Walked 3.50 Miles to Oaks Bottom - Last walk of 2012

Today I walked for the last time in 2012. Over the course of the year, I walked 324 miles on 91 different walks. That's only 20 miles shy of walking to Seattle and back. I'm so proud of this accomplishment! I really didn't think I had walked this much in 2012. I've set a new goal for 2013 to walk even further. I also have a few races I'm thinking about participating in. The future is definitely bright!

For my last walk, I decided to head to Oaks Bottom. I wanted to jog a bit and I really like how flat the Springwater Corridor is. I'm still very frightened of tripping, so it's the perfect place to practice without fear of curbs, cracks, or other hazards. 





Due to the Max construction, road closures are common and constantly changing. Often when I drive home, now, I have to find new routes because of the closures.





This entire row of colorful flowers caught my attention from a block away. Such a sight for sore eyes in the dreary winter weather. It wasn't until I took the picture that I realized they were all fake.








I've walked past this broken window for well over a year now. I finally stopped for a self portrait.





I recently drove past the Sellwood bridge and saw this construction in progress. They will be shifting the bridge to sit on a temporary structure while a new bridge can be built. The whole thing sounds like magic. I can't even comprehend what it takes to move a bridge, let alone build a new one. Portland keeps getting better and better! 





Just as I started to descend down into Oaks Bottom, it started to snow. It only lasted a few minutes and the tiny snowflakes didn't last on the ground, but it was a perfect moment. While the water isn't completely frozen, I was amazed to see it covered in ice.





I walked around the tadpole pond and came upon these newly filled bird feeders. So many beautiful birds were waiting their turn to feed. I stopped here and stayed as still as possible, so they would eat in my presence.





I love the reflection of the trees in the water. The water was perfectly still today.





The path around the tadpole pond was extra slippery due to the frost on the mud. I was very careful walking this trail.











I heard these crows from blocks away. I changed directions and tried to get as close to them as I could. They were constantly on the move circling from tree to tree. There must have been over 100 birds.





It's fitting that Oregon has been filled in by moss.





The fall leaves may be gone, but their imprints remain.

Walked 3.65 Miles to Ladd's Addition

It was nice to walk the day after Christmas. I had a great holiday filled with family and good food. I had so much fun, but it's nice to have the holiday over and to slowly return to real life. It was cold and a bit misty out, but really quite lovely for walking.

I can't get enough of moss. It's everywhere and just beautiful. I love having so much green in the month of December. It definitely brightens the gray days of winter.








I hadn't checked out the poetry at my neighbors house for quite some time. Emily Dickinson is a favorite of mine.





I checked on the MAX construction on my way to Ladd's Addition. Last week, we drove past the new MAX tracks in SW Portland. This project is really starting to happen. It's so exciting.





Here is a view of the construction from the Gideon pedestrian bridge.





I don't think folks will be able to skate for some time. There is so much water in this bowl.























I've walked by this church many times. Today, I got on the grounds and explored a bit more. It's such a beautiful building.





As I was taking pictures of the columns, I noticed two dimes stuck into a hole in the wall. I left them there for the next person to find.

Walked 4.82 Miles to the Rhododendron Garden

Today Greg and I walked to the Rhododendron garden. I have walked here a few times before, but I'd never been inside the gardens. Today was the day that I finally got to explore this amazing place. The day was sunny and dry which was incredible considering it's three days before Christmas. We had such a great walk. This was the first time I've walked with Greg and had no leg pain. We walked faster and enjoyed ourselves more than during our past walks. 

Seriously, look at this sky. We haven't had a day like this in ages. It was just a joy to be outside and to soak up the rays.





I haven't walked with another person in ages. It can be a bit tricky since I'm often stopping to take pictures. Today was great, because I was able to catch up to Greg by jogging which wasn't possible just a couple of months ago. It's nice to recognize this improvement.





This energy guy used to out on 17th for all to see. The building he was on has now been torn down. It's nice to see that PGE kept him. He is now tucked behind their building and a bit tougher to see.





Bob Sagat





Our shadows look so tiny on the Holgate overpass.











The Rhododendron Gardens are free to the public until March 1st. Now that I'm able to walk to the gardens and still have enough stamina to venture in, I would like to walk here a lot more often.





As we were walking down to one of the many ponds, a cute little girl was walking towards us and dropping duck feed as she walked. Quickly behind her, ducks started walking up the path eating the feed along the way. 





I loved seeing so many ducks. Most were friendly, but cautious. It was nice to get sort of close to them.














I love the light in this picture and how the green grass seems to glow.

















There weren't that many flowers blooming in December. It was fun to spot a few flowers here and there. The gardens must be extraordinary in the summer.

Walked 3.60 Miles to Ladd's Addition

Today I headed over to Ladd's Addition. I had no planned route and I spent about half of the time walking in alleys. I was surprised by how quickly it was getting dark. This really hindered my pictures since there wasn't enough light in some cases for the phone to properly focus. I'm so lucky that I'm off work early enough to get any daylight at all.

Decorations are definitely out now. I love seeing how creative folks are.








I love finding windows in alleys.

















I wonder what the story behind this shoe is all about.





This house had jack o' lanterns at Halloween. 








I was so happy to see that I didn't get stuck behind this train. Night was definitely falling and it was getting pretty darn cold out.

Walked 3.66 Miles to the West Hills of Brooklyn

Today I walked in the West Hills of Brooklyn. It was cold and dry day and just perfect.

I walked up to McLoughlin to see the setting sun. 





The main reason I walked in the upper hills today was to see Christmas decorations. Even these zebras are getting into the spirit.





I've taken pictures of this dog before. I like how she changes to fit the seasons.








1905! You kind of have to take my word for this one, but it's truly 1905. I traced the five with my finger just to make sure. I'm still looking for 1906.

Walked 3.69 Miles to Oaks Bottom

Today I walked to Oaks Bottom. I wanted a short, direct route, because I wanted to get home quickly to my new kittens! Greg and I adopted two kittens the week before from the Oregon Humane Society. I spent all last week bonding with them during all of my free time, so I didn't get any walking done. It was nice to get out today and stretch my legs. I couldn't believe how much water is at Oaks Bottom now. 

I know this is the Jack of Diamonds, but after seeing this I had Juice Newton's Queen of Hearts stuck in my head.





For this self portrait, I leaned way over this monster puddle/small lake. I like all the different layers to it. From here, I ran almost to the end of the Oaks Bottom trail. It's the first time I've run in my new minimalist shoes. The first several steps almost made me stop, because my bum ankle is so stiff that it didn't want to run. After it loosened up a bit, I felt great. I also ran a bit along the Spring Water Corridor. I'm starting with baby steps, but this success has me thinking about doing the Shamrock 5k in March.





The tadpole pond has so much water! I looked all around, but I didn't see any creatures today.





As you can see it's a very gray day. I got rained on a bit, but it wasn't bad. Once I got to the end of the Oaks Bottom trail, I crossed the Springwater Corridor to take a look at the Willamette. This is a small dirt (well, mud today) trail that I'm usually leery of being alone on my walks, because there is so much overgrowth. Today it felt wide open since all the trees and brush have been cut back. I could see all of my surroundings and I felt safe checking out this trail.





I'm so glad I did, because I found art! This is called Shifting Assets by Linda Wysong. It was created in 2002.








This tree was filled with birds. I could hear them blocks away. I stood under this tree, turned off my music, and just listened.














When I got back home, Zor was waiting in the window for me.