Posts Tagged With: #100happydays

#100happydays Day 73 Bugs on the bathroom wall.

#100happydays Day 73 Bugs on the bathroom wall.

When I was camping earlier this month, a midnight trip to the loo found me face to face with this bug on the bathroom wall.

This little fellow was just hanging around. At 1 in the morning, he looked pretty darn big!

This little fellow was just hanging around. At 1 in the morning, he looked pretty darn big!

The bathroom was full of creepy crawlies, banging against the light and scurrying up the wall. This particular creature looks like a harvestman. Did you know that a harvestman or daddy long legs isn’t a spider even though it is from the arachnids family as are scorpions, mites and ticks? A spider has two body parts but this fellow only has one.

I found this on the Henderson State University website:

Harvestmen essentially have an oval body without the separation. They also do not produce silk or a web. They are not true spiders. Venom produced by spiders helps them in their role as predators, but harvestmen do not need venom because they are scavengers. They feed by searching over the ground or over plants for small insects, eggs, or dead material (either plant or animal). For protection, harvestmen can produce defensive chemicals that taste and smell bad. The Harvestman, or Grand-daddy Longlegs Is Not a Spider

You might be wondering why this is part of #100happydays, after all no one wants to run into a yucky bug unexpectedly. Well, with all the running in the woods, all the bushwhacking and swamp stomping Glenis and I have done, although we don’t like being surprised by them, we have pretty much given up on being squeamish about bugs. Isn’t that’s something to be happy about.

Categories: #100HappDays, Adventure Race, Run | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

#100happydays Day 72 The Rockstar

#100happydays Day 72 The Rockstar

Another great day volunteering! You might have read before that the Rockstar is our favorite adventure race and it still is! Today we were stationed at CP31, the stand-up paddleboard station. As with all but a couple of mandatory check points, CP31 was optional. Teams came to us either on foot or by canoe and one racer in the team was required to stand-up paddle board through a course about 30-40 meters long. During the paddle they were required to pick up a flag from a floating buoy and bring it back to us before they could punch the CP completed.

Paddle boards

Paddle boards

Everyone who did it said it was challenging. Considering they had just ridden their bikes 25K and then either run or hopped in a canoe to get to us, their wobbly legs were put to the test. Many of them told us their feet cramped just trying to grip the board

Sorting out canoes

Sorting out canoes

It was great to see all the young kids out who were participating in the 4 hour race. These 10-12 year olds really put their parents to the test. Those who tried the stand-up paddleboard were great.

A younster waiting for her Dad to paddle in.

A youngster waiting for her Dad to paddle in.

After 7 hours at our station we had about 50 teams go through, had a lot of laughs and got some great photos. Phil, the photographer, stood in the water up to his waist for the entire time anyone was on the course. He must have been out there at least 6 hours. We did take a little break during a lull in the middle of the afternoon to attempt a game of beach volley ball. We are not Olympic contenders. You will be able to see Phil’s photos on philjarvis.ca in a few days.

Phil the Photographer

Phil the Photographer

As usual, Bark Lake’s staff pulled together an excellent dinner for all the racers and volunteers. No, yogurt cups and bananas here, it was lasagna with salad and ice cream Sundays for desert. After dinner we gave race director Sean a hug and said good bye to all our friends to leave the racers to enjoy their evening. They all stepped outside their comfort zones today and deserved the great after party.

The Blister Sisters

The Blister Sisters

Explaining the course

Explaining the course

It really is a beautiful place to paddle.

It really is a beautiful place to paddle.

 

Click HERE to see more of my pictures from the day.

Categories: #100HappDays, Adventure Race, Running Free Newmarket | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

#100happydays Day 71 Packing up for the Rockstar

#100happydays Day 71 Packing up for the Rockstar

A lot of things happened today, but the packing up for the Rockstar was the most fun! We are going with a fun beach theme, even though the weather tomorrow isn’t idea for the beach.

Packing up for the Rockstar

Packing up for the Rockstar

My hubby and I stopped into the dollar store for a few props they it was off to Glenis’s for the last minute pick up of signage and seating. Tomorrow morning should be a quick pack-up and off we go to our next volunteer gig at the best adventure race in Ontario! Stay tuned for pictures!

Categories: #100HappDays, Adventure Race, Running Free Newmarket | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

#100happydays Day 70 Annual Customer Appreciation at Running Free

#100happydays Day 70  Annual Customer Appreciation at Running Free

Yup, it’s that time of year again. Mid summer, time for the Annual Customer Appreciation at Running Free. Lots of great deals and best of all we get to see all our running friends when they come in for those great deals!

Glenis with some of that staff and Running Free team athletes who came in to help at the sale.

Glenis with some of that staff and Running Free team athletes who came in to help at the sale.

Categories: #100HappDays, Running Free Newmarket | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

#100happydays Day 69 Sharing families

#100happydays Day 69 Sharing families

When you are “sisters” you share everything! Between us we have 6 boys, one girl and one grandson. So Glenis and I share a beautiful daughter, Kaeli and a cute as a button grandson, Jax. How lucky is that?

Jax and Kaeli

Jax and Kaeli

Categories: #100HappDays | Tags: , | Leave a comment

#100happydays Day 68 – Family Photos

#100happydays Day 68 – Family Photos

Photographer Phil was asked to take some family photos of the Mclaren clan. I went along as the assistant. We had so much fun with that group, what a nice evening with a crazy family!

