Twenty One Miles from Canandaigua to Lima, New York

We had a good day today.  We covered twenty-one miles from Canandaigua to Lima, New York, and we have officially passed out of the Finger Lakes region and into western New York.

Once again, the environment has subtly shifted, and spring just keeps getting closer and closer.  We met some great folks today including Bernadette, Steve, and James. We saw deer and a rabbit. The scenery wasn’t so much spectacular, but it was consistently very nice.

Yurt on a River - Lima, NY

This Yurt perched on the bank of a river really caught me by surprise, but it was pretty cool.

Grouchy old hiker caught unawares in his natural habitat

There was even a rare sighting of a crotchety old hiker in his natural habitat holding down a guardrail.  Though this is a fairly rare sighting, these scenes are more prevalent in the late afternoon after a long day of hiking.  Keep your eyes peeled. You may see one too.

Overall, we had a good day, and we’ll see how we can recover tonight and hit the trail strong again tomorrow.

Dealing with a Day of Rest

I’m not gonna fib to you.  Dealing with these days of rest are hard on me.  Don’t get me wrong. I know they’re absolutely necessary, but even given their value to the overall effort, I end up feeling a little trapped as we sit tight and make no obvious forward progress.

When we’re on the road, there is always something new to experience and take in.  Once we become static in one area, my perception is that we’re really limited in the things we can do or see.  That perception is not correct, but it takes energy to overcome that perspective. Today I had to make a real effort to get out of our motel room and seek out the beauty around me.  The beauty was there when I looked.

Cherry blossoms right out the front door of our motel room

My friends back in Washington, DC saw the cherry blossoms come and go several weeks ago.  As the spring warmed and the blossoms peaked, I was able to share in their excitement as they made their own annual pilgrimage to the Jefferson Memorial or even just out in their own neighborhoods to see the peak of the cherry blossom season.

Now, I get to experience that same excitement again, because here in the Finger Lakes region of New York the cherry blossoms are beginning to slowly make their way toward their peak.  I’m no expert, but I’d say we’re about seven days out from a real peak of the season. The picture of the tree above was a bit of anomaly. She had to be out in a particularly sunny or warm spot because here blooms are fully filled out.  Some of her neighbors were just beginning to bud out.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back on the road.  We’ve got a twenty or twenty one mile leg planned, so I’ll be back in my nomadic happy place soon enough.  Until then….

Day 33

Rory (Jay) posting again, finally.

We decided earler this week to make Fri, 03 May a rest/recovery day.  Wx forecasts for several days said today would bring heavy rain all day:  we've gotten a few light sprinkles intermittenty.   But, Rory needed the rest.  The previous 5 days walking had worn him down significantly.   All told, in the last 17 days prior to today, we have walked 233.7+ miles.  That 17 days included the 2 non-walking days we spent in Syracuse to attend the Irish feis.    

I was getting down on myself because of my declining ability to recover physically overnight.   Josh brought it into perspective  be pointing out that we were averaging the equivalent of 15.6 miles per walking day -- more than a half marathon -- while carrying packs weighing in excess of 25#   Elite runners pretty much don't accomplish that.  It was a much needed admonition.   It doesn't make recovery any faster or easier.  But it does ameliorate the discouragement some.  

There isn't a bottom line yet, or even one in sight,  but what is apparent to me is that the the Lord is actively interceding and facilitating this current activity.   Not only for Josh and I, but equally as much for Sarah in Plano.   I struggled in arriving at the decision to follow through with attempting this endeavor after considering it for a few years -- but early indications are that it is consistent with the life planned for me.   And inasmuch as my life intersects greatly with that of others (Sarah, Ruthanne, Josh...), it must be consistent with their life plans also.   Hmmm.  

I don't know how to show or express my appreciation for the support, help and encouragement we've had (and are receiving) from Sarah especially, and from our families, our friends, our coworkers, and our acquaintances  (many new).  THANK YOU, and PLEASE CONTINUE !! .. must suffice !!       Jay
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