this walk calmed me down.

 Last night I worked at the homeless shelter helping with dinner. This morning--at 5 am--I was back helping with breakfast. It's a beautiful day and I knew I would be walking. But where and when was a question mark.

I have a lot of work to get done so I knew a road trip was out.  I thought about going up to south mountain. Lydia was off from work, so I asked if she wanted to come along. She did. I had one thing to finish and the email pinged. I don't know why the sound was on. I hate being Pavlov's dog. So what did I do? I looked at it.

Wrong move.

It was from an author. I have just finished her print book and her ebook using Kindle software because she said she was selling it on Amazon. Then she changed the print vendor. No biggie. I just needed to download a new cover template. I was supposed to send it to her Friday, but she said wait till Monday, she was busy working on her car and wouldn't have time to upload. Good.

Well the email said she was not only changing the vendor for the ebook, but it's also a different file type. One that I am not entirely certain how to make. Shit. These are not the things to do when you're about to send a project to the printer. I was steaming mad. I needed to walk. Now.

I decided to go to the D&L, at the Rt. 33 trailhead. Then I could go to the farm and Bed Bath & Beyond. I pasted the farm and turned down Farmersville Road. We went to that trailhead. Only an insane person would go to BB&B on a Saturday ... especially before a holiday. At this point I was still steaming.

We parked and headed to the trail. "They" are right. Walking calmed me down. I forgot about the author and her crazy book project. I had fun. Walking on a path I've walked on many times before. We only went about a mile before we turned around and came back.

The trail was packed with bikers and runners and hikers. And the academic dean at my college. And she recognized me. Not sure if that is good or bad.

52-hike challenge: 10/52
Miles/Steps:    2+ mile
Bathrooms:      None
Wildlife:           Hear a rooster, woodpecker and many squirrels. Heard at least 6 different bird calls, including a single goose. We found about 6 geese, and a couple of mallards. 
Weather:          low 60s, sunny
Money found:   a penny
Extra:               We wore Lydia's bunny ears, and many people we passed asked if we found any eggs. We did -- when we stopped at the farm on the way home. I was shocked the chickens were not out. Though the chickens there lay brown eggs, so maybe that's an issue. 

saucon rail trail ... sort of

It snowed about a  foot on Wednesday. Schools were cancelled. Cars mostly stayed home. By Friday the snow was mostly gone. The beauty of a spring snow.

For exercise I shoveled snow four times. In the front, in the alley, and in the yard. I slept well.

Thursday I had no morning classes so I was ready to walk. I tested it out with the dog, and was very glad I did. I guess because it was a spring storm lots of people didn't shovel. It really p's me off. If I didn't shovel I'd get a citation. The city could make their budgets if the issued citations for things like no snow removal and parking violations. Bottom line, no walks for me. I had classes in the afternoon.

Friday was "errand" day. i spent the day in the car going from place to place.

Yesterday I woke up and was itching to walk. I tried to pick a place I thought wouldn't be snow covered. I thought about a few and thought they might be muddy. I settled in on the Saucon Rail Trail. In the morning it is very sunny, so I thought maybe if it was muddy, it would be drying up.

I parked at Water Street Park and the trail looked fairly clear. I went thru the little library box and pulled some books for Martha and took them back to the car. Then I headed out the park path to where it meets the rail trail. I didn't get more than a 1/4 block before it was snow covered. Some places deeper than others. I had on sneakers, not even my  muck-lucs. This was not an option. I went back to the start, turned right and walked parallel to the railtrail on Front Street. When it ended at Water Street, I turned left and went to Main. Then I walked on Main, turned again, and came back on Front Street. I made a big rectangle.

While I was walking I was thinking about the Hellertown Volkssport walk that I've been planning. I have to redo it because I lost the file with a computer issue. One reason I never turned it in was there was a lot of loops. I HATE LOOPS.  Walking down Front Street I had an ephiny— start the walk not at Water Street Park, but at Dimmick Park. I thought about it a lot as I walked, planning possible routes. It really sucks that it's too dangerous to walk the short distance to Lost Cave.

When I returned to the car, I went to Dimmick Park. It was the perfect solution. There's a picnic Pavilion for registration. The bathrooms are close, and would be open if an event was scheduled. There's a pretty mural. And most importantly this neighborhood has trees.

Look out google pedometer. Here I come. I might have found a solution.

