penegar to her left

Barbara Allen, BJ Perlack and John Finger

Let the cheering commence..

I went for a run this morning. This is the same as I do most mornings and in the same location as other recent runs, Cherokee Blvd. I will will tire of this location soon enough but right now I am trying to take advantage of the fine mix of hills, flats and various mileage.

Today was a 4-miler, 3 miles of rolling road and a 1 mile hill in the middle, 1/2 mile up, 1/2 mile down. The boulevard can be a crowded place but today the runners and outfits on bicycles were few. I went out at my usual slow place, quite comfortable and happy. Though the air was cool and the sky overcast, the humidity was high so it wasn't too long before I felt little trickles of sweat roll down my forehead.

The first 1.5 miles passed quickly and I reached the base of the hill with anticipation. The road goes up, levels off for a few steps then proceeds steeply to the top. The thing I like most about running uphill is running downhill on the other side. The uphill scenario above makes for a grand downhill effort.

My face must have been flushed as I crested the hill, my mouth set in a grimace and my hair plastered to my head. I would guess my pace looked painfully slow to the casual observer, but I was feeling good. As I turned around at the 2 mi marker to return back to the parking lot, I hear some clapping and cheering. I looked up and saw 2 ladies in a fast walk cresting the hill, they are clapping and yelling "good job."

Where did they come from? My first reaction was to flash a smile and thank them. They smiled back and started running. As I started down the hill, I began to wonder if they were cheering because the old lady with the flushed face actually made it up the hill without a heart attach. I know I look bad when I run, but geez.

Funny, a similar thing happened to me last week on the same hill during a 5.2 mi. As young couple went flying by me, all legs and arms in motion, something caught my eye. I looked up to see the guy with a big grin on his face giving me the thumbs up. I smiled back. He appeared to be happy and I wrote it off to him giving encouragement to the old, slow lady as she struggled up the hill. Today's episode has confirmed it.

Back on the bicycle...

When we got home Saturday night, John suggested that I consider riding the Smoky Mountain Wheelman Century 26 mile route with Robin (October 11). Gulp! I really haven't been on my bike much and I have my first 1/2 marathon coming up in 7 weeks and well...I can come up with a lot of excuses. So I said okay.

This prompted a 15 mile ride on Cherokee Boulevard yesterday where we found Robin and Dave doing laps on their tandem bike. We don't see them for months then run into them 3 times in one weekend! John is loving having someone fast to ride with, I am hanging in the back by a thin thread. Finally, the thread broke and I fell behind. It was okay through, just getting through the ride was an accomplishment.

This morning on sore legs, I ran my planned 6 miles. I was surprised, pleased and a little tired when I got through!

Bicycling around the 'hood...

Busy, busy weekend and a whole lot of fun! Saturday morning, we met Will and Kim and over 200 other bicyclists downtown for the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Org Fall 2008 Neighborhood Bike Ride. The ride, about 10 miles long, wound through the north Knoxville neighborhoods of 4th & Gill, Edgewood Park, Fairmont & Emoriland and Oakwood/Lincoln Park. What a blast!

The ride is organized to promote alternative transportation. With this in mind we could not, with clear conscious, drive our car downtown so we bicycled the 3+ miles from John's house to the meeting point. I wasn't too concerned about the ride to the event, it was the ride home I was worried about. I haven't been on my bike in some months....whine, whine. Needless to say, it all worked out fine, the ride home was no problem.

Us at the first stop about 4 miles into the effort (yes, I am asking for an updated helmet for Xmas). Police and other volunteers were stationed along the 10 mile route, blocking traffic at intersections. Residents were great, coming to the edge of the road to take pictures, wave and generally welcome riders into their neighborhood.

Will and Kim at the first stop. They were riding great cruiser bikes that allowed them to sit upright and enjoy the ride.

This is Robin, she rode with us most of the time! We haven't seen her for a while and had a great time catching up. She is half of the couple, Robin and Dave. Dave is just back from a 700 mile bike ride in Colorado. He did it in 3 days I think and was pleased to have had 10 hours of sleep during the effort. Ugh! He was one of the volunteers for today's event as he is for many bicycling activities around town.

Some of the many bicyclers participating in the ride. The guy in the yellow vest is one of the ride organizers.
Will (left) and Kim. This picture was taken from the bike, it turned out pretty good. Some of the "in motion" photographs did not turn out so well.

A photo at stop 2. While a 10 mile effort does not appear to need rest stops, it provided an opportunity for stragglers to catch up and police and volunteers to shift positions.

Too cool! This is a boom box powered by a car battery. A young woman pulled this contraption behind her bike, blasting upbeat tunes. She rode near us for a good part of the ride and we pedaled to the beat!
Back to the start (Krutch Park Greenspace). Will, Kim and John in the distance behind the fountain, in front to the construction dumpster. The dumpster is sitting on Gay Street, the main street in downtown Knoxville. The buildings behind the dumpster are undergoing renovation as office and condo space (as are many buildings in downtown Knoxville).

