It’s been kind of crazy lately! First it was off to Miami for a weekend of training, then just a few days later I was in Yellowstone National Park.
Going from a big city at sea level (give or take a few feet) to 7,000-8,000 feet above sea level in the mountains was quite a change!
Vacations are rare for my wife and I. We consider it a real blessing to go out of state once a year even for a week.
We value our time off very highly because of that, plus we value our time together very highly, too.
Each day was full of incredible scenery and the access to each featured area involves quite a bit of walking.
The terrain is steep, to say the least, and the air is thin. Both of us love to take walks so this was perfect.
We hit each one with enthusiasm and a good pace. The steeper and longer the inclines were, the less people were on them. With the air being very thin, most people tire quickly. The altitude really didn’t affect us negatively. It really pays to be in shape!
Since we stayed at a cabin instead of a hotel, most of our meals were outside. We were pretty blessed to have a big outdoor grill where the staff cooked up bountiful portions of pancakes, eggs, and bacon each morning.
At dinner time they would grill elk or bison burgers, steaks, etc. and we would chow down vigorously.
Since we hiked as much as we could, lunch was usually something small, like trail mix, fruit, or a snack bar and some water.
Since Yellowstone National Park is about 2 million acres big, we had to also drive quite a lot.
When we’d stop at an overlook or rest area, I would knock out a set of 25 pushups to keep the blood pumping.
One day, we were able to get time to a nice-sized pool and did some laps.
I mixed it up with the crawl, breast stroke, back stroke and even a lap of the butterfly.
It was a great change-of-pace!
I have heard people say numerous times how hard it is to stay in shape while they are on vacation; well, it is if you are not a disciplined person, but so is everything else that is worthwhile in life.
I got on the scale when I got home and found out I had lost five pounds!
We ate a lot, and that makes it even more cool. The simple fact that we stayed very active throughout the week really paid off.
People can stay in shape on vacation, if they want to bad enough, and still not deprive themselves of everything they enjoy eating. The secret is to stay very active physically! It’s just that simple.
The Cave 