Walking on the bike trail

[deacon]

the walking/bike trail was interesting today. I walked three miles for the first time this year. It wasn't too bad but my mind wandered terribly. Not a good thing when you share the path with bicycles. Most will at least warn me when the come around. Some just assume i wont stagger into their path. Foolish people.

There was a traffic jam on the path as well. Okay not a traffic jam but it was the most people I have ever seen. It was seven am so I guess we all were trying to avoid the heat that surely arrived a couple of hours later.

I saw for the first time cigarette butts on the trail. Somebody was smoking as they walked along. That is an interesting contradiction. The water in the creek was discolored for some reason. Not the usual brown, not a color like clothes dye or anything, just a kind of cloudy almost but not quite green, It was strange. I suppose it is because the college is building a new dorm near the creek. Cement would account for that shade I suppose.

Anyway it was an interesting walk. All my old friends seemed to be there. I noticed something about the old man who takes the chubby white dog into the fenced in tennis courts to play fetch.

The old man throws the stick, the dog goes to the stick then runs walks off with it. The old man moves to where the dog laid the stick and throws it again. The dog walks to the stick picks it up and walks off again. Every time the dog lays the stick down, the old man walks to it, then throws it again. I think that the old man is skinny because he walked to the stick and the dog is chubby because he doesn't take it back to the old man. Somebody needs to explain the rules of fetch to those two. Calling the dog whisperer,

 

[deacon]

I hit 200 lbs for the first time in twenty five years at least. I bought a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts as I promised myself I would. The good thing about that kind of pig out they won't stay in my system very long lol...

Anyway I am happy as a teenager at his first boy girl dance.

 

[robin]

My wife walks daily on the bicycle trail--i find it slow for me--i like seeing the trees wizz by when its paved asphalt--i like walking on trails with undulation to them--iam getting rather p.oed as today i put in a new piston worked 6 hours --it ran great for 100 yards then bang and the rear brakes went on--so need a new engine or none at all--mechanical contrivences can be so irritating and frustrating--your legs are so much easier to keep oiled and fueled--well to heck with it im going to give up the bike for 10 days and go hiking !!!!!!!!!!!! ill see if i like it again after that some years to be exact i didnt touch the bike for 10 years as i had a dog to walk every day--iam lucky as we have so much crown land and mountains here within 5 miles east or west our valley is only 3-4 miles wide at 800 ft elevation-true dessert and hot --last week 95f in the valley 75 in the mountains !!

 

[deacon]

Walking in heat will melt the pounds. Literally melt them away. I did a hike up in the great smoky mountains within a year of being back in the world. My brother and I walked into the mountains in the dead of winter. It was quite the adventure, someday I will tell you all about it.

The electric bikes were supposed to be more dependable than the gasoline but I still have problems with the chains and now the controller but mostly because I can't seem to leave them alone. I have so far locked up a motor and a bike wheel with them. I should have stayed with the scooter wheels with factory sprockets. Those were almost impossible to screw up. But I do have one really fast pusher bike which seems to be healthy at the moment.

I looked into a factory scooter just for dependability and decided that wasn't for me. So I guess it is keep searching for the holy grail of motorized bikes.

 

[deacon]

Walking on the bike trail is directly related to having a small lightweight almost disposable bike. I need to ride to the trail and then home again from it. To do that I have to ride down leave the bike in the parking lot, then ride it back. My small bike had to be rebuilt so I have not been to the trail for three days. Tomorrow I will be going back again.

I have really missed it so I am looking forward to the walk.

 

[deacon]

Today I headed out to the bike trail at 7am... I got about two blocks on my new/rebuilt/junkyard electric pusher bike, when I heard a couple unusual noises. I figured I would check them out when I got to the parking lot. The sudden popping sound changed my mind. One of my weld had failed and the frame was dragging on the tire. It blew out.

So I walked it home and fixed it. Then I got side tracked by my wife for a couple of hours. I took the bike out about ten to test ride it. I rode it over to the park and on a whim I stopped and walked the trail. I did my three miles and felt pretty good about it.

I met a few of the 7am people. Seems several of them slept in this morning. I also met a woman about fifty with three nasty little terriers off leash. Now that's against the rules but since I have a rottweiler mix and a terrier twice the size of those which surrounded me barking, I laughed at the little beasts.

It was a nice walk actually. I love the diversity of the walkers and bikers on that trail.

 

[deacon]

It was threatening to rain but I took the small ebike out to the trail. I walked my three miles dry. I saw a sad thing there today. You might remember me mentioning the big white dog who gets to play on the tennis court. Well today some also overweight white man was hitting tennis balls from one end of the court to the other then walking down to retrieve them.

The big white dog and his owner were walking in the grass several yards from the court. I kept thing why not take the dog in and let him run down those tennis balls. The dog and his owner were walking around kind of dejected looking.

Since I don't play tennis but I do have two dogs, I think they should tear up the court and make it a dog park.

I also bumped into a few of the regulars. The black lady with her setter looking dog. I called the lady with the painted dog because the dog has beautiful spots. The weight lifter and his wife were also there walking. The middleaged man on his coaster bike passed me as well. It was a nice walk.

I know this has to be the most boring thread here lol,

 

[deacon]

I tend to learn a little more each time I walk the trail. Today I learned that one of the couples about my age actually pick up litter along the trail. They told me they get from 8 to 12 bags of litter a day out there.

I really am a little surprised that the city doesn't police the trail, but I guess during this budget crunch days citizens have to pick up the slack some.

