Going on Another Long Walk

It's been a little over a year since Rory and I hit the trail for a relatively long walk.  Today at a swim meet, I overheard one of the participants talking about a Scout hiking trip in Arizona that covered sixty four miles in five days. That's a pretty good showing, and it got me thinking about hitting the road for a multi-day march sometime in the relatively near future.  I'm thinking next fall.

Sunset on College Creek

Until then, I guess I'll just have to go day for day sipping on sunsets like this one I come across during the more routine aspects of the daily practice.  All in all...not a terrible way to mark the time. I'm looking forward to travelling and adventure tomorrow...wherever that might be.

Surprises

Over the last several weeks, I've become increasingly convinced that it's high time to share some of my thinking (if you can call it that) behind the idea of the Newport to Newport Transcontinental Pilgrimage.  I should probably start at the beginning, but since I've never exhibited any undue fondness for doing things the way they should be done, I'm going to start in the middle instead.

One of the unanticipated side effects from the training I'm doing for the walk is that I keep turning over surprises. I started this whole effort with a picture of what it would be like in my mind, and I have to tell you that not very much of it has lived up to my fantastical expectations. Today, after becoming convinced that I'd seen the range of panoramic shots produced by Google Photos, my phone spit out the following gem.

The single widest panoramic shot my cell phone has ever produced.

There must be five or six photos stitched together to form this bridge to bridge panoramic view of the Anacostia River.  To the left, there's the Suitland Parkway Bridge and to the right is the 11th Street Bridge. The photo is centered on the defunct power plant near the Washington Navy Yard.  I took it from the new floating docks adjacent to Yards Park.

This is a little surprise dealt up to me courtesy of the universe with a little help from Google, but I've found these little pleasant "gotchas" materialize more often when I walk.

I speculate that walking slows me down to a pace I've evolved to handle and I can grasp these gifts instead of whizzing right by them at highway speeds. Whatever the reason, being open to surprise and not often being disappointed by their appearance has become one of the primary benefits that I get from my walking. I don't know what might happen tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to finding out in due time.

Back Up the Hill

The weather today was spectacular, and I used to opportunity to climb back up Capitol Hill.

Capitol Hill on a Glorious Summer Afternoon

The protests were small, the weather was temperate, and the representatives were out talking to constituents about gun control legislation (no, really...they were!).

Whatever tomorrow may bring, I'm looking forward to the surprise.

Independence Day 2016

Today was a productive day.  In addition to getting the daily practice knocked out on a schedule that didn't cause too much difficulty, I got to see a good fireworks display, participated in some grilling of burgers and dogs in spite of the rain, and put in another good day of miles out on the trail.

Fireworks - Annapolis, MD

The perennial fireworks display in Annapolis, MD reminded me once again that trying to capture photos of these sparkling flowers is really beyond my technical and artistic capability.  The photo above is the best of probably fifty or so that I took during the display. The lesson repeated, once again, is that I should probably stay in the moment instead of wasting the experience trying to capture some pixels of the moment. C'est la vie...but if I'm writing the same sad tale again next year, I'll consider it a failure.

The miles I put in were good miles, and I covered a loop around Spa Creek in Annapolis that took me past places that I had not trod past before.  I completed the location of the three Little Free Libraries in the immediate walking distance, and I've even managed to get photos and locations of the quaint little boxes added to the main database of Google Maps. My interest in these little boxes of surprise titles probably deserves it's own posting (if I haven't already done one), so I'll suffice it to say I consider getting these three libraries mapped is an accomplishment that I take some pride in completing.

The walk took me past some old standby locations, and I enjoyed seeing Ego Alley in downtown Annapolis in a relatively serene state before the comings and goings that surely happened later in the day.

Ego Alley - Annapolis, MD

Even the mouth of Spa Creek between Annapolis and Eastport exhibited more activity than the high dollar moorings downtown. A couple of fishermen were just weighing anchor as I crossed over the Eastport Bridge.

Mouth of Spa Creek - Annapolis, MD

It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but the steeple at St. Mary's is showing some new scaffolding.  That makes two picturesque landmarks along my usual training routes that are getting a makeover to the detriment of contemporary photography.  I suppose it's just another example of how the illusion of stability is fractured into the reality of constant churn and change if you bother to really observe what's going on all the time.

Today was a productive and fulfilling day.  We'll see what tomorrow may unmask, but as always, I'm looking forward to facing it with a sense of optimistic adventure.

Another Mural

Not a great deal to report.  Today was the first day back from travels that I actually executed the full daily practice.  This included a little over seven miles of walking and the discovery of two Little Free Libraries as well as another "graffiti" mural.

"Graffiti" Mural along the Spa Creek Trail

Additionally, I discovered a piano in an outdoor park, and some log carvings of an alligator, beaver, and what used to be a turtle before it was vandalized. Just when I think I've got this area pretty well explored, I happen on some things that I have not yet discovered.  Conquering the urban wilderness is one of those things that is more fulfilling than watching television.

Today was another adventure, and I'm looking forward to see what tomorrow deals from the bottom or the top of the deck.