The Life And Times Of Lou, The Smiling Tortoise: 13-308

"The Blog Almost Too Boring To Be The Most Boring Blog in America ... for Over 5 Years!"

until it got too many red cards from Wounded Duck and the Boredom Enforcement Committee ... now the tortoise's goal is to get to 10 red cards so he can get Big Dog to drive down and take a good long walk with the tortoise

P. S. This blog listens to its readers. We have the Benjamin Category Override for 5+ mile walks and now, it humbles Tortoise to say he has been named "Lou", by Doug Jr, in memory of Mr. Consistency himself, Lou Gehrig. Tortoise can hardly type the words to think he is in any way comparable to the noble Iron Horse. Thank you!

Monday, November 4, 2013

13-308

You wouldn't know there are city streets on either side of the wide, wooded path of the
Hermosa Valley Greenbelt, aka Veteran's Parkway - formerly Pacific Electric train tracks

I got up at 4:30 this morning and drove 400 miles for a day of appointments between Huntington Beach and Redondo Beach. About 4 pm I got a break in the action and walked 3.59 miles with 75 feet climbed in 1:09:12 hours. Delightful weather, partly cloudy and 61 degrees with a slight breeze from the ocean less than a mile away. Tortoise Rating: 6.8.

This is one of my favorite urban walking paths because it is wide with lush, colorful vegetation and lots of people, many of whom are quite happy to share a cheery greeting ... hard to find on the sidewalks of the congested Pacific Coast Highway a block away. I previously walked much of the Manhattan Beach portion of this trail, today I did the full Hermosa Beach portion, both directions.

Please click below for a map, more pictures, and details of calories consumed and burned today ...

Cheerio!

Create Maps or search from 80 million at Humana Fit

North end of my walk today, with colorful signs greeting you to Manhattan Beach

And when I turned around to head south, Hermosa Beach greeted me

Interesting mix of desert fauna with the other trail vegetation

I paused for a moment to reflect at Hermosa's 9/11 Memorial
where the path crosses Pier Street.

There's an election tomorrow, and there are signs everywhere to remind you.
Hottest issue is an issue that isn't on the ballot until 2014, but hovers over
the City Council seats that are voted on tomorrow - whether to allow oil drilling.

I ventured just past the end of the trail at the Hermosa-Redondo city line
to get this picture of the Redondo city sign ... and these pretty flowers.

Mile 0 - let's start the return trip to my parked car

Calorie Goal: 2,277 Calories Consumed: 2,076 Calories Burned: 543 Net Calories: 1,533

Food Item	Servings	Cals	Fat	Cholest	Sodium	Carbs	Sugars	Fiber	Protein
Youngevity Ultimate Classic Dietary Supplement	1.00	40	0g	0mg	0mg	9g	9g	0g	0g
Youngevity Ultimate Osteo-fx	1.00	0	0g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g	0g	0g
Youngevity Oxy-Rich Toddy	1.00	23	0g	0mg	0mg	6g	6g	0g	0g
Youngevity Z Radical Fucoidani Zed	1.00	15	0g	0mg	0mg	15g	3g	0g	0g
Coconut Almond Fiber One Protein Bar	2.00	280	12g	0mg	230mg	34g	14g	10g	12g
El Pollo Loco Chicken Breast With Skin	1.00	187	7g	128mg	540mg	0g	0g	0g	30g
El Pollo Loco Flame-grilled Chicken Thigh Without Skin	1.00	146	9g	104mg	226mg	0g	0g	0g	17g
El Pollo Loco Flame-Grilled Chicken Wing	1.00	90	5g	60mg	290mg	0g	0g	0g	11g
El Pollo Loco Corn Tortillas	0.50	65	1g	0mg	33mg	13g	0g	1g	1g
El Pollo Loco House Salsa	1.00	7	0g	0mg	104mg	1g	1g	0g	0g
Fiber One Coconut Almond Protein Chewy Bar	1.00	140	6g	0mg	115mg	17g	7g	5g	6g
9 Grain Bread	4.00	400	8g	0mg	720mg	80g	12g	12g	16g
Great Value Fat-free Turkey Breast (sliced)	4.00	80	0g	40mg	1,360mg	0g	0g	0g	20g
Tillamook Sliced Medium Cheddar Cheese	2.00	180	14g	40mg	250mg	0g	0g	0g	10g
Tomatoes	1.00	25	0g	0mg	0mg	1g	0g	1g	1g
Green Leaf Lettuce	0.50	8	0g	0mg	20mg	2g	0g	1g	1g
Chick Fil A Chicken Wrap	1.00	330	12g	65mg	990mg	28g	3g	15g	38g
Chick-fil-A Fat Free Honey Mustard Dressing	1.00	60	0g	0mg	190mg	14g	11g	0g	0g

