On this page we recognize the “special” people – runners, volunteers, sponsors, et al – who have helped frame the Coyote Community experience, those with several years and those just recently engaged in the game.  Now that this website gains activity in anticipation of 2011’s party, the display below will sit static (vs continue to grow), but remain a fair representation of the variety and quality of the people that Two Moon attracts.  Once Two Moon 2011 becomes history, the list will rejuvenate.  Now grab a beer and read fer a spell…

Back to the mainland, tho this neighborhood is representative of mostly just itself.  Coastal CA is its own little world…

As a spunky 8 year old trying to escape Stockton, CA (google its infamy), Jennifer and a friend started pedaling towards Lodi (yes, yes, Fogarty and crew were driving by at the time, thus inspiring a little and later very popular ditty of same name!!).  Several  miles later, at a relative’s aid station, her first ultra came to a quick halt, to regroup with her parents to fly to San Diego.  Years later, she finds San Diego preferable to Stockton (huh! how’s come?), where her kids’ symbiotic relationship insures Mom stays motivated and they know not to mess with the running maniac, who also has a silent swoon thing going for hot ‘n smart Jose Mourinho.  Keep your eyes peeled for Jennifer’s next “projectile” appearance at an ultra near you.

Smoosh together images of Laurel & Hardy blended with Hepburn & Tracy and you begin to capture the symmetry of Crash & Upchuck.  Both are of creole, albeit from diverse geographic origins (LA & HI); wine, classical music and dirt soften the edges that distinguish them…  one meows, the other woofs; one’s a brulée, the other a twinkie; one passes smoothly forward without a trace, the other telegraphs a presence and leaves a fertilizing agent behind; one chuckles with dignity, the other guffaws mulishly.  Who’s who in this mix?  Revealing that would spoil the fun of sharing trail time with this royal pair!!  They’ll be back for 2011’s fun in Ojai…

Next up is someone who’s seeking professional voice lessons to perfect his howl…  (Hi, Willie!!)

An urchin with Kalamazoo (and Tyler, too?) origins, Willie drifted throughout the Upper Midwest (a bit more upscale than the Upper East Side) as prelude to testing his mettle in Theater in both NYC and L.A.  That self-obsessed masochistic view of surviving life puts definition to his penchant for suffering ultras.  For a spell, he and wife Karen promoted others’ similar affliction via their Great Plains Running Co. store and race management endeavors.  Life is twisted a bit differently now, as they settle into Utahdom, but with kids Zach, Molly and Cassie joining the Crew UnLtd Team, either Willie will gain some future mates in the dirt, or he’ll be renting out that spirited bunch to other similarly-tortured dirt shufflers.  Along with Karen’s graceful attention, Francis Chan’s Crazy Love tends to keep the tortured side of Willie in check… at least, that is, until he steps out onto a dirt trail again.  Another 2010’er with a score to settle, we anticipate seeing the Lambert Gang next March!!

Shifting back towards our runner pack, meet Sparkles Vlach, a very shiny link in the crazy chain of Coyote Two Moon’dom…

Difficult to point the finger just here, but Sparkles’ influence on lowering the bar below knee level for on-course entertainment at Two Moon proved it could succeed more than once.  Joined with Moondoggy in their first stage appearance, GoldiFlocks & the Priggish Blowhard Woofer soon became a YouTube 3 Day Wonder, more popular than even Where the Hell is Splat?  Bringing Dead Last into the troupe in 2010 proved fateful, not for lack of talent or will, but Nature pretty much messed with everyone without keeping Sparkles from finding the finish.  Perhaps, had their skit centered on Ranger Dip of the Royal Moundies, surviving the storm would have been congruent justice for all and not just the shiny star pushing into the darkness.  Since recruiting is a favored Coyote trait, we expect Sparkles and her other Sacratomato cohorts to bring back some fresh meat, and we’ll see what form of entertainment they dish up for 2011.

Registration’s been open several days (and several suckers have signed up… alas, poor souls), and to sandwich that milestone, let’s bring forth another notable Vollinter, whom you’ll see yet again atop Gridley in 2011, helping to move wandering feet in the proper direction (3 correct choices, several more adventurous non-paths available).

