I've never been the kind of guy to be so attached to something as to bring it with me on Vacation. Unless the vacation is geared directly for something (Such as rock climbing, going to the beach), I generally leave toys at home.
This vacation, at the last minute, I decided to grab my running shoes and garmin anyways.
I'm glad I did. The first day there, My brother-in-law asked if I wanted to go for a run the following morning.
Going running in Bellingham is very different than in town.
-It was a great reminder that hiking trails *don't usually* resemble retail stores on black friday. In Seattle, you need to drive 45 miles, and even then there is no possible way to travel quickly down a trail. You would have to bob and weave through the weekend warriors and jump their dog leashes and avoid the non-biodegradable bags of dog poop that line the trail from dog owners. When you get to your destination, it looks like a chicken-coup full of people wearing REI and Northface clothes.
...No...This was Bellingham. The 9th most active city in the United States, voted by Time Magazine. http://healthland.time.com/2011/02/18/americas-15-most-active-cities/ Where trails that are 1 mile outside of town are sparsely populated. And when they are the people are very kind, very real and very easy to share a trail with. You can see waterfalls, beaches, forests without having to wait in line to take pictures...and there are no "Keep Off" signs. Thats right. You don't just look at Nature. You experience Nature. You can go to climbing areas without it being more crowded than an indoor climbing gym.
This was Bellingham. Where it is you and Nature...and nothing else. The trails can take you to amazing places...but it is up to the hiker's common sense to get back home. I think I fell in love all over again. You don't have to go far to get away from people...and the people that you do find are worth spending time with.
I am really appreciative of my brother-in-law to think of me, and I think I could have easily gone another 6 miles with him. It was a soft pace (as he had his child in a jogging sroller) and we were able to keep a good conversation the whole way. I don't think I really even thought about the fact that we were on a run...It is good to run with someone who has run MANY MANY marathons, and is comfortable with good 6 mile runs.
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