Day 89 - Thursday, August 26

Yesterday was surreal - we boondocked on the side of a desert road and after the emotional day prior, I woke early and just wanted to get out and run. I travelled miles on a dirt road in the solitude of the desert coming across Antelope scrambling when they noticed me infringing on their space. I met up with Chris around 19 miles in. I made a big decision at that juncture - cut across a remote mountain range the next 18 miles over staying on the road for 24 miles. I was motivated to dig deeper since Lucky was not with me…

The 18 mile mountain pass was epic. Of course there was 30 mph headwinds, desert sun and elevation but I was on a mission and 6 hours later I rolled into the Riverside RV Camp in Kemmeler WY where Chris was waiting. The day cost me 5 pounds and a weight I haven’t seen since High School at 155!

I headed out at 4:30am this morning from Kemmeler on a two day run of 70 miles to Evanston. Another tricky day because I cannot run on I80. I found a cutover around 15 miles from the RV Park. The good news was that there was in fact a road Chris could drive on. The bad news, it is a private road owned by Alcoa where they are doing something at their Whitney Canyon Plant. I couldn’t find a number and decided to call the Police Department and explain my dilemma. Thankfully Robin, the person who answered, took my story to the chief and they blessed us for our cut through. We travelled a solitary road, on a mountain range where we didn’t see a soul. We stopped at 31 miles on the day as this was a T where I will take a remote 20 mile trail tomorrow morning and Chris will continue on the road 30 miles to Evanston where Lisa and Bob will meet up with us - I can’t wait!

I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for reaching out to me regarding Lucky. And, I want everyone to know that while my heart is broken, I am at peace with the outcome. In fact, I would not have wanted the end to come about any other way. When we lose loved ones, the most important thing we have are the memories and in Lucky’s case, I feel his presence with me when I run and see him the way I want to remember him - happy and healthy.

I also want to thank the exceptional teams at Missouri State Vet & Colorado State Vet. I sent them both notes on the outcome and Mizzou sent me this note:

We are so sorry for your loss of Lucky. He was the sweetest boy, and we are all so honored to have had the opportunity to meet him and you. This is a beautiful tribute to Lucky, and he was so fortunate to have had you be a part of his journey.

We are thinking of you during this difficult time. ❤️

~Anastasia and the entire MU Oncology Team~

Finally, Dr. Ross at Mizzou called me today to let me know she was sorry about losing Lucky. The same Dr. Ross that treated Lucky a month ago and then called me on Friday night 2 weeks ago when the cancer re-emerged on her free time. I have such an appreciation for the veterinarians, especially all those I met. Where doctors have a mission to keep people alive, vets also have to assess when it is time to put animals down. Having gone through this now I can say it is complex and I so appreciate their superpower in straddling this tricky issue while also working with the human side which is definitely far more complex. I am very Lucky to have met these two great learning centers and especially for being cared for by Dr. Ross.

All for today -

Cheers,

David.

The sun rises without Lucky on the desert

Full moon and sunrise

The more remote, the less the Antelope are afraid

On my run over the mountain, I saw these caves and I definitely wasn’t going to open any doors here!

The trail leading up from 5,600’ to 7,500’

Over the top of the mountain, I entered a crater with a lake. Like out of a movie a cowboy dressed in a blue denim shirt with white cowboy hat and riding a white horse rode through the sage brush with 2 herding dogs and a pony following along dutifully

The objects of herding were countless sheep scattered around the crater

The route that cut through the mountains so I could avoid I80 presented an issue…

Once approved, we had the private road to ourselves…

Chris pic of the RV on our private road