Ann-Marie and New House 5 Miler

Ann-Marie and New House
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I stopped by Ann-Marie's since she's moving into her new house today and it's right around the corner from me. Took some pictures of the many and varied boxes she had packed in the different rooms. We have the same landlord and he really fixed it up for her just like he did for me. It has a nice sized back yard with a grill and plenty of room for one person. I continued my jog and ran around the pond at Southeast Park and took pictures of wildflowers. I ran at a 10 minute per mile pace for 50 minutes and walked a while in the wildflower garden. Saw many more Gerardias with Buckeye Caterpillars and saw a few Buckeye Butterflies flying around. Seem to be some Sicklepod, Partridge Pea, Heliotropes, Firewheels and Maypops blooming among some things I can't as of yet. Reckon I'll add them to my Burley Cudge collection and keep an eye on them.

I'm thinking about adding some walks during the week to my training program and Southeast Park is the place to do it. It's a perfect half mile around the pond and almost 2 miles around the whole complex. I could easily get a brisk 4 mile walk in on the days I don't run. Could help me lose a few pounds I can't seem to shake on my present 3-4 times a week running program. We'll see.

toadshade

First Post From iPhone

Hello all you millions of Toadblog fans. I now have the access to post boring photos and articles you could care less about from my iPhone 24/7! I can even add a picture!


-- Post From My iPhone

Gerardia and Buckeye Caterpillar

Gerardia and Buckeye Caterpillar
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Here's the Common Buckeye Caterpillar I mentioned in the last post. If you stop and slow down you can find caterpillars growing on garden plants. I grow the herb Parsley every year and every year the 'Parsley Worms,' or Black Swallowtail caterpillars feed on them before crawling off to a tree to pupate. This year they ate my entire plant until there wasn't any greenery left. But in few days the Parsley resurrected itself to where I can have some to garnish my Italian Sausage and Pasta this evening. Though I won't be a 'Parsley Wormhog' and eat the whole plant! Bon appetit!

toadshade

Gerardia at Sunview Lake

Gerardia
Originally uploaded by toadshade

There's a field on the Sunview Lake part of this run that is part of a housing development that was dirt for most of the Summer. Then nature took over with wind and water and made a home for many of the wildflowers I've been talking about for the last month like Goldenrods, Sericas, Fleabanes, Rabbit Tobacco and Horse Nettle. Today I discovered a Gerardia in the same field that's pictured above. It's a host plant for the Common Buckeye caterpillar that you can see in the back and in the next post. Also I saw a St Andrew's Cross out here that was more in the woods than the field but is a first sighting for here.

toadshade

The Wild Poinsettia Leaf 6 Miler

Wild Poinsettia Leaf
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I took an odd 6 mile route today just to break up the monotony and came across one of my favorite autumn wildflowers. Wild Poinsettia Leaf. It was growing along Dickcissel Road along with Camphorweed, Sicklepod, Sida, and Vervain. The run was good but slow do to the humidity. It was exactly one hour for 6 miles making it a 10 minute per mile pace. Am going a couple of more posts today since I want to add more pictures.

toadshade

Palmetto Trail Weston Lake Area 5.26 Miles

Viv and Stick of Power
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Ann-Marie, Viv and I hiked this part of the Palmetto Trail that was farther down Leesburg than last week. We did the hike in about 2 hours and 10 minutes or so and kept a good pace throughout. This trail wasn't as much bike traveled as the one last week and so they were a few spiders, mainly Spiny Orb Weavers that were giving Ann-Marie fits. That's why Viv is holding the magical trail blazing stick of power to knocks webs out the way. At the turn around point we saw a huge Golden Silk Spider that was quite beautiful. Don't know why I didn't get his picture. I think Ann-Marie had seen him one too many times already! It was more humid this week and a little tougher going but both girls were hiking at a brisk pace that was only interrupted by the spiders and the fact we kept losing the less-than-well-marked trail and had to backtrack a few times. On the wildflower side we saw a few of the St. Andrews Cross that were more plentiful last week and little else. Thinking about hitting Table Rock when the weather cools.

toadshade

Sicklepod in the Corn

Sicklepod in the Corn
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I ran my standard 5 mile run over the still closed Dickcissel Road. the corn is brown and ready to mow and tons of Sicklepods (pictured) are growing on the field edges and into the road. Vines are slowly creeping up the corn rows and South American Vervain is attracting lots of butterflies. It's amazing how much this road has grown over since they closed it to traffic. I'm sure farming vehicles use it but it hardly shows. Most of this should die off in the winter but if they let it go another summer, it may became impassable. But for now it's offering an abundance of wildflowers, birds, butterflies and beauty. The wheel turns.

