Ten Long Painful Miles…..
Posted by lynnette on Monday, January 17th, 2011
Ten Long Painful Miles…..
Are you in good physical shape? I confess, Dave and I really aren’t. Now, that’s not to say we can’t get off the couch. We garden, take the occasional walk, and we are both active in our daily lives. NOTHING, however, prepared us for last Saturday……
“A three day weekend. Ahhh, let’s celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s holiday by doing something way out of the norm. Let’s drive to Sequim and hike to the lighthouse at the Dungeness Spit,” I say. This is early Saturday morning.
Dave nods his head. Think dog statue in the back of the car driving down the highway nodding of the head. This is not usually his style. He normally always considers before he agrees or disagrees. Sometimes, I tease that he is not spontaneous enough. Where was that lack of spontaneity this time? I count on it. It’s like a check and balance system. This weekend the system broke. Along with our thigh muscles. Let me explain further.
Did we do our homework? No. Did we pack a good picnic? No. Did we stop and consider the tides? Well, yes we did have that in our favor. Dave is a boy scout at heart.
But ohhhh, back to the thigh muscles. Did I mention I had just tried the exercise class Zumba with friend Angela the day before? After a long period of no exercise? My poor legs! Double whammy! Look at the pictures below and the number markers. THOSE ARE MILE MARKERS. Not just asphalt miles. NOOOOOO. Those are lots of rocks and loose sand miles. Hard miles. Painful miles. Think screaming thigh muscles.
We did enjoy the five miles out to the lighthouse. Lots of pictures. No rain. Tide’s going out.
1/2 mile
1 and 2 miles
3 and 4 miles
Note that the beach on the back of the spit is closed, not the side we are walking on. It's a nature preserve. When you reach the lighthouse it means you've made it five miles. Here is the sign as you are leaving....
Note the rain gear now. Not only do we have to hike those five miles, we now have rain!
The lighthouse is beautiful. We tour it along with a lot of other hearty folks. The sign is our reality for sure. Five miles back. And we are tired now. We don’t really want to go five more miles. No sirreeee! Where is the helicopter, boat, horses or 4 wheel quad machine? We would have hitchhiked with just about anything or anyone. But no, we are doomed to walk back the five miles we just did and we now know, REALLY KNOW - it’s not easy. In fact, it’s brutal! But there is no alternative.
This time, no extra steps, no photos, no extra conversation. Just screaming thighs! Especially those last three miles. And the last little bit was all uphill to the parking lot. We were about the most tired either one of us can recall. And that is fifty years worth of recollection.
So do we recommend this walk? Yes, but with a little prep. Bring a lunch. Lots of water. Plan daylight hours and loads of time. And good tides. Then have fun and be frugal with your steps. It’s a heck of a long way back! You can actually stay and be a keeper. If you are interested, check out the details at www.newdungenesslighthouse.com. You get a ride out and back if you stay.
Here are some beautiful pictures on the way:
Seaweed was colorful.
Birds taking flight (using my zoom)
Kelp
Last week I promised a photo of our mat for winner of the Parkland Parish floor mat – Sandra Peck. From Sweetwater’s newest collection made up on our Morning Brew Pattern # BGQ0907. It’s so sweet! Congratulations Sandra! Your mat should be mailed out this Friday. We know you will enjoy it.
Here is a photo of a new circle mat, #BGQ1004. Instead of diagonal ribbons, I squared them up. It looks like a tufted cushion. Made up in mostly Kinkame from Clothworks, the colors available in Kinkame are quietly stunning in any combination!
Laura and I are in the midst of designing a new fabric collection. Shhhh! We can’t talk about it. We are very excited though. We are also continuing to plan our newest designs and strategies for spring. Sew FUN!
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