Today was perfect walking weather!  Sunny, high 50’s/low 60’s, and no wind.  We ditched the coats and gloves – trading them for sun hats and sunscreen.  We walked from one town -Plainfield to another – Oswego.  The road was flat and open but nothing much to see.  For the first time ever we met other walkers – a couple doing their daily 4 mile walk around their neighborhood.  We had a nice chat which helped the last 1/2 mile fly by.

Day two started badly – warm but twenty mile an hour winds at our faces.  We had a devil of a time keeping our head gear on!  Also lots of traffic, narrow shoulders and virtually unchanging open fields.  However, a little more than halfway, the traffic decreased and the wind died down making the last few miles much more bearable.  To end the day, we had the best meal of our trip at Millhurst Ale House in Yorkville.  Very good bar food, lots of beer on tap (which we regrettably could not sample given the fact that we are walking again tomorrow).  Nothing beats a good burger after a long hike.

Our last walking day of this first spring trip was pretty much more of the same.  Same road, limited scenery and cooler weather.  Fortunately the rain held off until we reached the car at the end.  Now it’s home for two weeks to catch up on errands, check in with the kids and dog, and rest our battered feet.  Overall, our stamina is good but our feet were pushed to the limit this time.

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After a rest (and laundry) day, we began our second three day walk.  Day One was still unseasonably cold (in the morning it was below freezing) and we are battling persistent blisters.  However, it was sunny and much less windy – we found several sunny spots to take our breaks.  Overall, we are starting to get into a routine.

Day two was perfect weather.  Cold but no wind and sunny.  And we had the luxury of sidewalk/bike path most of the way.  While that might not sound exciting, it truly is.  Not having to dodge cars and navigate narrow shoulders is much more relaxing.  The only down side is that Mike and I continue to develop new (or expanding) blisters.  Mike’s feet are pretty battered – he’s up to 8 separate bandaids.  We should purchase stock in bandaids – we go through boxes like crazy!

Day three started with us brushing snow off our cars, but because the temperature was above freezing it melted quickly and basically disappeared before we began walking.  Most of the walk was cloudy and cold but not freezing.  Not much in the way of scenery, but for the third day in a row, we came upon a fast food place to take our long break so we could warm up.  Walking was difficult for Mike because of feet issues but we made it.  Looking forward to a day off tomorrow.

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Day one of our first spring trip after a lengthy hiatus was okay.  We are feeling various aches and pains from being out of walking shape but the weather, which threatened thunderstorms and soaking rain, actually held off giving us only intermittent showers.  The walk was flat but not much to see – just a busy highway with lots of trucks and strip malls on each side.

Day two was, in a word, lousy.  We had snow showers and sustained 20 mile-an-hour winds hitting us in the face.  That, combined with constant truck traffic and little scenery, was not pleasant to say the least.  On the up side, that’s another 12 miles down and by the end of tomorrow we hit the Illinois border.

Day three was much better.  We are at the tail end of an Artic Blast and while the temperature was still lower than normal, there was much less wind.  We found a little coffee shop for our long break (and had real food rather than trail mix while sitting beside the highway).  We made it to Illinois and are happy to take our first break day tomorrow.  And Mike is happy to retire his third pair of hiking boots.

As an aside, we walked right by the Albanese candy factory on day two.  They truly do make the best gummy bears – Adam and I are obsessed.  On our off day, Mike and I drove back to the factory and bought a five pound bag.  Yippee!

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It has been quite a while since our last walking trip.  During that time, we went through a couple family-related struggles.  First, Mike’s oldest sister passed away after a battle against pancreatic cancer.  Just about when Mike felt ready to resume our travels, our elderly dog became too frail to be left in long-term boarding; Droopy passed away a few months ago.  So after an almost two year hiatus, we are excited to soon be back on the road.  We are driving back to where we stopped in Indiana, to begin the first of our planned three spring walks.  Here’s hoping for good weather and strong legs!  Stay tuned.