6/5/2010 Sunshine All Day!

What a nice day. Too bad I had to spend a good part of it indoors. Although I did manage to get out a few times to run some errands. Seems like everywhere I looked, people were driving with the tops down on their convertibles or windows rolled down on the cars and trucks. I also noticed a lot of classic cars out today, too. I think people save those for sunny weekend days.
I walked 2.39 miles today along the Burlington Dike trail. I was all alone on the trail, so it was a good chance to be observant, but also provided me time to mull over the work I have been doing. That's a good thing about walking--it gives you time to think without any other distractions. I have really enjoyed this last month that I have been home. Tomorrow starts the beginning of a very busy month with trips to Washington, DC; Wisconsin; Wenatchee; and Denver. At least I'll have a whole new crop of pictures for everyone to see. Here's my route today: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/750835

6/4/2010 Padilla Bay Dike Trail

Just over three miles today on the Padilla Bay Dike Trail. The day started out pretty gray and rainy, but by early evening it was beautiful out. Sunny, clear skies, just a tad breezy, so I opted for the scenic route. On the entire trail, I only passed two other people tonight; I guess most have something else to do on Friday nights. It was a solitary walk, good time for being alone.  I decided that walking is good for the soul, mixing solitude and exercise.
It is becoming increasingly more fun to see the migration of birds on these trails. Lots of Caspian and Goldfinches here tonight, but the neatest thing I saw was an Osprey. It was sitting on one of the posts near the old shack. I had no idea what it was, and actually couldn't see it too well because of the position of the sun, but I snapped a couple of pictures hoping something would turn out. I knew it was a bird I had never seen before. On the way back along the trail was the best. The tide was way out again today, except for the channels. I watched the Osprey dive down to the water three different times attempting to catch a fish. I believe it succeeded on the third attempt, because it flew off after that. I am going to have to remember to take binoculars with me when I walk this trail. Most of the action is out over the water.  Great walk tonight! Here's my route: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/749097

6/3/2010 Animals everywhere!

What a gorgeous evening. Because of a busy schedule today, I didn't get my walk in until after 6:00 PM tonight, but I am so glad I waited until then. All sorts of animals were out at the port. I opted to take the trail along Ovenell because I knew it would be the driest of  all the routes. The birds were everywhere calling to one another. They have all migrated back home and are busy with their nests I think. Tonight I saw a black-capped chickadee, several more goldfinches, and my first killdeer. No babies around because it flew off when I approached--if they have little ones, they act wounded to draw you away from the nest. 

I also saw 9 rabbits along the trail. If you walk the trails there, look carefully in the underbrush along the trails, and you can see where the rabbits are tunneling in.  Most of them sat pretty still and didn't hop away when I took their pictures. I think they believe that if they freeze in position they are invisible or something.
Another thing I noticed today that I haven't ever seen was what seems to be the little buttercup flowers losing their pigmentation. They were a mix of yellow and white. Can't find any information about that though. As I was leaving the Port tonight, I spotted a Male Northern Harrier, sometimes called a Marsh Hawk. It's the first one I have ever seen. It is from the hawk family, but the male is mostly white on it's underside, with black tipped wings, and has an owlish face. At first I thought I might be seeing an albino or something, and then I did think it might be an owl as it flew towards me, but it was way too large and the wings looked more like a hawk. I looked it up when I got home. Very cool to see new birds.  On the way home I passed a pond and there were 6 red-winged blackbirds all perched on old cattails. It looked like they were having a party. Fun walk tonight! http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/745781

6/2/2010 And the wind doth blow...

Wow! What weird spring weather. After it finished raining like crazy for the last several days, it quit today, but was replaced by very strong winds. My friend Christie and I opted for the Port trails today, knowing that we can stay in the woods for a good part of the time and be protected from the wind. We had barely started out when we came across a fairly good sized tree blocking the trail--downed by the wind. I took a picture of it, but for some odd reason, have lost all the pictures I took today. Very strange. Anyway, we were pretty protected from the wind most of the walk, and I got too hot--was definitely overdressed. Although it was windy, it was actually quite warm. We joked along the way about what we'd do if a tornado came through the area--the weather seemed tornadoish, and I had just watched a tornado movie the night before on TV. Funny how your imagination starts playing off your recent events. I can tell you that if one comes our way on the Port Trails, we will jump into a ditch or a culvert!  Luckily that is highly unlikely, as this is not tornado country we live in.  The wind really hit us on the final leg of the walk--hard for me to stand upright at times, although Christie didn't seem to be having any problem. I'm not sure if that was because I'm shorter than her or wider than her.  2.3 miles today, though. Good walk! http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/745781

6/1/2010 The Tommy Thompson Trail

Last Friday they reopened the trestle portion fo the Tommy Thompson Trail, so I have been anxious to walk it. Las summer someone set fire to it, and it has been closed until the money could be raised (over $300,000) to repair it. I had walked on one portion of the trail on the Anacortes side, but not across the trestle, so that was my walk of the day. The route across the water from the refinery side to the campground on the other side of Fidalgo Bay is a nice 2 mile walk. The wind was at our backs going out, but coming back we were walking right into it. I imagine it's windy there all the time--after all, you are walking right across a bay. One couple was riding their bicycles and smiling away as they wind blew them along--wait until they come back.

