The terrain was wilder today as we walked from Aberfoyle to Callander: all moorland, lochs, and rolling hills with great views. We agreed that some of our photos look like something off chocolate box lids, almost too picturesque, but that’s how it looked.
Category: Move
Glimpses from a wooded trail
Glimpsed layers of countryside from an often wooded trail on day one of our Rob Roy Way hike along the southern edge of Trossachs National Park. Tonight we’re in Aberfoyle with seven more days of walking ahead. We can still walk as far as we ever did, it just takes us a few more days.
Destination Battle Creek Park
With a bit of help from light rail and a friend and his truck, we cycled trails east of St. Paul, including a nicely refurbished section leading to Battle Creek Park. We both almost stalled out at a couple of points as we tracked this stream uphill.
The trail won
A cycle ride with a friend included trail sections that have just reopened after light rail construction. At this choke point, there was room for the light rail or the trail, but not both. The trail won, while the light rail runs in a half-mile tunnel through unstable ground under the trail. This is possibly the most expensive compromise in Minnesota infrastructure history.
Spring’s first spin: shorts and shirtsleeves
Wipe down, pump the tires, lube the chain: off on two wheels. With temperatures about to hit 77°F, a ride was mandatory. The trails were dry and ice-free, and everyone seemed to be in a great mood. Only the lingering piles of snow served as a reminder that the snow season isn’t quite over.
Mall walking: over 500 stores and nothing to buy
Two days in a row now, I’ve opted for a climate-controlled walk. With temperatures hovering around zero, I took the light rail to the Mall of America for a mall walk with friends. We walked past hundreds of stores, all of which, with one exception, did not interest me. After the walk, I did take a look around the LEGO store.
The climate-controlled dilemma
To paraphrase Oscar Wilde: there is only one thing in the world worse than the Skyway, and that is not having the Skyway. While I don’t care for the way it stifles life at street level, I certainly appreciated it today. I enjoyed walking part of the 9½-mile system in shirtsleeves with friends even though it was single digits and windy outside.
Transitioning to color
On our Sunday walk, with temperatures climbing into the high fifties, yesterday’s snowy, monochromatic landscape had found some color. Here at Gold Medal Park the grass and trees are still a few weeks away from fully greening up.
Walking the Hobsonville Coastal Walkway
Walked the 5km Hobsonville Coastal Walkway, which loops around a former Air Force base. Over the last 20 years, the area has been transformed into mostly high-density housing, over 4,000 homes when complete, two schools, restaurants and bars. Developers have offset the footprint with extensive parklands, bush, and trails. It ensures no one is ever far from nature or the water, while a ferry terminal offers a scenic commute to downtown Auckland.
A walk on the edge of Auckland
After a 35-minute high-speed ferry to Pine Harbour on the edge of Auckland, we took a bus through rolling farmland. We then walked back to the harbour via coastal trails, bush paths, and residential areas, enjoying lovely views across the Hauraki Gulf.