Here's what you can miss if you don't get yourself out for a walk this time of year.  Isn't it lovely?  Smelled lovely too.  This tree can be found at Sugar Creek Park on Daugherty Ferry Road at Barrett Station Road in St. Louis County.

The walking trail at this park is not very long.  It is mostly paved and partly in the shade.  There is a playground and restrooms.  Easy access to I-270.  You'll see lots of chipmunks, birds, squirrels, and the occasional deer.

Thanks to K for taking this great photos.



*************************** Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Slow Walk And A Find

No, it wasn't I who was walking slowly.  It was this guy.  Isn't he a beauty?  While I am aware that most of the human world does not share my love of turtles, I think ya'll are just wrong.  These creatures - technically this is a box tortoise as he's a land dweller - are beautiful to me.  I have been in love them since I was 5 years old and saw my first one while walking home from school.  Back in those days - before the invention of ice - little kids like me walked home from school alone on busy streets.  I saw this amazing creature who pulled himself inside a shell.  I knew my older brother would be along in a few minutes so I waited for him.  Since he knew everything in the whole world, I knew he would be able to identify this stranger.  Sure enough, he identified it as a box turtle.  We took him home for mom to admire.  She did not share our enthusiasm, so we let him loose in the yard.  But, I was hooked!


So, you can see this guy that I made friends with on a recent walk at Blue Bird Park.  My friend Kris noticed him first.  But, I have a special way with tortoises.  I pick them up and talk to them and they come out of their shells and let me do all kinds of things.  I rub their noses, play with their toes, and rub their shells.  The seem to understand that I won't hurt them.


After a nice visit with this critter, we placed him back in the leaves headed in the same direction he had been in before and continued on our walk.  This time of year, the males are searching for mates and marking their territory.  The photo doesn't show the bright colors he bears.  His happy orange and yellow stripes and spots contrast nicely with his well camouflaged shell and beak.  This guy might not be fast, but I think he's handsome enough to have his pick of the ladies!


Blue Bird Park is a nice place to walk.  There are several trails, some more challenging than others and some that take you out of the park through some neighboring subdivisions.  There are many hills, some paved trails, and some mulch.  This time of year, the shade and mulch are greatly appreciated on hot days.  We'll definitely put this on our regular walking sites.


*************************** Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Lone Elk Park

Lone Elk Park is a gem that exists not far from my home.  It's home to bison, elk, deer, and lots of other more typical wildlife like birds, squirrels, and, right now, lots of wood beetles.  And, this time of year, it is a stunning place to walk.


The picture above was taken by my friend and walking buddy, Kris, as we walked on the Bison Trail around the lake last week.  The trail is not challenging if you are used to walking hills.  There are a lot of hills!  On the trail, one is likely to encounter both elk and deer.  The bison are in a part of the park open only to cars.  Encountering and elk on the trail can be startling - more for us than them.  This is their home and we're just wandering through.  Signs posted in many places warn against approaching or feeding the wildlife.  Mostly, they just look as we give them a wide birth on the trail.


The lake is stocked with fish and has a small fishing jetty.  Boats are allowed.  In most of the park, there are tables for picnics and barbecue.  Now, I'm not going to be cooking around wild animals larger than I am!  So, I suggest you do so at your own risk. 


One warning:  Dogs are not allowed in this park, even in your car.  Actually, the sign reads 'no domestic animals' are allowed in the park.  The sign is NOT obvious, so if you plan to walk the dog, this is not the park for you.  But, for walking buddies of the two legged variety, this park is a must walk.


*************************** Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Walking Your Way to Health and Longevity

Who's got a big brain?  Well, I should if we are to believe the cool information in this article.  Maybe this explains why my 91 year old mother is healthy, with no health issues except for her blindness due to macular degeneration, and mentally sharp.  She walks about one mile every day.  She can't walk very fast anymore since she can't see in front of her to take long strides, but she keeps at it.  And, I'm sure it's working. 


Also, this week, I read a couple of other items that might be of interest and motivating for all walkers.  First is the idea of charitymiles.org . There are 28 charities for which you can raise money by walking, running, or cycling.  Once you sign up with the site, it tracks your distance and donates a quarter for every mile you walk or run or a dime for every biked mile.  Pretty cool, huh?


Nexercise.com is an app you can download that will track your activity so you can qualify to win gift cards from a variety of stores.


Runtastic.com/en/apps is a site to register for a pedometer app so you can score points to redeem at a variety of retailers like CVS or Amazon.  Or, you can choose to donate your points to a number of nonprofits.  $1 - 1000 points. 


So, if you can't get motivated to walk for your own wellbeing, maybe you'll walk for someone else's or to score some fun stuff.  Think now what you'd like to buy at Sephora or Home Depot, for instance, and sign up with Nexercise.com to get started toward your little wish.  Or, round up some friends, register everyone for charitymiles.com and plan an hour or so each weekend to walk together and contribute to the charity of your choice.  No way to lose with these ideas.  And, you just might get a 'big head' , er, uh, a bigger brain.  Smarter too!




*************************** Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Another Friend 'Gets It'

Sometimes I'm pretty smart.  Well, sometimes someone makes me seem smart!


My friend Kathy G with whom I used to walk frequently has her own blog and has given me a shout out.  Check it out here.  It's all about how to stay fit and motivated when the weather is not cooperating.


Kathy is much better at this whole fitness thing than I am.  She is an early bird and goes to the gym most days.  So, smarter than I am for sure.




*************************** Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Convertible Days

There really are not too many 'convertible days' in St. Louis.  You know.  Those sunny, but not too hot days when you would happily pluck the top off your car and drive around with the wind blowing through your hair.  In St. Louis, it's either too hot, too cold, too wet, or just too humid to genuinely enjoy having the convertible top down.


Back in my early days of owning cars, my first two were old beaters with rag tops.  The first one did not have a functioning heater/defroster, had all kinds of holes in the rag top, and gave a nice view of the pavement passing by under the shift stick that was on the floor.  The second was a bit nicer but I loved that first car better than any I've ever owned.


That car saw me through four years of college.  And, after I drove the 30 minutes from home to campus, I then had about a mile's walk up and down hills to my first class.  The university was on the site of a former golf course, so there were plenty of hills and dales.  And, only one place to park.  I did a lot of walking in all kinds of St. Louis weather.  Of course, I was typically underdressed because I was paying more attention to fashion than comfort.  Mini skirts, patterned pantyhose, and platform shoes.  No wonder I have bunions!


But, these past few days, I'd gladly trade my sweet hatchback car for the old Morris Minor of college days.  I'd love to have the relative freedom of long hair that pulled back into a pony tail, making it impervious to the whipping wind. 


But, in my convertible, I'd still be driving to a nearby park to take a hike.  I'd still choose a car like the hatchback so my favorite four-legged walking buddy would have her own place to ride.  And, I'm grateful for the advances in shoe technology (and my disinterest in fashion) that allow me greater comfort for my walks. 


A lot has changed since the late 1960's.  But, my need to walk has not.  And, the convertible would still work now - but only a few days a year. 




*************************** Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.