END OF THE LINE

Yesterday, I came up with a new idea for my urban hike. I hopped on the 'Red Line' subway train just two blocks from my home and took it to the 'end of the line.'  The last stop is 95th/Dan Ryan. My hike started on the subway platform at 95th Street. I first hiked nearly 5 miles east to get near the lake. (Lake Michigan) From that point I worked my way north, making side trips at the 87th Street Ore Walls, Promontory Point, Whole Foods in Hyde Park, Northerly Island and and a few other minor side trips. By the time I returned home, I had walked 30 miles. This may be a personal record that I don't break for some time. I was so pleased with my progress with my recent weight loss, that my ebullient spirits just seemed to propel me along the way yesterday. I think I took a big step (more like 50,000+ steps) to insure that next week, my weight will fall a bit further. Forecasting weight loss is a useless endeavor, nevertheless, it would be nice if I could get below 220 lbs for the first time since January earlier this year.

Yesterday I took the 'red line' train to 95th Street to begin my urban hike.

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87th Street ORE WALLS

This was a part of the Ore Walls that I had never seen before....I felt like I was in an ancient tunnel.

At 11:00AM, Rainbow Beach was not too crowded. Apparently some of the southside beaches are not as popular as the beaches on the northside.

This outdoor art sculpture used to be three blocks from my home. From time to time, the city moves these pieces so that other communities can enjoy them too.

As I approached downtown, it looked like the weather was not going to be too agreeable. However, by the time that I actually arrived downtown, it had mostly cleared up and blue skies took command.

During my hike yesterday, I apparently reached a new 'fitbit' milestone.  I earned the 'NILE BADGE' for  my lifetime (since September 3, 2015) achievement of walking 4132 miles.

There are other subway lines that I can take to 'the end of the line' 

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Your Food Diary For:

Saturday, August 13, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Quaker - Grits - Instant - Original	300	66	0	6	930	0
	300	66	0	6	930	0
L U N C H
Spicy Salmon Avacado Roll, 8 pieces	420	65	9	17	1,240	16
Good Karma - Flaxmilk + Protein	200	4	11	22	356	0
YOGURT PRETZELS	300	44	13	3	284	30
	920	113	33	42	1,880	46
D I N N E R
Cantaloupe chunks, 1 pound	175	42	1	4	82	40
Pineapple chunks, 1 pound	225	59	0	5	5	45
	400	101	1	9	87	85
S N A C K S
Barnana - Banana and Coconut Bites	338	65	8	5	0	38
	338	65	8	5	0	38
Totals	1,958	345	42	62	2,897	169
Your Daily Goal	7,187	898	239	360	2,300	269
Remaining	5,229	553	197	298	-597	100
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 5,257 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 158.1 lbs in 5 weeks .

Your Exercise Diary for:

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
30 mile urban hike	440	5,257
Daily Total / Goal	440 / 30	5,257 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	1475 / 210	15,764 / 4,130

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I have called the USS STEEL 'ruins' at 87th Street the 87th Street Ore Walls...It's official name is STEELWORKERS PARK.  (This information was lifted from a Chicago Park District website)

In 2002, the Chicago Park District acquired a 16.5-acre site in the South Chicago community to develop a new park. Previously part of the US Steel Complex known as South Works, the site was recently transformed into an attractive landscape with natural areas, trees, walking paths and exquisite views of Lake Michigan. The property is edged by remnant elements of the steel industry, most notably a series of enormous concrete ore walls. Located at the juncture between the Calumet River and Lake Michigan, the South Works first opened in the early 1880s. By this time, the surrounding area had already attracted industrial development because of its location near the river, lake, and substantial railroad service that provided excellent opportunities to transport materials and goods. Swedish, Scottish, and German immigrants had settled in the area, and the growing steel industry attracted even larger numbers of residents to the South Chicago area. In 1901, the US Steel Corporation acquired South Works. At the time, well-paying jobs at the industrial complex attracted Italians, Poles, Mexicans, and African-Americans to make the area their home. At its peak, South Works had more than 20,000 employees. It covered an area of 600 acres, much of which was composed of landfill made of molten slag. After South Works began downsizing in the 1970s, the mill closed down in 1992. The City of Chicago and community organizations are championing ambitious redevelopment plans for the area. Officially named as Steelworkers Park by the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners in 2014, the park provides a first step towards realizing these plans.

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This was the route of my 'side trip' to STEELWORKERS PARK at 87th Street. This was nearly a two mile detour as I headed north from 95th Street as part of my 30 mile hike on Saturday.

By the time that I finished my 'tour' of Northerly Island, I think I was in my 23rd mile of my 30 mile hike.

CHEROKEE PARK

My travels took me to LaGrange, Kentucky on Thursday afternoon. Before I headed north back to Indiana, I stopped at Cherokee Park in Louisville.

