Even though last weekend's overseas visit to the United Arab Emirates only lasted 26 hours (Dubai travelogue to be published soon), I missed Lena and Levi so much. I can't wait to start traveling internationally with both of those little Ls, as soon as Mommy gives us the green light!
At the moment, it's just Levi and me here at home. Soon, I'll be picking up Lena from preschool. Both Ls will be together with me at the house. These are the days I love.
These are the two precious children I love.
Running with Daddy
For whom the bell tolls
Also, for those of you who missed Levi's big day last month...
Posted from Hollywood, en route to hooking up with the fam in Australia…
After leading hikes and other outdoor adventures for NW
Wilderness all summer, I would’ve normally already flown overseas a couple times this fall. Being a Delta Airlines
employee, quick international trips are a regular thing for our family. In fact, I’m currently attempting 1 of 2
back-to-back overseas family trips, on three different continents.
The steep Devil’s Peak hike I led Saturday before I flew out was scaled back
from my original 15 mile routing, but the roster was ANYTHING but scaled
back. I relaxed my usual limit of 10-12
hikers to allow a whopping 18 people attend my hike. And over 30 people RSVP’d!
A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on
But the big event of last week was Delta’s Velvet 360 event
in Salt Lake City. I was very fortunate
to be selected to represent our PDX station (see the two links to my posts about running in the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon in 2014, and also my latest from 2015).
After I worked late into the wee hours of Tuesday morning (we were short-staffed), Delta flew me to SLC on Tuesday and put me up in the AAA
Five Diamond luxury hotel Grand America. The swag bags were gone by the time I arrived, but I landed just in time to catch the opening night festivities.
Enthusiastic "Velveteers" greet us at the SLC airport with our motor coach
Grand America courtyard: Before getting dressed up for the main event(s)
The courtyard was the setting for Tuesday night’s
party: Prizes, exquisitely prepared food
and appetizers, drinks, music, and dancing.
D.J. Nunzio was on hand later that evening to get the dance floor
hopping.
A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on
Day 2
After a very late night with some new friends, Wednesday morning breakfast arrived rather early
(7 a.m.!).
But Velvet 360 was just getting started.
An all-star lineup of Delta’s executive leadership team (including President Ed Bastian) took
the stage throughout Wednesday to share with employees the Big Picture, a 360
degree view of Delta’s business.
Gil West, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, was one of many featured speakers from our Delta executive leadership team
At times, Velvet 360 was refreshingly less like a conference and more
like an energetic, entertainingly-produced U2 concert. Prize giveaways, cinematic short films, comedy
skits, and the enthusiastic “Veveteers” kept the energy levels up during the
transitions between speakers.
The jubilant Velveteer prize patrol whisks away yet another winner up to the stage
Lights, camera, action: A 180 degree view of Velvet 360
Amidst the flashy production values, the message was clear:
Delta is actively involved in investing in the successful future of our customers,
shareholders, and employees.
Props to Delta Airlines for a job well done at Velvet
360. And thanks for sending me!
Bonus Vine video:
Hit the unmute button to hear audio of us getting our groove on to Bobby Brown the night before.
"I love the tutu!" Vine video: Click the unmute button to unleash the full craziness of this clip, filmed as I neared the "Finish Swine" of this year's Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on
The last time we tried this...
Before we get to this year's race, let's face it... Last year, a couple of us PDX Delta Airlines employees showed the world how NOT to run the Flying Pig Marathon. Jackie and I (along with plenty of other runners) missed a crucial turn-off, unknowingly bypassed our baton hand-off point, and accidentally followed the marathon runners all the way to the "Finish Swine." Fortunately, the remainder of our PDX runners performed wonderfully.
Before reading about our 2015 race below, feel free to re-live last year's hilariously embarrassing (and well publicized) debacle in my earlier 2014 blog post here.
Moving on to this year's race... I'm happy to report that there were no mass diversions this year. The event organizers who did such a fantastic job last year worked even harder to work out the kinks for 2015.
I had just climbed Mount Hood with Katya three days earlier, and my toes and feet were in really bad shape. My podiatrist had forbidden me from ice climbing for eight months, and I was banned from running forever. In other words, I didn't exactly have a doctor's note for this one.
The day before the race
Since I was the sole runner selected to represent PDX airport this year, I flew to Cincinnati without any local teammates this time. I was looking forward to meeting the rest of my Region West team for the pre-race festivities.
