A New Year

That picture is not me and Arlo, but it's something like my mental picture of us if we were actually walking across the country, rather than walking around our neighborhood. Our neighborhood walks are nice, but not like the picture.

December

I walked over 400,000 steps in December, my biggest month ever, and averaged over 13,000 steps per day. I took over 10,000 steps every day of the month, and my current streak is 61 days. Eight times I walked at least 15,000 steps. Seven of those days were Mondays or Thursdays, my bridge days. The eighth was a Saturday, and I do not even remember why, but I walked over 20,000 steps that day.

2022

Well, it was another year that Trump was not president, so that was good.

When I started 2022, I was in Rocklyn, Washington, 40 miles from Idaho, still walking in the state I started in. During the year, I made it through the rest of Washington and through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee, and into Mississippi. I started the year with 850,000 steps, and I added 4,350,000 during 2022, walking over 2,000 miles. At the beginning of 2022, my target date to finish was August 31, 2023, and I was 70,000 steps behind that pace. Now my target date is June 28, and I am 174,000 steps ahead.

I failed to get 10,000 steps 13 times in 2022 - twice when I was on vacation in January, nine times when I was on vacation in October, and two times when I just did not get there. If I do something like this again (and that could happen), I will put my walking on hold when I go on vacation, because

From April 5 through October 9, I walked at least 10,000 steps every day, 188 days in a row. I averaged 11,920 steps per day for the year.

The most steps I took in a day was 33,092 on July 18th in Las Vegas. It's a record I am not eager to try to break.

Since Inception

Since October 1, 2021, I have taken 5,200,000 steps total, covering 2,600 miles, which puts me more than halfway across Mississippi, headed to Alabama. I am looking forward to Alabama, because it is the last significant state before Florida, which is the endpoint. (I will travel through Georgia, but only 50 miles or so.) My progress leaves me with "only" 1.8 million steps to go; that will take a minimum of five months.

Once upon a time, I used to bicycle a lot, but mostly I have not kept up with any type of exercise for very long. Now that I am old enough that walking can credibly count as exercise, I am surprised to find myself dedicated to getting out and taking the time every day. This appears to be something I can stick to.

It is hard to say for sure, because any change is very gradual, but I think it is getting easier with time.

And finally, credit to my walking buddy, Arlo, who has walked more steps with his little legs than I have, and has walked with me most of the way, and has tons of energy left when I am done and ready for a break. Maybe I could have done it without him, but he has given me incentive to get going every day and to keep clicking off the miles.

There is a time for walking, and a time for sleeping.

Week 65: New Year's Eve, Tupelo, Mississippi

 

You can take all the tea in China,
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail right around all the seven oceans
Drop it straight into the deep blue sea
She's as sweet as Tupelo Honey

Van Morrison, Tupelo Honey

My path takes me a few miles West and South of Tupelo, but it's good to have a good picture, and a picture of a statue of Elvis in Tupelo works for me.

Tupelo honey, by the way, is a real thing, made by honey bees that gather their nectar from the Tupelo tree. It is only produced in Southern Georgia and the Florida panhandle, and rumor has it that it tastes unusually sweet. I think I will buy some, just to try it.

Tupelo is the birthplace of Elvis Presley, and his childhood home is here, and a museum and several statues of him. Elvis is a big deal in this part of the world.

More interesting, at least to me, is that a trail called the Natchez Trace, and a roadway called the Natchez Trace Parkway, go through Tupelo. The Natchez Trace is an old forest trail that starts (or ends) at the Mississippi River at Natchez, Mississippi, far south of Tupelo, crosses the Tennessee River in Northwestern Alabama, and ends (or starts) at the Cumberland River at Nashville, Tennessee. It's about 440 miles long, and it would give me a good reason to visit Mississippi and Tennessee.

I will post a little retrospective of the month, the year, and the trip so far in the next couple of days.

Week 64: Christmas Eve, Cornersville, Mississippi.

