Funky old houses

The boys left today for Iowa and I got lucky. Erin and her sister volunteered to watch Mae for me while I went on my long walk. 12 miles today. It took me about 4 hours. It was 95 degrees and very hot. I kept well hydrated but wasn't hungry AT ALL. The last mile was a killer and I was really dizzy when I finally made it to Erin's house. Some juice and goldfish cheered me up and then I celebrated with sushi for dinner. Mmm. I'm so relieved that is over. Tomorrow will be 100 but I only need to do 4 miles. I think as soon as Mae wakes up I'll give her a baggie of cereal and take off in the stroller and Ole and get it done early. I made it 10 miles before putting on the MP3 player, so I got some good thoughts in. I walked from my house to Vic's in Louisville (5 miles) and then just meandered around Main Street, going up and down the different side streets and admiring the funky old houses. Most of them were quite tiny, but so individually landscaped and decorated. It was really interesting.

Uncreative Post Title

3 miles felt short and sweet tonight. I did my up and down the hill loop. Still listening to Metro Girl. This book feels longer than Harry Potter, and believe me, it's not nearly as interesting.

I've been slacking on the pictures, so here's a Bear Peak one. It's getting dry now, we could use some rain.



Mileage: 195 miles, 234 to go
Pledges: $165

Wahoo's AND ice cream

Tonight Ted, Sam & Jack biked to Wahoo's while Mae (in the backpack) and I hoofed it. After Wahoo's we stopped at Sonic Burgers for ice cream. The boys were really good tonight-no complaints and no crashes. After we got home the boys rode with our neighbors in the cul-de-sac for a while and then they had a (what I think will be their last in 2 weeks) bath and went to bed. I already miss them.

Indigo Girls

Tonight I finally got to walk with my MP3 player. It's been a bit of a PITA to set up with my MAC, but Paul figured it out. I have an album from 1998 that I uploaded and conveniently, the album lasted for 2 miles. I love "Closer to Fine." I am a classical girl through and through, but my friend Holli has introduced me to Indigo Girls, and it's good for walking. Ole got gimpy at about 3 miles (he tore his paw pad, poor guy) but he made it. 2 weeks ahead of me with walks on my own with Mae, since Paul and the boys leave Saturday! That will be interesting.

Evening Hike

I don't do this hike from my house very often, because I'm worried that if I go in the evening, I'll get eaten by a mountain lion. But as you can see, I made it unscathed. I didn't even see a lion (or a bear for that matter), but I did see a few deer. The trail takes me up to the NCAR mesa, then I walked down Table Mesa road.

I'm still listening to Metro Girl, and it's not as bad as it was at the beginning, but I do find my mind drifting more than when I was listening to Harry Potter.

Mileage: 192 miles, 237 to go
Pledges: $165

Yes, I walked today... backwards

So I could have counted Ellen's crazy nose piercing walk as a training walk, but

a) It was on the wrong day
b) I was kinda slow because we both felt ookey
c) I'm getting used to my walks. It's nice to get out in the evening and get some exercise and air.

I did my campus loop, but backwards today. Made it slightly more interesting.

Mileage: 188 miles, 241 to go
Pledges: $165

heh

I took my Tuesday walk on Monday night. We walked to the Hill to a reputable piercer. I've always wanted to have my nose pierced-I think it's pretty and not too Goth. I like it. It didn't hurt for very long and it's fine now. Ted thought I had a bug on my nose when he saw it.

Definitely the hard way to do 14 miles

I'm not sure I have enough energy to write more about the longest 14 mile walk(s) ever, but I'll try.

Technically, the day began in Winter Park, where Ellen and I were still chatting at midnight. I hadn't slept well the night before, so Ellen gave me half of a sleeping pill. That did help, except for when a scratchy animal noise woke me up and it looked like the room was melting. Ellen did warn me that hallucinations were a side effect...

We left Winter Park around 10:30. I made the mistake of knitting in the back seat, which lead to my first real case of motion sickness. After Berthod Pass, we stopped for Starbucks (Ellen didn't know how sick I really was until I turned down coffee) and I bought some very overpriced dramamine and coke, which did the trick.

