New idea

so, i have decided that i am going to start using this blog to write about my daily walks and exercise. I know this may be kinda cliche, but i could care less.

So, yesterday i did a lovely 6 mile, say we call it a jaunt, on the bikepath from West State Street Park in Athens, mile marker 4 to mile marker 7 in The Plains and back. Typically when i walk i start at the Community Center and walk towards the Ohio University Campus, or towards Holzer Clinic. I usually walk 3-4 miles per day for about 1 to 1 and a 1/2 hours. This walk took me a little over 2 hours and was a far superior walk to any i have done yet. The weather was sublime, the flora and fauna were superb in their showing, and there was enough traffic to make me feel secure, without feeling crowded.

The path starts at West State Street Park. It winds through several types of habitats including prarie grasslands, wetlands and woods. It is shaded for a good portion of the trip, so it was several degrees cooler than in the sunlight. the best part of the trip though was the abundance of wildflowers.

I believe i saw 7 varieties in all. They were all lovely and unique. most were one i have seen before and am familiar with. Spring Beauty (a particular favorite of mine), Dutchman's Breeches, Wild Geranium, Violets, Mayapple (not yet blooming), Toad Trillum (maroon), and Large Flowering Trillium (White) I am going to post some photos along with this post, but they are not great photos as they were taken with my cell phone and the color is dreadful. I really need to get a new camera. I also saw a lovely wild cherry tree in bloom, and a lovely flower that i have yet to figure out what it was. I'll update when i get it.

anyway, the walk yesterday was great and i had a lovely time.

Today i decided to walk from the Community Center as normal. I walked 3 miles to O'bleness Hospital and back to the Rec. The real triumph today was that i did this in 1 hour 45 minutes. That was a personal best for me. 6 miles in 105 minutes. I'm thrilled. I did jog a little, very little, but really need to start doing more of that. My biggest fear with jogging though, esp. outside, is that i am going to set myself off into an asthma attack. Thus, i have decided, that if i want to jog, i will do so at around the 2.5 mile marker to the 3 mile marker. That way if i do have an asthma attack (or for that matter a heart attack) i will be directly behind the hospital. This should work.

The highlight of my walk today was the beautiful Indigo Bunting that i saw. This bright and beautiful bird was sitting at a bird feeder off of the 7th tee of the Ohio University Golf course which runs adjacent to the bikepath. i have seen Indigo Buntings before, but am always amazed at thier incredible coloring. It seems almost unbelievable that something in nature should have such a wild, exotic and lovely color. This is Ohio after all, generally i think of the birds here as much less exotic, but the Indigo Bunting is so beautiful and bright it is a delight. (And i really don't care for birds unless they are raptors.)

Welll that's it for now. Hope you enjoy the chronicles of my walks and adventures in nature. I'm by no means an expert, so if i've made a mistake in my identification, please let me know. Enjoy the weather.