Cornersville, such as it is

I cannot really find the inspiration to make something out of nothing this week, so let's just say that Cornersville, Mississippi is an unimaginatively-named place with no significant buildings and no significant people. And here we are.

An interesting thing happening this month is that I am walking more than ever. If I only average 10,000 steps per day for the rest of the month, I will walk more steps this month than any other so far, despite a couple of below-freezing days this week that presented a challenge. Unless I become injured or ill, I will easily break my one-month record.

There is a simple reason for this phenomenon: bridge. I usually walk to and from the lodge when I play, twice a week, and that adds 7,000-8,000 steps to my day each time. This is the first month that I have played consistently, so my steps are up significantly.

Also, I got an email today saying that chess club may start up again soon...

Three more weeks to get to Alabama. My current streak of 10,000-step days is 54.

Tonight, Chinese food and a movie, a surprise Jarrod picked out. Merry Christmas to all.

 

Week 63: Mississippi

Hedge Farm

M-iss-iss-ipp-i. I knew how to spell Mississippi when I was very young, maybe seven or so, because the spelling was like a little chant. I'm not sure I knew there was a place called Oregon, but I could spell Mississippi.

This week I left Arkansas and crossed the Mississippi River into Memphis, Tennessee, walked through Tennessee and into Mississippi, and passed 5,000,000 steps.

I am currently twenty miles into Mississippi, at a town called Red Banks. Red Banks does not look like much. According to Wikipedia, it is a census-designated place with a population of 215. Unlike some recent towns we visited in Arkansas, it is neither all white nor all black, but rather about 70% white, 20% black, and 10% other, which is nice. It contains two travel centers across the street from one another, two dollar stores side by side, several churches, a few auto parts/repair businesses, and a barbeque place called Clancy's Cafe. They also have this nice-looking place called Hedge Farm, which is a venue, and reviews on Google agree that it's a very pretty spot. They host weddings.

What I recall best about driving through Mississippi is that they have rest stops where all you can do is rest. No bathrooms, nothing but grass. No one stops at rest stops to rest; it's a euphemism. I have to pee. Otherwise I will just keep driving.

When I go to Mississippi for real, I think Biloxi is the place to go. It is on the coast, has some very grand-looking hotels on the beach, and claims to have several casinos to choose from, which may explain the big hotels on the beach.

I will be in Mississippi for NewYear's Day, but by then I will be halfway across. Total distance in the state will be 165 miles.

Midweek Post: Walking in Memphis

I remember that pyramid

Put on my blue suede shoes and I

Boarded the plane

Touched down in the land of the delta blues

In the middle of the pouring rain.

From "Walking in Memphis"

I am including this post because today I walked into Tennessee, but by the end of the week I will be in Mississippi, so Tennessee gets a post before I leave.

Along with Arkansas and Mississippi, Tennessee is one of three states along my journey that I have driven through, but did not go to for any reason other than to pass through. In fact, starting today, I am more or less following the route Jackie and I drove on to go to a wedding long ago, and I will be on that same path all the way to Birmingham, Alabama, where the wedding took place..

If I make it to Tennessee in real life one day there are plenty of possible things to do, including visiting Nashville, Graceland, Dollywood, or the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Internet says the most popular attraction in Tennessee is Dollywood.

Actually, today I am right at the Tennessee border, more or less standing on the Memphis-Arkansas bridge over the Mississippi River, crossing between the two states. That bridge is in the picture above by the way - not that one in the front, but the one behind. If you look close enough, you might see me walking across.

My entire walk across Tennessee will be about 19 miles, all in the greater Memphis area, as Memphis sits in the far southwest corner of Tennessee.

That pyramid used to be a sports arena, by the way, and is now a Bass Pro Shops store.

Things to do in Memphis include Graceland, food and music on Beale Street (prominently mentioned in the song referenced above), and the National Civil Rights Museum. Also, you can shop at Bass Pro Shops in a big pyramid if you want.

Week 62: Jericho, Arkansas

Jericho will be my last stop in Arkansas, as I expect to enter Tennessee, then leave Tennessee and enter Mississippi in the next week.

