Saturday, August 10, 2013

fifty shades... of pink and purple

This weekend has so much walking goodness, I'll split it into two big, bad posts. First, Saturday's amazing "tour de la cite."

What a terrific day for a BIG booty kicking 16 mile training walk. We met at 6:30am at the Arguello Gate of the Presidio. It was foggy and damp and cold but you wouldn't know it by their smiles!


Oh, and just to reinforce how early we get up on the weekends, Peggy showed up wearing her stethoscope like it was a work day. Ooops! How about that for a "get out of the house habit?" I guess being a nurse for 30 years you don't leave home without your stethoscope.


As we were walking through Golden Gate Park I noticed everyone had on shades of pink and purple (except me and Nasi who wore all black, must not have gotten the memo!) Had to have everyone get in a rainbow!


After a quick break at the UCSF Parnassus Student Union we took off for the first magical part of this walk. The Historic Trail around Mt Sutro. There is a sneaky entrance off Stanyan between two houses.... it is like a rain forest there.


Sandy getting her hike on.


Maybe not the best day to break in new shoes! One side of Mt Sutro is like a rain forest - wet and drippy. The trail there is awlays muddy. Makes for a great adventure.


Oops, the trail got the better of this to remain nameless walker who slipped climbing over a tree. Score one for the trail!


Ah,  the pink/purple crew found their motherland.


Onward to the second secret destination for our walk: Glen Canyon Park. Such a special place with trails up and down the canyon.


Using our teamwork to get down a rocky section. Safety first!


It's a rough and rocky and super cool trail.


Then in the center of Glen Park in the little section of shops there were these great signs posted on a fence. This one I love.

And, in the parking lot there was this super creative pallet painted with words and planted with succulents. How cool is that for vertical gardening?



Oh, and did I mention the purse tree?


That had succulants planted in the purses? Seriously coooool.


Walking along Chenery I spotted these funny squirrel finals on a fence. Hello!


And then this wacky, whacky  yard. I see something new every-time we walk by.


Hard to believe we had been up at Sutro Tower just a short while earlier in the morning. The sun was starting to come out as we walked up and over Noe Street headed on our way back. This is somewhere near mile 11.5 of the walk.

Some lego art in Duboce Park. Amazing what you see when you travel on foot in this fine city.


And, right toward the end of our epic 16 miles we walked past the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. They had a huge semi-ring of gorgeous foxgloves, one of my favorite garden flowers.


And the ever changing flower planting clock.




Summer time in the city. 


We walked in at least 15 different neighborhoods and two amazing trails on this route! Presidio Heights, Presidio, Inner Richmond, Golden Gate Park, Inner Sunset, Cole Valley, Forest Hills, Midtown Terrace, Diamond Heights, Glen Park, Bernal Heights, Noe Valley, Castro, Duboce, Haight Ashbury.  Phew!  No wonder I am bushed. 16 miles in 4 hours of walking time. Not too shabby!!

It was a walk where we saw so much, had such great conversations and lots of laughs it sort of flew by! Now don't get me wrong, our feet, hips and legs sure felt every one of those miles, but everyone did SO great for a long, challenging walk like this. HOORAY everyone on such a amazing day.

Tomorrow we walk another 12 miles with a very special site visit to our event beneficiary, Breast Cancer Emergency Fund. Should be another terrific adventure!


TODAY'S MAP QUOTES

And as I saw more light in everybody else, I seemed to have more myself. Victoria Moran

For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it. Ivan Panin


No comments:

Post a Comment