My time of 52:01 at 10:24 per mile. Hot and muggy but wonderful.

toadshade

The Hairy Lobelia Rabbit Tobacci 6 Miler

Hairy Lobelia
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I ran this hilly route that I don't often run in summer due to the heat, and was pleasantly surprised by the autumn like humidity; and the low angle of the sun rays that made everything sharper, crisper, more beautiful. My pace was a little faster too brought on by the low humidity. I did 6 miles in 59:12 at 9:52 per mile. On the nature side I came across some Hairy Lobelia, a beautiful autumn wildflower that grows here every year. I also came across my first (of many) vice - Rabbit Tobacco. Made me sick as a dog when I tried it as a kid but I kept at til I could smoke this harsh nasty tasting plant without heaving. Maybe that's a battle I should have lost because it sure as hell set a precedent!

toadshade

Sassafras Color on the Palmetto Trail

Sassafras Color
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Ann-Marie and I started out around 10 am out at Fort Jackson, a couple of miles from my house. Since Ann-Marie works on the Fort, we got in the back gate without a cavity search. It was humid, cloudy and muggy when we started and we set out on a brisk pace determined to make the most of this wide, well used, spider web free trail. It was also very good for wildflowers. We found the usual summer wildflowers like Mexican Clover, Heliotrope, Bitterweed, Elephant's Foot and St Andrew's Cross. The surprises were Jointweed, Sandhill Wild-buckwheat, and Prairie Dock. Plus a couple of Burley Cudges! The Sassafras above seems to be getting an early start on the fall season, and the day itself shifted from a steamy, muggy, morning to clearing skies and light cool breezes. The sun is rising lower in the sky and 'there's a certain slant of light,' as the poet says, that let's you know fall is in the air. This made the return half of a 5 mile hike much less of a burden and gave Ann-Marie a huge 2nd wind that resulted in a combined jog-hike back to the start. The girl's getting in shape. She could not have done that 6 weeks ago!! This is the first time I've walked on this part of the trail and, as Ann-Marie demonstrated, it's a perfect trail for jogging. May have to add it to one of my jogging routes!! A glorious hike and one of our best!! And so close!! We won't be hiking next week because Ann-Marie is moving into her new house. Huzzah!!!

toadshade

The Three Rivers Anniversary Hike

Ann-Marie, Viv and I got together at 9 am to walk the 3 Rivers Greenaway where, as I've probably said before, is where the Broad and Saluda meet to form the Congaree. Last week, as you millions of readers recall, I was on the other side at the Riverfront Canal walk which is a tad longer than this one. It wasn't too hot when we started and we kept a good pace for the 4.5 miles of the whole walk. We stopped to take pictures and to enjoy nature. I found a new wildflower - Bear's Foot (polymnia uvedalia) and we got a decent look at a male Painted Bunting. The Goldenrods were setting in and a wisp of fall in some of the early Asters. Ann-Marie was excited since this was the first walk we took a few months ago and it kicked her butt back then. But now, in the same humid hot conditions, she was clipping out those miles at a crisp pace and talking and laughing the whole time. Viv was keeping to her rigid training goal which is - "I want to be able to run 3 miles at some point." The walk was a joy and I took a picture (above) of the 2 girls sitting and taking in the beauty of the rocky Congaree. Afterwards we went to Cafe Strudel on State Street and Ann-Marie treated us to the (drum roll) - KNIFE REVIEW OF THE WEEK!!!! It was a Benchmade Aphid. The food was great and Ann-Marie bought me mine in honor of my 24th sobriety date in AA. It wasn't very hard for them to talk me into dessert and Viv had Mississippi Mud, Ann-Marie Apple Strudel and me Hummingbird Cake. Afterwards we went to Belladonna's downtown where Viv bought me a couple of very appropriate gifts for my spirituality in which they both play such a big part.

A great day to be alive!

Blessed Be - toadshade

The Rainbow Gobbler 8 Miler

The Turkey Barn
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I'm beginning to like this hilly challenging 8 miler because it gives a variety of habitats and surprises. I'd stopped to take a picture of a rainbow (it had just rained) and saw this Wild Turkey to my left just dying to get in my running blog!! Well, Gobblerhog, you made it! Not so for the rainbow; it barely showed up in iPhoto and, no matter how hard I tried to bring out the colors, it just didn't happen. The rest of the run was excellent due a large part to my new running shoes -- Mizuno Inspires. My time was decent for 88 degree humid weather - 1:22:56 Total Time, Pace 10:22.