The picture is a different Jericho, the one in Palestine that Joshua conquered in the Bible, and the one that calls itself the oldest city in the world. Apparently it it at least 11,000 years old. I thought it made a better picture.

What I find interesting about Jericho, Arkansas is that it was a town of 184 residents as of the 2000 census, of which 92.9% were African-American. I have seen places in urban areas with mostly black residents, but a little town with almost all black people is a surprise to me.

I have to note that I walked a long way this week, so at the beginning of the week I thought maybe I was going to stop a few miles earlier, in Turrell, Arkansas. When I did a little research into the town, I noticed it was 88.6% black, a town of 517 people.

When I posted about Hoxie, Arkansas two weeks ago, I noted that the town was 98.15% white, because I thought that looked unusual. The composition of the population in the three towns appears to be related in a way. A little more research shows that black people were not welcome in many Arkansas towns (and maybe still are not, though a bit more covertly), so I suppose they created their own towns, and that segregation remains, even if it is not enforced the way it once was.

So that's a little creepy.

This coming week I will pass 5,000,000 steps, leave Arkansas and enter Tennessee, and then leave Tennessee and enter Mississippi, as the whole trip through Tennessee is only about 20 miles.

Week 61: Saint Francis Sunken Lands

I just crossed the St. Francis Sunken Lands near Lake City, Arkansas, and here is a thing that might be interesting to see in Arkansas, and something I did not know existed.

I had heard that there were once large earthquakes near the Mississippi River, but I did not realize that there are large rifts in the land that are still there today. The earthquakes were called the New Madrid Earthquakes, and they occurred between December 1811 and February 1812. Not many people lived in the area then, and no one knows how many people died (apparently not many), but lands rose and fell due to the earthquakes, and the St Francis Sunken Lands dropped six to eight feet and flooded. The area is now a swamp, but there is a road over it, and I just walked across.

I would like to see that in real life.

One more stop in Arkansas, then it's on to Tennessee.

November

 

At the end of November I am in Bono, Arkansas, which I am going to guess was not named after the singer, nor was the singer likely named after the town.

November was month number 14 of my trek, and I have walked just short of 2,400 miles to date. I have a new streak of 30 days at 10,000 steps or more each day, and I averaged about 11,800 steps per day despite some very inhospitable weather here the last few days. We had snow on Tuesday and Wednesday. It is snowing right now.

My goal is to reach Miami by next June 28, but if I average 11,000 steps per day going forward, I will arrive more like June 18, and that date keeps moving up as I go along averaging closer to 12,000 steps.

The next couple of months will be challenging due to the weather, but last year I picked up the pace in February and beyond, so it won't be long until it gets easier.

Week 60: Hoxie, Arkansas

Union Station depot at Hoxie; circa 1918

Hoxie is a literal crossroads in Northeast Arkansas, with five highways converging in or near town, plus two railways. Also two rivers, the Black and the Spring, come together a few miles away.

Hoxie was the third school system in Arkansas to integrate.

The mayor of Hoxie is named Dennis.

As of the 2010 census, the city was 98.15% white.
 

Since Arkansas is a state I still want to visit in real life, this is a fine time to consider what I might do when I go there. Here are a few possibilities:

• Hot Springs National Park.
• Buffalo National River. It's a free-flowing unpolluted river, so they say, with three designated wilderness areas.
• Mammoth Spring State Park! I was just there! Flow from the spring is about nine million gallons per hour.
• Crater of Diamonds State Park. You can still find diamonds there, and you can keep anything you find.
• Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. It's funded by the Walton family, so it's probably pretty good.
• Blanchard Springs Cavern.
• The Walmart Museum. See how it all began, and how it became a retail powerhouse that spawned a family of union-busting multi-billionaires. Did you know that the richest person in Arkansas and the richest person in Texas are both named Walton? It's true.
• Or, we could visit the Bill Clinton presidential library. I have never seen a presidential library.

A little over 100 miles to go until we get to Tennessee.

