ICE AGE TRAIL

After two appointments in Rockford, Illinois, I headed north towards Madison, Wisconsin for my Tuesday meeting.  I stopped in Janesville, to make my first contact with the ICE AGE TRAIL.

The information directly below comes directly from the Department of Natural Resources website for Wisconsin:

The Ice Age Trail is a National Scenic Trail located entirely within Wisconsin. The trail is also one of 42 designated Wisconsin state trails and the only one specifically designated as a "State Scenic Trail." From Interstate State Park on the Minnesota border to Potawatomi State Park on Lake Michigan, the Ice Age Trail winds for more than 1,000 miles, following the edge of the last continental glacier in Wisconsin.

One of only 11 National Scenic Trails, the Ice Age Trail is intended to be a premier hiking trail and conservation resource for silent sport and outdoor enthusiasts. The trail traverses some of Wisconsin’s most scenic landscapes and helps tell the story of the last Ice Age by highlighting Wisconsin's unique glacial features..

.

In the mood to take a 1000 mile hike?  Consider Wisconsin's ICE AGE TRAIL

.

.

My hike began on the Janesville section of the Ice Age Trail, aka The Devil's Staircase, and eventually ended on a long hike along Route 14 as I made a complete 20 mile loop through Janesville, Wisconsin. 

The very first segment of the hike yesterday began with THE DEVIL'S STAIRCASE.

The Devil's Staircase segment of the Ice Age Trail ascends the bluffs alongside the Rock River in Riverside Park. The Devil's Staircase included only the two miles of my 20 mile hike. 

This stone stairway is NOT the DEVIL'S STAIRCASE, certainly not the 'devilish' part!

.

Your Food Diary For:

Monday, July 11, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Omelette - 3-egg Omelette With Cheese	399	0	20	26	611	1
Kirkland - Pre-Cooked Bacon, 3 slices	120	0	9	9	525	0
Turkey & Cheese Sandwich	290	33	10	19	890	6
	809	33	39	54	2,026	7
L U N C H
Subway - Footlong Steak and Cheese	760	96	20	52	2,060	16
	760	96	20	52	2,060	16
D I N N E R
Hissho Sushi - Philadelphia Roll	340	51	10	9	586	0
Hissho Sushi - California Roll White Rice	554	112	6	10	1,240	0
Glaceau Vitamin Water Zero - Squeezed (Lemonade)	0	10	0	0	0	0
Cashews - Raw Cashews	160	8	12	5	5	2
Dark Chocolate Squares	220	21	15	0	30	21
UNSWEETENED BANANA CHIPS	170	16	10	2	5	1
Add Food Quick Tools	1,444	218	53	26	1,866	24
S N A C K S
Wonderful - Pistachios 1oz. Bag, 1 oz	80	4	7	3	80	1
Nestlé - Chunky Bar, 1 package	190	25	11	2	15	21
Apple - Apple Gala	240	66	0	0	0	51
Twix Ice Cream Bar, 1 bar	250	28	14	2	75	23
	760	123	32	7	170	96
Totals	3,773	470	144	139	6,122	143
Your Daily Goal	7,295	912	243	365	2,300	273
Remaining	3,522	442	99	226	-3,822	130
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 5,365 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 182.5 lbs in 5 weeks     

.

Your Exercise Diary for:

         Monday, July 11, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking	10	74
Walking	333	3,081
Daily Total / Goal	343 / 30	3,155 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	343 / 210	3,155 / 4,130

.

.

.
This undated article was lifted from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Devil's Staircase segment of the Ice Age Trail in Janesville winds along 50-foot limestone and sandstone bluffs along the Rock River. Photo By Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Ice Age Trail's Devil's Staircase segment a natural oasis in Janesville

By Chelsey Lewis of the Journal Sentinel

Otherworldly could be one adjective to describe this trail.

But not in a hellish sort of way. More in a Jurassic Park, prehistoric kind of way.

Draped in summer's greenery, the Devil's Staircase is a beautiful segment of the Ice Age Trail in Janesville whose name is actually a nod to the deep, rock-strewn gully that cuts from a bluff top down to the Rock River.