52-hike challenge: 9/52

Miles/Steps:    2.5 mile in Hellertown, .7 more miles at the park
Bathrooms:      They were not open at the park.
Wildlife:           Saw many birds flying around, but none close enough to ID 
Weather:          high 30s, sunny
Extra:               When I returned to Water Street Park there was a sign saying today there was a  Bird Hike across the street at the Heller Homestead. I would have had to wait 45 minutes to go, so I decided against it. Had i known in advanced, I would have worn different show to scurry in the woods. And dustedoff my binoculars. The wildlife count would have been better for it.

golv: trexler park

Today was the Get Out Lehigh Valley Walk at Trexler Park. This wasn't a long walk. It was just one loop around the base trail. We didn't go up to see Harry, or take the upper trails. It was a pretty big group this time. Maybe 40 people including children and dogs.

(Photos from GOLV FB Page)

Miles/Steps:    1.5 miles, maybe
Bathrooms:      The info I received said it wouldn't open till mid-April. But I could swear it was open recently when I was there.
Wildlife:           6 pairs of mallards, a swan. There were a lot of birds singing. Spring is coming. 
Weather:          high 30s, sunny
Extra:               At least two pairs of mallards were mating. Try to unsee that.

hidden neighborhood gem

Yesterday Lydia wanted to walk. I didn't want to drive. So we picked Dodson Street Park in Fountain Hill. Or is that Salisbury. Who knows.

Until December I didn't even know that this park existed. As a child, Dodson Street ended with woods. Those woods extend behind the cemetery and the hospital. In the woods behind the hospital are the ruins of a holistic water cure facility in the 19th-century. Back there also is the Fountain Hill Reservoir, but the park closed decades ago. We picnicked there as kids. I broke my collarbone there.  It's been on lockdown since just after September 11th, 2001. (Really, there is a huge sign that say No Trespassing Federal Critical Infrastructure Area.)

It turns out that Dodson Street Park is a trailhead for Walking Purchase Park. I knew where Walking Purchase Park was. And the part I knew about its mostly for bikers. Bonnie and I climbed that hill a couple of times. Again, I had no idea they two were joined. Some days you should just explore the 'hood. A friend was always looking for a place to walk Vivi when they lived in town. This would have been perfect.

I was going to pick her up around noon and head out. But first I needed to download the trail map and Map My Walk ... I was headed into unfamiliar territory. I wanted to be able to get back to the car. Or the hospital. Or the river. Anywhere I knew where I was.

When you arrive at the park it looks like Athletic Fields. There is no signage that talks about trails. Oddly there are no bathrooms either. Maybe during the summer when the teams are playing they bring some in.

Because I had my trusty map I knew if we headed east toward the hospital we would find the yellow "super delight" trail.  This area was really well marked and it loops back. I'm guessing this is where parents hike while their children are playing sports. How many soccer matches can you watch in a week?

Trees had fallen in the storms this winter. The trails hadn't been cleaned up yet. However, the trails are actually very well maintained. The trees fall and they chain saw and opening in them to walk or bike thru.

It was really windy and the trees were all creeking. Actually it sounded like small animals screaming. It was not peaceful.

As we got deeper into the woods it was not as well marked as I would like, but we never got lost. We even found a painted rock that we moved elsewhere.  I said to Lydia, what does the double marker mean? She didn't know. We figured it pretty quickly. The red "Lenni" trail was meeting us. We took that trail and continued heading east. From the map I thought it looked like that is where the lookout was.

We were pretty much walking along on near the ridge line. On the red trail we started going downhill. Ut oh. That means coming back would be uphill. It started to get a lot more rocky as well. 

Finally, we found the orange "roller toaster" trail, which would take us to what I thought was the lookout. (Why do they always put orange and red together. They look alike! If it didn't have words we would have been screwed.)

We finally get to what I thought was the lookout and all you could see was Reeb Millwork. We went down a little further and the tree cover was still pretty thick. If you stare hard you can see the river. So we turned around and headed back.

Today, I found out that the lookout is actually on the red trail. It's created by the powerline.  If we would have stayed on red we would have found it. Next time. Maybe I'll bring the girls here. Or Angel's family. We'll explore together.