Studying this year's race route on the plane ride, avoiding last year's mishap
Checking in at the Millennium Hotel, registering, and picking up our team's race swag from the Flying Pig Expo
Pre-race party at the Via Vite Italian Bistro: My teammate Ingunn (on the right) and I (before I cut off my wild curls) mix it up with the other relay teams, and indulge in Delta's generous hospitality. Ingunn was an Elite-status runner in the Boston Marathon!
Race Day
Long, early morning walk from the Millennium to the relay shuttle bus
Pumped and waiting for my baton hand-off for the final leg of the relay
Vine video: Hit the unmmute button to hear the crowd cheer for the lead marathon runner as he races past the final baton hand-off point.
More runners ran past as I anxiously waited, stretched, and bounced to the rock music on my running song playlist.
Finally, I spotted Ingunn running down the hill towards me. She yelped and enthusiastically thrust the baton towards me, as though running past. I grabbed the baton from her and started thundering down the final leg.
The cheering crowds provided course-side refreshments and encouraging shouts.
"Looking good, Delta!"
"Love the tutu!"
Considering my pain and soreness from that week's Mount Hood climb, it was satisfying to pass so many runners as I ran my segment. My feet were already injured, but a preexisting numbness in my toes (from a previous Mount Hood climb) strangely offset the pain.
Though the pain began to lag my pace, I decided to pull out all stops for the final mile. Check out the Vine video at the top of this post to get a feel for the moments as I was about to enter the final stretch. The crowds got much louder and even more intense as I neared the Finish Swine.
An all out sprint to the Finish Swine brought my overall pace up to a 7:54 minute mile. Not anywhere near as fast as I expected, but respectable. According to an infograph texted me by a teammate, I ranked 22nd (In my leg? I'm not sure how that works) and 20th overall, and our Region West team took 5th place among all the Delta teams!
After crossing the Finish Swine
Victorious!
Post-race festivities, refreshments, and freebies
Live music and dancing at the after party
And finally, I'll throw in one more flashback from last year's Flying Pig Marathon. Delta's running teams are unforgettable, year after year!
The title of last month's on-location post (drafted on the plane ride over the ocean and uploaded in the Amsterdam airport), The Netherlands: Bicycling to Haarlem, was a bit off the mark. Turns out that "Bicycling FROM Haarlem" would've been more accurate. Chalk that up to optimism and an unrealistically ambitious itinerary.
The bicycle rental didn't actually happen until Haarlem, where I began my ride. This was because back in Amsterdam, a couple of delays had forced me to tweak my plans to maximize my daylight. And nothing would deter me from bicycling to my destination: Nationaal Park de Zuid-Kennemerland.
To make up for lost time, I hopped a train from Amsterdam to Haarlem instead. This quick European daytrip would be over before I knew it.
Jetlagged train ride from Amsterdam to Haarlem (I changed my mind after telling a friend I wouldn't share this photo-- You know who you are!)
Haarlem train station, inside and out
It didn't take long to spot a bicycle rental shop near the Haarlem train station. Friendly owner Mustafo only spoke about 20 words of English, but he helpfully walked me through the quirks of his of his prized storefront model.
Mustafo draws up the paperwork
Navigating my bicycle across town to check in at the hostel was pretty easy once I got my bearings. Learning to keep that fixed gear bike stable while balancing a luggage bag on my back... well, that wasn't exactly among my most graceful moments.
A new set of wheels
Two-wheeled rush hour traffic in Haarlem
The Gravestenbrug over the River Spaarne
The Corrie ten Boom Museum
Vine video of the Gravestenbrug: Snipe the "unmute" button above to hear the sound of those church bells ringing out over the River Spaarne
The clean and stylish Local Botique Hostel was still, for a few more hours, a ghost town when I rode up and parked my bicycle. There was already a full house booked for that night, but I had checked in too early in the day to round up new friends (my typical routine when I arrive at an overseas hostel) for the day's adventure.
The Local Botique Hostel- Love the friendly staff!
After dropping off my bag in my dorm room, I climbed back onto my bicycle for the ride out of town. Some residential navigation was necessary to locate the highway. Curse those confusing roundabouts!
Once on the highway, the route to Nationaal Park de Zuid-Kennemerland was an easy ride. And as Anto had told me the day before, the park itself was wonderful. The wild animals were out playing, though I missed the "Scottish cattle with the big horns" that she said I should've been watching out for.
