A run with a view

The trail.

The views are the best part about going running where we live in the Shenandoah Valley.

But it will be hard to top the ones from our western trip. Just the sheer diversity of scenery was incredible. It was even worth getting up at 5 a.m. (to avoid running in triple digit temperatures).

My favorite was the trail in Tucson about a mile from Gena and John's house that went into the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Although, it was definitely not a run in which mile times mattered. Going up the first mile of the trail was nearly 12 minutes both because it was steep and because I was trying not to get myself killed. I ran with my iPhone (ostensibly to reassure Elizabeth in case I got lost but really so I could take some photos).

A view of the valley from the top of one of the hills on the trail. Yes, that's the moon. It was 5:30 a.m.

After careful study, beach running is easier than trails. These are some of the snapshots of my early morning runs in San Diego, where we stayed near the Pacific.

Those are the stones I had to cross to get up to the biking/running trail from the inlet. 

Running at the Grand Canyon is challenging for a different reason. The Grand Canyon's rim trail near where we stayed is paved and relatively flat. But the trick is not getting so distracted by the spectacular views that you run right off the cliff.

Seriously, how amazing is that view? 

The rim trail in the early morning light. The only other people who were awake at this time were the people hiking up the canyon from Phantom Ranch. One group told us they left at 3 a.m. 

Our return to Phoenix was obviously a scenic downgrade. But there were still some interesting urban features.

Yes, that's a 25-cent water station in a random Phoenix neighborhood.  But I brought my own with me, thank you. 

And the city had a bunch of murals. Some were artsy. Some were culturally relevant. Others were big ads, like this one on the side of the Diamondbacks' stadium Chase Field. But it featured dogs at a baseball game, so I couldn't resist.

Added bonus of taking pictures on these runs: It was a great excuse to stop and take a breather. 

As for the other sights, I spotted a snake -- not in Arizona, but crossing the bike/running path in San Diego. (Sorry, I kept running and didn't stop to take its photo.) I came close to a couple of rabbits in Tucson. But that was about it. No bobcats or coyotes or gila monsters or scorpions.

Now it's back to plain old views of the Shenandoah Mountains to west, the Massanutten Mountain range to the east and the green fields of the valley in between.

This is not the beach you're looking for

Whenever I explained which cities were on our Italian itinerary, I always said that Trieste is a beach town. While that's true, it should be noted that the beach is nothing like what I expected from my experiences in Florida and the Caribbean.

First, there's no sand. People just lay out on concrete. For people who think playing in wet sand is about 80 percent of the reason to visit a beach, this is a huge disappointment.

Now, who really wants to lay on concrete?

Second, all women wear bikinis no matter what type of body they have. It's admirable. And a few of them go topless. Unfortunately for Ryan, none of those were women he particularly would have wished to see topless (due entirely to their advanced ages).

Third, the Adriatic Sea is beautiful, clear and extremely inviting -- until you realize it's teeming with jellyfish. I'm not sure how you could do anything except stand there and play defense the entire time.

The water is clear enough to see every rock on the bottom. And every jellyfish. 

Fourth, the beautiful and expensive resort actually requires you to pay extra for beach access. It appears to work somewhat like a swim club membership: You pay for a day or season pass, and you are entitled to various tiers of perks:

• Swimming and concrete sunbathing only: 6.5 Euros on weekends; 5 Euros on weekdays
• Swimming and the lease of a deck chair: 8 Euros on weekends; 6 Euros on weekdays
• Swimming, a deck chair, an umbrella, a table and service: 28 Euros
• Swimming, a deck chair, and a small cabana to store your stuff: 800 Euros for the season

The view from our hotel's balcony early in the morning, before the sun was enticing enough to draw beach goers. 

The beach up the coast had a pool in addition to the cabanas, deck chairs and wooden pallets. There are an assortment of piers dotting the coast that drew crowds.  

Some people also were sunning themselves on large wooden pallets, but I couldn't figure out a price for those and the attendant didn't speak English. Besides swimming and sunbathing, paying guests can use gaming tables, eat at private cafes that serve alcoholic beverages, and swim in pools (in the case of a neighboring beach).

Trieste does have several miles of free beaches closer to downtown, and there are small pockets of free access between the resorts in the area where we stayed. We passed the main beach on Sunday afternoon and it was incredibly crowded.

So while I was really looking forward to the beach (it was literally the only item on the spreadsheet for Sunday afternoon), it turns out Trieste doesn't really have my kind of beach: I'm too pale and paranoid to tan anymore; I'm petrified of jellyfish stings; and if I wanted to lay on concrete and be uncomfortable, there's always a nearby parking lot available for free. I settled for sticking my toes in the water with a wary eye on three nearby jellyfish that looked menacing.

My toes on the stairs into the sea.