How Do from Gage & Separ, NM!

Run Stats:
Day: 442
Miles Completed: 1529.1
Miles to San Diego: 570.9
Avg Miles/Day: 3.5
Marathons Completed: 58.4
Longest Run Streak: 15 days
Shoes: Skora Fit/Skora Tempo
Playlist Favs: Summit Church Podcast, NeedtoBreathe, Loggins & Messina

Bible Verse of the Day: "Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." John 4:13-14 NLT

Run Reflections: It's been an up and down running period since my last post. I've been continuing to fight a head cold and we had a few days of colder windy weather but overall, I've been able to stay on pace for a 100 mile month. While I've struggled with some runs, I've also had several where I felt great towards the later stages, experiencing what many folks call "runners high." Merriam Webster defines runners high as "a feeling of euphoria that is experienced by some individuals engaged in strenuous running and that is held to be associated with a release of endorphins by the brain." Whatever the cause, it feels great to be relaxed and feel in rhythm with the pace and (often) the music. For what it's worth, the run with the needotbreathe playlist was one where I think the music particularly supplemented the run. In the overall journey, I'm continuing west on I-10 along the south part of NM. This post provides some info on 2 towns I've recently passed through and a Blast form the Past entry from Jody and my honeymoon trip to Ireland.

Gage & Separ, NM: Gage (3/11/17): Wikipedia reports that Gage "is a former town in Luna County, NM alongI-10. As of 1930, the population was 102. For some time it survived as a ghost town, but the ruins have now been razed. A truck stop is all that remains." I wasn't able to find a picture of Gage but I did find a picture from 2008 of the road sign to Gage on a western ghost town web site. The web site author confirmed that the town is no more. I'm not sure if the road sign is still there but, if it is and I was actually running this route (as opposed to doing so virtually), I would have passed right by it during my run today (3/11). Instead, I did a destination run from Arnold HS back to the house in between the kids band competition performances.

Separ (3/18/17): Wikipedia reports that Separ is "an unincorporated community in Grant county in the boot heel of SW New Mexico. although it currently has a small population, it is considered a ghost town. Separ lies in the endorheic Guzman Basin; as a result the continental divide passes both to the west and east of it. Located along the tracks of the Union Pacific, it flourished in the late 19th and early 20th century as a watering station and livestock transfer point." It's history also includes some western lore as, in July 1986, outlaw Black Jack Christian and his High Five Gang robbed the general store and Post Office in Separ making off with $250 in cash and merchandise including a large Navajo blanket, 6 woolen blankets, 3 boxes of cigars and some whiskey.

Today Separ is a service point for truck and car traffic. This includes a potential stop at another of the Bowlin' interstate stores - this one known as The Continental Divide Trading Post and Teepee. Like the trading post previously covered in the Akela Flats post, this stop features many of the same tourist offerings and has a giant wooden teepee in the parking lot. I've included a picture of the teepee from the roadsideamerica web site.

Blast from the Past: Since yesterday was St. Patrick's day, I thought it would be fun to add a short blast from the past input and share a couple of pictures from Jody and my honeymoon trip to Ireland in 1993. We actually went to both England and Ireland and had the privilege to share this trip with my parents. I've included a picture of the four of us on a carriage ride in Killarney, a picture of little Pitter kissing the blarney stone and a scenery picture of the Rock of Cashel, which was the former castle of one of Ireland's most famous kings - Brian Boru. We had a blast on this trip. Ireland is a beautiful country with a ton of history and culture to experience.

That's all for this week, thanks for taking to time to read this and share this journey with me. Have a great week!

God Bless,

Pat