A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on
Alarmingly, time quickly got away from me. I'd been frequently hopping off my bicycle to hike trails that were too rough for my tires. All of that extra hiking time added up, and I found myself at the far end of Kennemerland park with less than an hour before the bike rental shop closed.
I raced down the highway, back to Haarlem, and returned my rental bicycle just as Mustafo was closing up shop at the dinner hour. We bid each other "vaarwel" as I walked outside to continue my sightseeing on foot.
Later that evening, I met some friends who were in town at Tapas Bar El Pincho to wind down for the day. The staff was kind enough to let us enjoy their cushy, open-air patio seating until long after the sun went down.
**********
The following morning's sunrise was beautiful as I checked out of the Local Boutique Hostel. I took time to enjoy the quiet walk back to the Haarlem train station. For once, there would be no rushing to catch my mid-morning plane back to the States.
A photo posted by Garth Hamilton (@garth_hamilton) on
Back at the Amsterdam airport, a single Business Elite seat remained open for the flight home to Portland. I was flying standby. Despite a couple of extraordinary circumstances that should've sent me to the back of the plane (but hopefully not stranded in Europe), I was awarded that seat up front.
Variations of "You're extremely lucky" were echoed by several of the flight attendants and one of the gate agents as I was assigned my seat.
Alternately, the head purser serving my side of the cabin walked past my seat and whispered, "It's a miracle,"
I prefer to think that it was the latter.
Beginning next weekend on Garth's Blog...
Recent hikes in the U.S. and abroad...
Visiting family and climbing in Bend this weekend...
Mommy and Lena get a shotgun seat view of a giraffe as I drive through the Winston Wildlife Safari
In the company of friends again
...Continued from Southern Oregon Road Trip, Part 1: Visits and hikes (link). And consider this story the unofficial prequel
to our upcoming safari in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Let's hope we make those flights!
Guest blogger Kathy picks up our Southern Oregon road trip
story where my Part 1 left off: After the driving, visiting, and hiking. Thanks to Kathy for writing this post. I was happy to merely be on tap to plug and caption the
safari photos. Enjoy!
We had a
great time so far with our hiking, visiting, and swimming. On our final morning down south, we took advantage of
the continental breakfast the hotel offered and then set off for the Wildlife Safari in Winston.
Neither Garth nor I
had been to the Winston Wildlife Safari since childhood. We were so excited for Lena
experience it, too! Levi was too little
to care.
Once Garth
drove through the gate, we were allowed to take Lena out of her car seat to sit on
our laps up front. She was
thrilled! As we began making our way
through the safari, I forgot how up close and personal the animals could
be. Lena loved seeing all the animals:
lions, giraffes, rhinos walking right next to our car, bears, and the list goes
on.
Lions resting in the shade
A zebra mixed in with the herd
A hungry giraffe stops traffic ahead of us
Black bear UFC pond/cage match: Tag team edition
Lena brakes for llamas
Buffalo roam
Lucky
for this deer, another safariing family had randomly given us a bag of animal
feed
This
emu poked his beak inside our cab a bit too aggressively for Lena's taste
"I'll take the wheel from here, Daddy."
Baby
Levi watches with envy as Mommy lets Lena ride the bear
Lena runs through the Australian Outback
We've got no food, got no jobs... our parrots' HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!!
Levi, Mommy, me, and Lena leaving the Australian Walkabout
Before Garth and I started driving the kids back up north, we made a final stop to visit friends who live 10 minutes from Wildlife Safari. It was nice to catch up and see how big their girls are getting.
Beating the heat with longtime friends
Thus, we
began the long journey home. A stop for burgers and
ice cream at Rice Hill was a must do.
Lena and
Levi got plenty of sleep on the drive home, even as we stopped to redeem yet another
Groupon for the grownups.
Lena
reminisces about the safari animals with one of her favorite books, "I
Love My Daddy Because..." (At least that's MY vote for her favorite
book!)
Thanks again, Kathy, for writing about our first ever road trip with our all-new Hamilton Four. Lena and Levi would've loved to join us on the upcoming African safari that we have planned. And it's a shame that the L's can't come along on our REAL Australian walkabout in 2015!
Bonus Vine video:
Click the mute button for
audio of two bears throwing down at the Wildlife Safari
