may 11th

today I had to drive my wife to work because we got new fish for the display tank at the store, and I didn't think it would be safe to walk with them for an hour in a plastic bag in the sun. Once we got to work, I floated the new fish in the tank to get them adjusted, and then walked downtown to grab some lunch to bring back to the wife. Afterwords, I let the new guys loose in the tank to get acquainted with everyone. Apparently, we made some good selections, because everyone got along just fine, and started mating immediately. That's guppies I guess. Other than walking the dog twice, that's all the walking I did, and the only walking that will count towards gas savings.

may 11th

3.38 miles
361.51 miles cumulative
14.4604 total gallons saved

May 9th

Yesterday I got up early and walked to my friends house. From there, we drove into the gorge for some hiking. We decided to check out tunnel falls trail. While it was a little too accessible and well maintained for my tastes, the trail offered some of the most beautiful views I've seen on a hike in a long time. Because we were rushed for time, we did not complete the trail, but we covered a good amount of ground. The one thing that was inspiring about this particular trail was that it's size, grade, and condition begged for it to be run on. We saw a few trail runners out there, and it was hard at times to keep myself from running too. If I was better prepared (not wearing jeans) I would have. Trail running is something I'd definitely like to get into this summer.

After returning to Portland, we parked at the house and walked to Fred Fest at the Hair of the Dog brewery. Fred Fest was easily the best beer festival I've ever been to. The crowd, the vibe, the atmosphere, and of course, THE BEER were fantastic (and the food!). Never have I been to a beer fest with a line-up of brews of that caliber. After Fred Fest, we walked home. The return trip was a bit hazy, to say the least.

may 9th

7.9 miles (not counting the 6 or 7 from the hike)
358.13 miles cumulative
14.3252 total gallons saved

may 7th

yesterday I walked to work. In the morning, there was a pretty steady rain on the way in, but I brought my jacket, so I was fine. On the way home, the sun was out and it was relatively nice outside.

Last night I decided with a friend that we should go hiking and camping up in the snow on Mt. Hood tonight, but it's looking like we'd be getting out there a little too late tonight, so we're going to do a closer hike tomorrow morning in the gorge.

may 7th

7.2 miles
350.23 miles cumulative
14.0092 total gallons saved

past few days

On Sunday, I walked to work in the morning, and then decided to check out a new spot after work to get a hamburger for dinner before returning home.

One of the neat things about all this walking has been that I've found it easier to try new things, and really get to know the city better. Life on four wheels found me mindlessly taking the same route everywhere I went, and I found my life getting a bit too monotonous. Possibly countering some of the calories I'm burning from all this walking, is some of the great food I've been finding along my new routes. A decent trade I think.

I haven't had to go to the store for the past few days, and I've started working on our basement remodel again, so I haven't really left the house since Sunday.

I mostly started walking to not use a car anymore, so staying home the last few days still maintains that goal. Still, it's dissatisfying to end a blog post without many new miles to report.

may 3rd

7.2 miles
343.03 miles cumulative
13.7212 total gallons saved

may 2nd

nothing exiting, walked to work and back.

may 2nd

7.2 miles
335.83 miles cumulative
13.4332 total gallons saved

training for belgium

In June, I'm going to be in Belgium for a few days with the family. The idea for the trip is to take the train up from Paris to a town in west flanders, called Poperinge. From there, we'll either walk, or ride bikes across the country side to visit a couple trappist breweries, which are settled among the hop fields in the region.

Yesterday, I trained for the event.

Interestingly enough, a young couple from Belgium came into the store, and we talked about the trip. He corrected me on my pronounciation (it's "pope a ring ee" not "pop err inj"). He also tried teaching me some Dutch.

After walking to work, and doing my time there, I continued on into north west portland to the NW quimby Lucky Lab location for "portland cheers to belgian beers". It was a belgian style beer festival and competition between local breweries, for charity. I tried several (too many?) really good belgian style beers there, and then walked home about 6 miles later in the night. 6 out and 6 back was pretty easy, even after liberally sampling tasty higher-abv libations.

Now I just have to learn dutch for "I'll have another" and I'll be ready for the trip.

may 1st

11.77 miles
328.63 miles cumulative
13.1452 total gallons saved

April 30th

Yesterday, I got up early and walked to the store to meet some construction guys that had to update some of our plumbing before a new city inspection. While I was hanging out, I prepared a bag full of beer to take home for what turned out to be the last Blazer game of the (post)season. Once I returned home, I did some stuff around the house, and then walked to a friends house for the game. What a disappointment!


april 30th

9.3 miles
316.86 miles cumulative
12.6744 total gallons saved