Walking With Me

NewYear’s Resolution

It’s that time of year when we all make a new year’s resolution, but most of us fail to keep them. Why? Perhaps it is too huge a challenge or we don’t know how to achieve it.

Suppose you say you’re going to lose weight. Most of us put up a huge figure – 20 pounds. You have to realize it won’t come off overnight. You have to work at it. Be more realistic. Say you want to lose a pound a week.

That’s a lot easier. You know you have to reduce your calorie intake – we don’t need all those goodies we ate during the month of December. Anyway, they’re gone – right to our hips. Substitute healthful food for those cookies – fewer calories.

Now to increase the number of calories you burn. Start walking. Just a little bit every day and increase the distance. On two occasions in my life I had to start at the bottom and work my way up. I started by walking out to the driveway and back. The next day I went from the front door to the front sidewalk. The next day I went to the property line. As I mastered a distance, I increased it.

Do you drive past a shopping mall on your way to work? Stop in and walk a lap. It means getting up a little earlier. Malls open early but the stores don’t. Unless there is a coffee shop there. When you master a lap, try for two.

By increasing your distance every day and eating fewer calories, you’ll be losing weight. Chances are you’ll feel better.

Don’t have time? Take a tip from successful business people – schedule time for exercise. Just a half an hour a day. How about a walk on your lunch hour?

By the weekend, you’ll be ready to join us on the trail. Check out www.ava.org for a walk near you.

Let’s walk together and lose that weight. And don’t forget to reward yourself when you reach your goal, even if it is one pound a week. Come spring you’ll be down one dress size or one pants size. There’s a reason for shopping. Need someone to help you? I’m available through sandlot17@juno.com.

Worthington

The after-Thanksgiving walk in Worthington is almost a given. The Saturday of that weekend I always set aside to head up to that northern Columbus suburb for the walk and some window shopping in quaint shops along High Street.

Organizers find some interesting ways to get us around the community, and I know that the longer walk is usually an 11 kilometer route rather than the standard 10K.

This one took us through the subdivision inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. Some of the houses look like they could have been built by Wright, but they weren’t. They are only in his style. There are two ways of going through that neighborhood. One is by a steep hill and I guess I can be thankful we didn’t go that route. We went the other way instead and the hill wasn’t that steep.

We wound around toward the downtown area for a stop at the library. I’m used to construction, generally on the highways, but this time the construction was around the library and the sidewalk was blocked. But we were still able to get inside.

There I met up with a friend and we walked and talked our way around the local arts center and behind the high school to the bike trail. At this point the trail does a couple of hairpin curves to get us down to Antrim Lake. I suppose if we had turned around at that check point, the walk would have been a 10K, but we walked around the lake. I’m glad we did. It’s been a while since I’ve been that route. My walking companion told me the lake had been stocked a few days ago. It was a nice day and a lot of people were fishing. They were lined around the banks of the lake enjoying their sport as much as I was mine.

By the time we made it to the main highway I could do the window shopping. And we did. A hardware store had a train in motion in the window and a lot of carnival rides. After I got my book stamped at the end of the walk, I went back to the hardware store to get a closer look at the little rides. They weren’t in the toy range, but more like collectors’ items. And prices to match.

I also had to stop and look at the sleigh on the porch of the local inn, a well-known landmark. I had walked 11K and I felt good by this time. As I crossed the street to head to my car I got sidetracked by an ice cream store. You probably know I cave in easily. A big scoop of peppermint candy ice cream with a dollop of marshmallow on top. I had burned up some calories and my body was still burning them as I savored each bite.

I’m sure you can find some ice cream along any route you choose. The only thing you’ll find on www.ava.org is a walking route.

A wind up ferris wheel in the window of the hardware store.

New Concord

About all I knew about New Concord was that it was home to John and Annie Glenn and to Muskingum College where Jim Burson coached basketball. Oops, I mean Muskingum University. So many colleges are now becoming universities.

Sunday of our weekend I arrived in New Concord ahead of the group because I had to get back to Columbus for an afternoon art show.

I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. First I stopped at the “S” bridge. This was a short brick bridge over Crooked Creek. It curved into the shape of an “S.” It’s an old structure sitting alongside one of the mile markers for the famed National Road.

This was a turnaround and I retraced steps for a few blocks and started wending my way through the neighborhood over to the college campus. I met a few people out on a Sunday morning, mainly walking the dog. Of course, I speak to the dog first.