52-week hike challenge:  9/52 
Miles/Steps:                     3.68 miles
Bathrooms:                      none
Wildlife:                            A flock of birds, but they flew so fast I couldn't see what they were. The underside of the tails were white.
Weather:                          34°, cold, very windy. Extra:                               It was also the first big test of my phone battery strength since it was replaced a month ago.  (100% charge was lasting about 100 minutes if I took no photos.) It would always crap out about half-way thru a hike. When we returned to the car, much to my surprise, (1 hour and 37 minutes later, running Map My Walk the entire time) I was still at 89%. Whoo Hoo.  

two strikes and you are out

This morning I left early again for the PSU Fitness Center 8 am 20 minutes class. Again, they were not open. At 8 the security guard unlocked the room, but the instructor still wasn't there. Around 8:10 I left to go to my classroom.

Maybe I have this whole teaching thing wrong. My class starts at 9:05. I'm there around 8:35, sometimes a little later, not more than 8:45 ever. So if I was teaching a fitness class at 8 am, I'd have the room open, and be there, no later than 7:45. People need to change at minimum. And the class begins at 8.

I give up. Not going back. Two strikes and they are out.

i was in pain

Last night was the Himalayan singing bowl workshop at Living Room Yoga in Emmaus. It's a nice studio in a strip mall. I didn't need to take my mat, but I did. But I took the thin mat. I wish I would have taken the inch thick one that I used for Yoga on the Stairs.

I arrived and signed in, then met up with Pam and her friend. We chose a spot and got set up. There were eye masks and bolster pillows. I didn't know what they were for. I soon found out.

The workshop began with information, and then we settled in for the meditation. We laid on our backs on the mat. Either my big butt, or a curve in my spine from bad posture doesn't allow me to lie flat on the grown. So I bent my knees so my back would go down. I found out at the end that's when I was supposed to use the bolster pillow.

She was barely into the fairy tale about entering the woods and throwing your stress onto rafts when my neck started aching. Five minutes later I thought my neck was on fire. I was in pain. So as quietly as possible I folded the blanket that was under my head and put it under my neck. It was better.

The music was soothing but I just couldn't forget how uncomfortable I was. My lower body never stopped moving and someone (at first I thought it was Pam) was snoring.

My knees and hips started to ache. I quietly moved the bolster under my knees and left my feet dangle. I began to wonder how much time was left.

Finally I couldn't take it anymore. I rolled to my side to relieve the pressure on my joints. Two minutes later it was over.

I was quiet. I don't think I relaxed at all. But I must have. The minute I stood up I ran to the ladies room. Just like first thing in the morning.

I'm glad I did it. I might try again on a sofa, or a bed. Something that won't kill my joints.


.

himalayan singing bowls workshop

The other day my friend Pam posted on FB that she'd be doing a Himalayan singing bowl workshop. I'm on spring break and am in hopeless need to escape from my roommate, so I decided to go. I'd actually like to try to play one.

The website says "Himalayan Singing Bowls are useful for bringing peace and joy into all areas of your life. In this series, you will learn some history of the bowls and how they relate to your healing and relaxation. You will experience guided meditations, accompanied by the Himalayan Singing Bowls that will take you to a deep, beautiful place."

We will be laying down for most of it and have to be still. Talk about a fitness challenge!  I can't sit still. I can't quiet my mind. This should be interesting. Hopefully I can take a couple pics.

This is the music if you are interested. It starts with 3 chimes, so zip ahead two or three minutes if you want to hear it. It's very mellow and slow. I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes.

fitness class at psu

Monday I received an email from the Fitness Center at PSU. They'd be holding 20 minute Speed worksout sessions for staff Tuesday and Thursday at 8, 12:30, and 4:30, I think.  I thought cool. My class starts at 9. This is perfect. It will mix up my routine a bit and get mylard butt back on track.

I arrived yesterday is a snow flurry. It was 7:50. Nobody was there. The whiteboard and flyers said it was there. But nobody. I waited next door in the café.  At 8:10 someone arrived. I gave her a minute and then went back then asked about the class. She was running late because of the snow storm.

Do you want to do it now?

Umm. No. My class starts at 9. It's already 8:15. No time. What will it entail? 30-45 seconds of 20 exercises including lunges, squats, burpees ...

Wait. I can't squat. Listen. As I go down and my knees make more noise than a box of Rice Krispies. And I certainly can't do burpees. That's a special hell I couldn't do when I was thingand agile.

