THREE MORE WEEKS AND WE'ER OUTTA HERE

We've picked up the pace in our training regime this month, with Cathie joining in.  Walking with our packs around our home we have added about 60 miles on local trails.  In addition I tacked on another 400 miles on the bike.  We both feel pretty good, but there is always those nagging aches and pains people our age experience.  It is true what they say, "Getting older ain't for sissies".   I continue to have some pain in my left shoulder which is now causing pain in my neck, so off the to doctor for my annual Cortisone injection.  In the past this has worked for me, but this year not so much.  It's not painful enough to stop me from walking, but it's there all the time.

With the recent rains in Southern California we are surrounded by green fields as we walk, making our training slightly more pleasant.  Walking the same route over and over gets boring, so we have attempted to mix it up some.

 

We did manage to sneak in a hike in the Anza Borrego Desert and we came upon a grove of the rare Buckethead Cactus.  As an added bonus we were lucky enough to see the endangered Two Footed Blue Chested Buckethead hidden among the cactus.  He is so well camouflaged it is difficult to see him in the photo.  Look closely and you should be able to pick him out.

 

Both Cathie and I participated in a weight loss program with our health insurance carrier.  We have been successful in shedding a bunch of pounds causing us to make one more trip to REI for clothes that fit.  How many pounds you ask?  Cathie lost 40 pounds and looks fantastic.  I lost 70 pounds and look like a skinny old man.  My plan to keep the weight off is to walk the Camino every year.  Now I just have to convince Cathie.

 

We leave for Spain on April 23rd and there may be one more blog post before we leave, but it is my intent to post to the blog on a weekly basis as we walk.  As a reminder, to receive timely notifications of a blog entry, put your e-mail address in place provided one the upper left of this page.  And it goes without saying, comments and questions are always welcome.