Anyway people like that are the good ones... I actually used to pick up litter on my walks around my neighborhood, but I gave up when the area wouldn't stay litter free for two days. Not only that but the litter in two days was almost as much as when I started. No matter what I did or did not do the litter was about equal.

 

[deacon]

It looks as though the world is getting a little more health conscious. I was involved in a traffic jam on the trail this morning. In the span of three miles I was passed by four pedal bikes, and half a dozen walkers. That doesn't count those going in the same direction as me. I passed the gym rat and his struggling wife. I told her as they passed that he made it look so simple, he needed to be shot.

Then there were three women ahead of me for about a mile and a half that together would probably break the springs on an early Toyota truck. The bad thing about that is they opened a pretty large gap between us. They were traveling faster than I was.

The three mile walk took so long my wife was about ready to come looking for me. It's a good thing the bike did so well. I think i must walk at about three miles an hour maybe a little less.

Just another day of hiking on the bike trail...

 

[deacon]

So today I timed my exact three mile walk. It took one hour one and a half minutes give or take 5 seconds. So I guess I walk about about 2.9 miles an hour. I wonder what average is.

 

[deacon]

I was working on my faux trike aka bike with big training wheels today so I didn't walk but I did work in the hot sun all day and at the end of the day for the first time in 35years my weight is under 200 lbs its a milestone for me.

Of course it might be like that Burt Reynolds movie. He had a rare disease and was dying. The doctor asked why he didn't come in when he first realized he was losing weight without a reason.

"I know i should have, but my friends kept telling me how good I looked."


about the bike with training wheels My wife dubbed it quadrocycle.

 

[robin]

Certainly hope you dont have anything wrong !!--probably not--i should go with you cant get under 210--when i was a landscape contractor for 31 years i was 175 to 180 lbs.--direcly related to work and stress

 

[deacon]

Oh I'm fine just dieting.

 

[robin]

My wife and i are moving for three months to Oliver B.C. They have a wonderful bicycle/walking trail which my wife walks every morning for an hour. I often go on it with a peddle or motorized bicycle it goes about 25 miles thru the fruit belt of B.C. we grow peaches ,apples, cherries ,grapes ,apricots and all the vegetable crops --summers are hot but not humid the other day 102 degrees--most Americans dont know this exists in Canada--its not all the great white north --even in winter, when it is relatively warm--the downside to this trail which follows Okanagan river or the excavated canal is you can often smell pesticides-however the most noxious are now outlawed -about 3 miles south of town you are lucky if you encounter anyone which makes a nice trip.it is flat and easy ride with plenty of wildlife viewing--on one trip i saw what i thought was a big dog -it was a bear ! there are a number of birds -coyotes-bald eagles-herons fishing in the river channel.I sound like iam promoting tourism B.C. but its true.

 

[robin]

Deacon by the way i love your blogspots and have them bookmarked !!

 

[deacon]

Thanks I have to go back to the novel soon ...

 

[robin]

Now that i have 2 motorized bikes--1 for sale--i wont be walking the bike trail but ill probably turn of the engine and pedal at times. For the next 3 days iam occupied with a kayak trip to rattlesnake island on Okanagan lake-that would be a good blog "kayaking the bike trail" as we can do that in Penticton because the river channel parralels the walking path.
Daily since i got my new bike i ride out to the lake for a good swim which gives me exercise --at 95-100f daily now it is too hot to pedal.

 

[deacon]

I haven't walked in a week. I have been busy working on bikes. I work from 7am till 5 pm at least in the heat of the day. It seems to knock me out as much as a three mile walk. I need to get back to it next time I have a junker to ride down to the trail.

 

[deacon]

I walked this morning for the first time in almost a week. I had been working on a bike to ride to the park. So today it was finished and off I went.

I got there just fine and walked my three miles. I was passed by a young adult on a bike, An African American woman with a black dog and a older lady on a bike. I had not seen any of them before. I walked really early so the regular crowd I see hadn't started.

It was a good walk but in even so short a time I got out of the habit. I was on the verge of expanding my walk before the break. I had a tough time making it today.

Ah well tomorrow is another day.

 

[deacon]

This morning the crowd was back on the trail. The walk for most of us goes like this we start at the park and walk to the little red schoolhouse and then turn and come back. The alternate is to start at the school house and walk to the park then return to the school house.

I saw four ladies who start from the schoolhouse sitting at the park entrance when I pulled in. They were taking their halfway break. I always do my three miles without a stop. So I said good morning and off I went on my way.

First I saw an old man my age with a child about ten. They were inside the little league/ community baseball/softball field with an overweight dog. The dog was trying hard not to play. Probably a chore for it to play at it's weight. I passed them hoping they were cleaning up after the dog.

The man on the coaster bike passed me from the front. He was finishing his ride I think. A little farther down the trail I passed two women walking toward the park entrance where I had come from. I caught sight of a man in front of me walking the same direction. He turned back short of the mile and a half mark so his total was probably two miles. He passed me as I was struggling for the mile and a half mark.

I made the halfway turn and headed back to the park. I was passed by a young black man running. He had a very comfortable stride and was hardly breathing hard. I knew for a fact that I would never be able to run like that. I never had and I know now I never will. He looked like he might be in training for something or other.

About a quarter mile from the end of the walk I passed a man walking along reading a book. I could never focus on a book and walk. Also the asphalt is pretty broken up on parts of that trail. He is likely to fall on his butt.

Then I was passed by the runner going the other way. I met him again when I stopped to let my mind drift back into the moment.

So the bike trail is an interesting place. Little bits of life that are all questions with no answers. Almost everyone is as friendly as can be. Kind of like real life it does take a day or two before the warm up to a newby.