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Mile 684.  Here's looking at the start of Tortoise's sunset walk, looking west near his office.  He then headed east through the adjoining neighborhood, joining the sidewalk adjacent to State Road 9 from 2000 until 1760 West.  Lou then walked south on 1760 to its junction with the looping and misspelled Rlington Parkway at 400 South.  This evening's loop was completed by climbing the hill along said meandering parkway until reaching 150 South.

Upon Tortoise's return to 2600 West and the impending completion of his walk at almost exactly three miles, he impulsively added a little more by walking the nearby 100 South cul-de-sac before calling it good.  His experience was enhanced this evening by a walking thought by Jose Alonso.  There is also a bonus feature, an attempt at a list of shaded walking places requested by reader @valianne.  Tortoise enjoys responding to reader requests ...

Cheerio!

Amazing how much brighter things look near sunset walking one direction
compared with another!

Today's walk was 3.38 miles, done in 57:46 minutes at an average pace of 17:05 minutes per mile. This route had an average tortoise rating of 4.4, earned by climbing 292 feet in the 1.69 mile uphill portion. Average elevation was 3302.    

Here are the overall stats so far for 2016:

684.77 miles walked, compared with Lou's goal for this date of 665.61.

47,524 total feet climbed so far in 2016, compared to a year-to-date goal of 40,964.   Lou hopes to climb more than the 61,316 feet he climbed in 2015 -- but in less time each day than his 1:07:04 hour per day average in 2015.  So far in 2016, Tortoise's walks have averaged 59:03 minutes each.

His average pace so far in 2016 has been 18:01.3 minutes per mile, compared with his 18:25 minute per mile pace in 2015.

Lou has walked 410 consecutive non-Sundays since his 8 missed days May 2-11, 2015. overall he has walked on 513 of the 522 non-Sundays in 2015-16, a 98.276% consistency rating.

And now for today's walking thought:

" When we serve our neighbor, we help those who are in need.  In the process we may find solutions to our own difficulties.

" ... Each day we have the opportunity to give help and service -- doing the right thing at the right time, without delay.  Think of the many people who have a difficult time obtaining a job or who are ill, who feel lonely, who even think that they have lost everything.  What can you do to help?  Imagine that a neighbor, caught out in the rain with his car broken down, calls you for assistance.  What is the right thing to do for him?  When is the right time to do it?"

-- José L. Alonso, "Doing the Right Thing at the Right Time, without Delay", LDS General Conference, October 2011

Here's that bonus material:

Shaded walks in southern Utah is a relative thing.  Trees are generally only found growing along the rare streams, or where people have made a special effort to plant them.  The Red Rock Desert Reserve, for example, is a stunningly beautiful place for its colorful rocks and has dozens of trails Tortoise loves to walk.  But not for their nonexistent shade.  There are almost no trees in the Reserve.

Here's a few local places to walk where there are stretches of shade:

Confluence Park Trail, both directions from the La Verkin trailhead for about a third of a mile either way you choose to go.  If you go the south direction, at that third of a mile there is a trail junction with the La Verkin Creek Trail.  Follow that to continue with the shade.  In a little less than a mile, this trail rejoins the Confluence Park trail, which then follows the Virgin River for another mile until it climbs the hill out of the park to the south State Street trailhead near River Rock Roasting Company.  Altogether, that provides two miles of shaded walking; four if you do a roundtrip.  And the creek and river enhances the experience further, making it one of Tortoise's favorites.

Parts of the Virgin River Trail in Washington and St. George.   The best shade goes both directions from the Sullivan Soccer Park on Washington Fields Road.  To the south it is well shaded for about a half mile; to the north it is partly shaded for close to a mile.  Partly shaded means there are breaks in the trees from time to time, and the trees are not as tall as they are elsewhere.  But the shade is still welcome, and if you go in the hour before sundown the nearby ridge is already blocking the waning sunlight, providing additional shade.  The adjacent Virgin River adds to the experience, and this is another of Tortoise's favorites.

There is also a nice grove of trees on this trail near River Road, but that shade only lasts about a quarter mile.  

Another good access to shade along this trail is near the Crosby Family Confluence Park just south of the Dixie Center.  If you go south a half mile, that section is partially shaded.  You then reach a bridge over the Virgin River, which you can take to reach the part of the trail on the south side of the river.  The first mile of that is well shaded too, in fact, in winter care should be taken not to slip because this section can be icy. Parts of this are described here:  http://terreeeblay.blogspot.com/2014/01/14-4.html

The final trail segment Lou will highlight here is the Santa Clara River Trail.  It is partially shaded from its starting point at the same Crosby Park noted above until it crosses under Dixie Drive at 600 West.  At that point this trail enters Tonaquint Park, which has had enough trees planted to create a small forest.  Wonderful shade, and they are beautiful trees!   Here's a sample of that trail:   http://terreeeblay.blogspot.com/2016/08/16-224.html

If your time is limited, and you can't make it to a trail near a stream, there are some sidewalks along city streets with a little shade you might try:

• Parts of La Verkin's Main Street
• 300 West in La Verkin north of Center Street
• Center Street between State Street and 300 West in La Verkin
• 100 West in La Verkin
• Hurricane's Main Street south of 975 North
• Most streets in the original Hurricane townsite, roughly bounded by 400 South, 300 West, 300 North, and 100 East.  A similar statement can be made about most of the original southern Utah townsites, this includes for example, St. George, Washington, and Santa Clara.  These areas have large mature trees, whereas the areas built more recently have trees that may one day provide similar shade.
• Parts of 650 South, 180 West, and 400 West in Hurricane

Given all of our local heat, there is many a hot summer day that these trail segments provide a little welcome relief from direct sunlight.  Tortoise has fun deciding how to randomly combine these segments at the spur of the moment wherever he finds himself with an opportunity to walk on a given day.  Enjoy!

The tortoise is smiling!