Rock Springs, WY

Rock Springs Junior High School

Run Time: 61:00 + 2-minute kick

Hello, Altitude, my old friend. The first of four runs in Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska. The high altitude applies mostly to Wyoming. This was also the hottest of the runs, but some clouds moved in and made it rather pleasant.

The school was less than a mile from the hotel, and less windy as well. A brand new track surface – no lane lines, markings, or numbers. It definitely added spring to the step. A few locals were out working on their soccer skills. The artificial surface football field looked new too. The neighborhood looked a little weatherbeaten, as does much of Wyoming.

The drive from Denver to Cheyenne to Rock Springs was surprisingly green. A resident of Casper told me later in the week that there has been more rain in the late spring and early summer than normal. Wyoming is not this green at this point of the summer normally, he said. It was a welcome surprise. The sage green of the grass was stunningly beautiful.

I like the challenge of the altitude. I like the feeling of the lungs being forced into turbo mode. It clears the mind, IMHO. Breathing hard is meditative. And I like the dry high desert air, with some wind, which dries up your sweat almost right after the body releases it. I like the feeling of sun on skin, though I kept my shirt on for this run. No need to subject others to that.

The transition from the gate to the baggage claim to the rental car center at the Denver Airport took much longer than expected, so I missed my planned sales visit in Rock Springs. I had planned to visit one place that afternoon, then two more the following morning. I adjusted and made it 3 the next morning, and it all worked out. Rock Springs looks better in the morning. I felt better in the morning. Summer is for mornings and evenings.

As I walked back to the hotel, I passed a man watering his lawn, with his dog – a puppy – unleashed. The dog followed me. Then the neighbor’s dog followed me. Then we had two Rock Springs citizens trying to corral their dogs who wanted to go for a walk, evidently, because they were not allowing their owners to turn them around. I finally had to stop so that they could catch up with the dogs, who both gave me a disappointed look as they walked away.