On Walking Trails....

Another upside to being off this spring and summer, is that I have been able to reconnect with my old high school pal and get in some serious walking on the Madison County, IL trail system. The trails are basically old railroad right-of-ways, most are paved and all are connected with pathways built later. We have logged some serious miles already, and usually put in a minimum of 6 miles each time. One day we were really adventurous and got almost 10 miles in.

Because the trails are in Madison County (see mcttrails.org), I usually drive to her house in Maryville and we leave from there. There are parking areas at various points along the trails, so we pick a section, find the nearest parking lot or area, and just go from there. We can usually cover about 4 miles an hour, so it's a good 2 hours taking into account getting to the start/end point, etc. Sometimes we start a little later and combine a walk with lunch somewhere.

Our last walk took us partway through the campus at SIU-Edwardsville which has changed a lot in recent years. It's a really pretty campus, very well maintained but kind of sprawling; it encompasses quite a large piece of land. The trail winds through a small part of the campus, and we noted more than a few students taking advantage of the trail; running, walking and riding bikes.

We are hoping to explore the only long trail in St. Clair county (besides the Shrine) called the Richland Creek Trail which is about 8-10 miles each way, so we'll have to investigate that one a bit more. It's more of an "urban" trail so not sure how much we'll like it. I've been used to wooded trails in Mad County which provide for nice shade and it's quiet and peaceful.

The thing I also like about our arrangement is that I get to enjoy time with my friend, reminisce, talk about virtually any subject from kids to our reading lists, and enjoy her garden. She has a spectacular yard, which backs up to woods and it's so peaceful to just sit on her patio after our walk, enjoy some iced tea and listen to the birds. She's an avid bird watcher and it's amazing how much I have learned about birds from her already. We also share gardening info (she knows a lot more than I do!) and tips and ideas. She is a pretty adventurous gardener and is currently watching her olive tree for signs of the first crop of olives!

All in all, it's been very nice to have this diversion, it re-charges my batteries and keeps me grounded in what is really important in life, and gets my mind off of the negativity that sometimes swirls around my recent unemployed status! I am also happy to have re-invented this friendship now that we are older (wiser?), and it has meant the world to me to have her in my life again.