As Ellen said, we starting walking from my house around 1:15, stopping for a bagel sandwhich lunch. I mapped our route, it turned out to be closer to 6 1/2 miles.

My kids returned from their weekend with Grammie at 3:30, we threw their bikes in the car and went back to Ellen's house. We did the Wahoo's loop for the first time, which was surprisingly nice. I had no idea a trail went around the mall area so much. That was all good until Ted and Mae got hurt (in separate incidents). Ellen says that this walk is just short of 4 miles, but I haven't mapped it.

After that, I drove the boys back home, threw them at Jeremy and took off for the rest of my walk. I did my extended campus loop which takes me all the way to varsity pond. That is about 4.5 miles, so it looks like I went a tad over my 14 mile goal.

The hardest part of today was that we did 3 separate walks, any which would be a fine training walk on their own. That, and with my weekend away my house is a wreck and I have tons of chores to do.

Mileage: 184 miles, 245 to go
Pledges: $165

the hard way to do 14 miles

I'm sure Wendy will blog about this in detail, but Sunday's walk was really hard. After our glorious girls weekend in Winter Park, we quickly did 6 miles around the neighborhood. Then we packed up the boys and did the 4 mile Wahoos walk. Then we went our separate way (ie, put the kids to bed) with still 4 miles to go. I put my kids down and did my 88th St. trail. I am very proud of myself, because every bone and muscle in my body wanted to blow it off, but I did it. I feel tired and run down today, which after our lovely weekend, is a bit of a bummer. Still, it was worth it. What a great time. We walk Tue/Wed/Fri this week.

Winter Park

What a lovely spot to do a walk. I had a very nice girl's weekend with Ellen and two other mommy friends. We all did a 5.5 mile walk on Saturday, it was so beautiful. A lot of it was on tiny national forest trails where we didn't see any other people. And then some of it was on the above road where we were treated to beautiful views.

Mileage: 170 miles, 259 to go
Pledges: $165

biking fun

Tonight the boys biked and I walked to Wahoo's for dinner (and a marg for me). The boys did great and I loved my squishy, cushy new shoes...ahhhh.

Borning...

Must be quick, we have Scrubs to watch. Just a boring neighborhood walk through Devil's Thumb tonight. Still listening to my annoyingly bad Metro Girl recording.

Mileage: 166 miles, 263 to go
Pledges: $165

Campus Loop, Again

Jeremy had a rough day so I put the boys to bed. That meant I left later than usual for my walk, it was around 8:00 when I finally got out the door. The sun was setting, but it wasn't as dark as that picture makes it look (exposed for the sky, did I hmmmmmm? - yoda).

I just did my campus walk again. It's nice and easy. But I took pictures today of some of the sites. This is the south tower of Duane physics. It was also the location of the coldest spot in the universe:

Carl Wieman and Eric Cornell created
a new form of matter at the coldest
temperatures in the universe in 1995. It
earned them the 2001 Nobel Prize and
paved the way for the creation of quantum
computers, atom lasers and ultrasensitive
detectors of time, gravity and rotation.

And here's the football stadium with the lights on.



I also walk by my old freshman dorm room on this walk, but it was too dark by then to take a picture. I am listening to Metro Girl now, and the book it's great and the reader is worse. But I'm kinda getting used to it so I might just finish.

Mileage: 162 miles, 267 to go
Pledges: $165

Holy Dumbness, Batman

Tonight was not my most ingenious walk, that's for sure. Here are the most obvious dumbness factors:

1. Didn't wear my good walking shoes so my feet started hurting at 4 miles
   
2. Ran out of water at 2 miles so I was thirsty for over an hour
   
3. Didn't bring any money so I couldn't get a refreshment once I wandered back into civilization
4. Didn't look at the "Directory" right at the start of the getting lost part

So, I did my usual hike with Ole, up through our nice trail, one loop, and then up to Hwy 128 (2 miles). I decided to see if I could access the beautiful trail that runs through the golf course. That was easy...the cross street at the top of 128 was Eldorado and there was a nice sidewalk that ran through the golf course. Here's the rub. I didn't know how to cut across the golf course so I had to walk AROUND it. 3 miles around it. My 4 mile walk was about 6 miles. Not as bad as I thought it was , actually, but way longer than I wanted. And I had to miss Maj. And my feet hurt. Grrr. I vow to ALWAYS wear my good shoes from now on and to ALWAYS carry some money. And to look at Directories.

