Archive for April, 2009

Find your walk, find your bliss.

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

I would challenge anyone out there reading this blog to give walking a try.  We live in a world filled with toxicity both physically and mentally.  Walking can help with both.  Perhaps it is my age but a year ago I was diagnosed as prediabetic and the latest test in January said everything was normal.  What happened?  I stepped up my walking.  I have lost weight over the last year too, but simply by walking.

In the morning we usually walk about 4 or 5 miles in about an hour.  Unless it is pouring rain or below 20 degrees we do it faithfully.   I would say it helps to have friends to walk with, but I walked for 5 years on my own with an ipod.  So it can be done.

My stress level was also high last year from family issues to the point I had the complete heart package done.  The result was stress, but stress can cause heart disease.  Last Saturday I met with a young man who is suffering the same thing right now.  Limiting the exposure to stress is essential but then some form of exercise is important too.  Stress will ooze out through your pores if you give it a chance.  I choose walking because running and some other forms can cause other problems.  I find it comforting not to need hip or knee replacement now or in the near future.  This is something runners have a much higher risk for needing.

http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/Running_Can_Lead_To_Heart_Trouble_a505_f0.html

So give walking a try.  Call or email me and depending on your location we will bring the walking club (Mark, Noel and me) to you.

As Martha (Martha gives me a rash) says,  "It's a good thing".

Keep walkin,

Ron

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I want some peace and quiet. I want a walk in the country, Ps 55:7

Monday, April 20th, 2009

What a nice nice weekend.  Sunday morning we walked with some friends all over Edinburg.  They are new to the area and have already planed their next trip back.  Kelly and her husband Glen really enjoyed our little town.  We started off towards the water tower.  There is an old road that is now partially abandoned where the Town of Edinburg has their water tower.  We are able to cut through the woods onto a quiet street called Shenandoah Avenue.  The hill going up Shenandoah Avenue is steep but from there we can cut over through the town's park to Rose Hill a new subdivision.  The closer we get to I-81 the louder it becomes.  We walked down to Stoney Creek and start back towards town.

As we walked past the old High School we saw a woman walking her dog.  She asked if we were a walking club.  We must be doing something right.  I introduced myself and her name is Jill. She commutes and can't join us weekdays but I said let me know and maybe we can find someone to walk when she can.

More and more I am running into people who are interested in walking.  So many health problems could be solved.  Stress can be reduced as well.  Overall it brings new perspective daily.

Kelly and Glen came back to the house with Mark and Noel  for buckwheat pancakes.

Life was good on Sunday.

Keep walkin

Ron

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Walking with the Shenandoah Hike Club Somewhere!

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Yesterday morning I had about a 15 minute notice to join a walk with a local hiking club.  Noel told me on our walk that they were meeting at 8:15 at the Mill in Edinburg.  By now it was close to 8.  I scurried home and packed what I thought I might need and took off.

To my surprise Dori and Pat were there too.  They have a beautiful B minus B here in Edinburg.  They are also great people.  Dori is fun and bubbly, an Internet guru while Pat is a Mr fix it with lots of projects.  He is also a hunter, lots of dead animals hang on his walls.

So all together 20 people showed up and started to Turner Hams in or near West Virginia.  I wish I could tell you the name of the place we were at but things were hurried at first and once we arrived there all those people to meet ( which I still didn't meet everyone).  For anyone reading this who was there, please forgive me but I am name challenged.  But I do remember who you were and what we discussed.

Several people live here in Edinburg and one couple who lives in the subdivision behind ours led the hiking group.  In talking with the wife they also have a house in Frostburg and enjoy riding bikes on the bike path that connects to Meyersdale, Pa.  We committed to meeting someday when we are both up there.

Another lady was expecting her children to visit but came to walk and enjoy the lakes.  She was fixing something Mexican for dinner and left her husband to greet the kids.

As to where we were I think it is a state park.  I know it is near Custer's junk yard if that helps.  It is also off Pig Pen Road.  Signage is hard to read from the backseat.

Check out the pictures.  The water is beautiful.  One funny thing, Noel is usually in the front of the pack.  I was coming up the rear when I see a fellow walking through the creek.  The width of the creek was about 20 feet so there was no way to walk on rocks.  My mind was thinking this may be the end of the path for me because wet sneakers and cold feet are a turnoff.  Even Noel was wondering.  Then our leader called to him and said we were crossing a little further up the creek.

The walk was great.  If you like picnics this would be a very picturesque spot to spend the afternoon overlooking the lake.  I suppose you could even swim during the summer.

Dori and I had appointments so we needed to leave earlier .  Another lady from Toms Brook rode home with us.  She was getting ready for a trip to Syria.  She wanted to see the street in Damascus called Straight where Paul had been.  We wondered about safety and she said they have no crime whatsoever.   Our embassy told her Syria was safer than the US.  Go figure.

All in all it was very enjoyable.  Good walk, good friends!

Keep walkin,

Ron

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Postponed till tomorrow, taking hiking adventure with local hiking group.

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

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Walking in Machu Picchu

Monday, April 13th, 2009

    My walk Club is growing and Maryann visited us several months ago.  She walked the streets of Edinburg.  She was excited because she was looking forward to her adventures in Peru.  Here is an excerpt from Maryann's email:
    Its been an incredible day.  we took the train to machu picchu, got there at 9am and the entire valley was completely fogged in!!  i thought i´d come a long way to see all this fog but it started clearing up.  it lifted as we were taking our guided tour around the entire site.  it is incredible, we saw it appear gradually before our eyes as the fog lifted.  we had a very good guide who escorted us through all the areas and explained about the history of the incas, hiriam bingham´s discovery in 1911, found it was covered with vegetation.  a local farmer and young boy took brought him here.   it is stunning to see all these ruins surrounded by incredibly high green mountains, the andes, shaped like bullets.  we hiked all over the ruins, big rocks, steep stairs,  after the tour yolanda and i decided to continue to trek up the inca trail that the trekkers still  take when they hike in, there are many trails around, 2 or 4 day trips..  that would be too long and rough for me.  i´m glad i did this now, some of the tour people had trouble going up and down all the rocks steps.   we hiked  another hour up to the porta del sol (gate of the sun).  <it was an incredible view from there, the classic post card of machu picchu.  i have lots of stories to tell, can´t wait to talk with  you.   it was about 5 hours of hiking, it rained on our way down, slippery rocks but we made it and loved every minute of it.  weather has been perfect.   <i will sleep good tonight.
    i am in an internet cafe in the city of machu picchu, we´ll leave tomorrow after seeing some other things around town back to Cuzco which we really enjoyed too.

    I hope you enjoyed Maryann's adventure.  Go have your own adventure walking today.

    Keep walkin,

    Ron

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