Hello from Sheffield, TX!

Run Stats:
Day: 295
Miles Completed: 1074.7
Miles to San Diego: 1025.3
Miles to El Paso: 311.3
Avg Miles/Day: 3.6
Marathons Completed: 41.0
Longest Run Streak: 9 Days
Current Run Streak: 3 Days
Playlist Favs: James Taylors Greatest Hits
Guest Runners: Molly Donovan

Bible Verse of the Day: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:29-30 NIV

Run Reflections: It's been another good running week and I was pleased to have my oldest daughter Molly as a guest runner yesterday when she surprised us with a visit home this weekend. I've also been experimenting with some adjustments in my running form which I'll probably talk about in a later post.

According to the web site texas escapes, there are 2 ways to get to Sheffield, TX from I-10. The town itself is located just 5 miles south of I-10 but, if you jump on Hwy 290, you can take a 20 mile scenic route that crosses the Pecos River and includes some really cool scenery and the Fort Lancaster Historic State Park. I chose the scenic route and virtually passed through Fort Lancaster earlier this week. I'e included 2 photos from texas escapes of the hay 290 bridge across the Pecos River and a view of the river going across it. When I finish my run this afternoon, I should be pulling into Sheffield. Hope they have a place where I can watch today's Navy - Memphis game.

Fort Lancaster & Sheffield, TX: Fort Lancaster is one of a series of forts erected along the Western Texas frontier. Located in the Pecos River Valley, along the Live Oak Creek, it was established by the U.S. Government in 1855 as a protection to travelers and mail along the overlap route from San Antonio to San Diego. I have included 2 pictures taken by photographer Barclay Gibson showing an old government road into the valley and one of the 29 fort ruins.

In looking at the story of Sheffield, wikipedia reports that Spanish explorer Gaspar Castano de Sosa and his men were some of the 1st explorers who traveled up the Pecos River in 1590. The town is named for Will Sheffield who was the 1st Postmaster. Most of the settlers in the area were sheep herders or ranchers who established their own homesteads; however, some were reputed to be outlaws seeking a refuge far from the reach of the law. Wikipedia reports that Black Jack Ketchum, a notorious outlaw wanted in several states, was one of these.

The town prospered in the early 1900s as a supply point and social center for surrounding ranchers. Sheffield became a small stop on the transcontinental route known as the Old Spanish (auto) Trail (OST) and I have included a picture from wikipedia of an old road sign for a motel in Sheffield along this route. The OST itself is pretty cool as it once spanned a full 3,000 miles of roadway linking St. Augustine, FL, to San Diego, CA. It largely follows follows U.S. Hwy 90 in the east (a very prominent road in our area) and U.S. Hwy 80 in the west. Reading about it reminded me of the stories and sites from Route 66. I also didn't realize how closely my virtual run mapped to the historic trail.

Blast from the Past: Last week I included a picture of my beautiful wife Jody and me from our wedding. This was part of a collection of old photos that I revelry picked up from my parent house. I thought it might be fun to periodically share some of these with you. For this post, I have chosen to include a school picture of me as a kid. Around here, we've affectionately entitled this shot as "Little Pitter". It's quite a larger photo so I like to get it out and set up up by the kids when they are doing their homework. If you look closely, you can see a logo of 2 bare feet on my shirt. I'd like to say that this was from my 1st barefoot running camp but I really think it's a brand logo form they day called "Hang Ten."

That's the show for this week folks, have a great week and Go Navy!

God Bless, Pat