The Mesa Trail

I can't believe I didn't take a picture, but my camera was in my backpack and it seemed like too much work at the time. I need to wear my belt with my backpack so my camera is easy to grab.

Anyway, so Ellen and I walked from my house to Caffe Sole and then to the South-West end of Boulder and then up onto the Mesa Trail. The Mesa Trail runs perpendicular to the foothills and Flatirons and is somewhat in the shade. We did about 6 miles of the Mesa trail, which was a bit steep to get up to, but not to bad once we did. It was also flipping hot, the high today was 97 deg.

At the end of the trail we stopped at the Chautauqua dining hall and made a potty stop (brazenly going in the restaurant bathroom instead of the dirty public one) and then walked down to Starbucks.

Our walk with stops was about 4 1/2 hours, but only 10 miles (I think we could walk 14 miles in 4 hours on the streets).

Mileage: 158 miles, 271 to go
Pledges: $165

A good ride for Alex

This morning Alex biked and I pushed Adam on his trike all the way to Starbucks and the library. At Starbucks they both got a donut and a chocolate milk while I got a java chip frappachino.



Then we went to the library and checked out more Magic Treehouse books. Alex biked back without a complaint. This was his first really good ride with no major spills. Go Alex!

Mileage: 148 miles, 281 to go
Pledges: $165

Yet again

Tonight the whole family walked/biked/stroller-ed to Wahoo's. This Friday tradition has normally been ignored by Paul, who thinks the kids get too wild. It was fun to have him along, although we did miss Wendy and her gang. Ted and Sam did great on their bikes, Paul pushed Mae in the stroller and I held Ole's leash. Great fun (and some sprinkler action that traumatized Sam) was had by all.

Not as good as Wahoos...

I told the boys that they could ride their bikes to Noodles (next to Wahoos) if Adam took a nap after camp. Adam did not nap so we couldn't go. And I made the right decision, both boys fell asleep in the stroller for about 45 minutes. I just did the campus loop, stopping at Wild Oats for our Shabbat salmon. When I got home I remember that today was only supposed to be 3 miles and I did 4. The sleeping boys in the stroller would have been a cute picture, but I missed it.

Mileage: 144 miles, 285 to go
Pledges: $165

mall walk

My walks are just not as beautiful as Wendy's. *sigh*
This morning Mae & I walked to the mall via the bike path, to pick up my altered jeans. There was a 60% off sale at Hanna Anderson so....yeah. I also got myself some Crocs. I'm glad I took a pic because the strap already broke so I have to go back and probably won't have the same cool silver color. My crocs are from 2002. Kathye was dating a guy (her husband now) who worked at a Waldorf school in Boulder. The guy who invented Crocs had a child at the school and there was a fundraiser, one pair for $12. I think there were 4 colors, only adult sizes. At the time, I had seen them only on lifeguards and swimming people. I bought my pair to be supportive and found them to be very handy at the pool. Fast forward to 2006: last summer, still wearing my beloved Crocs, I was at my parents' and took a major spill. Luckily Mae was unhurt. We discovered that the treads on my Crocs were completely worn away, so I decided to buy a new pair. And then I forgot. And now I remembered. I hope I can find some silver ones.
Still muggy today.

A Day walk

Both boys are in camp and I don't have Ariel today, so I was able to walk in the morning. I walked on the trail by my house:



Up to Kohler Mesa where I surprised a deer:



And then saw a butterfly:



A nice 4 mile hike, though the last 1.5 miles are on the sidewalk. I guess next time I can retrace some of it and have it mostly on dirt. Still listening to Harry Potter.

Mileage: 141 miles, 288 to go
Pledges: $165

Not too wet

We had a rainy day today and a rainy evening. I left for my walk at 7:15pm and only got a little sprinkled on at the end. I walked to campus, still listening to Harry Potter.

