"The Blog Almost Too Boring To Be The Most Boring Blog in America ... for Over 5 Years!"

until it got too many red cards from Wounded Duck and the Boredom Enforcement Committee ... now the tortoise's goal is to get to 10 red cards so he can get Big Dog to drive down and take a good long walk with the tortoise

P. S. This blog listens to its readers. We have the Benjamin Category Override for 5+ mile walks and now, it humbles Tortoise to say he has been named "Lou", by Doug Jr, in memory of Mr. Consistency himself, Lou Gehrig. Tortoise can hardly type the words to think he is in any way comparable to the noble Iron Horse. Thank you!


Thursday, October 20, 2016

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Mile 834.  This evening's walk took Tortoise home from his church's special needs activity program by way of a drop down the Cactus Cliff trail hill and back up. We are at consecutive walking day 452.   Today's 3.31 mile walk was done in 1:07:24 hours, for a pace of 20:22 minutes per mile.  Lou climbed 290 feet, today's tortoise rating was 4,5.  More pictures await below ...

Cheerio! 

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

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Mile 831.  Tortoise continued walking upstream along the Virgin River from where he left off yesterday, using Washington Dam Road as an alternate route since the trail has a temporary pause until additional sections are built one day.  The Ragozzines are on their way south for Fall break from school.  It was fun conversing with them by phone as I walked -- even though it was because they got stuck in a traffic jam between Fillmore and Beaver.  Thankfully that passed and they made it the rest of the way without too much further delay. We are at consecutive walking day 452.   Today's 4.38 mile walk was done in 1:21:17 hours, for a pace of 18:34 minutes per mile.  Lou climbed 173 feet, today's tortoise rating was 5.5.  More pictures await below ...

Cheerio! 

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

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Mile 826.  Lou continued his walk along the Virgin River Trail, this time beginning at the Hell Hole trailhead near the intersection of Telegraph and Washington Parkway in Washington, Utah.  He walked down to the river, then upstream to its end near where Country Lane meets Washington Dam Road. We are at consecutive walking day 451.   Today's 4.31 mile walk was done in 1:27:07 hours, for a pace of 20:13 minutes per mile.  Lou climbed 228 feet, today's tortoise rating was 5.2.  Today's weigh-in:  215.8, a 2.3 pound decrease compared with Lou's last weigh-in on October 12.  More pictures await below ...

Cheerio! 

Monday, October 17, 2016

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Mile 822.  Another tax deadline day.  Tortoise got up early and walked to the city office building and back to start his day. We are at consecutive walking day 450.   Today's 2.14 mile walk was done in 39:26 minutes, for a pace of 18:26 minutes per mile.  Lou climbed 79 feet, today's tortoise rating was 5.4.  More pictures await below ...

Cheerio! 

Saturday, October 15, 2016

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Mile 820.  The double tease.  What do you think Boredom Committee, is this a quality hill for the path to work?  There's more when you click below to continue reading ...

Cheerio!

Friday, October 14, 2016

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Mile 815.  Walking home on a late Friday work night before another uberdeadline on Monday.  Sounds like a good time to tease the Boredom Committee, who must be thinking the ultimate boredom is to have no blog posts to monitor at all.  Fear not, Tortoise is still walking!  This will be a quick highlight post, hopefully Lou will come back and add more details to it sometime in November after the next work deadline on the hallowed eve of All Saints Day.  But if you click to keep reading, Tortoise does have a little more for you ...

Cheerio!

Thursday, October 13, 2016

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Mile 810.  Today's walk started at yesterday's trailhead.  Lou walked from there along the Rim trail to its end at the JEM trail, and then back. We are at consecutive walking day 447.   Today's 3.68 mile walk was 1:16:23 hours, for a pace of 20:45 minutes per mile.  Lou climbed 286 feet, today's tortoise rating was 4.5.  More pictures await below ...

Cheerio! 

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

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Mile 806.  Today's walk took Tortoise to the rest of the Cryptobionic Trail.  Quite a name, don't you think?  We are at consecutive walking day 446.   Today's 3.93 mile walk was 1:26:57 hours, for a pace of 22:08 minutes per mile.  Lou climbed 189 feet, today's tortoise rating was 5.0.  Today's weigh-in:  218.1, a 3.0 pound decrease compared with Lou's last weigh-in on October 4.  More pictures await below ...

Cheerio!