I was amazed at the campus. If I had only been doing the college campus program. But I finished that a while back – walked 20 college campuses and earned my Ph.D. in walking. As I started walking what they call The Quad, I asked a couple of women outside a building what the names of some buildings were so I could match them to my direction and find where I was. I discovered I was making a complete circle of the buildings – or going in circles as I told the women and we got a chuckle out of that.

Down the steps, cross the footbridge over the lake and along the football field. What a glorious view. It was a nice fall day. Colorful leaves on a few trees. Going up the hill I passed a residence hall that looked like it was built in the late ‘50s and resembled the one I lived in when I was in college at Kent State.

Today’s style came into sight as I crossed a concrete footbridge. And beside that building sat an older one of outstanding architecture. That’s one thing I like about a college campus – the old and the new almost side by side.

The route took us past the high school named for John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth. And back through a wooded area to campus. Alongside campus we went into a residential neighborhood of new homes. One house had a sloping yard and to prevent erosion, the owners had ‘landscaped’ it with art work. Gee, what you see while walking.

Coming out of campus onto the National Road (again) I saw old and newer again side by side – a log cabin business sitting alongside a Victorian style. What a neat walk! I want to go back.

Maybe I will. The National Road program continues through 2012. There are walks in seven cities in Ohio and West Virginia. I have walked six of them. I still have Fairborn to do. Looks like that will come up the end of January. Won’t you join me?

Cambridge

After walking through up and down St. Clairsville, our group headed west one county to Cambridge in Guernsey County as we continued our weekend National Road walking program.

My legs were beginning to feel better and I was ready for my second walk of the day. I don’t do this very often.

We had picked up a couple of new people for the weekend so our group swelled to about 16. The first thing I saw was a hill! I thought I had left those behind. Leaving the restaurant start point with a cup of a soft drink, I had to go over a river and railroad track, down the other side and then up another hill to the downtown area.

Amid all the construction was a Dickensian Christmas. It is well worth your while to visit Cambridge this holiday season even if you are not doing a walk. At nearly every lamp post was a display depicting life in Charles Dickens’ time. Papier mache mannequins heavily lacquered and dressed for the season told the story of life way back then. Each display was sponsored by a business in town.

This will be on display through the end of the year. The courthouse is highly decorated with holiday lights. A couple of portable shops were selling hot chocolate and hot coffee for visitors. By mid afternoon as we walked through temperatures were in the 50s and the sun was out. I had discarded one level of clothing.

In downtown I saw a gentleman from yesteryear chatting with a group of today people -- Red Hatters on a shopping tour. Yesk the 'twain did meet.

After a thorough stroll through downtown we headed toward a cemetery. Along the way was a city park with a lake and a lot of ducks. I think they were auditioning for the Aflac commercial. The cemetery was long and narrow and well kept. Several people were out for exercise, walking in there.

On the way back to downtown and the finish we passed some gorgeous homes, some in the English Tudor style. One had served as the early YMCA and one resident who walked out of his house as my walking companion and I happened by told us it was being renovated in preparation for sale. He also said the house behind it was a bed and breakfast.

As I walked along, I kept thinking about the many people I knew who grew up in this town. And I even recognized the name of the person for whom the high school football field is named.

It would be nice to see the town again when construction is done and street signs are back. A special thanks to the person who serves as point of contact for this walk because she was able to guide us through that maze without getting us lost.

You have to expect construction work much of the year. And it’s always nice to have someone along with you who knows the route. That’s often easy to do when you go to www.ava.org and get information. You can contact what’s called the point of contact and that person can offer tips or even put you in touch with someone who may want to walk with you.

See you on a trail soon.

St.Clairsville on the National Road Program

I had heard the St. Clairsville walk on the National Road program was uphill and down, but I really didn’t know how bad until I did it.

I drove into town and thought I was on a roller coaster. We met at the DQ for the start. The restaurant (that’s what they want to be called) is on winter hours so it wasn’t open yet. We registered on a table outside and started walking.

It was interesting to see how they constructed buildings on the hills. I saw one garage I would have liked to have had. It had a high roof and the top part of the garage looked like it was turned into a studio. Great for the artist in me. Most of the yards on Route 40 (the national road) were cleared of leaves. Apparently people here take great pride in their town.

There were two flat places along the route. One was the cemetery and the block long street leading up to it. As I entered, I whipped out the camera and took a picture of a marker – Stilwell. Obviously he wasn’t.

