5/10/2010 Worn Out

I think I wore out my Mom and Tony. We ran a lot of errands today, and by the time we got back home, it was already close to 5:30 PM, so I left them at home and headed to the Burlington Dike Trail for a walk and a little alone time. Today wasn't as nice as the weekend had been as far as weather. It was a little cool and overcast, but it was nice to get out and walk.  There was lots of action on the playfields by the dike--baseball mostly. Seeing the parents head to the games carrying their lawn chairs made me think of all the years we either watched games or coached games. Kind of glad I'm not having to do that right now. It will be the Grantie kids that we watch next, but I think I have a few years before that happens. 

 I noticed today on the trail that the water on the Skagit seemed to be a bit higher than it has been; not too much of a sand bar left on the river. That's a good thing, I think. I'll have to pay more attention next winter to see if it's something that happens every year.

I only walked for just over 30 minutes, because I needed to get back home to fix dinner, so not too long of a walk today. But it was nice!  Here's my route: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/714105

5/9/2010 Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day, so between shopping for some plants for my yard and heading to dinner, I drove us all out to Padilla Bay for our walk today. I thought Tony and Mom would enjoy it as it is so pretty there. Mom stuck with us for 3/8 of a mile and then headed back to the car (3/4 of a mile all together) while Tony and I kept going. We walked out past the 1 mile marker and then returned. It was a beautiful day, with just a lightweight jacket needed, but a bit windy. The tide was out, but I was disappointed that we didn't see more wildlife today. Maybe the tide was too far out, or maybe it was because there were so many of us enjoying the trail. Again today I didn't worry about the mileage or the time we spent; it was all about being able to take a walk with my mom and Tony. It all made for a great Mother's Day! data from today's walk: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/712701

5/8/2010 A Walk With My Mom

My mom and step-dad came to visit me this Mother's Day weekend, so quickly upon their arrival, I talked them into going for a walk with me. We headed to the Port of Skagit trails because I knew there were benches for my mom (who will be 81 next month) and we could choose a shorter route. We did 1.45 miles all together. Mom did the first loop with us and then waited at the car while Tony and I did the lower loop around the eagle's nest area. It was great going for a walk with the two of them. Mom has had both knees and both hips replaced, but does pretty good for short walks. The best was having her identify all the trees along the way. One I was curious about has pretty white blooms. Turns out it is a hawthorn, and there are plenty of them in bloom around the port trails. The other thing we saw, of course, were the salmonberries, and Tony had to stop and collect a few along the way. We all reminisced about picking salmonberries when we were growing up. We also saw several red-winged blackbirds, which Mom enjoyed watching. It was a great day for a walk; I really didn't care about the distance or the time today, just enjoyed walking with my mom and Tony.  Here's our route: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/711256

5/7/2010 Sunshine!

The sunshine today made everyone forget how hard it rained and blew just 5 days ago. So many postings on Facebook today mentioning the sun and blue sky. And it was a beautiful day. Made me think about how lucky I am to be somewhat retired at a fairly young age and be able to enjoy days like this. I ran errands all day, so didn't take my walk until nearly 5:30, but that seems to be the time I enjoy most to be out walking. It is quiet then, the birds are all chirping, and quite often most people are home having dinner, so I am alone on the trails. Today was no exception.  I walked the 2.9 mile trail up Ovenell Road almost to the recycle center and then through the woods and back down Ovenell again, and never saw a soul. Once I got into the woods, remnants of the wind storm Sunday and Monday were quite evident, with at least two places scattered with fresh sawdust where some "logging" had to take place to remove some of the larger trees that had fallen across the trail. The trail was still quite muddy in the shaded areas, too, from the rain we had earlier this week.

I don't think anyone can really envision what the forest here is like unless they walk through it. It is full of very old growth timber: huge fir, hemlock, and cedar trees as well as old oak trees.  This stump or stumps is a conglomerate of what appears to be at least 4 or 5 trees that stood as one not too long ago.  My guess is, we lost them to a windstorm.

