Kirsten Tri's Wildflower

Kirsten finishes!!! So cool and I'm so proud. This was a great event. We camped near Paso Robles (read, good wine country) at the event with about 5,000 other athletes. Being the photographer and not the athlete allowed me many luxuries I'd otherwise not be afforded. It was fun, but next time I'm competing.

Looking strong 3:30 into the event.

The work crew was awesome. Kudos to all their hard work.

The 10k run begins.

Out of T2 in good style.

Starting the bike.

Kirsten out of T1.

Kirsten into T1.

The start. It's a wave start, so they start in waves of about 30 athletes every 3 minutes.

The swim officials ride paddle boards.

Photographers line the course, snapping away at the triathletes. I try and compete with the best of them but it's hard. They take really good shots. This spectator business is tough stuff.

Kirsten gets marked for the start of the race.

This chick was flying but most everyone passed her.

This is it. The swim start.

OK, so this trip starts out with a stop in Joshua Tree National Park. We hiked, bouldered and soloed some stuff. We even met Squeak, from NH, who hiked the PCT southbound last year. We met her in Sisters, OR., and of course Kirsten recognized her....spooky. She was laying down on a rock in our campsite when we rolled in; I thought she was a nymph, K recognized her as PCT hiker. The pic below was taken at sunset from the top of some rocks in the Hidden Valley Campground.

Pepper Sauce Revisited

This is how we looked coming out of the cave. Notice how clean K is compared to me. The difference? I sweat...alot! This cave is not cool, rather it is very humid. We went through very tight passages, climbed vertical walls and descended mud cliffs with fixed ropes.

This time wee made it all the way to the very end of the cave. There, we found a register, not unlike those that are found on many mountain summits. We read the posts of people that came before us and left our own words. I descended into what is called Hell's Hole. It is a 2 foot wide passage that drops vertically into the abyss. I dropped down as far as I could and did not see the bottom. I assume it continued to...

Shades of Nagawicka

Our summer residence is on Lake Nagawicka. Of course, we can't afford to live there in summer, but it is our residence in summer (and spring, fall, winter), even if it is rented out to others :)

I love this shot.

Fossil Creek, AZ

Fossil Creek is located in north-central Arizona near the towns of Payson and Strawberry. The creek originates from springs that gush out a million gallons per hour! We hiked to the source but were thwarted by high water and a washed out trail. The area was very crowded being Memorial Day weekend. Even though, we managed to camp creekside with great swimming. The water was perfect. Our friend Craig was stung by a white scorpian 4 times! It crawled up his pants while sitting next to the fire and started going off on his calf. Turns out scorps are not that bad and you are fine even if stung 4 times. He drove up to the top of the rim tp get cell coverage and call poison control to get that info. Good to know...

The Payson area is also home to one of the hardest 50 mile runs in the country called the Zane Grey Highline Trail 50, held in late April. The trail traverses the famous Mogollon Rim.

Bouldering in Joshua Tree National Park - Aiguille de Joshua Tree

A fun little route in the Park. Rated 5.6 X.