Moab 240 Arrival

They have trackers on all the runners and sweepers who come in behind the last runners to make sure nobody gets missed so we had notice when the first runners were getting close and can see them coming down the hill from Jackson Hole (not Wyoming).

Temps were in the 80s so some were already struggling by the time they got to us. I did one rescue just a mile or so out Jackson Hole way from a runner that left the trail to find shade and then couldn't move to get back to the trail so had to get a little creative to drive out to him. There is medical staff on site so just have to get them back to here. Was the only rescue I had to do all day which was below average though one runner was brought in that night and we put him up in the former bunk bed room which we used as the medical room last year.

While I had less rescues than previous years not the case for San Juan County the next day the temps went from 80s to 50s at Bridger Jack aid station. Cottonwood Creek flooded and 70 runners along with staff got stranded at Bridge Jack. San Juan County spent the next 24 hours before they could get them all out. Additional issues popped up in the La Sal Mountains portion of the trail with blowing winds and falling trees and in time the race was cancelled after some runners were at the 200 mile mark. Safety first.

Moab 240 Preparation

Friday, Oct 9th the race starts in Moab at 6am. We're the aid station at the 29 mile mark and expectig the first runners around 11am. They are barely 10% of the way when they get to us and they've already run a normal marathon. I spent Thursday clearing out the garage and making room for them to store food the night before for a record 356 runners this year. Last year there were around 240 runners and when I cheked the results something like 160 of them finished.

This year we opened up three bathrooms for them with so many more runners and the volunteers made breakfast and lunch for them as some runners came in just before the cutoff at 6:30pm. We've had pretty much the same people for each year of the race and I think this was the 7th or so year hosting. Man they are dedicated.

Jax

The season will be mostly over the end of this month so we're gearing up to get another winter of hikes in. I'm 74 and Jax is 88. I ask my doctor with my issues what he thought I had left and he said he could see me getting to mid 80s. That's unexpected but welcome. No way to really know so we've got some hikes we haven't done not too far away despite being here for 20 years. When we don't have guests it's about the only time we can put some distance away from the lodge to do hikes we haven't done. We got a decent hike out to Skinny People a week or two ago. Jax had cancer surgery earlier this year and a tumor removed a month or so ago and some teeth yanked last week. I lost 30 pounds last summer to a stomach illness and had a thyroid issue the year before so we're breaking down some. Got to get them in while we can.

Base Camp Entrance

Even with the truck propping up the sign for Base Camp I've seen some guests miss the entrance as it's raised some to keep it from flooding when we get the good rains. So, we put a sign on the left side of the driveway with lights and arrows directing people down tbe driveway hill.

Dead Horse Point

The Anti-Cline

Sunny and Julie

I put up a blog post earlier this month saying I needed some short time help at the lodge and a lot of people responded. Thank you. Sunny Todhunter showed up and spent fou or so days here working and it helped a lot and was pretty fun. Sunny is good people. She wouldn't let me take her picture.

Back in the 80s I opened an indoor soccer facility in Salt Lake. I was doing a soccer clinic there with some pros and we went across the street to eat at Pizza Hut. I said "I got to find somebody with work ethic to work at the facility." Then a guy came over and took our order, prepared the pizza, rang it up, delivered it to us, while everybody else that worked there was just standing around. One of the pros, I think it was Juli Veee, said, "Hire that guy. He does everything." When we finished and went to leave I went over to Loren and said "Want to work somewhere and be appreciated." He said "I do." I said when you get off work, walk across the street." Loren Brobeck came in, I hired him and he has worked at Let's Play since then until this year. I also hired his wife Julie Brobeck and she was just as good until illness slowed her down. I went to Julie's funeral last week in Salt Lake. I met her brother who gave her a kidney so she could live 15 more years, but she made it for 30 more years. I miss you my friend.