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Here's a big happy 30th birthday wish to Jacob, who with his sweetheart Hilary just completed hosting an amazing family reunion, themed La Vie En Rose.  We've been celebrating France in general and the arts and cuisine of Paris in particular for the past year leading up to our three days together in person.  Well, Jacob and Hilary, I'm not quite ready to let go, so I got my goofy hat on one more time and dedicated this morning's walk to A Tour Of La Verkin Wards ... a play on words to Le Tour De France, the amazing 2000 mile bicycle race that kicks off July 5 ... in Leeds, West Yorkshire!  Yes, the same tour I love to watch in part because of the amazing scenery, is giving us the gift of three days in England before continuing throughout France.  The third of these days could be titled Le Tour De North Zone, starting in Cambridge (my final missionary area, and the fine university town for which William and Kate have been named Duke and Duchess) and winding through the north part of my mission, through the stunning Epping Forest, and into central London.  I'm getting misty just thinking about it ...

OK, enough of that before the Boredom Committee permanently shuts down the tortoise's meandering prose.  Today's walk began at 5:46 am in the hopes of hitting the cool of the morning (77 degrees, so you know it's going to be a scorcher this afternoon ...) and started in 1st Ward, then passed through 2nd, 6th, 4th, 7th, 3rd, and 5th before returning to 1st.  A fun 5.04 mile walk (hmmm, sounds kind of like the New Orleans telephone area code) with 251 feet climbed in 1:31:21 hours.  Tortoise rating:  4.2 for the 1.23 mile uphill portion; calories burned:  787.

If I haven't scared you off yet, I have more pictures and a map waiting for you when you click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

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The early morning basketball games continue after all these years!

An early morning view of the park/monument
at the beginning of the Zion Canyon Corridor

Fun ... a deer crossing the road a short distance ahead

And in to some unusually thick trees and vegetation
for this desert country

And now let's walk up a hill and get the heart beating a little faster :-)

Up the hill and resuming the walk through the streets of La Verkin

We're up to 7 am, the sun is peaking over the ridge as I walk on 100 East

2014 Stats:

508.57 miles walked, which is 50.81% of my 2014 goal.
158:44:13 hours walked, which is 50.71% of my 2014 goal

23,431 total feet climbed 

81,300 calories burned

 49.52% of the year has passed

I've walked on 144 of the 155 non-Sundays thus far in 2014, a 92.90% consistency rating.

The purpose of the percentages is to have a higher percentage of distance and time walked than of the year. This tells me I am on track. I'm sure this is more numbers than you are interested in, all I can say is I'm really good at setting high goals and having them slip away because I don't do them every, every day.

The tortoise is smiling!