Born of the desert and den-raised by lions (near Atascadero?) helps explain why Luis is considered, by the Santa Barbara sheriffs, as an “habitual trespasser” – how else to explore the backcountry and blaze one’s own trail, huh?!!?  In unpredictable order, Luis runs, climbs rocks, coaches, plays guitar, drinks, photogs par excellente, and generally drives his wife, Beverly, and three kids just crazy enough to stick around for more.  He signs himself in many places, both literally – on mountain tops and book cover photos – and figuratively – as RD of thriller trail venues, in the hearts of running friends, and as Coyote Extraordinaire (sharing that infamy with his idol, Chris Rios).  Google Luis for a fun afternoon of discovery…

As we open Registration for 2011, let’s bring forth one of the main Coyote players of these past years, our very own H’ard…

Think of H’ard as the penultimate snake magnet – he wasn’t the Agoura High Herpetology Club president because of his writing skills!! – and you’ll find a trail runner who anticipates finding and catching the critters more than yielding a wide berth to the slitherers.  His Jersey soul lingers below that visible California dude’ish face, and his penchant for border bending experiences tends to gather like-minded partners, whether it be scaling his last of California’s 14’ers or coaching his high school herpetology buddy, Jack, to push his own borders.  After being the Howard Creek Discomania Chief at that A/S this year, he’ll be returning to the Start line in 2011, perhaps to join others in the 100K sprint…

Which is more memorable:  Elias Howe patenting the sewing machine, or California joining the Union?  Well on this day, different years, those events transpired, and with that notoriety, we bring you another dated churricter, Bud Phillips, who played rocket with a sustaining booster – he found the finish line, unlike a few other spring-butts – at this year’s Two Moon mud/sleet/snowfest.

Geezer’s now firmly entrenched in California (the primo OB of San Diego), tho it took escaping Texas; awakening to the expansiveness of mountains (Colorado for starters while in the Boy Scouts); and actually learning from the Marines that running could be fun (tho not something to admit to platoon mates); which resulted in aligning the ol’ fart’s stars and turning him into the proverbial ultrageek.  If a product or venue even hints of (ssshhhhhh….) ultrarunning, Geezer’s all over it.  Fortunately for him, his wife Dayle hasn’t yet broken the code on how to wrestle him out of the mania; instead, she apparently coddles/enables his affliction and follows along, both as support and for her own twisted sense of entertainment.  There’s a Centenarian Age Group award waiting out there for Bud to be the first to find it – that’s evident in the first 5 minutes of meeting him!

How very appropriate that we update this page on the 89th anniversary of the first bowling league hitting the lanes in the U.S.  woo-HOO!!  and our churricter is quite the churricter, too (tho, as to bowling skills, well, let’s say there’s ample room for improvement…).

Get behind George Velasco’s shy façade and you’ll find Chief a formidable and reliable source of support, an inspirational trait among those middle & back of the packers struggling to find the finish line.  Chief’s geographic allegiance ping-pongs between Alhambra and the Eastern Sierras, both vantage points offering limitless opportunities to find trails and friends (and fortunately, not usually certain elements of the gendarmes who can link George’s childhood infamy to his adulthood games).  Chief has a few soft spots, not least of which is his passion for Mexican soap operas.  Should you be lucky enough to share miles with him out there, listen for his repetition of script lines from his favorite shows…  As with many other 2010 Moon’ers, George has a score to settle, and it’s not of a bowling nature!

311 years ago, chumly ol’ Pius VI keeled over.  (Huh?)  Anywho, on that auspicious note, another Churricter joins his esteemed compatriots on this splendid self-promotion page.  In your spare time, mumble some special words to get Mauricio (and his buddies) home safely…

A product of Holysmoke, Mass, PowerHouse took the town’s name literally, at one point setting fire to his own backyard with explosives his folks didn’t know he had.  Time to move…  Begrudgingly extracted from Hawaii and missing his HURT buddies, Mauricio temporarily has duty in Afghanistan while his family enjoys coastal California.  When not straining his own muscles – he finished the Blue Canyon 100K a couple weeks after a hernia operation! – he encourages his kids in comparable athletic expression, and they’re on track to be as passionate in their sports as he is with his trail running.  We anticipate safe travels and a quick return to Port Hueneme, so he can continue sharing the trails with his family and us.