Cherokee Park is a 409-acre (166 ha) municipal park located in Louisville, Kentucky,United States and is part of the Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy. It was designed in 1891 by Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of landscape architecture along with 18 of Louisville's 123 parks. Beargrass Creek runs through much of the park, and is crossed by numerous pedestrian and automobile bridges. According to The Trust for Public Land, Cherokee Park has 500,000 visitors annually, making it tied for the 69th most popular municipal park in the United States. The park features a 2.4 mile Scenic Loop through the park's pastoral setting featuring rolling hills, open meadows and woodlands with separate lanes for vehicle traffic (one-way) and recreational users. Cherokee Park opened in 1891, has always been a major draw, and was a key factor in sparking development in nearby parts of town.

Cherokee Park was only the beginning and end of my hike. I probably hiked only 5 miles within the park. My complete hike was fifteen miles.

My fifteen mile hike was still in its first quarter mile when I 'discovered' this dragon. (Christensen Fountain)

This photo was taken as the sun was setting, I was in mile 13 of my fifteen mile hike.

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Your Food Diary For:

Thursday, August 4, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Essential Butter Flavored Grits	600	126	6	12	2,040	6
Simple Super 8 Cinnamon Roll	310	48	15	4	550	25
Kelloggs - Raisin Bran Cereal	300	73	2	8	332	28
	1,210	247	23	24	2,922	59
L U N C H
Egg Salad Sandwich on Wheat Bread	350	43	10	13	353	3
	350	43	10	13	353	3
D I N N E R
UNSWEETENED BANANA CHIPS	200	19	12	2	6	1
CHUNKS of ENERGY RAW GOJI	200	30	12	4	10	20
Maple Roasted Cashew	200	14	15	5	38	0
CACAO CRUNCH	200	30	9	5	37	13
WHOLE CASHEWS	200	9	16	6	0	2
Garlic Sesame Sticks	200	15	14	4	438	0
	1,200	117	78	26	529	36
S N A C K S
Jack Links - Small Batch Teriyaki	225	8	4	33	1,350	5
Special K - Special K Protein Meal	170	22	5	12	140	14
CHOCOLATE COCONUT CHEWS	600	60	42	6	75	39
	995	90	51	51	1,565	58
Totals	3,755	497	162	114	5,369	156
Your Daily Goal	4,530	566	151	227	2,300	170
Remaining	775	69	-11	113	-3,069	14
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 2,600 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 206.1 lbs in 5 weeks    

Your Exercise Diary for:

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking	223	2,600
Daily Total / Goal	223 / 30	2,600 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	776 / 210	11,154 / 4,130

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My hike in Cherokee Park made me think about Senator Elizabeth Warren. She is the 'rocket scientist' from Massachusetts that claims to be an American Indian since she thinks that her great, great, great, great, great, Grandfather was an Indian. Yep, she claims to be an American Indian because she claims to be 1/64th American Indian. And 'they' in the media, and the elite universities of this great country said Sarah Palin was stupid! Since I have now hiked in a park called CHEROKEE PARK - does that make me an American Indian? Now that I have given this more careful thought, I have come to the conclusion that Me and Elizabeth Warren have one thing in common - We are both NOT American Indians. Wait, I have given this still more thought.  Maybe we DO have something in common.  Since it is widely believed that the cradle of civilization, emanated from Africa, perhaps me and Elizabeth Warren are both AFRICAN AMERICANS.  Yeah, that's the ticket. (Now you know why Donald Trump derisively calls this phony - Pocahontas)

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This information came from a Louisville government website.

Christensen Fountain, a unique water feature given to the city by Margarethe Christensen in honor of her late mother, Paulina Christensen. As a child, Christensen immigrated to the United States from Denmark with her family and settled in Louisville. The Christensen Fountain, modeled after a Viking ship and emblazoned with the Danish coat of arms, reflects the family's country of origin, and was indeed inspired by the memorial stone piles that were erected during the Viking Age. 

Christensen Fountain was designed to fit into the hillside and blend in with its surrounding landscape. After its unveiling in October of 1901, The Courier-Journal provided readers with a description of the fountain that emphasizes its relationship to its location: "It is constructed of weather-worn and moss-grown, unhewn stone, of shapes selected to form the desired outline. The stone being taken from near the site, the constructed parts, when weather-worn, will be the same color as the natural rock beds now protruding from the hill surrounding the fountain." 

In its own way, Christensen Fountain reinforces Frederick Law Olmsted's (1822-1903) overarching belief that parks should be constructed to appear natural and not overworked by landscape design. It also combines features of other public works in Louisville, including the large basin originally intended to hold water for horses and the nearby benches for tired park visitors. In 2004, the Fountain underwent a restoration project sponsored by the Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy and Louisville Metro.

