Of Sand & Lasers

End of the road

This morning I went for a 17 mile run. For my past couple of runs I have driven to some place to run, this morning I decided just to leave directly from home, and do my running in open desert to the south of my home. So I got on the road that runs directly behind my house and followed it to the point about 2 miles to the south where the pavement ends and the sand begins.

The Sandy Road

Running on sand is both a blessing and a curse. It is one of the softest possible surfaces one can run on, it is extremely easy on the joints. However with so much give sand is extremely draining to run through. Though it does provide a hell of a workout.

A Washing Machine That Has Seen Better Days

I find sad how many people dump things like cars and appliances out in the desert. In this the climate they will remain there for decades upon decades. I guess it gives people something to shoot at.

Me at the Edge of the Bombing Range

Eventually I reached the edge of the Barry M. Goldwater Range, a bombing ranged shared by the Air Force and the Marine Corps. It is huge area covering thousands of square miles along the Mexican border. At this point I turned and continued my run along the edge of the Range. About every 15 minutes I was passed by a Border Patrol truck, the only thing between Mexico and where I was running about 12 miles of empty road less desert.

Lasers!!!

Apparently the military is doing something with lasers out in the desert, because I kept running across signs that warned of extreme danger from a laser hazard area. I have to admit this makes me chuckle because it makes me think of the scene in Austin Powers where Dr. Evil wants sharks with lasers beams on their heads. So who knows maybe there is a tank out in the desert somewhere filled with laser armed sharks. That is certainly what I would like to imagine.