Walk On

Wow - been here more than a week already, worked a week from my little desk here, and was so happy to see the weekend!

We decided to go into Reno on Saturday to run a million errands and I paid a short, surprise visit to Becca, daughter of my good friend, Kati.  On the way home, it started to sprinkle, then rain, then slush, then..,big, fat flakes of white coming from the sky.  Luckily it didn't stick to the road (although we rerouted twice to avoid much elevation, so who knows what it did over Mt. Rose).  When we got home, it was snowing here as well, so I took the opportunity to do my laundry and watch a movie.  Here's what the parking lot of the condo complex looked like:

Sunday dawned clear, but there was still an inch or so of snow on my car and plenty on the sides of the roads.  Still, it was time to head out and get some exercise, so we went for a 3.5 mile or so walk around the village, to Raley's, to 7-11 to get a mango slurpee (sugar free - I am on a diet, after all!), and then back home.  Here's what the amazing weather looked like, and for those of you who haven't yet met Ron and still think that he's a figment of my imagination, here he is:

So, my doctor thinks I should walk for 60 minutes per day, "preferably on an incline."  I'm not quite sure what he means by this.  I think that perhaps he thinks that I'm like his standard Palo Alto clientele, and can afford either a gym membership (which is $70 per month per couple MINIMUM here), or a treadmill (which wouldn't go all that well in our 600 square foot abode), or both plus a valet.  I do walk on an incline - sometimes up the incline, sometimes down.  I am in Incline Village, after all.  It's ALL on an incline!!

Anyway, we went for another 4.2-mile hike today, at Martis Creek near Truckee.  Mind you, please recall that it snowed for a few hours on Saturday.  Today is Monday.  I got a wee bit sunburned, and by the time we were done, it was really almost too warm to be hiking (but, to be fair, it was only in the mid or upper 60s).  Great views, open vistas, a pine forest, a coyote, tons of bridges and boardwalks, the sounds of birds, crickets, running water, and trees whispering in the breeze.  I am starting to understand why people live up here.  It also helps that I am finally getting somewhat acclimated to the 6000+ elevations, and I don't feel as though I am gasping for air like a fish out of water every time I walk 50 feet.

So, now I have dinner in the oven, and am going to go read book or play Words or catch up on "Call the Midwife" or possibly all three at once.  Tomorrow it's back to work days, so I have to fit in my free time while I can.