Those Morning Walks...

 You KNOW I'm a walker.  I'm also an EASY hiker. (Meaning I'm a bit too old and uncoordinated to do anything difficult, but if anyone wants to try with me I'm willing!)  When I spent most of my time in NJ, I would walk before sunrise and then go off to work.  During Covid, I was doing some serious walking (because I didn't have to be any place...I just had to get home and get to work.)  I have done over 5 miles in a stretch.  Which for me is a lot.  It also takes a lot of time because I don't do a 12 or 15 minute mile.  I USED to be able to MAYBE hit 17 minute mile, but these days I'm more 20 minutes or even 21.  Not great, but...

I still try to walk when I can wherever I am.  But it was a LONG cold winter so walking outside wasn't really a thing for me for a LONG time.  (Much too long.)  But I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, even if I'm not moving as fast or as far as I used to.

When we moved to the Poconos, I tried to do some walking.  It was more of a challenge as there are no sidewalks or street lights.  (Which is why we don't walk home from our local bar/grill when go once a month to hear our friend Scott because although it is just over a mile from our house and walking off a meal and drinks would be a good thing, it would be pitch black and who knows what critters we might run into.)  I stuck to the general area and didn't do much exploring.

I tried to change that last fall and now that the weather is warm (and sometimes too hot) and its lighter earlier, I'm trying to explore more because this area is beautiful.Maybe I'm noticing it more because it was such a cold, gray and depressing winter?  Now things are green and plants are growing everywhere.  (Overgrowing in my back yard and I'm still working on getting someone to take care of it.)  So I'm getting out there and trying to explore more.  I'd like to explore all the roads/nooks and crannies of the village, but it's hard to tell where one village ends and the next begins.  If I look on Google maps (and you can't completely trust them because they still say I'm on a road and not a drive) the village goes a lot further in some directions and not so far in others.  Plus this sign 

is a lot closer in reality then it looks like on the map.  But does it really matter?  

What matters is that I am out walking and taking in all that Mother Nature/God/the Creator/the Universe has given to us.  (And if we can't appreciate that...well that's just sad and pathetic in my book.)

Although I haven't taken many photos and I am in  no way a great (or even good) photographer, here are just a few sights I have been blessed to take in.





Believe this is the site of the former Monomonock Inn...
This is not my image, but from a postcard...sadly like many resorts and landmarks in this area, it was destroyed by fire.  There are so many places that I wish I could have seen/explored and experience.)

View going down the mountain on Monomonock Road...it was killer going up and down wasn't easy either!)




Last weekend I even got my husband to join me on an easy walk around the lake at Skytop.  (One of my favorite walks...I could probably do it every day and still not tire of it...although the one day several years ago when the path was nearly underwater was not one of my favorites.)

Though I may be slow, I'm going to (try to) keep walking and exploring.  It's a beautiful world out there...we all need to give ourselves a break and enjoy it!








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