[Jonathan's the one in shorts, of course...]  Jonathan’s Sitka (AK, not AL) origins, and the presumed thick-skinned’ness that goes with that hometown, may have proved strong contribution to why he survived/conquered ‘10’s snowfest (2^nd fastest of only 8 finishers in the 100K) in only a thin t-shirt (while others, wrapped in blankets, jackets, etc, opted to d’niff).  Tho still considered “fresh meat” in the sport, he’s a tough one (hey, Flash, here’s a Recruit for you!!), so we’re curious to see how quickly he ramps up to the 100M and beyond challenges.  For relaxation, Jonathan cruises the seas at night in his kayak – with or w/o walruses and polar bears (one may wonder)? …and do you feed ‘em your favorite snack of cheddar and apples (picked fresh from trees in Juneau)?

Commemorating Annie Oakley’s b-day from a gazillion coyote moons ago, another unique femme joins the ranks of those elsewhere on this page.  Take ‘er away, Leslie!!

Another Cachuckle who takes Two Moon literally (yes, Machray, we’re thinking of you!), Banff Trailtrash harbors conflicting appreciation for (her sense of paradise of) snowy cold Banffff winters and paradise warmth of Ojai in March, though both situations freely entail her showing her tail.  She gets all tingly (her words, not mine), at least in that specific region.  (Is this a natural trait of Cachucklelanders?  Bruce?)  Yet another addict of the long stuff, drift into her neighborhood (Banff Nat’l Park) and expect warm-hearted hosting and possible runguiding on her favorite trails.  Ojai’s two moons will be welcoming Leslie’s twins as she pursues finding the finish line, hopefully this time without the accompaniment of snow.  Regardless of the weather, she’ll find some way to yet again embarrass her mom by exposing her, uh, er, well… moons.

As Neil Armstrong and a host of other space cadets celebrate his 80th b-day, our own “more than earthly” celebrity, Tetsuro Buford Ogata joins company with his predecessors to this list.

Buford (Coyotese for “Tetsuro”), hails from the world-renowned Udon Shop Capital (800 of ‘em!!) of Kagawa Prefecture in Japan, where he’s lived since childhood.  Early ventures into idiot mountain tricks involved free-flying down the road from his friend’s mountain top home on tricycles (mine didn’t have brakes, did yours?).  Surviving that, running ultras eventually became just a natural extension of that early insanity.  Buford first visited Two Moon in ’08 with the encouragement of Hiroki Ishikawa – Buford conquering his first 100K in style (sadly, Hiroki d’niffed in the 100M (and no, it wasn’t because of the paté)), then proving tougher mettle in the 100M in subsequent years (tho he did look noticeably tuckered out as “Wheels Fell Off” champion in this year’s mud/sleet/snowfest).  Before he turns 30 (and settles into “maturity” (?? Bwa-ha-ha!!), Buford intends to get as many goofy U.S. ultras with his feet as feasible, with hopes that most of those will be within tricycling distance to a Spudnut donut oasis.  Guess we’ll see him at Two Moon again – yipPEE!!

On the gross (as in 12×12) anniversary of Beatrix Potter’s birthday, and while I’m suffering the swelter of Dallas, we offer up a Texaninnian who actually enjoys her environs, Kim Pilcher

Picture this:  wisp of a kid on a purple banana seat bike, wide-eyed and claws-ready cat balanced precariously on wispy kid’s lap, senseless dog in the basket w/ air fluffing its face (don’t all dogs in that state look senselessly happy?), the trio careering down the street with adults, as they vocally cheered on Kimbo’s unbridled energy, wondering what that vision portends for the future.  Odd behavior, of course:  ultras!!  Kim’s early homes (AF brat-derived) in Fairborn (guess the state), Altus, Minot, Wichita Falls, San Antonio and Belleville (guess the state again) all make her current home of Houston seem like paradise (of course she thinks so!!), and helps explain her pension for seeking out ultras in far away places.  Seeing the world is a tad bit different dynamic for Kim than for others!  Her current leisure of golf will soon morph into the next incredibly popular extreme sport: multi-day speed golf… but first she must return to conquer the two moons of C2M!!

