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Monday, April 28, 2008

Fun Monday

Our wonderful hostess with the mostess this week is Angela from The Lurchers. Her assignment was the following:


All I want you to do is take me on your favourite walk. In words or pictures. Or both of course! Tell me why it's your favourite and point out things of interest on the way.


I loved this assignment and knew exactly what I wanted to do as soon as I read it!!!


My absolute favorite walk is the following trail....

...this is the Bear Valley Trail at Pt. Reyes National Seashore. We have walked this and other trails many times. I love the whole area...it is my "happy place".



But..the walk I am going to take you on today is my favorite regular one. I do this walk a few times a week...I like to vary my walking routes so I don't get bored. This is one of my challenging routes....are you ready? Let's go..



I need to get my favorite walking buddy ready....look at that face..."Come on Mom..you said we were going to walk!"...okay Baron...let's go..

Sorry Tucker, you can't come along with us...no cats allowed on our walks. Do you think he looks angry??


First we walk up our hill....you will see that the area we live is full of hills...in fact a flat area is very rare!!

Then we go down...I never tire of the views....I love the trees. They are evergreen with a few deciduous mixed in.


Sometimes we cross this bridge and I let Baron have some off leash time in the park...but not today...today we are on a mission...


We are going to conquer this hill. This hill is about a mile from our house. It is a half mile long of straight uphill, and the grade worsens as you climb....are you ready??

Part way up I walk backwards. Not only does this give my lungs a rest, but it also gives my quads a workout. Plus it confuses the heck out of Baron...."what side should I be on?? I was on her left but now she turned around...I am so confused"...it is kind of fun to keep him guessing, as long as he doesn't trip me!!

Around the corner the hill continues...

By this time I am really sucking air and for years I thought this was paint on the street. Recently I was walking at dusk and saw these...

....roosting in these....

Yes, those are turkey vultures' night roosting eucalyptus trees. Now that I am educated on the subject I walk this area very carefully lest I get some Turkey Vulture Hair Conditioner deposited on my head!!


Almost to the top....just around the corner..and I find this..



...a gorgeous view. The mountain in the far upper right corner is Mt. Tamalpais. I can also see the San Francisco Bay, but it didn't show in the picture very well. Now I am catching my breath and basking in the view, all the way down the hill. The rest of the walk is mostly down hill until we get to my street...then it is up and down again until...

...we arrive at home sweet home. By this time I have to pee so bad that I barely make it...I don't know why, but it happens every time!!


Hope you enjoyed our walk...I am looking forward to going on everyone elses'!!!

33 comments:

Jan said...

Alison, great walk, I was really feeling it on that steep hill. Hurray, for you.

Beth from the Funny Farm said...

Great walk! I will walk backwards up hill too! Great for those legs!

Beautiful view there that you have!

Celeste said...

Wow.

What a great walk and a beautiful view!

Gattina said...

Just help yourself and go with your dog to pee, lol ! You live in a wonderful area, it looks like a holiday place to me ! Do you rent rooms ?? lol

karisma said...

I love that first picture! We take long bike rides on roads like that! Its just like being in another world, indeed it is a happy place! That hill you tackled is just like our street, (okay ours is probably not quite as long) we live right at the top, we however, can cheat if we take the long way around different streets. Thanks for the walk, my legs feel like they actually came along! And thanks for the sloppy dog kiss, it was ever so lovely!

j said...

ACK! All of those hills! I would be a wreck. You must be in great shape.

Jennifer

j said...

OH! And I answered your question back at my site! Thanks for visiting.

Jen Again

Pamela said...

Too much coffee? Thats why I always have to make a stop during my walks.

I'd love to see you walking backwards. Do you get some odd stares?

IamwhoIam said...

Baron is a beauty but all those hills, and no matter what route you take if you go down you will have to come up.

Mamarazzi said...

this was such a fun post!! what a neat idea!

Aoj and The Lurchers said...

Those hills!! But the views are absolutely stunning so well worth it!

ChrisB said...

Now my legs have had a good workout!
The photo with Mt T brought back memories of seeing it from the SF side.
I thought it was only oldies like me that had to rush to the bathroom LOL.

Hootin Anni said...

Pretty....those trees are amazing!!!!

My Fun Monday is walking along the beaches, with a few pictures of the views. Drop by if you can.

SwampAngel65 said...

Your neighborhood looks very pretty...a nice place to walk! Except my lungs are bursting and my thighs are aching just from reading about it! You must be in awesome shape if you do that walk everyday!

Sayre said...

I am so impressed that you do big hills! I used to walk my son to school and there was a really big hill. He got to go down it, but when I was walking home, I had to go UP it. Nearly killed me the first few times. Then I started taking my cane and it helped.... Your walking companion is too cute!

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing your lovely walk. Oh my! - that hill, not sure I would manage it too often!

storyteller said...

What a FUN walk with you and ‘your favorite walking buddy’ … I feel as though I actually got some ‘virtual’ exercise as I looked at the photos. I’ve only been to Pt. Reyes National Seashore once but it’s BEAUTIFUL and you’re lucky to live close by. My ‘beach walk’ with Molly is up at Small Reflections.
Hugs and blessings,

Anonymous said...

What a beauitful walk! And your walking partner is just adorable.

(btw- exercise does make you need to pee, there's not much you can do to prevent it)

Greyhound Gap Official News Blogger said...

Fantastic place to live and wonderful views but really dont envy you those hills

thefoodsnob said...

What a beautiful walk! Having a companion does motivate you, doesn't it? :)

Lisa

Anonymous said...

Wow now that was a great walk and just looking at all the ups and downs got me winded too! Well done!

Anonymous said...

That is quite a hill. But, the scene at the end was well worth it! Oh - and I've had to turn around on some of my local walks and take the cat back home!!!

Beckie said...

Beautiful View!! That was a great walk - thanks for sharing.

Patience-please said...

I envy you your hills! Sort of. Well, in principle. OK, thank goodness I don't have to walk those hills; I would have to crawl.
Wonderful walk - I totally enjoyed myself!

kitten said...

I feel bad! I cheated this morning. I drove to take pictures. I know I'm bad!!!
Beautiful beautiful view!!

Jo Beaufoix said...

What a gorgeous walk. You must be so fit. And I love your walking buddy. :D

the planet of janet said...

that's a fabulous walk with lots of wonderful sights.

and ... um ... i always have to pee first thing when i get home from work. what IS that?????

Peter said...

Just a touch TMI at the finish Alison?

Glad you enjoyed the walk through IKEA and I hope you don't mind this "general" comment, I'm running out of time for individual answers.

Kim said...

Oh, Alison,

Your photos and description make me miss Northern California! I can almost feel the crisp air of the ocean. *sigh*

Faye said...

Lucky Baron! Only true dog lovers understand how much they need to walk. And, how lucky you are to have those hills to climb. I have only one, but still have to do yoga "ocean" breathing to get up it!

bichonpawz said...

Holy Cow, Alison! You have ALOT of hills around your house! But I loved taking a walk around the neighborhood with you and your dog is very cute!! And it's always nice to connect with someone's home...very nice!! What a beautiful view you have on your walk. Thanks for sharing...

Unknown said...

Ok you have me giggling at the pee thing as I would probably be the same way. That is very hilly! Hope you never get turkey vulture conditioner in your hair. :) Love that you keep your pet on his toes. :)

tiki_lady said...

I love this! I have missed so much on your blog. I have been sidetracked by real life. your walk made me exhausted but oh what a beautiful walk it was! I loved it. Thanks for sharing. I am going to have to do a picture walk too! great idea.