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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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Mile 766.  Tortoise arrived a little early to meet with his friends at 3gr.la, which gave him the opportunity to go for a little walk in Koreatown.  Walking thought was by Randall Bennett ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 764.  Tortoise ventured east down the State Street hill from his Hurricane office this afternoon, then looped around using 1760 West and Rlington Parkway to return to work.  Walking thought was by Kazuhito Yamashita ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 756.   It's great to live in LaVerkin!  Lou walked to the end of Center Street, then took the Cactus Cliff Trail down to the bottom of the hill, and back, all while the oil was being changed in his fine jalopy.  Where else can you get a view like this in such a short jaunt.  Thanks, Roadrunner!

Walking thought this morning was by Dallin Oaks ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 753.  Lou started his week with a simple walk across LaVerkin to the bottom of the hill in the Riverwoods neighborhood, then stopped at the store for a few items on the way back.  Walking thought was by Russell Nelson ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 749.  Lou's project of the evening was to help publicize the upcoming Family Roots Expo to be held in the Dixie Center October 28-29 by putting up posters in various locations where he had permission to do so.  This activity left him in Springdale in early evening, always a fun place to walk!  Thought was provided by Thomas Monson ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 747.  Tortoise is now getting in to a routine of quicker walks between 2 and 3 miles to beat the rains and earlier darkness.  He did pick up a couple of the La Verkin hills while doing so today.  Walking thought was by Russell Ballard ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 745.  More creativity from Tortoise this evening as the welcome rains continue.  He was at the west chapel to help with the special needs activity program, after which, in a pause in the rain, he did laps around sidewalks around outside of the building.  Turned out to be a pretty place to walk!  Thought was provided by Elaine Dalton ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 742.  Lou had his semiannual visit with his oncologist today.  He was humorously told the MI-5 would be pleased, as his PSA held steady at 0.07.  Tortoise continues to be amazed that blood tests can be precise enough to detect 0.07 cells per million.  When he started down this road, post-surgery, the best report he could ever get was "less than 0.1" -- the additional digit of accuracy came in later years.

He is simply happy to have the level, whatever it is, stay the same and not increase.  And he feels good!  Now to find out what his heart doctor will have to say on October 10 ...

Wait a minute!  All you wanted to know was what is that dark picture doing here, and where did Tortoise walk today?  Well ... there was quite a rainstorm in tortoiseland today, so the walk was interesting to say the least.  Lou started by doing laps in his house up and down the stairs in the pattern established a year ago May just coming off bronchitis on day 3 of the current walking streak.

He only made it 4 laps before his sweet lady suggested taking the walk outside and under the overhanging roof.  The view you see above is of that.  After more laps of that, the rain paused long enough for Lou to walk to the school and back.  Just as he returned the rain resumed.  Tortoise finished this walk with more tiny laps under the overhang in his back yard.  

Walking thought was by Tad Callister ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 740.  Tortoise snapped this picture of the sunset as he was headed home.  His walk came later, in the dark, up and down the hills of La Verkin, so ... enjoy the sunset for today!  Walking thought was by Robert Hales ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 737.  The most exciting part of this evening's walk was the beautiful sunset.  It was designed to be quick and hilly -- three laps down the hill to River Road and back up.  Walking thought tonight was by Henry Eyring ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 733.  Tortoise went exploring today.  He has taken the old road out of La Verkin before headed towards Virgin and Zion Park, but has never gotten past the La Verkin Overlook Road.  This sunny Saturday he parked just off the highway so he didn't have to walk on it, and headed up the hill past the Overlook Road for an additional mile, enjoying the views all the way!  The day's thought was provided by Thomas Monson ...

Cheerio!