One of the walkers veered off the route for a few feet because he discovered a cache. He is a geocacher and had been monitoring his GPS for caches.

The other flat spot was the National Trail Bikeway. We reached it by going down about 100 or so steps. Then we went through a tunnel. This apparently is a rail-trail and this was the tunnel the train passed through. What an awesome experience!

But I figured if I was down so far I had to go up again. I felt as though I walked six miles on a roller coaster track.

I did this walk with a group on Veterans Day weekend. Many homes still had evidence of Halloween and only a few had Christmas decorations up. A giant pumpkin lay in front of the courthouse. On its side it was almost as tall as I am.

It was a nice sunny day, temperatures in the 40s and getting warmer. And we talked with a lot of local residents as we walked along.

What a way to get in shape! Looking for walking routes? Check out www.ava.org and click on finding walking events. Not all are roller coaster routes. And I felt I really deserved that blizzard I ordered at DQ.

In the photo, some of our groiup is walking through the train tunnel on the National Road Bikeway.

Wheeling, West Virginia, on the National Road program

I did something this weekend I hadn’t done in a while. I went on a group walk.

The last time I did a group was during the AVA convention in Dallas a couple of years ago. The group numbered in the 100s and the temperature was in the low 100s. This time the group was 15 and the temperature was in the 40s. We walked in Wheeling, West Virginia, one of the seven cities on the National Road walking program that runs through 2012.

The walk starts at the Visitor and Convention Center that sits adjacent to the bus station. And there is a public parking garage there. Parking rates are low.

After walking along the Ohio River we strolled through the Centre Market. It’s been renovated since the market closed in 1988. It’s where I had had barbecue baked bean soup earlier in the day. Delicious soup!

The downtown part of the city has a lot of Victorian era homes and buildings. I only wish I could have been around back then to see them in all their glory.

We climbed hill after small hill. At one point I got teased about the walk I put on in Nelsonville, Ohio, where there is a humongous hill, but a beautiful view from the top. Here in Wheeling as we climbed one hill, we saw a deer run across the street.

We were nearing the top of the tunnel. Continuing on we reached the intersection where the Mingo Indians wished the settlers good luck and peace. Then we started downhill. That’s when our leader, our state organization president, told us she grew up in Wheeling. No wonder we had good commentary along the way.

Then it was across the suspension bridge and over to the Wheeling casino for a potty break. The casino sits at the edge of a residential neighborhood on Wheeling Island.

Much of the walk went through a poorer section of downtown, a lot of vacancies created when people moved to the suburbs. But one neighborhood had been restored and homes are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Overall, it was a nice day, sightseeing and chatting with people I knew and some I was getting to know. Looking forward to seeing them in St. Clairsville, Cambridge and New Concord in eastern Ohio on three other National Road walks. I’ve done Columbus and Springfield in Ohio which leaves me Vandalia. I get a patch for each walk and will get one for having done ‘em all.

The National Road Program is a project of the Ohio Volkssport Association. It has drawn about 100 people so far. And 28 people have walked all seven events.

Small Town America

There’s a lot that can be said about small towns. I found that out last weekend when I participated in Tecumseh Trailblazers walk in North Lewisburg in northeastern Champaign County in west central Ohio.

I knew North Lewisburg was the mailing address for Triad High School. But that’s all.

I found a lot more in that little place, but never did find the high school.

The first part of the walk took us down the rail trail. I like those trails because it is a solid surface but you don’t have to worry about cars. Bikes, yes; but not cars. This day we had it to ourselves. Another nice thing about walking out and back on a trail is that you get to see a lot of people. I met up with the woman who had the afghan made for walk I participated in last summer. My name was drawn and she advised me I was the winner, but that she didn’t bring the afghan along with her that day.

I came to a covered bridge a couple miles down the road. It had once crossed a stream, but had since been moved and refurbished. The sign on top said Pottersburg. All I could think of was Pottersville from “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Had I been a couple generations younger, I may have thought Harry Potter.

As I approached the bridge, a young woman was taking photographs of a young man. I asked her if she was practicing to be the photographer for “Bridges of Madison County,” and she chuckled. Perhaps she was taking photos for senior pictures. It was a beautiful fall day for it.

The second half of the walk went through the town. It seemed as though we covered a great distance but we saw a lot. The sights began with a memorial to our veterans. Almost every town has one but yet no two are alike.