The segment is a natural oasis in a city where the Ice Age Trail travels largely along a paved, somewhat urban route.

"You're standing smack dab in the middle of the two best segments of the trail in Janesville," Larry Swanson told me as I pondered which way to hike while standing in the gravel Ice Age Trail parking lot on County Road E. Swanson, a trail volunteer, was spending his Sunday fixing a trail sign post and cleaning up the parking lot's kiosk.

To the west, the 2.1-mile Arbor Ridge segment travels through the Robert Cook Memorial Arboretum. But to the east, the 1.7-mile Devil's Staircase beckoned with rumors of it being one of the most interesting segments in that part of the state.

The trail there was first built in the 1920s, although there is some debate as to who exactly was responsible, said Dennis James, chapter coordinator for the Rock County chapter of the Ice Age Trail Alliance.

The IATA's trail guidebook says the Civilian Conservation Corps built the segment in the early '30s, but James said the Public Works Department has also claimed responsibility.

"People wanted some trails that went along the bluff, so that whole park was purchased in 1922. It was very, very popular along there, and until 20 years ago or so, there were several artesian wells along there that just had the best water you ever wanted to taste," James said. "If it was the CCC, they usually left some kind of marks, posts or pillars to mark that, and I've never seen one. But it could have dissipated over the years."

Whoever originally built it, the trail had mostly disappeared until five years ago, when the IATA set about restoring it.

"Janesville is pretty much the southern terminus, the turning point for the Ice Age Trail," James said. "The impetus (for building this segment) was it was a really, really scenic path that would benefit not just hikers of the Ice Age Trail, but also the citizens of Janesville."

Today, a less-than-one-mile trail follows the Rock River through a heavily wooded area, flanked by blocky limestone bluffs on one side.

"There are a lot of wildflowers along there, you pass a couple of old quarries as you go along there, there are some geological features," James said. "There are limestone and sandstone cliffs which made it really valuable for someone to quarry before the 1920s. I think it's really very scenic, and then you're along the river. It's just a nice walk."

Route: From the parking lot on County Road E, the trail cuts through a small wooded area, skirts the edge of the Riverside Golf Course, then re-enters the woods for its journey along the Rock River.

The trail quickly descends, then climbs back up a steep, boulder-peppered gully known as the Devil's Staircase — the segment's namesake. While not particularly strenuous, the natural rock steps are prone to being slippery, so hike carefully.

Inside the protection of the forest canopy, the golf course and the city are a distant memory as the trail follows the river, then climbs the hill to parallel 50-foot-high limestone bluffs. Ferns and other cliff-dwelling plants blanket the bluffs' base, while trees provide shade from above.

About half a mile later, the trail exits the woods down a set of stairs (not to be mistaken for the Devil's Staircase) into Riverside Park. From there, the segment hugs the river's shoreline for roughly another mile through the park.

While short, the combination of bluffs, river and woods makes for a terrific jaunt in nature.

While you're there: Extend your hike and continue south along the river through Janesville. There are more than 23 miles of Ice Age Trail and 29 miles of connecting routes in Rock County.

"It's a splendid walk through the city, because you're walking through some of those greenbelts," James said.

Northeast of Janesville, the trail enters the 3.5-mile Storrs Lake Segment, which has new trail sections thanks to a mobile skills project this summer.

Get in even more time with nature at the Rotary Botanical Gardens, 1455 Palmer Drive. Among the 20 acres of botanical gardens are plots with an international focus, including French formal and English cottage gardens. 

Don't leave Janesville without taking in some history. See the spot where Abraham Lincoln rested his head for two nights while delivering speeches in Wisconsin on his buildup to a presidential run at the Lincoln-Tallman House, 426 N. Jackson St. The historical home still has the very bed and blanket Lincoln used. Tours are offered daily in the summer.

More information: For more on the Ice Age Trail in Rock County, see iceagetrail.org/volunteer/chapters/rock-county.

Getting there: Access the Devil's Staircase segment of the Ice Age Trail at the parking lot on County Road E north of downtown Janesville. The trail is about 80 miles southwest of Milwaukee via I-94, Highway 26, Highway 14 and County Road E. The trail can also be accessed from Riverside Park, 2600 Parkside Drive.


