There are people in this world who hear of a 100-mile endurance race (ahem, 100.5-miles — it’s that last half mile that will really get you), and decide that they are the kind of person who can conquer that 100-mile, up-mountains-down-mountains-through-freezing-creeks-and-bug-clouds-on-gravel-and-dirt-and-roadways, endurance race, and come out the other side triumphant.

I am not one of those people. But we met several of them two weekends ago in the San Juan Mountains while Dan covered the Hardrock 100. I tagged along for the ride. But though I wasn’t on the clock, I did have a few different cameras at hand. I took some photos. These aren’t just running photos. In fact, most of them aren’t running photos. We were in the beautiful San Juan Mountains, a part of Colorado I hadn’t spent much time in previously. Little mountain towns, nature abounding all over the place. These are those photos. Those are these photos. Those are both awkward sentences.

So…to the photos!

Yeah, we brought the white turtle all over the mountains, not to mention the most killer, two-foot tall speed bumps I’ve ever seen. And she survived! Like a warrior, our little Prius. No really.

Them bugs were diabolical.

I wanted to steal adopt, this fellow. Mountain dogs are the best dogs.