‘Tis Liberation Day for Poland, so we free from the clutches of anonymity the 2nd half of that dynamic duo who has graced the Coyote trails since C4P ‘99 Wini Jebian’s (our 3rd Churricter presented here) special pooh bear, Lee!

There was a certain gestaltish synchronicity between the office microwave and Lee’s evolution toward ultrarunning – join Wini and Lee in their trail cruising to hear the story (it involves pot roast sandwiches).  Lee met Wini when she was falling into a tub of water and tearing up the tennis courts in Berzerkley (how she could do both at the same time says volumes about her Amazonian talents), with male competitors’ skinned egos strewn on both sides of the net, Lee’s included.  Years of raising three kids, taking forced breaks for body parts that didn’t appreciate the stress, and dabbling in the short list of Tri sports, Lee and Wini now head the list of partnered runners who don’t just spend time on the trails, they spend that time together, with their methodical diligence meaning they get more time together out there than all others in that esteemed league (e.g., Mrs & Mr Ann Trason).  It’s always fun to grinningly chide Lee for always trailing Wini… sage that he is, he just laughs it off (and quietly sucks it up) while enjoying that privileged spot within sight and a hug of his honey.

On Cow Appreciation Day, our favorite Swiss mountain bovine bell character saunters onto the Two Mooooon pasture.

Sprouting up in and roaming the Alps near the Swiss burg of Brig, Jakob today calls Yorba Linda (CA, not KA) his “now home” (retiring to Brig down the pike, are we?).  Besides being a web programming whiz kid for Mickey Mouse (it pays for his running addiction), Jakob derives unusual pleasure from polishing his buckles, badgering the Buffoon for a 2^nd buckle just to feed that strange behavior.  Also strange, or at least different enough, is his pension for bringing his family to ultras and (here’s the odd part) insuring they have fun, too!  So, it’s not just about me, me, me – ain’t that odd?  We look forward to having the Herrmann Herd back in 2011 (but, no, not another buckle in the picture)!

Synchronously, on Argentina’s Independence Day, Mariela Botella joins the rank of infamous Two Moon site dwellers.

Some might argue that ultrarunning is somewhat of a numbing sport, or at least, it helps to be brain numb at times to get through the ordeal.  Lucky for Mariela, she had early practice:  sitting in front of a B&W boob tube consuming a combo of bread, rice crispies and honey, hours on end, broken only by the challenge of having to physically rise from her perch to change the channels.  There are parallels here…  Bored with earlier lives in Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo and the Big Apple, Mariela opted for a bit more challenging climate, now calling hawt ‘n hewmid Hewwwwwst’n her home.  When not running in that soup, she goes to weekend fossil hunting trips and leads a bunch of HTRex  (H’s answer for fossilized trail runners) through the local woods pointing out areas of geologic interest (both of ‘em).  Mariela plans to run longer than most (in years or miles, or both?), enjoy the heck out of life (with or without geologic oddities), drink wine (without divulging how much, either at one sitting or cumulative in the year), and maybe, just maybe, grow up someday (tho why rush things…?).  As with her 2010 d’niff compadres, she too has a score to settle, which has nothing to do with growing up but much ado about enjoying the miles then the wine…

On Paul Bunyan Day (yes, MN’s trail of the same name draws from Mr. Bunyan’s notoriety), we pay tribute to one of several Coyotes who found the finish line at W$, Shawn (no relation to Mr. Bunyan, nor affiliated with MN) Krause.

