Often I go for walks around my neighbourhood and so I thought I’d make a few little videos of two different routes to the township of Kalamunda (which means ‘home in the forest’ in the local aboriginal language of the Noongar people) WARNING: The videos below may contain opinionated whining from an old, grumpy man … Continue reading "A local stroll"
Read MoreHello, G’day, Guten Tag. I am astonished that it has been almost eight months since I last posted here. Pandemic disruption is all I can say in my defence. Malaysia is in week three of yet another total lockdown. A lockdown made more painful by a ban on outdoor cycling. We were allowed to ride … Continue reading "What I Missed from my Bicycle"
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We waited … and waited … and waited for the first dandelions, blinding fields of canola, the leaves to bud – and very slowly, almost imperceptibly, a faint green shimmer of growth appeared. We had the coldest April in 40 years. However we did get some very nice days and I rode on 21 days … Continue reading "Walks and Rides: The April 2021 Edition"
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First of all, I’ll confess that the picture above was actually from a ride two days ago. I feel sorry for the folks that live up that hill and have to battle the mud to get to and from home each day. I did ride today, but just a casual couple of miles through the … Continue reading "It is Spring, Right?"
Read MoreSome Kodachrome photos from a walk Skunkers and I took in Cave Hill Cemetery this week. It’s where Col. Sanders, Mohammed Ali, the lady who wrote “Happy Birthday,” plus many local celebrities are buried. The geese were very noisy and it frightened the cat, but he has to get used to things if he’s going … Continue reading "I’m not the only one who took a walk on Wednesday"
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It’s hard to feel let down on the first day of spring, but here we are. It’s all the fault of Rich-Illinois – if he didn’t make such a big thing about seeing your shadow on the equinox, I wouldn’t have minded that it was overcast today in Moab for probably the first time in … Continue reading "An equinoctial letdown"
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We’re out of Color Country now and have moved on to the southeast corner of Utah – Canyon Country – which, surprise surprise, is still pretty darn colorful. We’ll get back on the bikes again soon but for now we’re still on foot when we’re not driving. Today’s hike through Natural Bridges National Monument is … Continue reading "Natural Bridges"
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We’ve finally moved on from our stay in Saint George. We had other plans for where to wander next, but a late winter cold front dropped snow to the valley and convinced us that we should avoid the high routes east. Instead we booked two nights in Springdale, the small town at the entrance to … Continue reading "Back to Zion"
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I’m feeling badly about this month’s challenge, and owe an apology to my compatriots to the north and down under. Pretty thoughtless and self centered to declare this Kodochrome month while we’re in Color Country and most folks are still stuck with a pallet of grey, white and brown. Oh well. What’s done is done. … Continue reading "Zion in black and white"
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For a change of pace from biking through the endless colorful panorama of southwest Utah, we decided to take a walk today. Rocky found a fine hike for us, one close enough at hand that we could just start from our front door: The Zen Trail. We were still surrounded by spectacular views everywhere … Continue reading "On the Zen Trail"
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In keeping with my plan to either walk or ride every day, I was out on 28 days in February. We had snow, some very frigid days and a few days of unusually high temperatures for this time of year. I was happy to have walking as an alternative form of exercise on the colder … Continue reading "Walks and Rides: February 2021"
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You’ll of course remember Old Grumbleface’s excellent adventure nearly two years ago, when he carried his Ogre up four miles of sand to Fonts Point. It’s definitely well worth the effort to get thee to Fonts Point, with its stupefying views of the Borrego Badlands. But by bicycle? Rereading his post, we realized we had to … Continue reading "Fonts Point, another way"
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Today we drove to Borrego Springs for a 5 night stay. I headed out on a 10.5 mile hike while Scott rested his toe. I wish I would have brought his camera and his excellent photography skills. This was the best hike I’ve taken in a long time. It was a great trail! The trail … Continue reading "Borrego Palm Canyon Hike"
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I’m sure I’ve pointed out that the desert is rife with hazards. Yesterday’s hike in the Mule Mountains outside of Bisbee is a good case in point. It’s pretty rugged terrain, with risks everywhere you look: treacherous footing, rockfalls, getting lost, getting punctured, you name it. You can’t let your guard down for a minute.
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Are we in Munisota or perhaps Germaine? Finally we have some minus temperatures that should impress – night time low was -16C/1F and the days’ highs are around -6C/21F. I’m not riding my bike but the sun is shining and if there is no wind, it’s still fine for walking and hazard spotting. If there … Continue reading "Toto, we’re not in Munich any more"
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Help! This month is going to be full of perils, dangers, hazards, risks, threats, menaces, pitfalls and accidents. (Come on, Thesaurus, give me some more.) I couldn’t wait to dive in to this cauldron of unknowns lurking around every corner. So again on foot – much too dangerous on a bicycle – I ventured forth. … Continue reading "Frightening February"
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Although it wasn’t that cold, the wind dissuaded us from getting on our bikes this morning. We took a walk instead and saw that most of the snow had melted and there were plenty (a plethora?) of big puddles. That wasn’t a big surprise. Our weather is fairly predictable and the forecasts reliable. But no … Continue reading "A Surprise"
Read MoreI haven’t been out with any photography club friends for so, so many months. When emailing with a fellow member, I mentioned I had been shooting a little on hikes and bike rides. He said he’d like to go with me sometime. Today, was supposed to be dry (it was) and in the mid-50’s (it … Continue reading "The Day after Rain"
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Well, this wasn’t literally a crawl. It was a walk, so I can post this ramble through Tucson under the new Walks and Hikes category, thanks to our egalitarian site administrator Rocky. Tucson is in a league of its own with its stellar galaxy of murals. If you’re not that into wall art though, there … Continue reading "Tucson mural crawl"
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It snowed all day yesterday and into the night. Today it was pretty windy, too. I don’t know what Greg the Weatherman would say, but this might be the closest we will come to a blizzard. We have lots of snow for sure even if it’s not a blizzard and every day I go walking … Continue reading "Blizzard by our standards"
Read MoreYesterday dawned as a cold, blustery day here in Vermont, with a few inches of new snow from overnight. I decided to skip the bike ride today and instead managed to get out for two walks. I thought this would be a good chance to show off some winter scenery. The first was a walk … Continue reading "A Walking Day (and Some Wintery Photos)"
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Poly wants a walker. Did that crack you up? Oh no, I have ‘gon too far, these are the worst puns yet. I might get kicked off this site if I don’t watch out. Even Rachael might put her foot down, somewhere she said she was getting very tired of those awful puns. Okay, but … Continue reading "Poly wants a …"
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It doesn’t look like I will be getting on my bike any time soon. The winter weather continues and it is seldom is warmer than +1°C during the day. That is fine for walking, although if I had my druthers +10° would be more to my liking. But then I probably wouldn’t walk but ride. … Continue reading "Gon for a Walk"
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Scott and I finally got out on a real hike in Tucson and it was wonderful! We’d been waiting for a day that wasn’t good for cycling. The day was very windy and on the chilly side but the hiking was great! It was very windy at first but we were soon walking in a … Continue reading "Hiking in Sabino Canyon"
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(A distraction from Wednesday’s horrifying news.) The only bike related thing in this post is that I have been sticking to my new year’s resolution for biking: No biking in inclement weather. For some this isn’t bad weather, at least not by Vermont or Minnesota standards. The daytime temperature hovers around freezing and yesterday we … Continue reading "Polygons and almost polygons"
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