Lincoln Grade

It was a beautiful day yesterday: sunny, 65 degrees, blue sky, etc. Saturday mornings are for long runs. Jeff and I have both committed to running more hills in preparation for the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay that's coming up this summer, so we traded off driving 15 minutes to Prosser and running up the notorious Lincoln Grade. It's the closest significant hill to our house, and I have only gone up it like twice in my life--once walking, once running. Last time I ran up it was back during the summer of 2007 when I was preparing for my last cross country season at SVU. That was nine years ago! It was much prettier going up today than I remembered--that's the magic of springtime in the Yakima Valley. I parked at the Prosser swimming pool, strapped on my hydration belt, and dug into that gravel road winding up the hillside. I chugged up at about a 13 minute pace and felt plenty out of breath.

The UP part was about 2.5 miles from the pool to the tippy top, but I took a fork half a mile from the top and ran a mile further out down a nice swooping sloping gravel road between two soft, rolling, surprisingly green fields. Jeff says it's a different climate on that side of the hills and they get a bit more rain so it's greener. Fascinating. Along that road, my legs welcomed the break from the relentless climb. Then I turned back and ran all the way up to the "top" of Lincoln Grade. The view was wide but marred by various bits of equipment, towers, metal outbuildings, and barbed wire-topped chain link fencing. It looked rather like a prison yard up there, but with more metal. I explored a little and found a place with a relatively clear view of the valley and cute little Prosser stretching out down below.

I took my cell phone out of the trusty hydration belt pouch, balanced it between some links on the corner of the fence, and took happy zen-valley-hugging pictures up top. On the way back down I zoomed along at a 7 minute mile pace, pausing every now and then to take pictures on my phone because it really was a beautiful day with a beautiful view, and you know how much I love that combo!

The UP part of Lincoln Grade is behind me.

 The up and over road--this road goes on and on and I had to exercise self discipline not to keep running to see where it ends. 

Turning back towards the "top" of Lincoln Grade--it's that tiny little cluster of towers on the hill to the right-center of the picture. The greenness was surprising and welcome over here.

 At last I made it to the top--it was a tad underwhelming at first. What's with all the equipment?

 I thought I might get electrocuted or abducted by aliens or something up there.

 Post-climb exhilaration! Six foot wingspan!

 Those white specks on the horizon: Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier, with the Yakima River in the foreground. There is SO MUCH variety in the state of Washington. I love it!

 Heading back down.

 It's SUCH an exhilarating, heady feeling to run/barrel down a steep hill "into the view" as Jay and Rose call it. I spread my arms out and practically flew down.

 The twisty turny road down.

Zen run: done.