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Don't try this at home. LaGrange, Kentucky
My purpose of visiting Kentucky was to see a customer in LaGrange. This town is famous for the fact that an active freight train comes right down through downtown on Main Street approximately 25 times per days, morning, afternoon and night. It is unnerving to see a freight train of scores and scores of freight cars traveling right on main street.  While I was with my customer, I rushed out to take this photo and video.

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THE STREETS ARE PAVED WITH GOLD - found another quarter yesterday.
MONEY FOUND WHILE HIKING...The hobby that pays for itself

07122016 ICE AGE TRAIL 25 CENTS
07202016 DAYTON TWO DIMES, TEN PENNIES
07212016 Cincinnati, one penny
08042016 Louisville, Kentucky QUARTER

BEARSKIN STATE PARK TRAIL

Another day, another customer, another city, another trail, another hike. This time I explored five miles of the Bearskin State Trail in Minoqua, Wisconsin as part of an eleven mile hike.  The trail is a converted railway line as are many trails around the country.

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The weather was 'cold' (for a summer day). I actually set out wearing a long sleeve shirt. Although the cloudy conditions were not supposed to change to rain. The last mile of my eleven mile hike was through a light rain.  After traveling south for five miles on the trail I headed back to the trailhead along Highway 51.  I often try not to retrace my steps when hiking if I can.

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The trailhead where I began my hike was in Minoqua and I hiked to Hazlehurst. On the way back I stopped to take this photo of the Welcome to Minoqua sign.

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Your Food Diary For:

Thursday, July 14, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Quaker - Grits - Instant - Original	600	132	0	12	1,860	0
Deli express - Oven roasted turkey & cheese	230	29	6	16	1,110	4
	830	161	6	28	2,970	4
L U N C H
Subway - Roast Beef Foot Long, 1 Foot long	640	90	10	48	1,400	14
KF Foods - Roast Beef and Cheese	270	27	11	16	1,050	2
	910	117	21	64	2,450	16
D I N N E R
HYVEE - SPINACH SALAD	500	0	0	0	0	0
	500	0	0	0	0	0
S N A C K S
Energy Chewy & Crunchy Granola Bar Cherry	200	30	5	10	150	15
Crunchy Granola Bar - Oats 'n' Honey	190	29	7	3	135	11
Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Bar	200	17	13	8	25	9
Country Fresh -sausage & Colby sticks	280	2	24	18	740	0
YOGURT PRETZELS, 40 g (approx 8 pcs)	190	28	0	2	180	19
Atkins - Coconut Almond bar, 1 bar	200	3	15	7	90	1
	1,260	109	64	48	1,320	55
Totals	3,500	387	91	140	6,740	75
Your Daily Goal	3,699	462	123	185	2,300	138
Remaining	199	75	32	45	-4,440	63
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,769 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 215.7 lbs in 5 weeks.

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking	160	1,950
Daily Total / Goal	160 / 30	1,950 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	1078 / 210	10,080 / 4,130

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this was lifted directly from traillink.com website.

Shimmering lakes and Wisconsin's beautiful North Woods wilderness await you on the Bearskin State Park Trail. The trail provides a splendid journey along an old Milwaukee Road rail corridor that hauled white pine to the Midwest and later carried a passenger train named the "Hiawatha."

The trail traverses an area of one of the densest concentrations of lakes in the world. Converted railroad trestles help you glide across long spans of lakes covered in lily pads. On the Bearskin trail, 8 of 13 trestles cross the trail's namesake, Bearskin Creek, and act as lookout landings for bald eagles, loons and other wildlife. Watch for snapping turtles basking in the sun.

Bearskin State Park Trail starts in Minocqua, where a long boardwalk across shimmering Lake Minocqua is the beginning of an 18.3-mile venture south where you'll encounter a beautiful, remote wilderness, plus a few picnic tables and portable restrooms at various trailheads.

Several interpretive signs and old railroad structures provide a glimpse into the rich history of this railroad corridor. A century-old railroad line shed, approximately 9.5 miles from Minocqua, attests to the rustic living conditions of some railroad workers, and old photographs illustrate the challenging nature of railroad labor. During the warmer months, hikers and bikers hit these trails and take in the astounding lake vistas. Snowmobiles are permitted in winter, and many connecting trails provide endless hours of exploration.

At trail's end you can continue for another 14 miles on the Hiawatha Trail, where both trails meet at County Highway K just east of where it intersects with US 51.

The allure of these North Woods trails lies in their isolated, scenic charm. If you want to explore both trails, plan accordingly; besides one remote restroom facility on the Bearskin, there are no other amenities or easy access to food and water.

A state pass is required for cyclists and cross-country skiers over 16 years old. For more information, contact Wisconsin State Parks.

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This maps shows the Bearskin State Park Trail in Wisconsin.