My First "Go The Distance" Milestone for 2013

Each year since joining US Masters Swimming, I've participated in the GTD event where you set a swimming distance goal for the year. My first year (2009), I joined USMS in November, so I only racked up about 30 miles. In 2010, I set a much loftier goal of 250 miles, which I just managed to accomplish. In 2011, I managed to log 192 miles. My fourth year, I only swam 129 miles. The reduction in miles was due to fewer workouts as I was experiencing some problems with my shoulders. I worked hard on incorporating strengthening exercises and fine-tuned my stroke, so I was fully expecting to swim 250 or further for 2013.

Alas, it just wasn't meant to be. On the last race of the first swim meet of the year, I managed to injure my right hip by pushing off the block too hard with my right leg. Well, crap! Then, just when I was ready to start training in earnest again, my mother became ill and ended up in the hospital, which has resulted in multiple trips to California, and fewer swim workouts. Basically, life happened.

But, today, I am happy to report that I made my first milestone of 50 miles for 2013, which is my fifth year as a Masters swimmer! The best part of meeting the milestone was the particular workout I swam at noon. Upon arriving at the pool, which is set up for Long Course, the racing lanes that separate lanes 1, 2, and 3 were not installed. So, my Masters coach decided right on the spot to provide two separate workouts. A regular interval workout in lanes 4 through 8, and a Pool Open Water workout for lanes 1 through 3. A POW workout means lots of continuous swimming and no flip turns, which is exactly what I needed, as my next competition is a 2.5k OW race in Oregon this coming July.

If I can manage to stay injury-free, and get to my workouts at least 3 times per week, I should easily swim between 125 and 150 miles for the year. Not as far as my first full year, but good enough for me.

A "memorable" Memorial Day

I spent a really nice morning kayaking on Canyon Lake this past Memorial Day. I knew it was going to be a bit crazy out there, so I basically stuck to the shoreline to avoid the boats and their wake.
My first stop was the little island in the cove near the campground. It has this really cool underwater ledge that juts out, which is perfect for landing my kayak and provides a stable exit platform. There is a shear drop-off on one side that is perfect for sitting. Imagine sitting on a cliff ledge and dangling your feet over the edge. This is exactly what I did, but I'm in water up to my hips. So refreshing!

After sitting on the water ledge and munching on an apple, I headed over to my favorite cove, which is just northeast of the campground. It meanders back into a small canyon and is a cool, calm retreat from all of the noise out on the lake. I like to stop about half-way into the canyon and simply take in the quiet. It's amazing just how quiet it is considering how close I am to the campground and the boat launch. You could hear a pin drop! I stretched out in my kayak and took in all of the glorious sounds. Whispering reeds and grasses, a Canyon Wren sweetly singing its song, a fish jumping, and to demonstrate just how quiet it is, I could actually hear the wing noise of a dragonfly as it flew past me. While in the same area, I noticed a couple of brownish blobs floating near the reeds. At first, I thought it was some trash that had blown in, but upon further observation, it was a pair of mallards in their sleeping pose.

Further into the canyon is a small cave. I always wonder who or what makes use of it when I paddle by. On my way back out of the canyon, I stopped at the cave, which has a small sandy beach. I sat for a good 15 minutes just taking in the view and listening. Every once in a while I noticed something flying into the cave. At first I thought I was seeing things, but after really concentrating, I realized it was a Canyon Wren.

They are known to build their nests in such areas, and sure enough, within a minute or so I was rewarded with her beautiful song emanating from inside the cave. The song of a Canyon Wren is one of the most beautiful in the bird world, but to hear it belted out from within a cave was astonishing! Perfect acoustics to say the least. Near the entrance to the cave, I noticed a Flycatcher flitting about, which I'm fairly confident was an Eastern Kingbird, which aren't known to be in Arizona. However, I did find this image (and several others) of an Eastern Kingbird that was taken in Arizona.

I looked a little closer and saw four fledglings sitting on a branch, no doubt waiting to be fed by their parent. They were quietly peeping and huddling together. When the parent arrived, the Canyon Wren expressed her annoyance by buzzing the parent and her babies. I guess their nests are too close in proximity to one another. Soon after I decided to head back to my original launch site.

About two-thirds of the way back out of the canyon, I noticed something large and dark moving in the rocks above me. It was a Chuckwalla doing push-ups. This means only one thing, there is another Chuckwalla nearby. Sure enough, off to his left (I'm assuming this lizard is a male by his size and color) was another Chuckwalla responding in kind. Similar to the Chuckwallas found in South Mountain Park in Phoenix, which have bright orange tails, these Chuckwallas are mostly black with a bit of red on their bodies, but with creamy-colored, tan tails.

This is the first time I've seen Chuckwallas at Canyon Lake. I was lucky enough to see a third one on the rocks near the marina. I learned later that Chuckwallas are the second largest lizards in the United States, just behind the Gila Monster, both of which are very common in Arizona.

By this time, it was getting close to noon, so I decided to call it a morning and paddle back to the Boulder Rec. Site and head home. As I was driving back to US 60, I kept thinking to myself, "If I can have this good a time on one of the busiest days at Canyon Lake, I should be able to paddle out there anytime and have a good experience." So far, this is exactly what has happened each time I've ventured out on the lake. Arizona has many great lakes, but I think Canyon Lake will always be my favorite. It doesn't hurt that it is only 30 miles from my front door to the shore. So close, yet a world away from the everyday hustle and bustle.

A little fast swimming in my home pool

I love it when Olympians show up to swim in a meet at my pool. What takes them approximately 22 seconds to do, takes me 45 seconds. But, hey, I am old enough to be their Grandma. LOL.

It's Audrey III! Eeeek!

If you've ever seen the Little Shop of Horrors, you know who Audrey II is. I posted the following image to Facebook this morning, and the first response was "Little Shop of Horrors". I can definitely see the resemblance.
When this Tiger Aloe bloomed this past April, it grew a "baby" on one of the flower stalks. I've never seen this happen before, and I'm wondering whether this is common. I think I'll call her Audrey III. LOL.

New Life for the L.A. River

As a child, I rode my horses up and down a dedicated equestrian trail that at one time ran from the Pacific Ocean all way to the San Gabriel mountains. My use of this trail primarily took place between Alondra Boulevard and stopped at Pacific Coast Highway. East of Alondra, we could switch over to the Rio Hondo and ride all the way to Whittier Narrows (a 20 mile ride from  my stable), which provided a cool escape from the summer heat. Trying to go further West past PCH wasn't really feasible, but it was possible to switch over to the Compton Channel just past Del Amo Boulevard and ride up to the Dominguez Hills.
This trail system got its start during World War II, when the Long Beach Mounted Police used it to patrol the western-most part of the channel, which is accessible from the ocean. The concern was that Japanese and German submarines could navigate upriver, creating a war time threat.

The LA river was a huge part of my childhood, and having grown up just a few miles from it, I was happy to learn that there is a movement underway to restore as much of it as possible to it's original state. A group of individuals decided to kayak/canoe a 51-mile stretch of the LA river to prove it was navigable. Navigable waterways automatically fall under the Clean Water Protection Act. Due to the acts of these people, the LA river was designated by the EPA as "navigable" and is now under protection. A documentary about the expedition has been produced titled "Rock the Boat", which will be shown in the LA area this coming summer. The TV show "Urban Dirt" recently showcased this documentary, as can be seen in the following video.