With the exception of dog walks, I really didn't walk much this week. There is no excuse.
Several days I had intended to but didn't get out. Why? Life gets in the way. And I am my extended families personal Uber. For example, Wednesday I planned to walk after lunch. I wasn't sure when, but I wanted to wait for it to warm up a little. I was finishing up lunch and decided to check the temp on my phone. There was a text from my international student—"could you come over for a Christmas gift right away’’. She was leaving for New York City in an hour.
I replied I'd be there -- it narrowed my choices for walking and gave me a destination. I'd go to NCC, then walk at Hornfleck park and then finish at Walmart to get a new Fitbit. Wrong. I arrived at school and it was nearly a half hour before she came down. Then I offered to take them to the bus stop so they didn't have to walk in the cold. We stopped at the gas station for tickets, and found out that they had missed the bus, and the next one wasn't till six. They had to go to the Easton terminal. See how things spiral out of control?
This morning I was reading the paper and saw a road warrior article on the effectiveness of cross walk buttons. His dad, like mine, called them "idiot" buttons. It got my attention immediately and gave me an idea. I had already canceled my plans to do the AT hike because I had to Uber my sister from St. Luke's to the north side. (She walks very slow and 13° weather is not great for her joints. Long story short, it took an hour and a half for what should have been a 20 minute round trip.) I would be a road warrior deputy and do the research of crosswalk signals. South Bethlehem, I decided, would be represented.
Did I mention it was 13° with windchill bringing it to -1°?
I came in from Ubering my sister and told my roomies I was headed out for a walk. I put on more clothes—I looked like the Michelin man. I grabbed a pencil, paper and my phone and headed out.
The first stop was the 5-points. As I'm walking down Broadway I see the hand is red. I think, great, this will go quickly. Wrong. I was crossing Wyandotte from the bank to the garage. I waited three full cycles of the light and the hand never changed. Even when I knew it should change. Once I click the button, it came on in 1.13 minutes. I found this very odd. I never noticed it when I'm out walking. But then, I always hit the idiot button. Why? So if anyone hits me, all the security cameras will tell the police that I had the right of way.
Then I tried to cross Broadway from the garage to the Old Ale House. I never noticed that there was no button! I crossed anyway, and did the timing process. Again, about 1.15 minutes.
At this point I am an ice cube. Especially my fingers. They kept coming out of the gloves. This is a project for March, not December! I had to get moving. So I did.
I did a total of five corners. The most interesting one was at the corner of Third and the Hill to Hill Bridge. Crossing Third, heading toward the bridge the light timer was 50 seconds. Not bad. However, crossing Wyandotte to Nativity Church was 2.07 minutes. I was so impatient I kept hitting the button. I didn't think it would ever turn.
I was really cold when I got home. I was looking forward to taking off my shoes and layers of outer wear, and just getting warmed up. But it was not meant to be. I walked in the house and was told it was time to go pick up sauerkraut at Bonnie's for New Year's dinner. Sigh. I turned around and left again.
An Uber driver's work is never done.
Tomorrow I'm doing a Wildland's First Day hike in Emmaus.
Miles/Steps: Clueless. i'd like to guess 2 miles
Weather: 13°, overcast, with a wind chill of -1°
Extras: I have been looking for several days for a new Fitbit. I've signed up for a challenge in Volkssport walking and it starts tomorrow. There are none left in the stores. Heck, I can't even buy them online. Fitbit has them on back order for 2 weeks. I guess I should have shopped BEFORE the holidays.
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