Moral of the story - At the end of every rainbow, there's a Turkey waiting to be discovered.

toadshade

The Hilly, Soppy, 4 Mile Slog

The title says it all. The good thing about it was that it felt great throughout. It was only 85 but with high humidity so that made me watch my pace pretty carefully. I felt like running and knew after the first mile I could maintain a decent pace throughout. It was storming around Columbia at that time but not where I was running. The storm created some peripheral cool winds that, at times, interrupted the stifling stillness of the soggy air. All in all a great short run in 40:34 at 10:09 per mile.

toadshade

The Corn is Brown

Sicklepod and Brown Corn
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I did a 5 mile run today at 6 pm when the sun wasn't beating down so much. Went down Dickcissel Road which is still closed off to traffic. The corn is browning and the late summer wildflowers like Sicklepod and Camphorweed are taking over. The dirt road is growing over with plants and some wildflowers which attracts a lot of Butterflies. I don't think I've seen as many butterflies on this road before. There were many different kinds of Sulphur plus Buckeyes and Red Admirals. It seems when you let nature take back over even a little bit, you get a burst of life and variety. Wish the Butterflies stayed still long enough for me to get their pictures. May go back with my telephoto. Did a decent time for 98 humid degrees. 51:45 at 10:26 per mile.

toadshade

The Barbaric Yawp 7

The Barbaric Yawp
Originally uploaded by toadshade

I was sounding my Whitmanesque Barbaric Yawp after running a hot-as-hell-humid 7 miles at Riverfront Park with Ann-Marie whose taking the picture. I haven't been out here in years and they have certainly changed it for the better. They have a bathroom and water at the Diversion Dam at the end of a 2 1/2 mile walk which comes in handy on days like this!! Plus, and a big plus it is, they are combining it with Three Rivers Greenaway on the other side which will eventually join trails on the Saluda River to make a super long walk or run. For those millions of readers who may not know Columbia, the Three Rivers Greenaway is where the Broad and Saluda meet to form the Congaree. The canal pictured was built to get small boats and cargo past the rocky shoals on the Congaree and is a separate trail on the other side of the river. It is already an attractive place for walkers, runners, bikers (they have separate trails down by the river), birders, strollers, skateboarders and nature enthusiasts in general. I did a decent time of 7 miles in 1:12:31 at 10:22 per mile on a very hot day!! Ann-Marie did an accelerated walking pace and continues to shed the pounds. A great day all around.

toadshade

Goldenrod and Groundsel

Goldenrod and Groundsel
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Did my 8 mile Ulmer Road Loop today in 95 degree heat, mainly to get a decent Goldenrod picture since the one I took the other day was pretty crappy. This one was a little more stately and growing in front of a Groundsel Tree. These trees are common by roadsides throughout the Midlands and produce a light yellow flower in late fall followed by fluffy white seed pods in the fall. These sometimes last into December hence I call it the Solstice Tree since it provides some Winter color and promise of Spring.

Goldenrods are a common and showy Summer wildflower that will bloom well into the fall. According to Wiki, it's now the State Wildflower of South Carolina. This is not to be confused with Yellow Jessamine which is the State 'Flower.' I, being a mere mortal, and not privy to the Inner Sanctum of state government, thought they were both wildflowers.

My run was good but slow and easy. I had plenty left over when I got home. My time was 8 miles in 1:22:39 at 10:20 per mile.

toadshade

The Horse or Multi-purpose or the Lost Kingdom of the Spiders Trail

Writing or Garden Spider
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Well we went back to Poinsett this weekend thinking we were going to get a good, brisk 6 mile walk on the Horse Trail. It turned out that the Horse Trail had been changed to the 'Multi-purpose Trail.' Well it turned out to be narrow in parts and slow going because of the Spiny Orb Weavers and Writing Spiders blocking the trail with their webs. Not wanting to have one of these babies (pictured) in our hair, mouth or packs, we were very careful to clear the path with Ann-Marie's walking stick. To top that off, the trail signs were so confusing that we had to cut the trip short and rely on our GPS to get back to the car. But, as the program teaches us, we met calamity with serenity (defined as 'less bitching and whining than normal'), and after dodging the spiders we found quite a few wildflowers that were a first for me. The list of newbies are St. Andrews Cross, Roseling, Grass-leaved Golden Aster and Pineweed. Others that I've seen elsewhere or here before were Fern-leaved False Foxglove, Whorled Coreopsis, Elephant's Foot, Butterfly Pea, Daisy Fleabane, Pokeweed and Horse Nettle. Didn't hear or see much on the Avian side. I think the spiders ate them all. Did hear some hawks though: 2 Mississippi Kites, a Red-tailed Hawk and a Red-shouldered Hawk. The cloud cover kept the heat down and it turned into a great walk.

Happy Lammas everyone!

toadshade