Hiked the Lighthouse trail in Palo Duro Canyon last week. At six miles out and back (five and one half if you, like me, skip the final ascent) it was my first long hike of the season. I consider the Lighthouse my home trail. It’s the one I do most often and the one I […]
Here’s the new cover. In addition to showing it to you, in this blog I want to tell you why I wrote the book. If you’ve followed my writing, you know walking has been a passion for some time. What you may not know is about three years ago I decided to research the subject. […]
Hey Facebook and blog friends, I need your help. I’m revamping and re-launching my walking book as a work on fitness for the aging (that’s the category Amazon says is selling). Can you take a look at these titles and tell me which one(s) you like? Maybe rate the top three. The Art of Walking […]
First Note: Today is her birthday so I’m sharing something I wrote over 25 years ago. All still true–Charlotte, you are the love of my life. Note: This column appeared first on November 28, 1998 with the following note: Thirty years ago today I married the 1967 Homecoming Queen of Claude (Texas) High School. Today’s […]
Pictured in my latest blog post are my friends and I on Atalaya Mountain above Santa Fe. It was my first hike of the summer, and I decided to, once again, take my favorite trail. I guess it’s my favorite because of all the memories. I’ve traveled the 5 mile, out-and-back path dozens of times […]
“There’s no better place to find yourself than sitting by a waterfall and listening to its music,” wrote nature photographer Roland Kemler. I couldn’t agree more. In my recent update to 1001 Fun Things To Do in Retirement, I added 64 fun walks and day hikes. I didn’t do it on purpose, but 13 of […]
“If there’s heaven for me, I’m sure it has a beach attached to it” wrote singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. Beach goers like Buffet are profusive in their praise. “There’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away,” wrote poet Sarah Kay. A […]
“The wonders of the Grand Canyon cannot be adequately represented in symbols of speech, nor by speech itself,” wrote John Wesley Powell, the Army Major who led the first American exploration of the canyon in 1869. If you’ve stood at its rim, you know what he meant. My word is “mesmerized,” a term attributed to […]
Walk at Night “I have been one acquainted with the night,” wrote Robert Frost. I want to say, “Me too, Mr. Frost, but not acquainted as much as I would like.” I once saw the night sky on a regular basis—when I was a Boy Scout on campouts, when I lived on a ranch in […]
Note to reader: As you’ve probably guessed, I’m making these blog posts into a book. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. For now, what follows is my draft of the last chapter. Thoughts? But You Haven’t Said Anything about Retirement. No, I haven’t. Well, actually I did. Because if walking is a metaphor […]