Awesome Weekend of Hiking and More!

After two full days of hiking, my legs are a bit sore and thankfully the hiking boots did not create any new blisters. The new sandals created plenty on Friday.

Friday
An early departure from work provide me time to catch up with folks in Bloomington and enjoy a nice dinner at Shanti Indian with JL and KK. Though spicy, the dinner was quite tasty. Afterwards, I enjoyed a nice walk and some Jiffy Treat on the east side of Bloomington.

Saturday - McCormick's Creek
Pauline and I enjoyed a wonderful day at McCormick's Creek. The rain held off and we completed about 5 miles. The day started with a 2 mile moderate hike to see Wolf Cave and the Twin Bridges. After a brief break for lunch, we continued on to complete another 3 miles of moderate hiking in the southern half of the park. It also included a climb up one of the few standing Fire Tower's throughout Indiana.

After the hike, it was time to try another international cuisine. We enjoyed dinner at Basil Leaf. I had a Vietnamese cuisine with a Thai Iced Tea both of which were delicious. The evening concluded somewhat nicely minus the constant interruptions about the weather happening north of Indy as we watched the first game of the Stanley Cup.

Sunday - Yellowwood State Forest
Have you been to Yellowwood, if not I definitely suggest a trip. The hike is more like backcountry hiking and animals are more abundant throughout the park. I saw geese and their little ones, a frog, turtle, deer, some sort of lizard, multiple chipmunks, and squirrels.

Today's hike lead me on two self-guided interpretive trails learning about the management of Yellowwood's natural resources and exploration of the various habitat types throughout the forest.

The journey started on the Resource Management Trail (1.5 miles/moderate), which I completed 2/3 of before continuing along the Lake Trail (5 miles/moderate). The Lake Trail led into the Jackson Creek Trail (1.5 miles/easy) and then back to the Lake Trail.

Two hours into the hike, it was time for some reading and lunch. I'm currently reading Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. Additional report on the book will come later. Lunch was delicious. Since Subway and Jimmy Johns were not open at 9:30 am, I decided to try out Bloomington Bagel. I should have gotten two bagels because they are so delicious. I enjoyed a cinnamon sugar PB&J bagel sandwich.

Two hours later, it was time to hit the trails again. 1/2 an hour later, I ran into the Scarce O'Fat Trail (4 miles rugged). It was not time to head home and I need to get use to a lot of hiking before I hit Washington so off I went on the Scarce O'Fat Trail. The trail then ran into the High King Vista Trail (.5 mile moderate but 1/4 steep). Thankfully, the 1/4 steep hill was downhill from the direction which I came. Then there was still another 35 mins to hike along the Lake Trail to get back to the car.

To say the least, I was worn out when I got to the car and feeling a little stiffness in the right calf.

The weekend is now over and I will post some pictures soon for you too see of the weekend hikes.

Weight Loss Update

Yikes, it has been a month since I have updated the blog. I apologize. The month has escaped me.

The workout is not going so well. The daily walking Mon-Fri is still fairly on pace with a day here and there with little walking. The eating habits are struggling at the moment with no cafeteria food and constant salad. I enjoyed lots of food out this weekend but did not gain any weight so that is exciting.

Current Weight 185 lbs, which has stayed steady for a couple weeks now.
Total weight loss thus far 22 lbs. Goal of at least 10 more by mid-July.

It was exciting going shopping with LB and Pauline on Monday at the outlet malls. I actually could look for clothes in sections that were not viable last time.

One-Way Flight to Seattle, WA - Booked

What was your first thoughts when you saw the heading? It has stirred some comments on Facebook that is for sure.

Yes, the heading is correct. I purchased a one-way ticket to Seattle, WA today, which was a big step in life. It marks the beginning of what shall be an exciting, fun, thrilling two-week adventure starting and ending here in Franklin, IN.

Anyone interested in giving me a ride to the Indy airport for my departure flight on June 20? At least, I changed my flight to a 7:15 am departure instead of a 5:30 am departure.

So what happens during those two weeks is still up for debate and maybe some of you can provide some insight. Upon arrival at 11:02 PST in Seattle, my friend (SF) and I have approximately two weeks to arrive back in Franklin, IN. The goal is to celebrate America's Independence in Bloomington so if you live there look for some more info to come soon.

The overarching places we plan to see on our eastward adventure of the northwest:
Seattle - Arrival Day
Mt St Helens
Ellensburg (where SF lives)
Yellowstone
Grand Tetons
Devil's Tower
Mount Rushmore
Badlands
Corn Palace (SF found last time she drove)

Any other sites we should hit from Seattle, WA to Bloomington, IN?
Any specific places you would suggest us going within any of these areas?
Any words of wisdom at all for our adventure?
Anyone have a nice hiking backpack I could borrow for a couple weeks that works as a carry-on?

Definitely more to come about this journey and I look forward to hearing your thoughts, but for now I must get some sleep.

Getting in Shape!!!!

The new goal is to lose weight but also to get into shape. As mentioned previously, I signed up for a health assessment class here at FC. We received a workout plan several weeks ago but I have failed to engage in the program until now.

New workout plan started, Thursday, April 30 with encouragement from my student trainer.

Thursday April 30
- Warmup walk and stretch
- Approx. 10 min jog
- Cool down walk and stretch
- Dumbbell press, bicep curls, and a few other arm exercises.
- Set of crunches

Friday May 1
- Normal lunchtime walk with some definite soreness in the legs

Saturday May 2
- Dumbbell press, bicep curls, and a few other arm exercises.
- Stretching
- Walk to Masonic home and back to watch the FC Grizzly Grand Prix (Bike Race)

Sunday May 3
- Warmup walk and stretch
- Jog 10 mins same run as Thursday but went about 50 yards further.
- 5 min walk/stretch
- Jog 5 mins back to the start of the original jog.
- Cool down walk/stretch
- Weight Room - Leg press, leg curl, leg extensions, lat pull downs, seated row
- Crunches and more stretching

Goal to lift weights three times per week and jog four times per week for starters.

Weight Loss Update - Current weight 189
Goal by the time I see my family in July 175 lbs another 14 lbs for total of 32 lbs since January.

Three Things..Learn some new things about me

This is for those friends not on Facebook.

3 things: Now, here's what you're supposed to do. And please do not spoil the fun. Start a new note, delete my answers and put in your own. Tag all your friends and tell them to tag you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known things about each other.

1. Three Names I go by:
Robin
Murph
Starky (in college)

2. Three Jobs I have had in my life:
babysitter
department store cashier/stocker
campus security dispatcher

3. Three places I have lived in:
Bloomington, IN
Georgetown, KY
Paducah, KY

4. Three TV Shows that I watch:
My Boys
NCIS
Brothers & Sisters

5. Three places I have been to:
Perth, Western Australia (plus southwest corner)
Ghana (from south to north)
Stratford, Canada

6. Three people that e-mail me regularly:
Earline
Amy R.
Kerri S.

7. Three of my favorite foods:
Cheese
Dark chocolate
Egg, Cheese, and Bologna Sandwich

8. Three things I would like to do:
Mission Trip to Africa
Travel to the Holy Lands
England to find family

9. Three friends I think will respond:
Chris V.
Sarah F.
Julie D.

10. Three things I am looking forward to:
An eastward adventure of the west in June/July and going MIA
My Boys Marathon with a friend
Having a family one day