2000 what, you may ask.
Starting in January, 2012, we kept a spreadsheet of all of our hikes and bike rides.
Today, in less than 10 years, we completed our 2000th hike or bike ride. We really can't believe it.
And we have enjoyed them all--hiking in just about every state west of the Mississippi and from Alaska to the tip of Florida. And cycling in many states, including as far east as South Carolina where we cycled the Tour de Tugaloo with Sean and in the Pacific Northwest on dozens of rides with Jules.
One can experience our wonderful country in a quite different way when you are hiking at 2 miles an hour or cycling at 12-14 miles an hour (8-9 miles an hour on the new Rads on mountain roads). For one thing, you feel you are putting your feet right on the land and roads--you can pay attention to small details as well as see grand scenery.
Many of these experiences have been with family, and with grandchildren especially, and that adds another powerful dimension to our experiences.
In that time frame, from mid-January 2012 to early December, 2021 we have cycled 23,482 miles and hiked 4285 miles.
Our average ride has been just under 20 miles, and our average hike has been 5.2 miles.
As age catches up with us we have made adjustments. For one thing, the distance of our cycling rides and hikes has become shorter. Also for both cycling and hiking we don't do as much climbing as we once did. With age, at our ages anyway, arthritis and other health problems create a need to adapt--basically slow down and take things easier.
As the saying goes about our age: "What doesn't hurt doesn't work."
We have also made those adjustments by shifting some of our time to other types of outdoor activities. If we tried to keep at our pace of 10 years ago we would sustain injuries that would keep us from doing any hiking and cycling at all, and that would be big loss for us.
So, for example, since we moved to Leisure World two years and four months ago we have swam 240 hours and walked around the paths at Leisure World 630 hours--activities that are easier on the body. Almost all of these activities, and a lot of our cycling, were enjoyed very early in the morning (i.e., 2:30 a.m.) when we have Leisure World practically to ourselves.
A couple of examples of the views from our early morning walks around Leisure World.
......and then there is our dancing and ping pong. We have danced all across the USA!
It is really quite a miracle that we can do all of this. We keep ourselves healthy with our exercise and with Vicky's make-everything-from-scratch-veggies-and-fruits-and-lean-meats cooking.
But that is only a small part of the story, because the actual miracle is modern medicine. Vicky sustained a broken back in 1993 from being rear ended, so now has two titanium disks in her back, and a few years ago had skin cancer. I have had 3 foot surgeries, 3 rotator cuff surgeries, open heart surgery, and treatment for prostate cancer. My right foot, for example, has little range of motion and is more like a paddle than a foot, thanks to a titanium brace, 15 inches of screws, and fused bones that are now inside it.
Without modern medicine, we both would be severely crippled...if not dead. But, instead, we can be active and enjoy all of our activities and hobbies. We are so grateful for the skill and knowledge of so many different physicians and everyone else in the health care system.
Our first hike since we started keeping these records, 10 years ago, in California:
Our first bike ride 10 years ago, though the wine country of California:
Our hike yesterday on the Mogollon Rim marking 1999 hikes+rides:
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