An early NE Philly (almost-street) urchin, now happily calling his aunt & uncle “mom & dad,” “Balti-moron” Shawn evolved to love running once his feet found the epiphany of trails.  Sometimes his wife, Krystal, pushes him out the door to go train or run 100s – it helps make him tolerable!  Add rock climbing to the mix (Yosemite’s rocks preceded his W$ assault), and it’s no surprise to see him out- more than indoors.  Just as Scott Eney provided backhanded motivation for Shawn to run his first marathon off 6 weeks training, so does Balti-moron encourage new friends to challenge themselves toward higher accomplishment.  Shawn was one of the few 100M finishers at ‘10’s challenging Two Moon, hopefully returning next year with some fresh meat in tow…

On Ice Cream Soda Day, Copter Boy spreads his bio across our pages…

One of the founding Kinder of the later-to-be-tagged infamous Manch-Vegas, Karl learned early that running serves two purposes:  getting (wherever) “there” (is) before the crowd, and insuring those in pursuit don’t catch him (yes, even in childhood, not getting caught was a prime motivator for Karl’s speed of today).  His 5^th grade ½ mile back alley sprint record still stands, and ten years had to pass before another famed character (now on parole from Ryker’s) broke his three block, cover-of-darkness, backyard fence hurdle record (2:24:37).  Fast forward (pun accidental) through several other speed pursuits, and today you’ll find that Karl’s footprints along Speedgoat Ridge (near Sandy, UT) are as prominent as those of the stars at Grauman’s Chinese Theater (tours at either available on request).  And yes, Karl, also holds the C2M course record by a sizable margin…

On the 120th anniversary of Stan Laurel’s birthday, we offer up for your curiosity Jen Dicus…

Jen is a newbie to the Coyote game, 2010 being her first attempt (alas, that pesky DNF…) of gaining Veteran status in Coyote lunacy.  Another of our “I’ve always been a runner” (how strange in this community!) Coyote Characters, Jen called Grand Rapids (MN, not MI) her home until she enlisted her friend, Heather, into the bright scheme of walking across the Mississippi River (??) as the way to get to California.  Forget hitchhiking, that’s for pikers! (Well, OK, that was 6^th grade summer, so surely there’s more to the story that only real conversation can convey…)

California wasn’t enough challenge for Jen, so she now lives in Sparks, NV, where she trains incessantly towards her goal of finishing Two Moon’s 100 miles.  Perhaps a year without snow/sleet/biting wind may contribute to her success. Look for the snarling (tho brightly smiling) pit bull at the Start line next March!

On the 113th anniversary of Kentucky’s Boone Day, another pioneer of sorts graces our pages:

Born to a poor sharecropper in lower Manhattan during the Eisenhower Depression Era, Roch later gained notoriety for placing second in the Peter Sellers Look-Alike Contest at P.S. 349.  Sadly, the real Peter only needed one, so Roch dove into seclusion in (where else but) Utah, changed his stage name to Icky Ocky, and joined the Ogden Lower Foothill Semi-Pro Downhill Racer Circuit.  In his first season, he took command of the Tier C bracket, through which exposure he earned himself the Chief Cabin Sweeper spot for the Schwartzer Diamant’s summer vacation resort in the heart of downtown Snowville.  During his early years’ association with the Schwartzer crowd, when he finished his morning chores, he took to the trails, and forevermore became a trail junkie.  To the Coyotes’ benefit, he’s graced our venues since the latter years of C4P, adding his own unique howl to the proceedings…

On the 56th anniversary of Linus’ security blanket showing up in the Peanuts comic strip, heeeeeeeeerrrrrrre’s Dan Dicke (the guy whose band of merry radio folks makes us look organized and competent, in a fashion)

Dan’s been with the Coyote game since the beginning (’98), with his son, Justin, then just a precocious kid dragged along on his parents’ radio gig, now as productive and engaging as Dan was then.  Haling from Ft Wayne, IN – great swimming mecca for Midwesterners – Dan made the Marine Corps his home (were you “invited” in because you disassembled your dad’s VW?) before finally settling in the Oxnard Plain with Susan to raise their kids, Justin and Jessica.  In the long periods between helping make our Coyote events safe and successful, Dan scares sharks (and teaches his kids the same skill) in his scuba gear, and periodically BBQ’s his way through the neighborhood.  Perhaps Dan should have his own aid station next year…

