In the field
To sit in a field in the cool afternoon with your dog, that is the way to let your To-Do list stay on the desk, for a moment, and to get back as close as you can to being a kid in summer exploring back in that field behind your house. With nowhere else to be. 
The Long Trail
A man stopped his red Ford pickup beside me as I was pumping air in the tires. I had my head down trying to get the bike setup quickly so I would had a good two or so hours on the long canal trail at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, before I pedaled back with the orange sun fading beyond the everglades. “Pardon. How far does that trail go?” he asked.
The Heron
It has been cooling in the afternoon, and six p.m. hikes have become a wonderful reward when I can get away from the writing and grading papers. It was towards the end of such a hike last week when we came across this Great Blue Heron. I stopped to let Sandy cool off in the pool running over from one of the brackish creeks at Oleta River State Park. I looked up and saw the heron:
Testing the SPOT GPS Tracker on the trail
I headed to the Southwest corner of the smaller lake at West Delray Regional Park, where a trail loop shaded by Pines awaited earlier today. Here is a GPS MAP of my exact location.
Back on the trail
I was sick for ten days, and the whole time all I could think about was getting better so I could lace up the hiking boots or clip into the bike pedal. Today was the first day I felt somewhat normal; I think I was about seventy-five percent recovered, which is good enough for a little hike around the nearby nature preserve.
Singletrack sweetness
Two trips to Oleta River State Park. Eleven and a half miles of adrenaline. Seventy-eight more miles to go, to reach my goal.
Ready to go
