dang it was hot out—and only 7:30 am!

Yesterday I talked with Pat from the Liberty Bell Wanderers and we were to meet this morning at 8:15 am. She was coming up from the Philly 'burbs to walk with a friend from North Carolina. The friends husband is playing/singing at the Moravian Music Festival. (They'll be doing 10K walks all week. In the heat.)

Pat is the trail master for LBW. I am now the new contact for the Bethlehem/Allentown trails. Yes, I don't need more work to do, but I said yes. And as we walked we discussed the Bethlehem walk.

Bonnie came along for part of the walk. We arrived downtown at 7:40 or so, and walked till 8:15. (About a mile and a half.) Bonnie needed to leave at 9 for the dentist. Imagine, choosing the dentist over walking!

Pat really flies when she walks. I think we were doing close to 4 mph. I was sweating like crazy.

Here's what I found out. Bethlehem used to be two walks, but people never wanted to do the southside walk because some neighborhoods are a little unappealing. They combined the two routes, but to get the distance for the 10K they have you retrace some of the 5K loop, walk over the Fahy Bridge, go tot the steelworkers memorial, and then come back. What a waste.

Thru my rose-colored glasses, I do not see any problems with the south side. Sure it's worn out and needs some sprucing up. Sure there is some neighborhoods that you don't walk in especially at night. But they really are the exception, rather than the rule. A block off those run down main drags, are nice working class neighborhoods. Please do not break my rose-colored glasses. I live in one of those neighborhoods.

Anyway, that is no longer the case with a nice section of the southside—the Greenway, ArtsQuest, NCC-SS, and the casino. Not to mention the Smithsonian affiliated National Museum of Industrial History that is almost complete. Oh, and the Hoover Trestle high line. You can hear what's about to happen, right? I volunteered to split the Bethlehem walk and do a separate south side one. The clinker. It needs to be done by August 7th for board approval or it waits for next year. The 2014 national guide book goes to press at the end of August. Now it doesn't need to be the whole thing, just the basic route and distances and a couple points of interest. I can do this. Bonnie and Lydia will help me test it out. Maybe.

Anyway, I walked about 6 miles today, in the extreme heat, and crossed the finish for the 165 mile challenge. I guess 200 miles is next.