Week 59: Mammoth Spring, Arkansas

Mammoth Spring

Long ago and far away (but not far, far away), I visited Arkansas. Jackie and I stayed in a motel somewhere in Arkansas, I could not tell you where, when we drove from Stringtown, Oklahoma to Montgomery, Alabama for Jackie's cousin's wedding. It does not count for my quest to visit all 50 states, because we did not visit any interesting sites, just drove through and spent the night, but I have seen the place.
 

The first town at the Missouri-Arkansas border is called Mammoth Spring, which is a small town (less than 1,000 people) with a big spring contained in it. According to Wikipedia, Mammoth Spring, the spring, is the third largest spring in the Ozark Plateau region and the seventh largest natural spring in the world, which must mean that three of the seven largest springs in the world are in the Ozark Plateau region, right? I think so.

Last week I said I might get to two-thirds of the way through my trip in seven or eight days, but it only took me six. This week I walked about 17,000 steps on Monday (walking to bridge and back), Thursday (Democrats of Jubilee meeting), and Friday (walking with Joel.) So my activities are helping me put in some extra steps.

The Mississippi River and the Tennessee border at Memphis are less than 150 miles from where I am now, so I will only be in Arkansas about one month. My total distance walked is now over 2,300 miles, which seems like quite a lot to me, but there are still almost 1,200 miles to go.

Week 58: Pomona, Missouri

 

Who knew there was more than one Pomona?

Wikipedia says that Pomona was the Roman goddess of fruit trees, that they used to grow apples around this area, and that the local post office has been operating since 1895. Google Maps shows a dollar store and a Baptist church.

That's about it for Pomona, MO, population 440.

The map I posted is kind of small, but the US is a big place, and I have walked a long way (the blue line), and I have a long way to go. I am almost two-thirds of the way, but not quite. That will happen at 4,666,667 steps, in seven or eight days.

After a shaky October, my walking has gotten back on track in November - over 10,000 steps every day, over 11,000 average. Arlo and I have a new morning route that puts me in good shape to hit my goals each day.

Pomona will be my last stop in Missouri, which I entered back in week 49. From here, I will cruise through Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi in the next two months. I like it when I pass through states quickly - it feels like progress. Also, trying to say something about a place like Alabama for eight weeks in a row can be a challenge, but I will persevere.

Week 57: Mountain Grove, Missouri

 Can you see the red dot? That's where we are, at Mountain Grove, Missouri. I entered Missouri near the northwestern border, so you can see that I have walked a long ways east and almost to the southern border. Still, Missouri is a big place, and it will take me two more weeks to walk a bit farther east and over that southern border into Arkansas.

Walking is proving to be more difficult this time of year than I thought it would. The weather is a a factor, as I am reluctant to drag Arlo out for too long if it is too cold or too wet, and it is always cold and wet now. Also, someone put up No Trespassing signs on the route I used to take in the morning, so I am working on another route.

A bit of a lesser factor is that I don't feel the need to continually exceed my own goals, so I have toned it down a bit. Still, I hit at least 10,000 steps every day this month so far, although I have walked around my living room a few nights to get the last steps in.

The plan going forward then is to grind out the next few months, then maybe pick up the pace on the home drive as the weather gets better and we approach Florida.

October

 The month of October was not my best walking month. I came up short of 10,000 steps nine times, I suppose because once I missed once, there was no incentive to keep my streak going. However, there was also the problem that I was on vacation, and some days we did a lot of driving, and other days it was cold and dogs barked at us, and vacation may not always be an ideal time to get my steps in every day.

Nevertheless, I averaged over 10,700 steps per day, moved forward more than 160 miles, walked over 16,000 steps one day (at Arches National Park), and kept my average steps since day one over 11,200, so the journey continues without any great setback.

At the end of October, I was at High Prairie, Missouri, an unincorporated township with population of 1,010 about 100 miles from Arkansas. Trip.com says High Prairie "is home to an impressive selection of attractions and experiences, making it well worth a visit." Then it highlights a few attractions that are in nearby towns, not in High Prairie. Then it suggests that you might want to visit New York, Saipan, Los Angeles, or Las Vegas - all good suggestions, but not really on the way to Miami.