The tide was way out today, so the seagulls were very busy eating clams. It is very interesting to watch. They fly around, dive down and grab a clam, then fly over the trail and drop the clam so the shell breaks. Then they land and enjoy their feast. How did they figure out how to do that? The trail is littered with shells on both sides, and we watched one seagull perform his little dining episode right in front of us. They do make a bit of a mess, though, because it seems they also use that opportunity to go the bathroom, too. Well, why not. Here's my route:  http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/744697 It looks better if you zoom in on it. Try satellite view also.

5/31/2010 Memorial Day

What a weird day, weather wise. I should have gone for a walk late this morning when it actually wasn't raining. Instead, I stayed inside to clean out my garage. At one point today, around 4:30, I heard what I thought was a huge windstorm--but it was the sound of the rain just pouring down like I haven't seen in a long time. By 7:00 it wasn't raining anymore, so I headed out for a coffee and what I thought would be a nice walk through the Discovery Garden on Memorial Highway at the WSU extension office. Ha! By the time I got there, it was once again pouring. But I put on my raincoat and headed out. I would have stayed longer, but I was worried about getting my new tennis shoes all muddy. And I have to say that my REI raincoat was pretty soaked--not through, I was dry--but it was WET!!!  The first thing I saw when I got there was this flag carved on a granite memorial, telling about Memorial Highway and how it was named to honor those who gave their lives defending our country. What an odd coincidence. Very fitting for today. I will come back to the gardens on a much nicer day--I think it would be a great spot to bring small children, too.  All in all I did clock over 2.6 miles today, so I did get some exercise--it just wasn't very aerobic.  Good day!

5/30/2010 New Shoes

With nothing pressing on my plate today, I decided it was time to get some new walking shoes. I had worn a hole through the toe of my old pair and had also worn out the inside lining on both, so off I went to Road Runner Sports in Seattle where I got my last pair of shoes. To make life easier, I just decided to get the same brand and model again. Road Runner Sports is just a block or two away from Green Lake, so after I got my new shoes, I decided to test them out with a walk around the lake. It's a nice 2.8 mile paved path, but there is also gravel if you prefer that.

I haven't walked all the way around the lake before, so I was surprised at all the action. Lots of people were fishing. Sort of. They cast out with a bobber on the line, then sit away from the pole and watch. None of that continually casting out and reeling in business. I did see one guy catch a fish, but before he could get it all the way in, he took a little slip and dip in the water, and then lost the fish as he brought it on shore. Pretty funny to me. Not to him. You sure don't need anything special to walk around the lake. People were dressed in every kind of clothing, including one man with no shirt on. Now, since it raining, I thought that was a little much. Bikers, joggers, strollers, walkers--they were all out today, and the fact that it was sprinkling didn't deter anyone. It was a nice way to spend part of my day. All in all I walked 3.2 miles. Easily got in my 10,000 steps today! Here's my route: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/741659

5/29/2010 Slugs and Birds

Somehow I picked out 50 minutes today with no rain for a nice 2.2 mile walk at the Port. It was actually early evening when I headed out--a time when the birds seem to be quite busy. Just as there are new flowers blooming everywhere, different birds are beginning to appear--many of whom make their way south during the winter and return here for the spring and summer. Today I saw the Gold Finch again, in nearly the same spot, as well as a Purple Finch. I also saw many Barn Swallows darting everywhere. They would practically fly right at me and then fold in their wings and burst over my head. I am wondering if I was near their nests. They were very abundant along the trail that parallels Ovenell Road. I also saw, in the same area, what I think were Violet Green Swallows. Not sure about that, but they had a significant amount of white on them, and were definitely different than the barn swallows. That's one of the things I think I enjoy the most about my walks--the flowers and the birds. I enjoy listening to the birds, and wish I had a tape recorder with me to collect their sounds. I don't do so well walking fast because I am always stopping to look at something new along the way. Today I saw two rabbits on the trail too.

The other thing I saw a lot of today were slugs---everywhere. The trails were covered with them--all the little brown variety--not the yellow-green banana slugs. Lots of water on the trail today, too. Good thing I wore my waterproof trail shoes. Hoping tomorrow is a nicer day--might drive somewhere in my new car to go for a different walk. Here's my route:  http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/740277

5/28/2010 Urban Walk

Thanks to my friend Joanne who confirmed that there are eaglets in the nest at the Port. Her husband works there and said they have been keeping an eye on them. No pictures today; my walk was 1.5 miles around downtown Seattle. I had a meeting at the Sheraton Hotel, so I parked at the Convention Center and walked over to the Sheraton--not so much of a walk, so when I was done with my meeting, I did a little 30 minute walk around a few downtown blocks, computer bag and all. Surprisingly for how hard it had rained all morning, it wasn't raining much at all during my walk, and there were lots of people out on the streets, not giving me a second look. However, I think I would have appeared a tourist if I'd had my camera with me and started snapping pictures. I stayed on the level ground, walking north and south rather than down any hills-a bit wussy of me, but remember I was carrying my 7 pound computer.  Hopefully the rain will end soon and we'll be back to nice weather and longer walks.