.

I did not spot this creature on the ICE AGE TRAIL, perhaps next time...

CHICAGO CUBS

As a transplanted New Yorker, I somehow still consider myself a New York Yankees fan. Although at the present time, I can only name one player on that team - and I do not admire him as he has managed to sully the game with his steroid use - Alex Rodriguez.  Since I have lived in Chicago since 1993, I suppose I should have some affinity for the local teams. The thing is, I don't think I really ever 'recovered' from the last baseball strike which was 22 years ago when the entire post-season was completely wiped out. I have mostly lost interest in Major League baseball. Each year that the Yankees were in the playoffs, I would get a bit interested and start watching some games. When they were eliminated, so too, was my interest.

Lately, a quick check of the Major League baseball standings show the hapless Chicago Cubs atop their division with the best record in baseball. This 'incomprehensible' fact is in direct contrast to their 'recent' (100+ year) history as reported by wikipedia:

.

In 1906, the Cubs won a Major League record 116 games, and posted a modern-era record winning percentage of .763, before losing the World Series to the Chicago White Sox by four games to two. The Cubs won back-to-back World Series championships in 1907 and 1908, becoming the first Major League team to play in three consecutive Fall Classics, and the first to win it twice. The team has appeared in a total of ten World Series, most recently in 1945. The Cubs have not won the World Series in 107 years, and they have not won the National League pennant in 70 years, both of which are record "droughts" in Major League Baseball. Since the start of divisional play in 1969, the Cubs have appeared in the postseason seven times. This included four trips to the League Championship Series—in 1984,1989, 2003, and 2015.

.

#	NL Central	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	AWAY	L10
1	Cubs	48	26	.649	-	25-11	23-15	4-6
2	Cardinals	39	35	.527	9.0	15-21	24-14	4-6
3	Pirates	37	39	.487	12.0	22-18	15-21	4-6
4	Brewers	34	41	.453	14.5	21-18	13-23	4-6
5	Reds	29	47	.382	20.0	18-22	11-25	3-7

.

As of the morning of June 27th, the Chicago Cubs have the best record in all of baseball.

What does this prove?

It proves that nothing lasts forever - not even failure. Things change. A person can have no history of eating well, no history of personal fitness, no history of good health - but one can change. It does not matter if a person has been neglectful for 1 year, 10 years, 20 years or 30 years. All it takes is the willingness and the courage to make that first huge step. It requires the willingness and courage to make a small change today. And then again tomorrow. I did this a decade ago. And then I fell back into all the bad habits that I tried to escape. Eighteen months ago, I vowed to try again. I have been on a much more steady course during this period. Clichés are clichés because they contain truth. 

If I can do it, so can you.

If the Chicago Cubs can become successful after a century of failure, so can anyone!

.

Sunday started as a somewhat 'typical' day for me... I had two 99 minute sessions on the elliptical machine. What made the day a bit atypical was that my entire family took a late afternoon/early evening 10 mile urban hike together.

.

.

.

.
Since yesterday's urban hike was NOT taken alone... I was able to take a few interesting photos that were NOT selfies. You see, it's not that I am a complete narcissist, it's just that there is no one else around for most of my hikes!

Mom and Daughter enjoying the view from a spiral staircase on Roosevelt Road.

.

Major General John A Logan

.

.

.

.

.

Sure, Homer Simpson's message is mildly amusing... but it is a completely unhelpful message!

STEP JOCKEY

I recently discovered STEP JOCKEY.  This is the mission statement of STEP JOCKEY taken directly from their website.

Labelling the world for calorie burn
Foods are labelled with calorie information so we know what we’re consuming. StepJockey is about the other side of the equation; labelling the physical world for calorie burn to promote health and wellness.
We aim to label and 'gamify' the world for health - starting with stairs.
StepJockey's evaluation and initial launch was seed-funded by UK Department of Health. We are private company with a social mission. 

I found this Step Jockey list of the benefits of stair climbing interesting.... NOT SURE HOW USEFULL #13 IS GOING TO BE FOR ME..

