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Mile 981.  Tortoise had a long drive home, made longer by cars and trucks, wall to wall, everywhere on every road.  Thank goodness for the KNX 1070 traffic reports every ten minutes on the 5s.  At least, Lou would know when the road ahead would change from 20 miles per hour to a dead stop because of an accident or whatever.  Then he would use his knowledge of Road B then Road C, D, E, ... to keep moving.

With this backdrop, there is the issue of where and how would today's walk fit in.  He could have happily done a follow up beach walk, or continued on the Pacific Electric Trail in Fontana.  What won out was starting on a new path, the San Gabriel River Trail at its northern end near the intersection of the 605 and 210 freeways -- because it was near the path he was detouring on in his efforts to keep moving.

There's a map, pictures that show the contrast between the industry along the trail and the TV/Radio towers atop Mt. Wilson in the background.  Today's walking thought by Bonnie Oscarson is also waiting for you when you click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

Create Maps or Search for a route from millions at MapMyFitness

Today's walk was 3.62 miles, surprisingly, with 158 feet climbed in 55:14 minutes, giving it a 6.2 tortoise rating. Surprisingly, because Lou never got more than 68 feet above sea level. 599 calories were burned on this walk.  

Another day, I can imagine the comments coming about this not being a very tortoise like 
pace ... :-)

Here are the overall stats so far for 2014:

981.61 miles walked, which is 98.06% of my 2014 goal.

308:42:57 hours walked, which is 98.63% of my 2014 goal

47,843 total feet climbed 

155,443 calories burned
95.21% of the year has passed

I've walked 72 consecutive non-Sundays since my last missed day on September 20, and overall have walked on 285 of the 298 non-Sundays thus far in 2014, a 95.64% 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 thought, presented at the First Presidency Christmas Devotional last Sunday night.  It was so good, Tortoise listened to it all again today.  I especially liked the music, for example, "Still, Still".

E. T. Sullivan ... said: “When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn’t stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born. … And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies.”¹

"Notice the great patience which God the Father has in letting His plan for His children unfold. The Savior of the world did not come to earth at that time with a great show of power and majesty—He came as a helpless baby. This Christ child was certainly one of “the greatest forces in the world,” and yet He was born in a simple stable with straw in a manger for His bed. “Through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.”² And yet, according to tradition, He shared His birthplace with sheep and oxen. He would become the Savior of all mankind, yet there was no room for His expectant mother and her anxious husband in the inn. He is the Redeemer of us all, yet His first visitors were humble shepherds. There is much surrounding the events of that occasion to ponder and consider with awe."

To watch, listen to, or read this message in full please visit:  https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/christmas-devotional/2014/12/christmas-is-christlike-love?lang=eng   #ShareGoodness

The tortoise is smiling!