The Dirt in the Forest

Nothing brings me  more peace than a quiet day in the forest.... 

Water just makes it even better.

A Drive along the river with perfect weather...     who could want anything more.

On the morning of October 16, 1991, gale force winds gusting to 62 m.p.h. uprooted trees which downed power lines in the Spokane area. The energized wires ignited dry grass and brush. The first alarm was received at 8:45 a.m. near Spokane International Airport and within three hours, every firefighting resource in Spokane County was committed to battle blazes throughout the county. 

Flames were within a mile of where I lived and visible as they came over the top of a ridge above my house.  Two lives and many homes were lost that day and many acres of beautiful forest were also lost during those days.

 Firefighters had to make decisions on which structures to save and which to leave to the flames.

 The fire did the same.

This area along the river shows how the fire killed some trees, jumping over and leaving others standing.


 After 20 years new growth has filled in the bare areas reviving the area. 

             

  Wildflowers abound.

While continuing my travels along the river and I noticed increasing dust and traffic.  

Usually I go in the opposite direction of large gatherings of people, but curiosity snagged my attention and I was on a new mission...

  I found myself at an event called the Dirty Dash 

What you may ask..... is a Dirty Dash? 

This is what the web site about the Dirty Dash had to say about the fun run.

"Have you ever said to yourself, “Marathons are too easy, and Triathlons are for sissies?”
We haven’t either…those races are really hard. Think about it…the first person to run a marathon actually died.  HE DIED!...and he probably didn’t even have fun along the way!


Well, welcome to a new kind of race: THE DIRTY DASH.  This race that puts all other races to shame.  The Dirty Dash is a mud run obstacle course where a military boot camp meets your inner five-year-old’s fantasy and subsequently converts boy to man and then man to swine.
 

You’ll need endurance to trudge up mountains of sludge, courage to overcome uncompromising obstacles, a complete lack of shame to wallow in pits of mud and a smile to show through at the end!
So let this mud run obstacle course become your new guilty pleasure. Go solo or with some of your dirtiest, filthiest, & uncouth friends.  Either way, you’ll be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I am a Dirty Dasher!”… and then proceed to clean yourself off."

Now these folks are out to have fun!!

What an opportunity to people watch!

Many of the participants had costumes, others had tee shirts proclaiming there team name.

Some of my favorites were.... A Darn Dirty Shame

                                                      Talk Dirty

                                                            50 Shades of Dirt

                                                                    Dirty Diva's

 

 

 

 Look at them go......

 

Water keeps the fun going

True  Luv???

 Mud, Mud, Mud at the finish line

 

  

Group showers at the finish line help to hose off dirt in every clevis.  Ah.....cleaner at last!

If I could run the obstacle course, I certainly would have loved to do this.

What would your team name be??

When we are open to the universe, it is amazing what comes our way.

 What a fun, happy day!

Now back to good clean fun.