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.

Can anyone do something about these barnacles?

Ryan and I spent our last day in San Diego at the beach, sans cellphones. So we have no pictures to prove how much we enjoyed ourselves. You'll just have to trust us.

The Ocean Beach dog beach early in the morning.

First, our location was perfect. We got the most adorable Ocean Beach cottage through Airbnb. It was less than 100 yards from the ocean (the sand started about 10 feet from our front door).

The sunset view from our porch.

Ryan blogging on our porch in the morning.

Second, we just really love the beach, though perhaps not for the reasons you think. This pie chart shows approximately how we spend our time at any sandy shore:

Wednesday's people watching yielded a few gems: the woman who loudly lectured her kid for throwing a bottle into the ocean, the creepy middle-aged man who complimented a twenty-something woman on her lack of tattoos before asking for her phone number, and the two teenagers whom we watched for 30 minutes but never figured out whether they were dating or siblings (or perhaps dating step-siblings?)

The best exchange by far was between a 60-ish woman in a fuchsia swim cap and the lifeguard on duty at stand No. 3.

Fuchsia swim cap approaches life guard stand, holding a shell in her hand. "These barnacle shells are really sharp," she says. "They're dangerous."

Lifeguard No. 3: "Yep." She resumes scanning horizon.

Fuchsia swim cap: "Well, can't you all pick them up?"

Lifeguard No. 3 now peers down at fuchsia swim cap. "All of them? I'm pretty sure that's impossible."

Fuchsia swim cap seems shocked by this answer.  She huffs, "I guess I can just throw this one under your stand so no one gets cut on it."

Lifeguard No. 3: "Sounds good."

Ryan has spent the last two days randomly asking if someone can do something about the barnacles. (Did I mention that we're now in the desert?)

Sign(s) of the Day: Occupied

Ryan mocked me for saying that I was super impressed with the women's bathrooms at Petco Park. I stand by my praise though.

Photo by ANDREA RUMBAUGH

The Padres have invested in a product called Peep No More. These Occupied/Available signs on every door made it easy to quickly locate an empty stall without any awkward peeping, just as the name promises.

Peep No More took part in the MLB Trade Show in 2014 and apparently is now also in AT&T Park in San Francisco. The company recognized as the NCET Microenterprise of the Year, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.

The Phoenix Convention Center, where I'm attending a conference this week, could totally benefit from investing in Peep No More. On the conference's first day, I myself bent down once to check for the presence of feet and witnessed two embarrassing attempted entries into occupied stalls.

Thank goodness for entrepreneurial women.