I also saw, and ate, my first salmonberries today. I knew there were wild blackberries along the trail, but didn't think about the salmonberries. Now I'll have snacks if I get hungry on my walks.My time was pretty horrible for this walk, but I was really enjoying the walk and all the nature around me, and stopping to take pictures everywhere. Nice walk! My route is here: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/709762

5/6/2010 Country Club Loop

What a gorgeous day it turned out to be. As is my fashion, I delayed my walk until about 5:30 PM. By then the skies were blue, clouds were gone, and so was the wind. It was a great evening for a walk, with only a sweatshirt needed. (I do look forward to a time soon when no second layer is necessary, though.)  I have been putting off walking the country club loop, but not sure why, it's only 2.5 miles and takes just under an hour. It seems so daunting though when I picture it in my mind. Must be the hills...
Anyway, it was a nice walk. Not a single car passed me during my entire walk, which is a rare occurrence. It was very quiet and peaceful. I even spotted a rabbit out near the road enjoying dinner.  I spent the walk taking in the sights and smells of spring, noticing that many of the trees that bloomed earlier are already losing their blossoms. Am wondering what will take their place, as the flowers bloom three-fourths of the year around here. Some of the Rhododendrons are really stunning with their huge, huge, blossoms. If any of you are looking for a home, I passed 8 houses for sale on my walk today, including two condominiums. Houses range from $650,000 to $330,000.
Looks like it is going to be nice for the next several days now, so I look forward to some nice walks. My route today is here: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/708593

5/5/2010 A Sign of the Times

Tonight I was over at Office Max in Mount Vernon checking out office desks, so when I got out to the parking lot, I decided to take my walk around the area there. I headed north through the deserted Wal-Mart store parking lot and then all the way down to the CottonTree hotel and back. Thirty minutes in all, 1.3 miles. I am sort of fascinated with the way America just discards commercial buildings. Across the street a ways from the now empty Wal-Mart, are a vacant, discarded Joes Sporting Goods and an Albertson's store, a large amount of retail space sitting empty. Meanwhile, Wal-Mart builds a brand new store just a 1/2 mile away, and at one point Winco was going to build a new store up the road--while this prime property sits empty.  I have heard that there is a covenant on the Wal-Mart property made with Safeway that prohibits another grocery store from moving into the Wal-Mart site. Cities should think more about the future when they allow building permits.  Another thing I walked past tonight was what used to be, until Tuesday, a Frontier Bank.

Now it is Union Bank of California. Notice the plastic sign. I have seen those go up on other banks in the area the past few months as bank after bank closes. Scary times for financial institutions. Frontier is the 6th Washington bank to go under so far in 2010; that's over 1 bank a month. Kind of makes you want to start keeping your money in your mattress--not so easy now with a Tempur-Pedic.  Maybe in my cowboy boots in my closet. I don't use those too often.  Here's my route: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/707372

5/4/2010 Lopez Island

Wow! What a treat today! My friend Pat Fitzgerald invited me out to Lopez Island today where she and her husband have a cabin, so we spent a bit of the afternoon walking on two trails. One was a little over 2 miles long, the other just under 1/2 a mile.  The first walk was out to Iceberg Island State Park, an area I hadn't ever been to before on the island, and I'm not sure too many people except locals know about it. The entrance is gated with a no parking sign and private property signs, but just down the road a ways from that is the official state park sign. Pretty nice secret, Lopez Islanders!  The trail is pretty much grass and dirt, and winds through a mostly pine tree and fern forest before opening up to a rocky point. The weather was beautiful all day; blue sky and sunshine--unlike what I left at home this morning. 

After we did the first walk, Pat drove us to Watmough Park, and oh my gosh---it is only .23 miles through the woods, but ends at a most beautiful bay. The water was crystal clear close to the shore and beautiful blue farther out. Tiny little fish were jumping everywhere--guess it was feeding time. It was actually pretty breathtaking there. So peaceful too. We sat on the logs for a bit taking it all in. What a great way to spend the day! 

You can see my routes here; my Trimble AllSport program even worked on the islands! 

Iceberg Island:

http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/705607

Watmough Bay: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/705662