Inspired by the Cowboy Junkies, and fortified by a new reformulation of my electrolyte mix, I went for a good long walk into the modestly vicious wind.

After that I jumped in the truck and played in the wicked 4WD mud suction, not for the sake of play itself, but to take roads running parallel to my walk in order to measure it precisely.

Here are the results.

From my front door to the Recreation gate, one way: sixth tenths of a mile

From the rec gate to Leroux Wash bridge: 2.1 miles (with the landmark at tan barn east halfway, and the radio beacon halfway between the tanBarn and the wash)

From the wash bridge to the truck stop would be roughly/almost an additional mile.

In terms of my actual walking for this day (and doubtless many to come), I went out 2.75 miles and then re-traced my steps home–5.5 miles, or 11618 steps, with 8710 kcal burned, in 98 minutes, and thus at a speed of between 3 and 4 mph (an “average” to “brisk” pace).

Under sunny skies there is a choice between the quieter low-road version of the walk, which I did shirtless the other day, and today’s up-on-the-floodwall version. The low-road wasn’t available this afternoon because:

… because flooding …

On the art side, the only other picture I took was this:

The careful lettering on a boxcar canvas spells out:

my specialty is living said a man
who could not earn his bread
because he would not sell his head
–ee cummmings

You know it made me very happy to read that.

Especially in the middle of nowhere

and the middle of living right.

The main thing cardiovascular health costs, then, is an hour and a half every day.

Most people can’t afford that, even if they sell their heads off trying. So I count myself blessed.

I am planning to bump it to two hours with the addition of some weight training (once I get the bench assembled), and a small sliver of yoga (at least until the knife wound in the back of my shoulder blade is healed).

There’s some rude lumpen bookish part of me that resents having to have a fourteen-hour-a-week part-time job to be healthy.

But the fringe benefits are world class.

And maybe I can get some film shot during those working hours too.

Eventually.