On Ralph “Where’s Waldo?” Emerson’s birthday, here’s Wini Jebian, a long-time Coyote howler:

Born in Baaastin, Wini got stuck in State College, PA before her school years (and as it seems for many in this sport, she ran before she walked), where she received consecutive Home-Ec scholarships (taste her homemade bread and you’ll know why) from K thru 12^th grade, finishing her Food Science degree at (where else but California?) UC BarkBarkley.

During those early years, “we couldn’t see the Angeles Crest, but we lived near a trailhead into the hills behind our house in Glendale. Inspired by a great idea I had, in the summer, the kids in our neighborhood would run around in the hills pretending to be American Indians wearing nothing but [two] washcloths, one in front and one in back, pinned at the sides with safety pins. We enjoyed this until one of the mothers realized that her daughter was growing breasts and put a stop to our fun.”

Wini seems to have continued her self-display tendencies well into college (something about Strawberry Canyon being loaded with poison oak?), but you’ll have to talk directly with her to learn of those stories…  She and Lee now enjoy their dirt near their home in Mountain View (she clothed, Lee shirtless), with occasional trips back East to visit the grandmunchkins.

On the day finishing Dennis Hopper’s 74th year in the game, we bring you Nancy Warren, a 2x Finisher of Two Moon, sandwiched here between her own cohorts Peggy, Jose and Diane

Sacratomato kid, now living a piece south of town,

Tomboy thru pre-teen, then earned a badminton crown.

Met my honey early, and have stuck with him ever since,

Even being a nudist camp bartender doesn’t make my man wince.

Crossed the States on bike, and conquered Badwater twice,

RD’d 12 Hours of Cool, gave back to running, easy payback price.

Family, Friends and Food: add running, you’ll get my schtick;

They each help define me, a life solid as golden brick…

May 10th (also commemorating first transcontinental railway completed, in Utah, 1869), we bring you Bill Kee, without whose presence and early urgings, we couldn’t have enjoyed the Coyote out in Ojai to the level of idiocy we’re benchmarked at so far.  For you casual/new readers, you’ll need to come visit Two Moon to both enjoy Bill and his burritos to gain better appreciation for his contribution to the Coyote community…

The “executive version”:

Wild Bill hit the dirt running in Oxnerd

In the ‘hood, Wheelie King of the herd

Motorcycles are his art

Guitar music is his heart

Breaks bad girls of good grace, goes the word

The unabridged version:  ”Born : oxnut, caulifornia. Raised: oxnut and Ohh, Hi! caulifornia. My parents said my first steps were not taken walking, i learned to run first, then i learned how to walk….Pre-adult memory of infamy: I was the wheelie king in my neighborhood, i could ride a wheelie from one end of our street to the other (our street was 1/4 mile long)… then i started blowing through the stop sign to continue on the next block once i went to a ten speed. I was also a runner , in the 7th grade i ran 15 miles, came in 6th place(beaten by the 8th graders), when i was in the eigth grade, i won the 15 mile,in a time of 2:38. Wish i could run that fast right now, HAA! I was also voted “the youngest alcoholic” they ever saw in the 5th st. recovery home when i was 16……I told ‘em  i wasn’t an alky, that i could quit if i wanted to; they said “you’re in denial”, i said “no, i’m in Oxnard”……between the age of 14 and 32 i ran approx 5 miles (most of that when i was 31 and in jail, when they put us in the exercise  yard).  Once  i got out THAT time, i decided to have a lifestyle “makeover”……soooo, was that “TOO MUCH INFORMATION” ? you decide…..Ohhh, Hobby ?   Breaking “Bad Girls ” of their “good” habits; any curious enquiries should be directed straight away to my mailbox……Other hobbies include motorcycles, guitars, making useful art out of others throw-away”s***”