OK, the local elections are history now, so back to the important stuff - enjoying life. Just back from a 4.8 mile #walk before breaking my fast.
Today may be a house-cleaning day as it's forecast to be wet most of the day. It will be good to get everywhere "tidy" again, before I head off for a few days #walking, #fossil-hunting and #sketching in North Yorkshire. Always nice to come back to a tidy house.
Even if it does look like a hurricane's hit it once I unpack my car when I get back!
Mood Photo of today is of Malham Cove in our home county of Yorkshire (yes, I know that Yorkshire is 4 counties, but I preferred it when Yorkshire was 3 Ridings). I set a scene of 'The Shires of York' fantasy series here. It's a popular area for walking with the limestone pavements atop the long extinct waterfall.
There is not a #scarcity of funds for #transportation in the US. We spend tens of billions every year on #road construction and maintenance. That's a policy choice.
We could choose instead to pay for other things, like robust #PublicTransit & comprehensive supports for #walking and #bicycling.
Don't let anyone tell you there's not enough $. We have gobs of $. We just spend it to subsidize the least economically rational form of transportation.
Trucks, SUVs, and tinted windows make life miserable. Today’s example: parking lots. Pulling out of your space you can’t see people walking because your vision is blocked by trucks and SUVs.
When I was young, most people drove smaller, lower cars with clear windows, so you could see through and by the cars around you and know where pedestrians were. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN7mSXMruEo
For #ThickTrunkTuesday, here is a large Sitka Spruce tree I found on my backpacking trip this last weekend. The tree is in front of a battery at Fort Stevens State Park, which was built near the end of the Civil War.
Mood photo from today and our walk along Saltburn (Yorkshire) beach to Marske and back. Bracing for 2nd May but great for creating an appetite for Britain's gift to the world - fish & chips.
Long shoreline survey today round the belly of a big crescent bay. The wind swung to the north same time as yesterday like clockwork, still quite cold. A great nest at the halfway point, eagles circling. Tired legs.
Today I walked a round trip of 13km: up Shotover hill, down into Wheatley for a coffee, up past Wheatley windmill and down into Horspath. I peeked though the windows of the primary school that I last attended a third of a dang century ago, and went back up and over Shotover country park. It was a fantastic hike, made even better by the wood absolutely bursting with bluebells! #Headington#Oxford#Shotover#Wheatley#Horspath#hiking#walking#bluebells#woods#nature#forest
Homeward-bound from #occitanie#France. Very sad to be leaving - have had a fantastic two weeks of #walking orchid spotting, bird watching & just enjoying the outdoors & nature generally (oh & wine 🍷 drinking!). Have also met & spent time with some wonderful people - friends for life.
The adventure is not quite over though…all aboard the #NightTrain. #LowCarbonTravel
Last night when I arrived, I pitched my tent at the hiker biker camp at Fort Stevens and then headed out for a sunset beach hike. Checked out the Peter Iredale shipwreck and hiked a few miles on the beach. Sunset was beautiful. Currently headed toward Seaside, Oregon on the beach.
You did ask for stone circles in my next blog, so I have focused on The Hurlers, a triple set of stone circles on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall.
However, I do venture to a pre-iron age enclosure, a long barrow, a site where a giant and a saint had a stone throwing contest, and the cave of an 18th century mountain philosopher.
For #WaterfallWednesday, here is a night mode and daytime photo of Fairy Falls along the Wahkeena Falls Trail. I took these photos on Saturday morning while hiking in the Columbia River Gorge. I love how the water looks blue in the dark.
Starting a new thread of my significant walks and hikes in 2023 (because posting to the thread started with my previous Mastodon account excludes content from my profile). 📓 👇
The variety of wildflowers is just amazing. So is wildlife, even if I have seen that kind before. These pics are from a neighborhood walk in the last 7-10 days.