Tag Archives: walking

Do You Believe In Resolutions?

Posted on by
2

What’s your stance on New Year’s Resolutions?

Studies show that about sixty percent of us make resolutions but only about eight percent of us follow through on them.

I’m a planner and a goal setter so I usually have two or three of varying size.

One of my 2020 resolutions was to read 100 books. Check!

Another was to travel as much as possible with a couple of big trips in mind along with some weekend getaways. That clearly didn’t work out.

And there were some smaller ones that fell to the wayside but others came to light as the year progressed. For example, I log the miles that I hike and intentionally walk every day and am very close to reaching 500 miles.

Planning is in my nature and one of my stronger skills. I’m good at breaking down a large project into small pieces that can be completed in phases. Sadly, 2020 sort of beat the desire to plan right out of me.

And yet, here I am, contemplating goals for the new year. It isn’t productive to wait for the flip of a calendar page to start but a new year feels like a fresh start and an irresistible opportunity to take a run at planning again.

The picture above is from a Denver sidewalk. Most of us will never make it to the moon. But what’s the phrase? Shoot for the moon and even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.

Reading, walking and traveling may not get me to the moon or the stars but these things will give me opportunity to improve myself and that’s pretty good too.

What More Could I Want?

Posted on by
2

bl3.JPG

An old bike. A mural. Fall leaves.

What more do you need?

This was taken in Marietta, Ohio last fall – a place that I love to visit and rarely go. The last time I was there,  I did this and wrote about it. 

There’s a lot to see and do in this area so I’m planning a couple of quick day trips this fall. Maybe I”ll make it back to this antique store  but more than anything, I just want to wander around with my camera!

 

 

City of Presidents

Posted on by
6

Rapid city downtown (8)

Rapid City, South Dakota is known as the City of Presidents. It’s a convenient place to stay if you’re visiting the region and is a nice place to spend your time. It’s a city that has a small town vibe.

The downtown area is vibrant with locally owned shops and restaurants, museums and things to do outdoors. Parking is free in their garage on holidays, Sundays and evenings so we never paid to park here.. You see plenty of law enforcement as well as security cameras making it seem safe enough. Abundant flowers, plentiful outdoor seating and a fun park are anchors here.

We did see a few homeless people and a particularly aggressive panhandler but you’ll unfortunately have that no matter where you go.

This is a very walkable downtown and motorists seem to respect the rights of pedestrians, a far cry from how motorists in Ohio seem to feel about them.

One thing that makes this city special is that each former US President and some Native American leaders have been immortalized with life sized statues throughout downtown. They were paid for by donors and each one is unique.

Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.

I’ll share more pictures from Rapid City. Meanwhile, have a look their tourism site if you’re interested in knowing more about visiting.

Hiding In Plain Sight

Posted on by
Reply

z old lancaster church.jpgA recent work assignment found me on foot in Lancaster looking for photo ops. The thing about walking is that you notice things that you might miss from the car. Case in point: this old church, tucked in between two houses on a street about a block from downtown.

Check out the window and the patina on the brick!

z old lancaster church 3.jpg

It appears to be a private residence now and I would love to see inside but obviously had to settle for a couple of exterior snapshots before moving on and getting back to work. It was hot that morning and I was too warm and tired by about 10 a.m. so this little shaded area was quite inviting and I could imagine sitting down under the tree with a cold drink and a book.

What a cool place to live.

 

These Shoes

Posted on by
2

These shoes. I love these shoes.

They’re nothing fancy. Just some New Balance trail runners I found cheap on clearance. But they’re comfortable and sturdy and they have good grip for climbing and hiking. Yet they look like a tennis shoe so they transition well to walking around town too.

They’re like old friends, these shoes. We’ve been to a lot of places together. In these shoes, I followed my friend Johnna up giant boulders in Canyonlands National Park and waded through ankle deep sand at Utah’s Great Salt Lake. If you look close they’re still stained red from Utah’s sandy terrain.

I’ve worn them lots of other places including the gritty streets of Pittsburgh and the muddy trails of Ohio’s Hocking Hills.

I like to think that I’m carrying with me a little piece of all the places I’ve been when I wear these shoes.

Alas, their days are numbered. They’re getting enough miles on them they will soon be too worn out to be useful or healthy even though the tops still look good.

One of these days I will be forced to replace them with a shiny new pair that I hope will take me on even more grand adventures. But I’m hoping to wear them on one more big adventure to Wyoming this summer.

By the way, I’m also grateful for the feet inside these shoes that take me everywhere I want to go and occasionally some places that I’m not sure I really want to go. If you’re able to get out of bed every day, walk around and do things for yourself, count yourself lucky.

Regardless of the shoes you wear, you are lucky.

Doors of Marietta

Posted on by
Reply

One of the best things about being on foot is that you notice things you would miss from a car. I love to park my car and just wander around a town – even one that I know well – looking for things that interest me.

I visit Marietta several times a year, usually to antique or to see a show, but walking around with my camera is fun sometimes too. I’m sort of obsessed with doors so it comes as no surprise that I produced a substantial amount of door pictures this last trip.

Here are a few.

Is there something you always seek out? Sometimes I feel like a broken record, looking at all my door pictures, but I really don’t care. A good door makes me happy.