Mileage: 137 miles, 292 to go
Pledges: $165

rainy and muggy

Phew! Tonight's walk was solo with Ole, to Starbucks for a SHORT (8oz) soy mocha at 135 degrees (yes, I too got into a discussion with Mr. Starbucks about why I liked it "not too hot.") The 2 miles there was drizzly and the 2 miles home was muggy. Still, considering I was sans kiddos, I'm not complaining. Paul was supposed to work late tonight but the company dinner turned into a lunch instead and he was home on time. Hooray! Now I'm off to have another Floridita...although tonight I'm having about 2/3 less than last night!!

A new personal best

A new personal best of the most Starbucks in one day, that is. Ellen and I started our long walk at Caffè Sole, which is technically not Starbucks but is still a place to get mochas at 140 degress. We then walked the South Boulder Creek trail to the East Boulder Rec Center. From there, we headed over towards Ted's preschool, and then towards the second Starbucks. Near the library, we saw two ducks, which is weird because there's no water there.



At the second Starbucks, we got Java Chip Frappachinos, so it was an entirely different drink. We also got some toasted bagels. Then we cut down to east campus and then onto the Creek path. We followed the Creek path for a few crazy congested miles, then cut back up through campus. Ellen said this would be a good picture if not for the light post, so I took it out for her (see, you can't even tell):



Then we walked down Broadway to the third Starbucks, where we had frozen strawberry lemonades. They were a bit like Jamba Juice, but probably with more sugar and less actual fruit. And then we headed home. With all our various stops, our 12 miles took about 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Mileage: 133 miles, 296 to go
Pledges: $165

A different kind of Shabbat Hike

My usual Shabbat hike is adults only, in the afternoon. But periodically, Rabbi K leads a kid's hike in the morning. Today was such a day so since Jeremy was off racing, it seemed like a good way to get my walk in. First, I had to push the boys in the stroller up to Chautauqua. That's about two miles and we had some time to play at the park. Then came time for the hike. We "hiked" all the way up to the Bluebell Shelter, about .7 miles at the end of the fire road. Oh. My. Gosh. Such complaining has never been heard. You would have thought I had asked the boys to climb Mt. Everest. We saw Paul and Sam (Ted was at Tae Kwon Do) but Sam was riding on Paul's back and thus moving considerably faster.

We did make it to the Shelter and had a little Shabbat Service:



The Rabbi telling a story.



And then we hiked down, which went much faster because it was all down hill. I don't think the boys appreciated the scenery:



And after the hike, they were both starving and since I didn't pack a lunch we stopped at the dining hall where they ate over-priced Mac & Cheese. Jeremy got back from his race and picked the boys and the stroller up so I didn't have to fight against 65 lbs of potential energy that wanted to zoom down the long hill.

Mileage: 121 miles, 308 to go
Pledges: $165

Sam's turn

Sam had a wacky, late nap today and was raring to go at 7pm. I was heading out for my walk when he begged me to let him come. I didn't think he could do 4 miles, but I agreed and told him he could bike to Starbucks for hot chocolate. He made it! Not only did he have a great time, with no complaining, he really learned how to enjoy downhills. I had to run to keep up with him most of the way there. He asked for a quesadilla which he polished off in record time, so I think he really worked up an appetite!

On the way home, I had my hand on his back to help him up the uphills, but he was happy as a clam, stopping to check out bugs and the like. I can't believe it. What a trooper! I'm a little tired from jogging though! We got back at 9:30pm! Yikes-must be summer!

High Winds

We had some freaky high winds here on Wednesday. Like so freaky that trees are broken all over the place and the power went out and my ISP went down. Did you hear me, NO INTERNET. For 48 hours. So I'm actually writing this Saturday afternoon.

