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Mile 181.  Tortoise sends greetings from rugged Beaver Dam, Arizona, where he stopped for a loop walk 8 miles before reaching his appointments in Mesquite.  For several more pictures you will enjoy, along with some that the Boredom Committee is considering issuing a warning about for excessive display of sagebrush, plus other factoids and today's walking thought by Bruce Hafen, please click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

The United States Post Office, Littlefield, Arizona, is located in the
vastly larger community of Beaver Dam on the other side of the Veterans
Memorial Highway, aka Interstate 15.  Tortoise noticed the traffic and moved
his car to the other side of the street before beginning his walk from this point.

Benjamin and Josh will be surprised to learn there is a large farming operation
in the northwest corner of this desert community

Climbing the hill to transition to another part of town

Decisions. Decisions.
Which way should Tortoise walk from here?

Left towards Utah Hill?

Or right, to go back into town?

Right it is.

Beaver Dam's medical facility

And elementary school.  Middle and high schools are a short distance away.

This short, steep hill leads to the cemetery

Approaching the Virgin River

Approaching the schools as Lou heads back to the post office

Tortoise completed today's 4.30 mile walk in 1:14:10 hours.  Tortoise rating was 5.0, based on 286 feet climbed in the 1.93 mile uphill portion (average elevation 1947). 625 calories were burned along the way.  

Here is a map of today's route:

And here are the overall stats so far for 2015:

181.13 miles walked, which is 18.08% of Lou's 2015 goal. On this day in 2014, Tortoise had walked 173.14 year-to-date miles.  

53:05:36 hours walked, which is 16.96% of the 2015 goal (which is to walk 1 hour a day on the 313 days other than Sunday in the year)

9,573 total feet climbed, compared with 9,086 feet on this day in 2014.  

27,098 calories burned

15.34% of the year has passed

Lou has walked 56 consecutive non-Sundays since his last missed day on December 22, and overall has walked on 346 of the 361 non-Sundays since the beginning of 2014, a 95.84% 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.  (If you doubt this, compare Tortoise's 2013 walking record with 2014)

And now for today's walking thought, initially presented in October 1996:

"May we restore the concept of marriage as a covenant, even the new and   everlasting covenant of marriage. ¹⁴ And when the wolf comes, may we   be as shepherds, not hirelings, willing to lay down our lives, a day at a   time, for the sheep of our covenant. Then, like Adam and Eve, we will               have joy."

 To watch, listen to, or read this message in full, please visit https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/10/covenant-marriage?lang=eng #ShareGoodness

The tortoise is smiling!