Too funny, trying to get a family portrait of the Mclaren's!

Too funny, trying to get a family portrait of the Mclaren’s!

Categories: #100HappDays | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

#100happydays Day 67 The next thing.

#100happydays Day 67 The next thing.

So are you wondering what we are up to next? This weekend we are excited to be volunteering at the Rockstar Adventure race at Bark Lake. The Rockstar is the ultimate fun adventure race. While we are disappointed that we can’t participate, volunteering is the next best thing. Stay tune for a race report on Sunday!

That's us on the home page of the Rockstar website.

That’s us on the home page of the Rockstar website.

Here is a little video our photographer Phil compiled of one of our visits to the Rockstar. It is the best way to spend a day on the trails, on the lake and in the forest.

Categories: #100HappDays, Adventure Race | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

#100happydays Day 66 Surviving with a scratch!

#100happydays Day 66 Surviving with a scratch!

Happiness is comparing warrior wounds! Too Funny! (Check out Glenis’s nails!)

A map of the war wounds from the last two races!

A map of the war wounds from the last two races!

Categories: #100HappDays, Mud Run, Trail Event | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

#100happydays Day 65 The Warrior Dash 2014

#100happydays Day 65 The Warrior Dash 2014

Another muddy day for the sisters! Only 6 days after the “toughest 1/2 marathon” we dove into the mud at the Warrior Dash!

Before and After!

Before and After!

Buses, crowds and lineups started the day but we were prepared for that and we just went with the flow. Before we knew it we were ready to run. It didn’t really matter if we were running at our 11:15 time, the race wasn’t timed. Just a free for all!

A few line ups

A few line ups

It’s always fun to do an obstacle race, usually mud is involved and to be sure the first thing we ran into was shoe sucking mud. There must be a secret recipe to make mud that thick and sticky. There was lots of slipping and giggles and then hills, hills, hills. We expected that after all we were at Horseshoe Resort which is know for its skiing. Most of the obstacles were easier than the hills but there were a few that made me look twice. Anything that involved balancing on a thin board suspended above the ground freezes me up. Glenis on the other hand is fearless and could probably do cartwheels over all of them.
This is my fear, anything that is off the ground and I have to walk on it. So I crawled!

This is my fear, anything that is off the ground and I have to walk on it. So I crawled!

I do pretty well when I am on or under the ground!
I'm almost through the tunnel, had to crawl sideways because my legs were too long to crawl on my knees.

I’m almost through the tunnel, had to crawl sideways because my legs were too long to crawl on my knees.

I’m kind of proud that we made it walking up the wall since we are both dealing with shoulder issues. 
The cargo net was a piece of cake, check out the selfie from the top! 
We just had to take a selfie at the top of the cargo net, it just so happened that Phil took a photo of us taking a photo! Too funny!

We just had to take a selfie at the top of the cargo net, it just so happened that Phil took a photo of us taking a photo! Too funny!

Check out more pictures on philjarvis.ca

Check out more pictures on philjarvis.ca

Phil was great taking a heck of a lot of pictures and just waiting around for us to finish. Have a look at more from the Dash!
Here are the “Official” Warrior Dash photos!
The Warrior Dash organization really knows what they are doing, organized chaos happens but they get it done. There is always a refreshment area with beer and turkey legs, haha, and this year they had a great band playing. The firefighters were there hosing people down with freezing cold water and there were huge dumpsters for shoes and other bits of mud clumped clothing. 
Ah, a nice shower!

Ah, a nice shower!

The only thing that would make it a little better would be a tent for a change room, it’s tough changing wet clothes under a bath towel with 5000 people milling around you.
Yet another wall to climb. Glenis is a warrior!

Yet another wall to climb. Glenis is a warrior!

Categories: #100HappDays, Mud Run, Running Free Newmarket | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

#100happydays Day 64 The Moose

#100happydays Day 64 the Moose

Glenis and I haven’t run across any moose during any of our adventures. I think we are laughing too much and we scare they away. Once I though I was following the foot prints of another racer until I cam upon a pile of moose dung and I realized I wasn’t following a person! Another reason to laugh!

One of the cool things I saw on my recent camping trip to Algonquin was a moose swimming across Rock Lake. It was a pretty impressive thing to see.

moose crossing rock lake

The moose swimming Rock Lake. My little camera was pushed to the limit trying to get a close up. But you can tell it’s not a beaver. Very cool. I don’t think I will see this again.

I had decided to take a little run down a trail that started at the camp and ran along an old railroad bed between a beaver pond and Rock Lake. I was hoping to see a beaver but I did notice that I wasn’t the only one on the trail; either a large deer or a small moose had walked there before me. When I decided to turn about I heard a scuffle in the brush on the lake side of the trail but I didn’t think too much about it because chipmunks can sound huge when you are alone in the forest. As I turned onto the little beach and look back towards where I had ran I noticed what at first I though was a beaver swimming the lake. However then the ears flopped and they were huge compared to a beavers I realized I was watching a moose. I figured I must have spooked him into the water and away he/she went. I stood there for 15 minutes watching the effort and strength of this moose swim across Rock Lake.

rockakepanoramic

This is the view of Rock Lake from atop of the Booth’s Rock Trail. Algonquin has a wonderful history.

Categories: #100HappDays, Adventure Race, Hike | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

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