I took my walk Thursday afternoon. Jeremy wanted to do his team bike ride, so he got home early so I could leave at 4:15. Here's how a lot of trees look now:



First I walked to the Photo Store to see if my order was ready. Good thing I checked, they hadn't gotten it. So we got that fixed and I continue on. I walked my south/east loop, listening to Harry Potter. Jeremy wanted to leave at 5:30 so I cut my walk a little short. But as soon as I got home, the Photo Store called to say my order was completed, so I put the boys on bikes to go pick it up. Alex wiped out pretty quickly and got a goose egg next to his eye. But he got back on his bike and we made it to the store. On the way home was worse. He skinned both knees and couldn't ride home. I was having trouble pushing Adam and Alex's bike and then I finally convinced Alex we could get to the bandaids quicker if he rode home. Oy, he's a mess. Bandaids on every limb and now that nice head bump. But what a trooper.

Mileage: 117 miles, 312 to go
Pledges: $165

Epic

It was a dark and epic night, punctured only by my steadily paced monster sneezes...

Let me back up. Ellen and I came up with another plan that once again turned epic for Alex and Ted. Jeremy was bike racing tonight, so I had decided to take the boys along on my walk. Ellen joined me with Ted and Mae. We were going to bike/walk to DQ for ice cream, but that was only less than 2 miles round trip. So I suggested that we walk over to Ted's elementary school to add some mileage. We were having trouble with Ted stopping and waiting for us to catch up and then Alex running into him, so we told them to just go. And go they did, right past the turn to Ted's school. Ellen had to ditch Mae's stroller with me and run after them. And I didn't really think how far the school was, and once we got there it was 7:30 and a mile and a half away from home. And also when we reached the school, my hay fever decided to kick in full force and I couldn't stop sneezing.

But ice cream was promised, so we headed back. There was downhill, so back was uphill, which is more difficult for the beginner rider. Oh yeah, did I mention this was Alex's first day riding his bike without training wheels after we took them off yesterday? Much falling was involved and at 8:15 we made it to DQ.



I was worried about getting home, since it was the most uphill and also getting dark, but everyone made it. It was a long 4 miles but when we weren't stopped to help Alex, we were walking at a good pace. Ellen did the whole walk in her crocs, how are your feet now?

Mileage: 113 miles, 316 to go
Pledges: $165

Marshall Mesa - Doudy Draw - Community Ditch

It was a fine morning for a hike. Ellen and I met at the new Marshall Mesa trail head at 7:40 (I was a bit late due to an unavoidable stop at Starbucks).

We walked up the Coal Seam trail and then over to Doudy Draw. This is the view from Doudy, a bit more Southern looking up at the Flatirons:



Poor Ole had to be on leash for a bit of it due to ground bird nests in the area.

And then on the way back we missed the turn for the Coal Seam and kept following Community ditch and ended up at the old trail head. But if we hadn't missed our turn, we would have missed this:



We would also have missed quite a bit of muddy trail, but oh well. Our detour added about a mile and a half, so our 8 mile hike turned out to be about 9 and a half and took about 3 1/2 hours.

Mileage: 109 miles, 320 to go
Pledges: $165

McD's

Tonight Ted biked while Ole and I hoofed it. We took our bike path to Wahoo's but cut over to McD's for an ice cream. It took forever and a day but it was fun. And Ted got to *almost* catch a toad.

(Free!) Starbucks

Nothing is better than Starbucks other than FREE Starbucks. I was cleaning out my junk drawer and found one more Safeway coupon for a free grande, and it wasn't even expired. I had a photoshoot in the morning, so in the afternoon the kids and I walked to Starbucks (where I got a FREE java chip frappachino) and then onto the library where we got some Magic Tree House books. I took an antihistamine to help with the hay fever and I felt a little zonked out. And now I'm sneezing as I type this.

Mileage: 101 miles, 328 to go
Pledges: $165

More Flowers

Just my quick 3 mile route up the hill again. The flowers are bee-u-tiful, but I would enjoy them more if my hayfever wasn't going crazy. Bah.

I'm listening to Harry Potter now, the 6th book. And you'll be happy to know that I figured out how to have more than one disc on my MP3 player at a time without the order getting screwed up. I figured out that there are folders on my device, so I can put 4 discs in their own folders and they play in order. Yay, now I'm set for over 4 hours of listening fun!

Finished up with a nice sunset:



Mileage: 97 miles, 332 to go
Pledges: $165