Another Day In Eureka Springs

Well, the wedding day has finally arrived. Vicky and her parents and daughter arrived yesterday at 1 pm, along with Vicki and her husband. We stopped for lunch at Sparky's Grille. The entire wedding party was also there. After lunch, we went over to the Crescent Hotel where the wedding will be and where the wedding party and several guests are staying. We chatted for a while then I went to my hotel to change into something a little more formal for the rehearsal dinner. It was at a nice sister hotel down in heart of town. After dinner, we went back to the hotel for the Ghost Tour of the hotel. Some conman-quack doctor built it as a hospital for people with cancer, promising them a cure in exchange for a lot of money. But he wasn't really a doctor. The hotel has been the scene of a lot of ghost sighting and was featured on a cable program recently. Vicky's room was haunted--the impression of a body once appeared on the bed next to a lady sleeping in it. Vicky's daughter was happy that she switched rooms with her mom earlier in the day so didn't have the haunted room. At then end, we went down to the basement when they autopsied bodies and where the full-body apparition of a soldier appeared during the filming of that cable program. The tour lasted about 2-1/2 hours. Today I will take a ride around the area while Vicky and Vicki help out preparing for the wedding. It's at 8:30 pm tonight so have all day to look around. I went for a long run this morning and a small dog ran after me for 3 miles in one direction and 2-1/2 miles on the way back until a lady stopped and asked if it was my dog. We loaded it into her car and she drove off. That dog almost got hit by 100 cars and just wouldn't stop chasing me. It came running off a farm, so that's where that lady will take it first. Anyway, I have to run to Berryville Walmart down the road to pick up a tape for Vicky's video camera.

Happy 2007.

Well, here I am again in Eureka Springs. It's rainy. I went for a long run and it was very hilly. Vicky called. They are 1-1/2 hours away yet and will meet me for lunch. I will go to Christ of the Ozarks which I saw while running. It's in the picture. There are a lot of churches and wedding chapels here. It is set up for this kind of thing. Have a rehearsal dinner tonight. Anyhow, there's come lady waiting for me to finish, so will sign off here.

In Eureka Springs

Well, I'm here in Eureka Springs, Arkansas for the wedding of a friend. What an awesome town. Very old and well preserved and up in the Ozark Mountains in central Arkansas near the Missouri border. My luggage went to Detroit, and is arriving shortly, several hours after me. The airline is shuttling it to me 50 miles away. I stopped in front of the Walmart World Headquarters on my way out of town. Not much to talk about. Pretty sterile like their stores. The drive of 32 miles from the Northwest Arkansas Airport was pretty amazing. It was largely a two-lane road that twists and turns up and over a bunch of mountains and gorges. I felt like I was driving on a race course in my small rental car. I arrived here around 2:30 pm after jacking around with the airline (Northwest) over my luggage. I then walked from my hotel to downtown, which was all downhill for two miles. The walk home in the dark after dinner was scary. Lots of cars on the road and no sidewalks. But I made it. I'm just waiting at my hotel for my bag to show up. It has my clothes for the rehearsal dinner and my suit for the wedding in it. Tomorrow, my travel companions Vicki and Vicky will be here with their families. Vicki's daughter is getting married and Vicky's daughter is doing all the organizing and catering. Should be pretty interesting. They will recruit me to help set up I'm sure. The hotel is really, really nice. It's up on a high hill overlooking Eureka Springs, which has a nice view of the old town. Sorry if this is jumbled. I stopped at a local tavern (Cathouse Tavern) for dinner and a "few drinks." Think I'll stay in for the night once my luggage is dropped off.

The Royal Treatment

This is a first. After 30 marathons, I got this letter in the mail from the organizers thanking me for participating and placing in my age division. It's not the first time I've placed in my age category, but the first time someone organizing one of these events recognized it. I also got a really nice plaque, yada, yada, yada. Not that I really care, since it wasn't excepted. But a nice surprise nonetheless. So, thanks. By the way, "Bravo Zulu" in the closing means "well done" in military terms. I had to look that up.

Door County Running Route

I got a new mapping tool on my computer at work. So I decided to see how far my various running routes up there are. Hmmm...I underestimated my long loop, thinking it was around 18.5 to 19.0 miles based on my times. Turns out it is more like 20 miles, so I actually ran longer than I thought. Something about being in Door County makes me run better--maybe the fresh air, scenery and no traffic.

More Snow Day Pictures in Milwaukee (12-01-06)

The office has been closed due to weather. Of course, I made it in so have a free day to get stuff done with no interuptions.

Here's outside my window. The bus is completely turned around. It came down the icy hill and lost it. The black PT Cruiser with two girls in it tried to go around the bus, but got stuck on the side. Eventually some guys pushed them out and the bus managed to turn around and get out of its predicament. Then in the second picture, the guy in the white van got stuck going up the hill. The guy in the black pick up tried to go around and also got stuck on the side like the PT Cruiser, so started backing down the hill. Then the lights changed color and more cars joined the fun.