It's cold, wet, and dark here. It always is in November. December and January will be colder, wetter, and darker. But Arlo is as eager for a walk now as he ever was, so we'll knock out the miles and make our way to spring.

Return to Capitol Reef

Jackie had not been yet, so we had to take her.

Capitol Reef was named for a domed rock in the area that reminded early visitors of the American capitol buildings, and "reef" refers to a reef in the ocean, because the formation here creates a barrier to travel.

The geologic name for the formation is the Waterpocket Fold, and it is almost 100 miles long. The only way through, before someone built a highway, was the Capitol Gorge, a narrow canyon that is very prone to flash flooding.

The landscapes are different around every corner, so lots of pictures.

Not all of the rocks look like penises

Petroglyphs!

You see a lot of these door-shaped depressions in cliff faces

Is this the dome that looked like a capitol building? I do not know.

Canyonlands National Park

There are three separate areas to Canyonlands: Island in the Sky, which we visited; the Needles, which is also accessible by car; and the Maze, which is more a place to hike or take off-road vehicles.

The Island in the Sky section is something like Grand Canyon, only not quite so grand of course, but still very impressive. The Green River and the Colorado River converge in the park, and each one has cut deep canyons through the rock over a very long time. Island in the Sky is a plateau between the Colorado River canyons on one side and the Green River canyons on the other.

One little travel tip: If you are at least 62 years old, you can buy a Senior Pass to all national parks for $80, and it lasts the rest of your life. Mine paid for itself on this trip alone.

That is a road you can drive on. We decided not to.

 

There's me!

That is the Colorado River out there

Some of these rocks look untrustworthy

That thin spire on the far left is over 300 feet tall

Sporting my Steve Bannon look, with shades

Arches National Park

People in the picture give some idea of the size

We were going to see Arches and Canyonlands National Parks on the same day, but then our car's navigation system sent us in an odd direction, and I took a long walk, and we only made it to Arches. Don't worry, we made it back to Canyonlands, and Jackie made it to Capitol Reef, so now we have both seen all five Utah National Parks.

The car pointed us toward a back road into the park, which seemed like it might be interesting, so we took it. In Utah, "back road" usually means gravel/dirt road, and this was no exception as the pavement lasted about 50 feet, so we drove for miles along a mostly gravel road with interesting views, little traffic, and RV's and trailers that reminded us of Nomadland parked off the road. The entrance to the park was just a sign and more dirt roads.

The car then sent us down a road to the trailhead to Tower Arch, which was odd because the road was a dead end. When we got to the 1.7-mile trail, Jackie suggested that I should take her camera and make the hike, so I did. Dogs cannot go on National Park trails, so Jackie and Arlo stayed at the parking lot while I trekked 3.5 miles back and forth. The hike took more than two hours, so by the time I got back to the car, it was past noon, and we were still barely in the park.

Then the car tried to send us on a road that was only for high-clearance four-wheel drive and off-road vehicles, but we didn't take the bait this time and instead continued on a gravel road that the navigation system did not recognize, and we eventually reached pavement and the main part of the park.

Arches does contain several arches, but also lots of standing rocks, big cliffs and more. Jackie got a lot of great pictures.

Nice shot of the most photogenic member of our group

And here he is again

The "road" into Arches

End of the road to Tower Arch trail. Jackie and Arlo are down there somewhere.

On the trek to Tower Arch

Still on the way

Made it! The Internet says Tower Arch is 43 feet tall, 92 feet wide.

Skyline Arch

One could be forgiven for thinking that Utah is covered with stone penises

The Fiery Furnace, striped red and white stone

One could be forgiven...

At The Windows. Several arches there, including the one at the top of this post.

Signs say this may be a one-time arch that fell long ago

At an area called The Courthouse. I decided that these are the judges.
 

Balanced Rock, the most famous landmark at Arches