Being a holiday weekend, I wasn't sure who might appear at the RP for a workout - except Dave and George. They had to come. The three of us, plus 2 others who couldn't be there Saturday are preparing for a backpacking trip in SW Virginia starting 7/15. Here's the 3 hiking stooges just as they begin their climb on the early side:
Patty soon joined us as we caught her on the trail.
There were so many of us out there that we could barely fit into the picture.
Charity, Bridgette, and I enjoyed a beautiful morning that included a walk by the group campground. Here's a picture of the pavilion and fire ring. There's not much else out there. Grass. Some young pine trees. A few flowers. For some reason, I thought this campsite was on the water and accessible by kayak. It's not.
It's nice for a picnic, but I'm not really stoked about an overnite camping trip. So I'm bagging our camp plans here for Friday 4/1 - and that's not an April Fools prank. We'll still do our East/West thing, so I hope Devorie's crew can join us.
Also, I forgot to include a picture of Dave's new wheels that I took on 2/26/11. He'd been searching for quite some time for a fast road bike, and his patience paid off.
He's definitely got triathlon in his future!
I look forward to seeing you all on Saturday.
Our first combined workout saw the West group overtake the East. Thanks Pam for the great pictures with subtitles.
Pete and I snuck into the park early to get a few miles before 8 AM. We were greeted with an amazing sky.
Our bonus miles took us south of the tower where a wedding was taking place. No kidding!
Chris, Pam, Barkley, Bridgette, KC, Leslie, Emily, and Kenneth. Plus a bunch o'dogs.
Chris, Barkley, Pam, Don, Devorie, and Leslie. The hairy baby in the stroller is Grace, and Gunner was being bashful. We had a beautiful blue sky and cool, fall air. Awesome!
Wow, did we have some fine weather Saturday! The cooler air made us practically giddy. I mean just look how excited Gunner is.
I finally took a little trip to the Rye Preserve in East Bradenton. Ever since my small group coaches suggested we start a 10:10 Wellness East group, I've been wanting to check this place out. Today was a perfect opportunity. Kellie was away on a road trip with her Young Life girls, and Gracie was looking at me expectantly like she knew we would enjoy some quality time since Mommy was away.
The Rye Preserve is another jewel in the Manatee County Natural Resources department. Like the Robinson Preserve, it's owned by the county to preserve some of nature's splendor. We're blessed to have a director like Charlie Hunsicker who is so passionate about these preserves. From the Manatee County website you can access information and maps of the Rye Preserve.
An 8 pack (9 if you corunt Gunner) were greeted with postcard weather and a full moon that was still hanging around.
Barkley, Jackie, John, Leslie, Don, Charity, Pam, and Chris (and Gunner). A Gorilla Pod assisted photograph.
The 100% USDA walking crew headed for the tower. I fell behind after conversations with Sam (park master gardener and rehabilitating runner) and Denny (a tower regular who attends Bayside). Just as I got to the tower boardwalk, I noticed some very unusual behavior. I think the group was praising God - and doing lunges. I caught Jackie just as she was finishing.
