The 4th of July weekend was shaping up to be an adventure. I think adventure is Eric's middle name, I just married into it! Our plans were to leave State College Thursday morning, get to my parent's cabin in Greentown, PA, and stay there till Saturday, before leaving for Lincoln, NH for the US Mountain Running Championships. Sounded great on paper, but things don't go according to plan, but, lesson learned.
After what it seemed to be a long week, we headed out for my parent's cabin in Promised Land State Park, just 3 hours east of State College. We enjoyed our time there with family, just relaxing, playing Head-bands, and eating glorious food. Our time there was short-lived. We decided to get an early start on Saturday so that we could get to bag check-in in NH before 5:30.
Our drive to NH was care-free and beautiful! We got to the race site (Loon Mountain) at 4:30. We met some of Eric's team members from Rosemont Running club as well. We departed for our campsite in Franconia Notch State Park.
The weather was perfect for camping: no bugs because of the breeze and no rain :) We set up camp and changed for a short pre-race run along the water/campground. By the time we got back, stretched, and showered (tip: save quarters shower together hehe) we were starving! We headed back to Lincoln to seek a local brewery (Stocktown Inn). We enjoyed a quick dinner and brew before heading back to camp.
It was a beautiful night, just laying in the hamock in the dark. We had loud neighbors that had funky taste in music, but they were entertaining. The ranger made sure it was quiet after 10, we slept hard.
We rose at 7 AM, shooting to head out at 7:30 AM. I wanted to catch the start of the women's race! I've read about many of the women racing & I'm continuously inspired by the strength and toughness that they carry.
We got to Loon Mountain with plenty of time to watch the start, put Eric's number on, use the bathrooms, and warm-up. Eric and I are completely different before racing...I am an anxious mess & he is quiet, calm, and collected. Hopefully he can balance me out :)
My plan was to watch the start & the first descent and ride the gondola to the top. I followed suite and realized that there was a steep hike up after the gondola to the finish line. The whole time I thought, "thank God I'm not running this!". Once again, amazed by the incredible athletes competing!
As I stood at the tippy-top of Loon Mountain at about 4,000 some feet, I was still and prayed for Eric. I knew this wasn't his style of racing...Mountain running & trail running are definitely not the same! I wanted him to soak in the experience and to be thankful for his ability to run.
Eric finished the race and was thankful to be done. The last 150 meters were at a 46% grade...WOW! We headed back down to the lodge on the gondola and cleaned up before heading out. We didn't stick around for awards because we had another 9 hours of driving left for home.
A very long story short...our fuel pump died in Lincoln...we were towed to Manchester in stand-still traffic...witnessed an accident...dropped our car at the BMW dealership...got a taxi to a hotel...got some dinner & great hospitality at a local Italian restaurant and passed out.
We awoke the next morning at 7:30 to call the dealership. Fuel pump...expensive...won't be done till 5 PM....all I could think about was how late we would get back home (2 AM). In the end, the car was fixed, we had the money to do it, we were safe, and we had each other. That is something that I take for granted. Eric's presence in my life and his way to have a positive attitude is crucial in stressful times. Normally I would probably freak out and cry, but this time was different. He made the situation better and we made the most of our trip.
Not every situation/experience will go "according to plan". But whose plan is it anyways? Usually it's my plan, but I often fail. When God is in control, I can push through any situation with patience and promise. I am thankful I have my faith to get through difficult times.
Now onto the next adventure...
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