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

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Mile 802.  Discovered Goosebumps and Crytobionic Trails today.  It was fun discovering something new, but I misjudged the distance and got pretty tired.  Quality walk though!  We are at consecutive walking day 445.  Today's 6.53 mile walk, plus a bonus 0.69 miles more home from a friend's house a little later took 2:23:57 hours, for a pace of 19:56 minutes per mile.  Lou climbed 405 feet, today's tortoise rating was 4.7.  More pictures await below ...

Cheerio!

Monday, October 10, 2016

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Mile 795.  Greetings from the Cottonwood Wash area. Tortoise saw his doctor today.  Walks are helping, but he still needs to get 2 1/2 more inches off and include 20 minutes of his hour long daily walks at 125 heart rate or better.  Well, okay then, he'll do it!  We are at consecutive walking day 444.  Today's 3.80 mile walk was 1:15:45 hours, for a pace of 19:56 minutes per mile.  Lou climbed 252 feet, today's tortoise rating was 4.3.  More pictures await below ...

Cheerio!

Saturday, October 8, 2016

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Mile 791.  Tortoise started walking the Hurricane Cliffs Trail System in segments again.  Today's segment started at the JEM Trailhead on Highway 59 between Hurricane and Apple Valley.  Along the way Lou discovered that they have made the steep sections of the JEM trail one-way downhill, and added the new Dead Ringer trail to provide a way back up.  Nice!

Lots of pictures for you to browse on this one ...

Cheerio!

Friday, October 7, 2016

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Mile 788.  Started with a steep climb and some great views at the east end of 1300 South in Hurricane, then looped up to the municipal airport and back.  Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Cheerio!

Thursday, October 6, 2016

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Mile 784.  Confluence Park was so nice on Tuesday, Tortoise decided to go back today, this time on the south side of the Virgin River.  He started at the trailhead at the far north end of Hurricane's Main Street, went down the Confluence View trail to the river, then climbed back up the steep hill by taking Chub Trace to the Basalt Trail to Tortoise Track until it becomes 200 West.  He then walked city streets for a little over a mile before returning to his car.  A map follows after more pictures.  The day's walking thought is by Silvia Allred ...

Cheerio!

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

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Mile 780.  You're looking up the Grapevine Trail, about a mile from the trailhead on Washington Parkway, which is just west of Interstate 15, exit 13.  One of many views that makes Tortoise smile when he is walking in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. 

The day's walking thought was by Julie Beck ...

Cheerio!

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

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Mile 777.  Lou walked north from the La Verkin west chapel this evening, until he got to the Confluence Park trail access at the curve where the 360 West and 600 North streets meet.  From there he dropped down to the main Confluence Park trailhead, then took the Confluence and Cactus Cliff trails back to the west end of Center Street.  Tortoise used city streets to his starting point from there.  He can't get enough of the peace he finds in Confluence Park!  Walking thought was provided by Thomas Monson ...

Cheerio!

Monday, October 3, 2016

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Mile 773.   Lou has been looking for the Rusty Cliffs trail, which he had noticed on maps just north of City Creek trail.  But he had found it challenging to actually find along the Red Cliffs Parkway.  Today, Tortoise figured it out.  It turns out the City Creek trail forks near its western terminus at the Parkway.  The right fork he walked back on September 7.  It ends at the Parkway.  The left fork goes under the parkway, and when you emerge from the tunnel, the view shown above appears and the Rusty Cliffs trail begins.  Lou accessed it today by parking near the Sunset shopping center and theaters and walking up to the Red Cliffs Parkway and taking the right fork of City Creek trail to the left fork.  There's a map later on if that was confusing.  The views are lovely on this path just across highway 18 from the Chuckawalla trailhead.  Somehow the dirt path compared with the paved one that hugs the highway seems much more like you are out in the wilds.  Be sure to let Lou know what you think!  

Walking thought was provided by Quentin Cook today.

Cheerio!

Saturday, October 1, 2016

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Mile 769.  After a late evening working in Los Angeles yesterday, Tortoise got up early and headed across the desert to meet two of his sons and a grandson for their traditional semiannual priesthood conference meal and worship. He got close soon enough to go for a walk up a desert hill just before crossing the state border back in to Utah.  Hope you enjoy the tiny cactus plants along the side of the path!  Today's walking thought was by Devn Cornish ...

Cheerio!