5/22/2010 Kenosha, Wisconsin and Lake Michigan

Today after my class was over, I headed to the Bobby Nelson Cheese Shop on I-84 in Kenosha to purchase some famous Wisconsin cheese curds and sausages. The man in the shop was very nice, and sent me to the waterfront area of Kenosha for my walk. Wow! What a  treat. My walk today was 2.1 miles through a nice park right along Lake Michigan. The trail actually goes through three parks that are connected, Simmons Island, LakeView, and Pennoyer. It was foggy out over the lake, so visibility wasn't too great in that direction, but otherwise it was very nice. It was in the mid 60s, with a slight breeze, that actually was refreshing. Lots of peoplewere taking advantage of the parks, picnicking, playing in the sand, walking hand-in-hand, cruising in their cars. I saw birds, seagulls, squirrels, and unfortunately, what appeared to be a dead seal on the beach. The best, though, was fog horn coming from the lighthouse, sounding its warnings to the boats every few minutes. It was almost surreal to think that yesterday I was in Washington and today I was taking a stroll along Lake Michigan. This is a good thing I am doing!  Here is my route:  http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/730148  Don't expect too much tomorrow. I teach until 5:00 then head to Milwaukee for a nonstop flight home, arriving home about midnight.

5/21/2010 Airports

Today I flew to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to teach a class in Kenosha this weekend, so the bulk of my miles were in airports---SeaTac, Kansas City, and Milwaukee. Only 1.8 miles, but a walk's a walk. I tried to not sit down at any point in between flights, choosing to stay actively moving. I left home at 9:00 AM and didn't get to my hotel until after 9:00 PM, so not much time left to do anything else for the day. Maybe tomorrow. No pics again, and no routes...I feel like I am slacking.

5/20/2010 The Burlington Mall

I am having a hard time wanting to walk these past couple of days; all I want to do is drive around in my new car--not so good for the environment OR my body. Once again it rained most of the day and it was windy, too, so finally in the early evening, I headed for the local mall to put some mileage in. All in all, I walked 2.75 miles today. A few trips around the inside the of the mall, and then when I noticed it wasn't raining anymore, headed out and did a loop around the outside of the mall. I got in 30 minutes of aerobic walking, which felt pretty good. I have a regular doctor's check-up in a couple of weeks, so I'll be curious to see if this walking has done any good for me.  No pics or routes today.

5/19/2010 Shopping

My walking today was mostly done at Alderwood Mall in the form of shopping. It is time for new some new clothes, since I am down two sizes in pants and 2 or 3 sizes in shirts. I still have a long way to go, but it felt good to be able to shop at places like Nordstroms again. All in all, I walked a bit over 2 miles. By the time the shopping was over, it was pouring rain, so that was it was for the day. Glad I carry my pedometer everywhere. No pictures, no route today.

5/18/2010 A New Car

Today I bought a new car, and thus by 9:00 PM, I still hadn't gone for my walk. It rained most of the day today, but by the time I got home, it had finally quit and the wind had died down a bit, so off I went. I was a bit surprised that it was still a light out, but I opted to stick close to home. I walked the little loop near my house--round and round--5 or 6 times--1.5 miles in 33 minutes. When I started this little walking deal of mine 5 months ago, I could barely do 3 laps in 30 minutes--a big improvement. Although this walk is a bit boring, the sights, sounds, and smells are always good. Someone in the neighborhood burns a fire at night, which smells very good, and the Navy was flying their jets overhead tonight; I even saw a flash of after-burn.  It was pitch dark by the time I finished my walk, but the streets are lit. Here's my route: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/724936

5/17/2010 Goldfinch and Snakes

I have spent the last 2 days putting together a new office desk I bought--in hindsight, it might have been worth my while to pay the fee to have it delivered and assembled. It took hours and hours, but it's done. However, I have been a bit sore from the lifting and bending (guess I need to get to a gym...), so I decided to go for a shorter walk today. I only walked 1.58 miles, and I was slow--taking a lot of pictures. I did the loop around the wetlands area of the Port; I like to listen to and watch the birds. Two snakes slithered across my path and into a pond of water before I really noticed them. Glad I didn't see them on the trail. They looked like harmless garter snakes, but kind of small. 

Today I noticed that the Rose Hips are starting to bloom. The other day as I was walking, I was sort of sad to think that everything would be done blooming soon, and then there would be no color this summer, but today I realized that it's just that different things bloom at different times, and there will be color all summer. One of the benefits of walking the same route frequently is noticing the changes. I also saw my first goldfinch of the season today. It didn't even fly away as I neared it to snap a picture. They are very pretty birds. Slow walk today, but lots to look at.  Here's my route: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/722880

5/16/2010 The Port of Skagit

As much as any of you who read this are probably tired of hearing about my walks at the port, it is a convenient place to walk with such a variety of routes. Since I didn't head out until after 4:30 PM, the Port ended up being my destination, and I walked the outer loop. 2.1 miles today. Lots of activity here, even for this late on a Sunday afternoon. Looked like some sort of motorcycle competition at the airport. At first I thought that strange, but then they do have long strips of cement. It was very humid today, and even with just a Tshirt, it was warm. I can't imagine living in the South where it is humid all day every day. Today I noticed all the Hawthorn trees now that my mom pointed them out. In one area, there were at least 15 that I counted.
In the parking lot today, I saw an animal that I cannot identify. It looked like it might be something like a ferret, but the coloring was odd. It was sort of reddish and tan. It came running towards me in the parking lot, but before I could take a picture of it, it ran off into the grass. I'll probably look for it every time I walk up there now, however, with the abundance of eagles and hawks, I can't imagine it would live long around there. I noticed today that I haven't seen the heron around lately. I think it is nesting season for them. Anyway--another great day! Here's my route: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/721785

5/15/2010 Bay View Women's Run/Walk

Today I did my first BayView Women's Run/Walk. It is a 2 mile run/walk or 10k run, sponsored by the Burlington Soroptimist Club to raise money for domestic violence. Great cause. It was a beautiful day, and all of the Peterson family, including spouses, was there. The guys all helped out, and Lindsey, Kelli, and Kezia all walked, with Alice in the stroller. It was immediately apparent that I was not going to keep up with the 20 year olds and their long strides, so I sent them off and continued on in my slow manner. I did finish the 2 miles in less than 40 minutes, though, so I felt pretty good about my time, and I was in no way the last one in. This fun run experience was by far much better than the Bellingham one I entered earlier this year. It was a beautiful day! Here's the route: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/719521 The timing is off because I forgot to turn off my All Sport at the end.