14-324

Mile 922.  Tortoise walked 4.48 miles at the end of the work day on a quick trip to Orange County, picking up the section of the Santa Ana River Trail from the 22 Freeway to Katella Avenue and back. In little pieces, I've now done a round trip marathon on this one, and I'm just getting warmed up as far as this trail is concerned:  13.1 miles each way from the start on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach to Katella Avenue in Anaheim. The view shown above is looking north towards a fire department training structure complete with 9-11-01 memorial.  Beyond that is the big Red A of Anaheim Stadium. More on that later.  There were 61 feet climbed in 2.24 miles along the way, giving that portion a 6.7 tortoise rating.  The rest of the path was flat or downhill.  Lou burned 658 calories in 1:23:11 hours doing this.

Please click below for a map, more pictures and a bonus day of walking thoughts!

Cheerio!

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Getting started, headed south from Chapman Avenue to the bridge carrying
the 5 Freeway over the river and trail and on to

The bridge under the 22 freeway, the first of today's two turnaround points.
The golf course beyond is beautiful, come walk it with me sometime and
we can enjoy it together.

Back to the start, this time Tortoise will pass under Chapman and keep going.

Between Chapman and Orangewood, Mile 12,
as measured from the ocean, is passed.

Preparing to drop under Orangewood

Just these trees separate the trail from the
stadium parking lot here

Lots of bridges in this section, makes one thankful for the trees!

Among these signs is the reminder this is a National Recreational Trail.  Nice!

Past the red "A", the stadium itself is now in view

This is a regional transportation facility, under construction.
Its colorful lights are a delight!

Sunset approaches as the transportation facility is passed
and Honda Center, home of the hockey Ducks and many
concerts, approaches

Tortoise has reached today's second turnaround point, just past mile 13.
The picture of that was dark and wasn't included here.

Enjoying the varying colors of the regional transportation center.  In addition
to three major freeways that converge here, the Metrolink train line serving
the heart of Orange County and on into Los Angeles stops here along with
a number of bus lines, and of course, this fine trail!

2014 Stats:

922.32 miles walked, which is 92.14% of my 2014 goal.

290:42:47 hours walked, which is 92.88% of my 2014 goal

45,263 total feet climbed 

146,441 calories burned
88.82% of the year has passed

I've walked 52 consecutive non-Sundays since my last missed day on September 20, and overall have walked on 265 of the 278 non-Sundays thus far in 2014, a 95.32% consistency rating.

The purpose of the percentages is to have a higher percentage of distance and time walked than of the year. This tells Tortoise that he is on track. Yes, this is more numbers than you are likely interested in, all Tortoise can say is he's really good at setting high goals and having them slip away because he doesn't do them every, every day.

And now for today's walking thoughts, originally presented in the Priesthood Session of April 1993 LDS General Conference.  This was an especially memorable session, and the timing of listening to it on this particular walk made it all the sweeter.  Tortoise started by parking his car on Chapman Avenue in Orange in the land wedge  between the 5 and 57 freeways, then listened to this classic on work while backtracking on the trail so he could pick up the section back to the 22 freeway where he ended his last adventure on this trail in May (can you hear Lou singing his tune about his love of work?)

"Say less and do more. Get it done. I am so grateful for parents who taught me how to work. There was no option in our home. It was an absolute requirement."  by F. David Stanley 

Next, Tortoise retraced his steps and continued his walk, as pictured above, north towards Anaheim Stadium, home of the baseball Angels, as he listened to Bishop Burton talk about Heroes. He immediately started talking about Nolan Ryan, who had a remarkable career that included most of the 1970s in that very stadium.  Then he shifted the focus to Dads:  "I pray that if you are fortunate enough to have a father close by, he can be your hero. Dads, live in such a way that your sons and others can look up to you as heroes."  Tortoise will continue trying to do just that ...

At this point, Lou is walking happily, deciding which of the previous two thoughts he might share in this post, when Thomas Monson begins speaking.  President Monson is always good, but he really hit a home run with me with this one.  Here's just a little snippet:  "I am confident we at times wonder if we are affecting the lives of others in a favorable manner. ... The simple words from Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher, carry an assurance that brings comfort and inspires effort: 'Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.' ... Such was my experience as pertains to George H. Watson ... who wrote ... 'This is a letter out of the blue. Its purpose is to thank you for the letters you wrote some twenty years ago—one to me and the other about me—and to let you know the effect they had on my life.  ... I often sit and ponder why the Lord has blessed us so greatly. We have all had reason to feel His sustaining hand in difficult times.  Although it is unlikely that we will ever meet, I would like to very sincerely thank you for taking the trouble to write those two letters. They have completely changed the course of our lives. I am grateful for the knowledge of the Savior’s purpose in coming to earth, my relationship to Him, and what He expects of me.'"

In conclusion, Gordon B. Hinckley begins humbly with the obvious: (which you have to listen to in order to pick up on it, it's not in the printed account of his speech) "It's always a challenge to follow President Monson".  Then, as he usually did, he proves that he is up to the challenge with his address, "Some Lessons I Learned As A Boy". Here's a short sample:  "We came to know about the tenderness of our father’s heart. I came to know something of death—the absolute devastation of children losing their mother—but also of peace without pain & the certainty that death cannot be the end of the soul. Forgive me for taking your time to talk in a personal way. I did not know how to say what I wanted to say without doing so."

Two comments on that:  (1) Please watch, listen to, or read this one.  President Hinckley gets personal.  It is very touching, and there are wonderful lessons taught in the process.  (If you listen to all four, you'll get the "bonus" Tortoise enjoyed on today's walk.  What a remarkable experience!)  (2) This is a good example that at the right time and in the right situation it is good to share some personal experiences when speaking or teaching.  The human soul responds well! #ShareGoodness

The tortoise is definitely smiling!