Many of the houses we passed were old homes, nicely kept up. Rounding a corner we came across a white clapboard church and I was surprised to see it was a Catholic Church. Its purple doors reminded me of one near home that everyone knows as the Church with the Purple Doors. Across the road and in the middle of a grassy plot stood a brick building that had once been a Friends Church but was now a library.

Ah, the charm of a small town.

Walking in a small town or a large city, you’ll find one to your liking by checking out www.ava.org . Or email me at sandlot17@juno.com and I’ll help you find a great walk.

Fall in the Midwest

It’s early fall here in the Midwest and what better place to see what Mother Nature can do than in a wooded area.

A few weeks ago I walked through the Narrows near Beavercreek in southwest Ohio. I had never heard of it before, but I had to go on that walk. I had several reasons to go. It was a new place; the weather was good; I didn’t have anything else on the schedule; and, probably the most important, the road it is on is the same road I take to my favorite book store.

Yes, I have my priorities in order.

I had to wonder when the directions advised us to park inn a parking lot a short distance away and there would be somewhere to take us to the start point. I soon discovered that there weren’t many parking spaces and some people were coming in with canoes and kayaks to paddle down the Miami River. A good day for that too.

The first stop was the nature center. The ranger just happens to know a birding enthusiast I know. She apologized for not having much on display because a lot of the displays were at a nearby festival.

On to the woods. I was amazed at how straight the trees were, even though they were young. They weren’t too big in diameter. But they grew tall before they spread their leaves. Thanks to someone for putting the names of the trees and the shape of their leaves on a post alongside the tree.

I walked, I stared, I followed streamers and soon I came along side a person I hadn’t seen for a while. She was walking her dog, so we walked and talked. Neither one of us had been in the Narrows before and we were enjoying the day.

I must thank the person who set up that walk. It was early fall, according to the calendar but not Mother Nature. We should have walked it a few weeks later to get the colorful view. Perhaps next year.

On my way home, I detoured to the book store and made a list of books I had to put on reserve at my local library when I arrived home.

Meanwhile, as the colors burst forth, I can always walk somewhere else. I know I’ll see a lot of places and will share them with you.

Hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather. Looking for someplace new to walk? Check out www.ava.org and go to Find Walking Events. You’ll find a lot of neat places to walk.

Council Bluffs by daybreak

I did something in Council Bluffs, Iowa, I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I went walking at daybreak.

I did this more out of necessity than anything else. I had been at a conference and knew I could get two walks in – one in Nebraska and one in Iowa. I got Nebraska in upon arrival; and Council Bluffs I put off until I got ready to leave. That’s why I scheduled a late flight out –late for me, leaving Omaha at noon.

I arrived at the start point at 6:30 a.m. I had picked up the directions the day I arrived so I was set. I’m not sure my legs were awake for what I was going to put them through. The first direction was to walk up the ramp that crossed the highway. That was the first hill of the day.

Council Bluffs is on the east side of the Missouri River, across from Omaha. I encountered a little of everything. Up and down hills, on brick streets, over flat land, beautiful views.

One street I climbed was named High School. Had a high school sat at the top of that hill? Were the students in good physical shape?

After climbing a few hills through a residential area, I arrived in a commercial section, apparently downtown. I strolled out the flat land toward the train station, taking in the smells of grain. After all, this is agriculture at its best. Grain must have been stored in buildings for shipping.

Working my way back to residential life I passed old homes. Really old! All I could think about was the house where Judy Garland’s ‘family’ lived in the movie “Meet Me in St. Louis.” I wasn’t on Fourth Street where Amelia Bloomer and her husband had lived (I learned about her in a women’s rights rally vintage 1873 staged at our conference. She said their home was at 123 Fourth Street so her husband would know where to come to after work!).

And in contrast to the old homes was a new park or perhaps new additions to a park.

I still had one more hill to climb and I’m glad they saved the best till last. It was a steep hill and took me up to the cemetery and an overlook where President Lincoln had once visited. It gave a fantastic view westward.

You don’t have to go to conferences to take a walk. Leisure walks are mapped out in thousands of towns great and small throughout our great country. To find one near you or where you are going to be, visit www.ava.org and click on Find Walking Events. Walking is free.

When you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask me at sandlot17@juno.com.

See you on a trail.

So many buffalo statues in Omaha, Nebraska, that one comes through the building. An unusual statue.