This sign says it all. This is one of several such signs on bikes.

After the neighborhood ride, we rode our bikes a block or two to the Hola Festival, which was taking place on Market Square Mall (along with the weekly Farmer's Market). Knoxville has only a few weekends in the fall without a UT home football game so lots of activities are crammed into 1-2 weekends.

This is one of the incredible desserts we found at the Hola Festival. The desserts were only a small part of the fabulous Latin food available. Too bad we had munched down on free pizza after the bike ride. We will know better next year!

After the Hola Festival, we rode our bikes back to John's, picked up the car and drove to UT where his son's band was playing at the Sustainable Living Roadshow. We were disappointed at the small crowd but enjoyed listening to the band. Daniel, backwards ballcap in the above photo, is playing bass guitar.

Robin and Dave were at the event and we got the chance to talk again. Robin is riding the 26 mi route for the Smoky Mountain Wheelman Century ride on October 11. John is thinking about riding the 62 mile route. Dave is ride director for this event.

Art sculpture made from flowers and greenery provided by local florists. Event participants could (and did) add to the sculpture.

The power for the entire event was produced by the solar panels above. It was pretty incredible!

Back on the trail...

We have had a hectic month as evidenced by my lack of posts. My mother spent last week in the hospital and I am happy to report, she is back at home and feeling much better. Otherwise we have been running (me), bicycling (John) and generally hanging around Knoxville.

Recently I have been a bicycle slacker, so our sports activities have been individual efforts. Early last week, we decided that on Sunday we would do something we enjoy together...hiking. We spent all week looking forward to the activity and discussing trails we could take. We had 2 issues to deal with, 1-we haven't been on a trail for 5 months (April 20th to be exact) and 2-we couldn't start until around 1:30 PM so our time was limited.

In the end, we picked something short and easy, a loop hike out of Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We hiked up the Little River and back on Jake's Creek Trails. The hike ended in a walk through the Elkmont Community so we figured we covered 5.0-miles. The effort was quite pleasant and we talked about doing more day hiking, backpacking and even a fall car camp. Time is limited and we already have a number of fall activities on the books so our plans to get on the trail more may just be dreams, for now.

Photos from the hike are below:

John at the beginning of the Little River Trail. During the logging heydays in the Smokies, this trail was the sight of a logging railroad. It is a gentle uphill to the junction of Jake's Creek.

John is becoming a master at the "self" photo. Really helps to have long arms. Mine are almost too short. In just about 4 weeks, the leaves in the Smokies will turn a spectacular fall shade of red or orange and within 7 weeks, the limbs will be bare. Hard to believe cold weather is so close.
A few flowers are still hanging on in this area, mostly this yellow variety (not sure of the identification).
This sign looks a little ominous! A hiker was killed by a bear in this area several years ago but our only sighting was a couple of deer who followed us down Jake's Creek Trail for a ways.
The cabin above is part of the Elkmont Community, once the sight of some 50 "summer cottages" for the area elite. The cabins were slated for demolishion in the early 80's but the Park Service did not have the funds so the project was put off. We all know what has happened to the National Park Service budgets (having extra cash is not one of the scenarios). Meantime, the families that once owned the cabins have lobbied the Tennessee Historical Society to have the cabins registered as historic sights.

It appears some of the cabins will be added to the register which means that the Park Service will now be required to pay to restore and maintain parts of the community, a much bigger capital and manpower expense than the original plan to demolish the community and return the area back to pre-logging days.

The cabin above will not be restored. As you can see, the front porch has already collapsed.

The Park Service is currently in the process of stabilizing the above cabins. New lumber is visible on the front porches and some new siding has been added to the back of the cabins. The area is roped off with yellow tape and the stabilization process continues.

My longest run yet...

Running hurts. Sometimes it is the physical, sometimes the mental but running, particularly distance building, hurts. Saturday I ran my longest run ever, 12 miles. I started at John's house, zig zagged through town, down to Neyland Drive and back. The run was a bit sloppy, especially toward the end, but I got it done!

It's about the small things...

This evening I paused a moment to stare at the sky before I entered the local Borders bookstore. Orange and pink tinted clouds hung just above the visible horizon. I browsed a bit, purchased a decaf and returned outside to find the sky had changed. Above me was a bright quarter moon, the first evening star was visible and the sky had turned the most spectacular shade of midnight blue. I believe it is in these smallest of moments that pure happiness occurs.

No blog updates during the past week. Over the Labor Day holiday, John and I drove to Alabama to visit with his family (a few pictures will follow in another post). Both of his sons were there as well as his sister and her family who drove in from Tuscaloosa. It was a fine family weekend.

I struggled with running last week, most days I didn't. Struggling again this week but I seem to be getting in more miles. This morning I eeked out 6 miles on the treadmill. After that I came home and mowed the lawn. It takes me just under 2 hours to mow my grass so, based on my backpacking mph, I figured I walked a bit over 3 miles...back and forth across the yard. I was utterly exhausted when I finished. I am woefully out of shape.