5/27/2010 Eaglets?

Although it was gray day all day today, it didn't rain, and I was able to squeeze in a walk in the early afternoon. I had a little over an hour between conference calls, so I headed to the Port trails to get  in a quick walk. My, but the birds were singing today!  It was fun to listen to them. The swallows were darting around as they always do, and I saw two large hawks today in areas where I hadn't seen them before. They flew pretty close to me, and I am amazed at how large they were. New flowers seem to be appearing every time I walk in the area, and the green tips on the evergreen trees are really pretty now. New cones are starting to form also.

Both of the eagles were back at their nest today down on the lower loop. One was sitting on the nest--you can see make out his white head along the tree--and the other was sitting out a ways on another tree. They made quite a bit of noise as I approached, but you can't really get too close. The tree with the nest is very tall, and its way off the trail. In fact, you'd have to cross a creek to get to it, so I don't know what the eagles thought I was going to do. I am going to have to take my binoculars with me one of these days to see if there are eaglets in the nest. I read that they lay their eggs in mid-March to early April, and it takes them about 35 days to hatch, so if there are any in the nest, I should know pretty soon. I'll keep you posted. Here's my route today: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/737016  1.4 miles.

5/26/2010 Rainy Days

Weird spring we are having here this year. Lots of rain. Today it pretty much poured all day, and finally I ended up heading to the mall for my walk around 5:30 PM. I only did a 35 minute walk, but to alter my route instead of just sticking to the mail mall area, I did a loop through Sears as well. Again, if you keep walking, the store clerks just think you are heading to another department and leave you alone. No pictures again today--this must be getting pretty boring to anyone following me in this blog. Guess you have to put up with the boring to get to the good stuff. I did see lots of other walkers tonight, and the security guard gave me the head nod when he walked by me--not sure what that meant...I am still saddened when I walk through the mall and see all the empty shops--even the food court is only half full--and store clerks are just standing around the stores that are open. the busiest place toight seemed to be the T Mobile stand--not sure if that's good or bad for T Mobile... Tomorrow I hope to get outside again, I did clock 2.8 miles today, though, but not all at the mall.

5/25/2010 Bakerview Trail

I was back in Mount Vernon again today, and by 7:45 PM when I left a friend's house, I still hadn't walked. Across from their place is Bakerview Park, and I pulled in thinking I would walk around the playfields when I noticed people walking along a trail. Sure enough, it is part of a trail that starts at the river in Mount Vernon and winds its way up the hill to the park. I had read about the trail, but couldn't imagine it because it goes all through neighborhoods. I thought it would be on city sidewalks. How wrong I was. It is a very cool trail that seems to wind itself between residential areas. It appears to be newly planted along the way with all sorts of different shrubs and trees and crosses creeks along the way. You would not know you were in the middle of residential areas as you walk along the trail. One of the areas I walked past was the Kulshan Creek neighborhood garden. I would never have seen that if I was driving. It was a very nice evening and the garden was full of people working spreading new gravel on the paths through the garden, as well as working in their own patches.  What a great opportunity for people who live in a city. I only walked 1.67 miles from Bakerview to LaVenture and back, but it was a pleasant walk. Here's my route: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/734731

5/24/2010 Home Again

I slept in a long time this morning since I got home so late last night. Since I had to help a friend with some computer assistance in the early afternoon, I took a quick walk along the way when I stopped for coffee. I walked the parking lot of our strip mall that contains Best Buy, Home Depot, Old Navy, and Olive Garden. I have found that if you stay on the sidewalks as much as you can, people don't look at you oddly as you are walking along. I didn't have my camera with me, as I really didn't plan to take my walk where I did, but I am glad I walked then as the rest of the day was packed. I just walked 30 minutes around the parking lot--kind of in a hurry today. Luckily I caught a time when it wasn't raining, too.  No pics, no route....boring....

5/23/2010 Teaching, Learning, Traveling

Today I finished up the first weekend of my class in Kenosha and then flew home. pretty uneventful day. Clocked in 2.28 miles. I had such a nice walk yesterday, that I felt kind of bad that I didn't get a chance to do another one today. Teaching until 4:30, then driving to the airport and flying home doesn't give me much time to walk. Luckily I am on my feet all day during class and there is usually lots of places to walk in airports. I am getting great at avoiding the people movers--in fact, I felt pretty smug in Seattle as I walked along watching the others on the moving escalators, knowing I was doing a good thing by walking.  The other day I received a $30 certificate from my health insurance provider for meeting the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines for exercise. Pretty good bonus for walking every day. No pictures...

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