new gear, less clutter, more miles

I had a pretty busy day on foot today. When I woke up, I was greeted by three hungry cats, and their empty bag of food. I haven't had to go get pet food since I stopped relying on my car, so it was my first try at carrying it back to the house. I walked down to hawthorne pet supply, got a 30 pound bag of food, threw it over my shoulder, and carried it back to the house. I was fresh with energy after the night's rest, and it was a breeze. It was just under a mile each way.

As soon as I returned (and fed the cats), I walked to a friends house, where I met my wife, who was returning the friend's car there. From the house, I walked her to work, and then continued on to Oregon Mountain Community, where I got some new walking gear.

I got a pair of darn tough socks. I was impressed my the feel of the padding, the recommendation of the sales person after I described my needs, and the fact that they come with an unconditional lifetime warranty. That's one pair of socks that I will own for the rest of my life. I'll write a review of the socks when I've had a chance to really put them to work, but I have them on now, and they feel great.

I also got a pair of ex officio boxer briefs. I bought these after reading several reviews online. They sounded exactly like what I wanted. I changed into them when I got home, and they are extremely comfortable, light weight, and they breath and wick as well as promised. They were also on sale, so the it was definitely a great purchase.

Finally, I got the north face paramount surplus shorts that I wanted. They were nearly half price, and they had the color I wanted; so I had to. They're very comfortable, super light, and I imagine they'll be very functional and will perform well on long hikes. Again, I'll write a review when I've had a chance to really test them, but so far, I'm really happy with the buy.

From OMC, I walked to the liquor store to get some vodka for easter brunch tomorrow, and then home. The loop was 8.95 miles.

After I got home and changed into my new gear, I loaded up a couple bags with clutter, and went down hawthorne to sell it off. From there I went to the grocery store and them home. That was another 2.96 miles.

Later in the day I did two real short walks. One with the dog (I haven't been keeping track of those, but I'll start) and one to get some beer. .67 and .5 miles.

april 11th

14.92 miles
249.76 miles cumulative
9.9904 total gallons saved

march 30th

Today I walked my wife to work. I like when we walk to work together, it gives us something to do with one another besides trying to run a business and maintain a household. I also feel funny when I drive her to work because whenever I do, I have to drive to work twice in a day (to get her there and to bring her home), which basically means we're using the same amount of gas as if we both had a car and drove ourselves to work each day.

After I walked her to work, I walked to Oregon Mountain Community, which I found online this week. I have been researching jackets for a little while now, and I noticed that they carry all the lines I like, and that most of their stuff is on sale for a lot less than anywhere else in town, and less than most everything I could find online. Being able to try stuff on before I buy it, not having to wait for the thing to get shipped, and being able to support a local business all at once felt really good. Saving about $40 on the jacket felt great.

I got a Marmot minimalist jacket, for $160. Sweet deal. Now I have no excuse for not walking in the rain. The jacket is 100% waterproof, and really breathable and light weight, so I can wear it even when it's pretty warm out.

From OMC, I walked to the grocery store, did some shopping for dinner tonight, and then walked home with everything.

After I prepared everything (crock pot!) I walked to work again to get my wife, and then we walked home.

It was nice to get the extra walk in today, I wasn't feeling like I was getting enough with all these 3-7 mile days I've been putting in. Including the detour to OMC today, I got in 15.2 miles.

march 28th

15.2 miles
159.52 miles cumulative
6.3808 total gallons saved