We talked for a while and said she'd modify. I'll go back tomorrow and see. This may be a one-hit-wonder.

no snow for the sunrise snowshoe

In January I signed up for a large array of outdoor snow activities. It seemed like such a good idea to keep me motivated thru the winter. It was cold and the snow fell and never melted. Snow was everywhere. But I was wrong. The weather warmed, the blizzard last week never materialized, and every activity to this point has been cancelled.

This morning was the sunrise snowshoe event. It was not canceled but instead it has been changed to a walk. On one hand, that's terrific, I'll get my walk in early in the morning before life gets in the way. On the other hand, it's at Cedar Creek Park, not much of a physical challenge, and that loop is only about a mile and a half.

The email announcing the change said "It may be chilly, but the sights and sounds of nature and wildlife await." They also encouraged us to bring binoculars. I figured it would be a slow walk. It wasn't.

I arrived five minutes early. It was pitch black out. Sunrise wasn't till 7:19. To my surprise a runner came out of the park. I waited. Soon one car pulled in. It was the walk leader and her husband. She had a list of people, but I was the only one who came. We started walking and her husband waited behind for late-comers. They never came.


52 week hike challenge:  8/52 
Miles/Steps:                     1.5 miles
Bathrooms:                     I forgot to check if the comfort station was open
Wildlife:                            turkey vulture, blue heron. The walk leader thought she heard robins. 
Weather:                          21°, cold. Sunrise was at 7:19 am and then it was sunny.
Extra:                               Time changed today. That might account for the low attendence.

north bethlehem

This morning I had to drop Lydia off at the Sands Outlet Mall. And I had to drop leftovers off at Sharon's on the north side. So where to walk? I decided to do the Bethlehem-North Volkssport walk. Well, a variation of it. I did not go on Sand Island. It would be way too muddy.

There's nothing new for me to take pictures of, so I concentrated on details. It was kind-of fun.

 Moravian Museum

 Unitarian Church stairs

 Pussy willows

 Iron work at Moravian

 Radnom house foundation on Center street.

 Random brick on Center Street

The view from center city plaza.

Then I came home and walked the dog. Twice.

Miles/Steps:          5 miles for the 3 walks
Bathrooms:            none
Wildlife:                 none
Weather:               High 30s°, cloudy, windy.
Extras:                  I never noticed the peace pole at Moravian before. But I did today. And when the dog and I picked up Lydia at work, we past the one at PBS. (Dog walk 2) So I figured what the hey, might as well walk around the Rose Garden and get that one. It's a 3-peace-pole kind-of-day. And they are each totally different.

finally found the trail head

 I didn't have plans to walk Saturday, but the aftermath of Friday's storm was everywhere -- downed trees, downed powerlines lines, blackouts, and icy sidewalks. But it was sunny and beautiful. The 70 MPH winds had died down to about 30-40 MPH. The streets were clean. And the Girl Scout event I was to be chaperoning was canceled.

I decided I would just walk in the neighborhood. I'd take the dog, then drop him off and continue for an hour or so. It was pretty out. No such luck.  Between the fallen trees and butt holes who don't shovel, it was dangerous. We both came home.

Sunday I had to go to AC Moore for Pat. I decided to go to the Hanover Township (Lehigh County)  trailhead of the D&L. It's about a mile and a half until you get to Catty. It would be muddy, but there shouldn't be issues with powerlines. I decided that if I arrived at a tree issue I'd just turn around.

I came down Irving Street and turned right. I went the wrong way. I ended up in Catty. The trail sign, above, points to railroad tracks--not a trail. It's always puzzled me. I turned up Front Street to see if I could find a Canal Street. I made the first left, and I could see the towpath. But where to park? I turned onto Canal and saw a lot.

The entrance was filled with water, but the above signs were there. Clearly it was public parking. At the far end, where it looked to be more historic buildings, was a no trespassing sign. I would have gone to the museums. (Open at 8 Race Street on Sunday from May - September. Bet the No Trespassing sign is down then.) You know how I love a little museum. And a handmade sign.

I also saw this bridge over the canal and there was a path on the other side. I was optimistic.

When I saw the quinessential D&L Historic Marker I knew I found the trailhead. In an alley, behind historic buildings with absolutely no directions.  (As I walked I was designing wayfinding markers. This is not the first time that I've needed them!)