Is this a real photograph or some crazy PHOTOSHOPPED concoction?  (See below for your answer)

1. Stair climbing is officially classed as a ‘vigorous exercise’ and burns more calories per minute than jogging.
2. Stair climbing requires 8-9 times more energy expenditure than sitting and burns about 7 times more calories than taking a lift.
3. You burn about 0.17 calories for every step you climb, so you burn roughly a calorie and a half for every 10 upward steps.
4. You also burn calories going down. Every stair descended burns about 0.05 calories, so you burn 1 calorie for every 20 steps down.
5. For buildings with five floors or less, it’s nearly always quicker to take the stairs. Studies show office workers save up to 15 minutes a day by taking the stairs.
6. As well as guarding against heart disease, diabetes, stroke and some cancers, stair climbing releases endorphins that produce feelings of wellbeing.
7. Just 7 minutes stair climbing a day has been estimated to more than half the risk of a heart attack over 10 years.
8. Stair climbing cuts carbon emissions. By ditching the lift in a typical office you will save between 0.3 and 0.6 Kg of Co2 a day.
9. Professional skiers often climb stairs to keep competition-fit. Many models do the same to keep their legs toned for the catwalk.
10. Climbing stairs is a classic ‘short burst’ exercise and ideal for the time-poor.
11. The biggest variable in stair climbing is your weight. The heavier you are, the more calories you burn.
12. Other variables affecting calorie burn while stair climbing include the angle of the stairs, your sex, climbing speed, age and general fitness.
13. You burn more calories climbing stairs in high heels.
14. It’s a myth that climbing stairs two at a time burns more calories. More energy is expended over time by taking things slowly.
15. The greatest height reached climbing stairs in 12 hours was 33,000 feet by Chris Solarz of Philadelphia, USA. Solarz climbed 58,080 stairs.
16. The 19th century is regarded by many as the golden era of stair construction. In the 20th century architects gave prominence to lifts. Now, with the emergence of ‘active design’, architects are once again making stairs more prominent.
17. Many scientific studies show that simple stair prompts significantly increase stair usage. One trick is simply to point-out ‘hidden’ stairs
18. The longest stairway listed by the Guiness Book of Records is the service stairway for the Niesenbahn funicular railway near Spiez, Switzerland. It has 11,674 steps and a round trip would burn over 3,000 calories.
19. Going down stairs burns fewer calories but works and tones different muscles and joints. It’s also good for balance and coordination.
20. The Roman architect Vitruvius established the first guidelines for the stair in the first century B.C, suggesting a 37 degree pitch. Most stairs are not dramatically different today.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

 SUNDAY MENU
breakfast   oatmeal w/raisins, turkey bacon              375 calories
lunch         spinach salad, almonds, ground lamb      919 calories
dinner        spinach salad, ground lamb meatballs    329 calories
SNACK    apples, rice cake minis                             924 calories
total caloric consumption 2547 calories
  

calories burned
STAIR CLIMBING (ground floor to 25th floor)  65 calories
elliptical 32 minutes                                                 587 calories
STAIR DESCENDING (25th floor to ground floor) 15 calories
TOTAL CALORIES BURNED  667 CALORIES

Friday net calories  calories 1880 calories

This steel sculpture is designed by Olafur Eliasson.  It is 9 (nine) meter-high walk-double spiral of steel in the entrance of the KPMG office building in Munich, Germany. The stair is called Umschreibung (Rewriting)  Umschreibung was completed in 2004. 

ATTEMPTING TO NAVIGATE THESE STEPS WOULD MAKE A CLIMB UP 25 STORIES SEEM LIKE A WALK IN THE PARK...if I ever found myself in Duisburg, Germany...I would surely check this out...

The city of Duisburg is now home to Crouching Tiger and Turtle, which could easily be described as a roller coaster without a roller coaster!  It stands about eleven meters in height and is part of the city’s Capital of Culture project. Crouching Tiger and Turtle, Magic Mountain (to give it its full name) is a work by sculptors Ulrich Genth and Heike Mutter. Visitors are encouraged to follow the twists and turns of the roller coaster and enjoy the surrounding Ruhr landscape from slightly different perspectives than usual!