Jog Blog Day #2 - Thanks For The Warning

Thanks to the miracle we call GPS and the fact that many phones are now equipped with such technology, I was able to map out my run and show it to you today. It's so exciting, I'm going to have a hernia! What with the perfect semi-overcast sky and the warm air sweeping past me, I was ready as ever to get a move on. I started in the same place as yesterday, (I'm super surprised my little Jetta made it there, although I wish I could have had the Jeep but Megs took our leading lady to the pool with some friends- that was a super long tangent, but a good one nonetheless), but instead of heading down towards the previous mine, I headed to the one above it. It still had gnashes from the bulldozer scraping and tearing the quartz and iron ore from its walls and for a moment, I thought I might climb inside it for some better close up pics, but the sides were way to steep for me. Little did I know what climbs I would run into further on.

After climbing over a small knoll, I came across a spectacular sight; a huge jutting rock cliff that fell off on both sides creating a ship-like point! It was so pretty, I had to take an awesome picture and share it with all of you (I won't tell you how I took it because it would blow your mind)!

Beyond the jutting rock of awesomeness and a quick stroll down a long stretch of road, I came upon a mud bog that was full of fresh animal tracks! I must have startled the little buggers because the tracks were fresh as could be.

Here comes the not so boring part:

The dirt road I had taken to this point basically ended at the mud bog and I didn't want to turn back, so I thought, "Oh, I'll just climb up this here hill, no problem." Upon further review of the hill, it actually turned out to be a hillside made completely of slate slab pieces lying on top of one another. I thought, "Well, I've already started the climb, might as well finish it." And so I did.

Not to worry everyone, I didn't get hurt. But the truth is, there were a few times were I had to be quick on my feet to keep from sliding all the way down to the bottom to a perilous demise on the jagged slate. Once I reached the top, I made sure to take a picture of just how steep the slope was to remember not to try something like that again.

Today was a good day for things I'll never do again. . .

After coming around the bend at the farthest point on my journey and recording the spectacular view in a very pretty panoramic picture of the church's wheat fields, I headed back to the car (not really realizing how far I was from my vehicle). I kept wondering, "When am I going to see the hill my car is on?" as I would pass mound after mound of heaved dirt, rock and concrete. Though I was still wondering when the end of this run would come, I did find it much easier to run continuously when you're not climbing out of mines or mud holes. The experience on the long road was quite pleasant until suddenly, there was a buzzing in the bushes to the side of me and I froze. Not 5 feet from where I was standing laid a viper, coiled and ready to strike. Now, of course, I once again proved that I'm not the brightest of the bunch, because I didn't really back away. I just stood there looking into those beady black eyes, waiting for the worst to happen. But the worst didn't happen, and upon further study (thanks Wikipedia), I have found that rattle snakes are really quite shy and try to keep away from human encounters when they can. Since they're mostly deaf and rely upon feeling vibrations through the ground and smelling with their sinister looking forked tongues, they can get spooked easily. We sat for a few brief moments waiting and since nothing happened, I slowly began my retreat. The two and a half foot snake rocked its head back and forth watching each leg individually as my heels scuffed the ground away from harm.
And that was it, I escaped from harm safe and sound because it warned me (thanks Mr. Rattles). I continued my jog past the turn to the hill where my real protection (the sheet metal of my VW), awaited me. I tried to drive back down the trail to find the snake again, but he was long gone by the time I got there.

I cannot express how glad I was to have been warned by my potential enemy before blindly blundering into certain danger. I think it may have been a good lesson learned not only on the trail, but also in our lives, that there are warnings created for us on our journey through life that rattle and buzz when we get too close to them. It is our choice to either retreat from these evil things or become enticed by their wonder and mystery. May we always make safe decisions.

In the name of . . . Ha ha! Just kidding! Amen.

A map of my long and arduous journey. Let's all cheer for GPS on Android phones!

Today's mine

The Jutted Rock of Awesomeness

Mud bog print

The slate hill from below

The Slate hill from above (and a little shaken. . .)

The beautiful wheat fields

A mini "San Andreas Fault"

If you click on this image, you can see the rattle snake coiled up just in front of the rock. I didn't dare get closer again after our surprise encounter.

"Wish I had some PF Flyers"

-Cory