My first question was "what is Deily Coal Yards"? So I looked on the Catasauqua Historical Society web page.  It's huge. Who knew? And they having walking tours ... of Catty! Here are a couple tidbits from the page about the parking lot signs:

"The coal yard here was first operated by Edwin V. Swartz from 1876 to 1882 and taken over by Deily in 1884. Three huge mounds of coal, one each of pea, chestnut, and stove dominated the yard.  Sanborn maps show an expansion of the mule barn between 1902 and 1908 and addition of the derricks to unload coal from the canal boars between 1908 and 1913."

"Frederick Biery was a farmer and also operated the (silk) mill from 1800-1850. He had five sons and three daughters. All three of these stone structures at the corner of Lehigh and Race were built using native stone."

I crossed the bridge and all I see ion either side is a canal filled with trash. The canal is dry at portions, over grown with weeds at other points. A little water or full at other places.  And I know why. Part of it I'm sure is liter. But along the canal are giant storm sewer outlets. The overflow must drain into what's left of the canal. And it brings the street trash with it.

It's not a pretty section of the trail.  There is a thin line of scrub trees on either side. The railroad tracks were on my left, and a polluted canal on the right. Graffiti is everywhere. At one point another trail breaks off and turns left under the railroad tracks. I don't know where that trail goes, but it made a cool picture.

I'm not sure what these markings are either. I never learned them in Girl Scouts or saw them in hiking books. I think they mean the trail makes a sharp turn don't hit this tree. There are a lot of AVs on the trail. I jumped out of the way of a few. And at one place there is a path made thru the canal. Needless to say it is dry there.

I walked 30 minutes one way, and then came back. It was cold and windy. And muddy.

52 week hike challenge:  7/52 
Miles/Steps:                     3 miles
Bathrooms:                      none
Wildlife:                            none 
Weather:                          Low 40°, sunny 30 MPH wind.

nor'easter

I could have sworn I typed two posts last week, and they are both gone. I was having some serious computer issues. Hopefully, they are worked out.

Last week was another round of being overscheduled. Outside of dog walks and walks to the supermarket and drug store, I didn't do much. But I managed to get 9k steps in a day. One day 12K.

Friday I planned to walk in Allentown after my hair appointment. He's at 10th and Walnut, and the Farmers's Market is at 17th and Chew. Sounded like a win-win to me. And it would keep my buying down.

When I left the house it started to snow. Flakes the size of coffee cups. They dissolved as they hit the sidewalks. By the time I was done the snow was sticking to the grass and trees. The winds were picking up. I decided to head home. All was fine until I crossed the Susquehanna Street bridge. There I entered a winter wonderland. It was a whiteout. The streets were covered with snow. I was glad I decided to go home.

I was near Bonnie's house, halfway up the hill, when the traffic in front of me stopped. I stopped too and started sliding backwards down the hill. I had my foot floored and the car still moved. I applied my hand brake and the car continued to slide. Thankfully, the person behind me was far back, and was turning down the side street.

I was now at the side street and decided I'd go down to Emmaus Avenue, it was flatter. It was also cleaner. When I arrived near the Sidersville Road stop sign traffic was stopped ... on Susquehanna ... on Gauf's Hill ... on Emmaus Avenue.  For as far as I could see. The UPS truck behind me gave me lots of room. When traffic finally moved, I was stuck again. I got myself going and decided maybe I should use Sidersville Road. Curvey, yes. But there's a light at the end to go down Wyandotte.

That turned out to be a bad decision. Three cars ahead of me someone stopped, we all stopped, and when it was time to move again, I was stuck. I tried repeatedly to get unstuck. A cop came, gave me explicit directions, and I was still stuck. And then I slid off the road into a ditch. The cop called AAA.

Forty-five minutes later two trucks appeared, and my knights in lime green armor tried to help me.  They couldn't get any traction either. Under me it was all ice. Finally they got my car out.  I continued down the road. There was an accident. A plow had just gone thru the other direction, and the tow truck guys were still behind me. They assured me that if I turned around and got stuck, they'd resuce me again. I went for it.

The Gauf's Hill intersection was not great, but coming my direction it was much better. I pulled in the alley and parked the car to shovel. Don't you know not one, but two, cars came behind me. I had to go around the block. It took twenty more minutes. Broadway was a parking lot.

I took pictures, but when I was downloading them the power went out for a nanosecond. Lost them all.