Fitness	Minutes	Cals Burned
Walk: 3 mph (20 min/mi)	69.0	-543.0

Totals		Cals	Fat	Cholest	Sodium	Carbs	Sugars	Fiber	Protein
		1,533	74g	437mg	5,068mg	220g	66g	44g	162g

Glasses of water: 3

No 4 mg Chlortrimeton allergy pills, 4 excedrin, and no aspirin today. I took my supplements, and prescriptions today.

4 comments:

RachelNovember 5, 2013 at 6:36 AM
That's an early morning and a lot of driving friend, but an awesome new path. And I love El Polo Loco, I need to go for sure next time I'm home!
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UnknownNovember 5, 2013 at 8:59 AM
I love El Pollo Loco and Chick Fil A's chicken wraps are quite satisfying as well. Packed with really lean skinless chicken breast and veggies. Good stuff!
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BenjaminNovember 12, 2013 at 3:04 PM
Is this a continuation of the same path you've walked near the beach previously? If so, love the dedication as you said you slowly want to walk the entire thing.
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UnknownNovember 12, 2013 at 3:30 PM
Yes, it is. I'm now within 1.5 miles of walking all 7.5 miles of this one. But since then, I've also decided I want to do the rest of the Long Beach Shoreline Pedestrian Bikeway (http://www.traillink.com/trail/the-shoreline-pedestrian-bikeway.aspx), as well as the Marvin Braude Bike Trail (In the small world department Mr. Braude was my neighbor when I was growing up. Gary Lynn's mom worked for his travel agency and I went to school with his 2 daughters, one of whom is now a professor at the Harvard Divinity School. Back to the trail, more info is at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Braude_Bike_Trail). As I walk, I keep finding more great places to walk!
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Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Segments Hiked

Total lifetime PCT miles hiked: 205.0 out of the 2,650 total.

From 1966 to 1969 segment Tortoise hiked the portion of the PCT shared by the John Muir Trail, covering PCT miles 767.0 to 942.5 (175.5 miles). (While hiking the full 211 miles of the Muir Trail from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mt. Whitney)

Tortoise then embarked on a long career at a desk, interrupted momentarily for a day hike in 1988 up Mt. Baden-Powell as a Varsity Boy Scout coach with his team. That took him from PCT miles 374.0 to 377.9, roundtrip. (There was also a second trip from Onion Valley to Mt. Whitney with the Varsity Boy Scouts in 1989. He barely made it, crying with joy and appreciation when he did. That is a story all of its own).

He returned many years later with these walks. Please click on the date for a link to that day's blog post:

June 14, 2012, hiked PCT miles 565.0 to 566.6 (1.6 miles) on both sides of California Highway 58 at the Cameron Road exit.

October 20, 2012, hiked PCT miles 341 to 342 (1 miles) mostly on the east side of Interstate 15 but also under the storm runoff tunnel just south of the exit to California Highway 138 near Cajon Pass.

February 2013, continued in two segments to do miles 342 to 347 (5 miles).

August 13, 2013, hiked miles 374.2 to 376.6 roundtrip from Vincent Gap trailhead at milepost 74.7 on California highway 2.

February 17, 2015, hiked miles 452.9 to 450.4 roundtrip from Vasquez Rocks Picnic Area.

March 16, 2015, hiked miles 341.9 to 340.2 southbound from Cajon Pass Road, then returned. Partial redo of October 20, 2012 walk ... plus a little more.

April 3, 2015, hiked miles 1089.8 to 1091.9 roundtrip from Echo Summit trailhead to near Echo Lake.

May 12, 2016, hiked miles 206.8 to 204.3 southbound from the Snow Canyon Road gate at the bottom of Mt. San Jacinto, then returned.

August 17, 2016, hiked miles 209.5 to 206.8 southbound from the underpass at Interstate 10 Exit 110 to Snow Creek, then returned.

May 26, 2017, hiked miles 369.4 to 364.4 southbound from the Inspiration Point trailhead on California Highway 2, then returned.

The tortoise may eventually set some kind of record for the longest time to complete the PCT in microsegments. You never know, but we're already at 51 years and counting since his first segment from Onion Valley to Taboose Pass in July 1966 :-)