Bunny Day Weekend

Part 1

Liz called early today to let me know she woke up with a bad foot and wouldn't be able to walk with me. Since we wouldn't be seeing each other, we had to discuss the issues of the week. We had a really good talk. Unfortunately, we were on the phone for half an hour. That put me behind on getting out of the house.

I didn't get to the park until about 8:15. When I got there no parking spaces were left. People had parked on the grass and anywhere else they could get their vehicles as well. I checked the street where I usually turn around, but there isn't a parking lot at that location. I ended up going all the way to the other end of the park. As it was, I got the last spot in that lot. I guess the holiday weekend is a benchmark for people who want to get outside in the spring.

This is the first time that I have gone to this end of the park, so I had to ask where the walking trails start. Some ladies finishing up their bike ride were kind enough to point me in the right direction. I started walking at about 8:40 - a very late start.

This part of the park is in an area that is more built up. The trail goes through several town home complexes and runs behind houses almost its entire length. It is much flatter and not as natural as the part of the trail I usually walk. I don't know if it is just the area or if it is because I was walking so much later than usual, but there were loads of people on the trail.

There were a lot of bicycles (the MS 150 is April 17 so there is a lot of training going on). I saw one group with 16 bikes in total. It was great because there were some older riders with a number of younger riders. The older ones were teaching the kids the etiquette of riding ("on your left", etc.). I love seeing that.

There were a lot more runners than I generally see. Some of them were barely lifting their feet off the ground - more shuffling than running. Others were regular runners, many wearing t-shirts from marathons they had run. There were also a number of family groups with grandparents, parents and kids. I saw at least five strollers with children of various ages. My favorite was a little girl about 3 years old in a stroller with a canopy over it. She would look out from under the canopy and then push it up so she could see better. When we made eye contact, she pulled the canopy down in front of her so she couldn't see out at all. It was funny. I only saw 5 dogs on the entire walk.

I walked just under 5 miles this morning. That was where the break in the trail put me. I didn't have a problem, but it did take me longer than usual. By the time I turned around at the mid-point, I was hot and sweaty. I'm sure this will only get worse as the year goes on. I'm not looking forward to that, but I guess I'll have to deal.

Tomorrow is Easter. It will be interesting to see how many folks are out in the morning.

Part 2

Happy Bunny Day. I did see the Easter Bunny on my way back. He looked tired - like he had been up early and done a lot. I hope he was good to everyone.

The morning was very overcast and gray. It was about 78 degrees and almost hazy. I think it was about 99% humidity. This is the first place I have ever lived where it can be 100% humidity and not be raining. I figured I was going to be rained on before I finished, but it didn't happen - good karma I guess.

Due to the holiday and the early hour, the trail was pretty empty. I was able to walk 10 - 15 minutes without seeing anyone. There were a fair number of cyclists, but they were in small groups and spread out. I saw a larger group pulling out of the parking lot just as I got tot the end of my walk. I imagine there were more as the morning progressed.

The walk was very quiet. The breeze through the trees was interesting. It started up high and then moved down and across the trees. I really enjoy that sound and the movement of the trees. It made me take notice. I felt like it was something so much bigger than myself - not just the trees, but everything. I often have the same feeling when I see a particularly beautiful building or a work of art that speaks to my inner self. It made the walk seem shorter than usual.

I could also hear the water - the moisture dripping off the trees and the water in the bayou. When there was a particularly strong wind, it was like a short rain shower - very hard, but very short. It was a nice respite from the heat.

With all the moisture and the warmer temperature, my hoodie was far too warm. I had the sleeves pushed up and the zipper unzipped almost immediately. I was sweating a great deal, but it was difficult to tell what was sweat and what was condensation. It was most likely a strong combination of both. By the time I finished, my hair was dripping down the back of my neck.

The sun didn't come out while I was walking so the flowers were not as strong and bright as they might have been. The Indian Paintbrushes and blue bonnets are coming on strong, but didn't see as bright without the sun. I took some pictures today and I'll try to post them with my next blog post. I have to figure out how to do it.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.