Beautiful Run!

My husband and I ended up in Halfway, OR this past weekend (he grew up there) for a family gathering. If you have never heard of it it wouldn't surprise me as there are only 300 people who live in the town limits. It is about 60 miles east of Baker City off of I84. Halfway is a rare gem in the middle of the desert called eastern Oregon. Halfway is nestled in the center of Pine Valley. Honestly, I don't know if this is the most beautiful run I have done or if I just think it is as it is the first run I have done in the day light since it has started getting dark for my 5:30 am runs! I left the hotel at about 8 am, my husband and daughter still asleep. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and there was a light fog covering a few of the pastures. I only encountered about a half a dozen cars, all of whom waved at me. A small town thing. . .my husband still does this, even when we lived in the Phoenix AZ metro area! It was a little colder than I had anticipated and considered going back to our room for my running tights but after 6 miles I was glad for my shorts.
The Pine Valley is that, a valley surrounded by the Blue Mountains covered in pine trees. The valley had tons of deciduous trees all turning different shades of yellow, orange, and red! It was breath taking. I was amazed at how quickly my run went with so much to take in and look at.
As a runner and a non pet owner, dogs are always a concern for me. . .especially in the dark! When I set out on Saturday morning I was aware that there was a good chance that I was going to come in contact with dogs. . .big ones. . .not on a leash or behind a fence. I thought my concerns were confirmed within my first 2 miles when I thought I saw a dog cross the road about a 100 yards in front of me. Much to my surprise it was not a dog but a doe, bounding through the fields after it had crossed the street. About 25 min later I saw a buck doing the same thing. I am not sure if I was just starved for visual stimuli because I normally just see varying shades of black and grey in the mornings or if I was just in a fantastic mood but this was one of, if not the best runs of my year!!!! My only regret was that I didn't have a camera to document it!
Anyway, thanks for listening to me as I reprocess this out on paper. Only a runner could appreciate it the way I have. This reason alone is why I LOVE this blog. It is so great to be a part of a community of moms with busy lives who love to RUN!