Distance today = 55.58 km; Total distance = 5865.07 km; Location = Estes Park – 40 22.830′ N, 105 29.679′ W; Start time = 0913, Finish time = 1719

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/173858147

I was determined to see the Rocky Mountain National Park, and this required a big day of climbing up to the town of Estes Park. As I’ve mentioned before, my legs enjoy the uphill more than the downhill. Tomorrow is all downhill, so I’m not really looking forward to that.

The scenery up here was worth the effort – classic Rockies. It was dedicated as a national park by Teddy Roosevelt about a hundred years ago.

Speaking of Roosevelt, we had dinner last night in Boulder at the hotel he stayed at when he came to these parts for the dedication ceremony. We met up with my friends, Walt and Bob from NREL, and another Bob, who is a friend of our friend, Fi. It was a great dinner, outside on the corner on a very mild Boulder evening. Thanks again to the latter Bob for picking up the tab – it was very much appreciated.

Finally, happy birthday to anyone turning six years old today (May 2 in Australia), especially if their name is Ty.

PS I have added 840 metres to the Garmin file, as I forgot to turn my watch back on after a stop. Measurement was easy, as the gap was between two known roads.

Distance today = 48.04 km; Total distance = 5913.11 km; Location = Loveland – 40 24.478′ N, 105 03.123′ W; Start time = 0913, Finish time = 1619

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174164118

All downhill today, through an amazing gorge – the Big Thompson Canyon. It runs from Estes Park, down through the Rocky Mountain National Park, to Loveland. The scenery is spectacular, and I saw some of the cutest little camping spots imaginable. The canyon does have a dark side, though. In 1976 a flash flood killed 140 people. No sign of rain today, however.

The morning started with local journalist, Lisa, coming out to do an interview, along with photographer, Walt. Local runner, Terry, joined us too, and after the interview we all headed off down the road to begin my day of running. It was great to have some company on the road – I haven’t had much of late. They departed after about 5 km. I am now looking forward to hearing how Lisa does in the New York Marathon later this year. I think she’ll be setting a stunning new personal best.

When I reached Loveland (a place I’m sure was named after Brian Love), I was met by another local journalist, Jessica, who took various photos and videos, and then conducted a short interview.

So, it’s been a full day, especially on the press level. I also passed the milestone of 4,000 km in the US today. Another couple of days and I’ll be past the 6,000 km in total mark.

Distance today = 47.27 km; Total distance = 5960.38 km; Location = Fort Collins – 40 31.325′ N, 105 03.155′ W; Start time = 0918, Finish time = 1608

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174454693

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174235487

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/174235445

I decided to run a more convoluted route through the countryside today, to escape the freeway and urban sprawl. I’m glad I did, as I found some nice quiet backroads. However, I was only partially successful, as there was still plenty of traffic on many of the roads this afternoon.

It was a sunny day in the high 20s C, but the lack of humidity made it quite pleasant to run in. Tomorrow is predicted to be 30C. I am wondering what it’s going to be like in a couple of months time when summer really hits.

I saw my first large snake roadkill today. It was about five feet (1.5 m) long, and had light and dark brown markings. The head was squashed, so it was hard to tell which species it was, but I know it wasn’t a rattlesnake.

Now, you may have noticed the three Garmin data links above. You may also recall that twice in the past few weeks the Garmin data has refused to upload. This is a big issue to me, as I place great importance on a full and accurate documentation of every step of my run around the world. This Garmin data allows anyone to zoom in and see the fine detail of where I’ve run that day, even to the extent of seeing which side of the road I’m on. It also shows my speed at every moment of the day and my elevation. There’s no way anyone can cheat when they’re providing this level of documentation.

Well, the Amazing Jimbo has solved The Mystery of the Non-Uploading Data. He found a file repair program on the Garmin web site and managed to upload the data that was sitting in the system. What a genius! We’re not sure exactly why it refuses to upload sometimes – it is not unique to me – but may be related to the battery life of the watch at the time of uploading. While it’s a bit of a mystery, at least we know how to fix it now if it happens again. I have also inserted the relevant links retrospectively into the blogs where they were missing.