Mild Winter Day

I am one of those people who come November, I usually stop doing fun things outside.  I hate the cold.  My toes always get cold first and then I feel miserable. And I am not that big of a fan of snow either.  Snow always manages to find its ways onto my bare skin, ya know, either up my pant leg or down my cuffs.  However it does it, it does.  I am also one of those people that hates wearing coats.  I don't like being all bundled up in a restricting jacket, add gloves, a hat and a scarf and I feel like I am suffocating. These are the many excuses I have for why I don't take my poor Diesel dog out for walks in the Winter. I am going to try and work on that this year. There is no reason I can't take him for a quick walk every now and again.

Thankfully, Mother Nature gave us one of those weird, random breaks from the cold this week. Yesterday, I believe temps where as high as 56° here in Metro Detroit.  Which for January, is warm.  The sun was out all day, and melted away all of the remaining snow from the past weekend.  The sky was blue and there wasn't much of a breeze, it actually looked as if it was welcoming everyone out to enjoy it. 

As soon as I got home from work, I located the leash, and walked around out back to find my puppy.  Diesel was overly excited! He's not one of those dogs that jumps up on you usually,or on to the fence even. But boy oh boy, was he excited! He was going for a walk and he was happy! Once I was able to finally get him to back away from the gate so I could open it, I clipped onto him and we were off. 

Clinton River Trail 1/6/12

The road of course was a muddy mess, and Diesel nearly dragged me all the way down it. He was walking so fast, we actually passed another dog walker.  I had to convince him to slow down for the sake of my shins once we got to Auburn.  I was hoping the trail wouldn't be too muddy either, considering that it sits on top of an embankment from where the old train tracks ran.  And sure enough, as we reached the trail, we stopped and waited for two joggers to pass us by.  It was a good day to be outside.

I don't know if it was the weather, or just the excitement of being out on a walk, but it seemed like we couldn't walk 50 feet without having to stop so Diesel could investigate some smell he had found.  That dog had his nose to the ground almost the entire way down the trail.  At one point he had stopped so dead in his tracks I nearly fell over.  Sometimes having a leash that connects at your waist isn't a good thing.

Diesel stalking a squirrel

We walked the trail to downtown, and crossed Auburn on to Grey like we usually do.   There weren't too many people out on this stretch but we did pass one other dog walker along the way.  I actually expected to see quite a bit more. What we did see however, were squirrels.  Lots and lots of squirrels. And Diesel knew it too.  It was a welcomed break from all the sniffing, now he was searching the trees and yards with a keen eye, looking for his favorite little creatures, hoping I would let him off his leash for a good chase.

It started getting cooler once the sun started going down a bit more.  We continued down Adams and crossed back over into the neighborhood.  We met a man on a bicycle who had just moved into the area.  We chatted for a bit about the nice system of trails in the area and all of the good neighborhoods to cut through.  He said we really had a good town here.

And that was it for our first walk of the year.  Sure is nice to go out on a January day wearing just a fleece and a scarf. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate some more this winter and Diesel and I will be able to go out again like this. And like this I mean without feeling like my ears and nose are going to fall off, or having soaking wet pants from all the brown icky slush.  Oh what can I say, I am just not a fan of Old Man Winter.

Clinton River Trail Fall Classic 2011

written 9-17-11

Burr!  It was a chilly day out there this morning, but Diesel and I got up early and headed down to Riverside Park in Auburn Hills to volunteer in this years Clinton River Trail Fall Classic. 

The CRT Fall Classic is an annual bicycle tour and 5K walk that takes place each year along the Clinton River Trail.  For a small registration fee, participants can choose either a 5K walk, or 5, 16, 24, or 40 mile bike routes.  Each participant gets a t-shirt (if preregistered), maps for the various routes and lunch upon returning.  Vendors are also set up in the park offering various goodies.

Walkers start out at Riverside Park and head west on the CRT to Opdyke Rd and back. Cyclists start at the park, but head east on the trail.  The 5 mile trail takes you to Crooks Rd and back, the 16 mile trial is to Dequindre and back.  For the more ambitious riders, you can pick up the Macomb Orchard Trail on the other side of Dequindre and either turn around at West Rd for 24 miles, or continue all the way to the Clinton River Bridge just past mile marker 12, and head back.

Originally, Diesel and I were just going to participate in the event as walkers, but I came across a posting on the Friends of the CRT Facebook page asking for volunteers.  Since we live so close by anyhow, I figured why not.  I got to wear a spiffy neon yellow vest and direct the walkers and cyclist from the park to the trail.  It was a great opportunity for us to meet so many people who enjoy the trail just as much as Diesel and I do.  We even had a chance to pass out a few of our cards and hopefully gain a few more readers to the blog.

Once I knew most of the crowds had made their way to the trail, we stopped back in at the registration table and got my t-shirt.  We browsed around a bit talking with the vendors and then headed out to complete our walk. 

Diesel and I have walked this side of the trail a few times, however we've never gone as far as Opdyke, we usually turn around at the I-75 bridge, and walk back.  I never knew just how nice the rest of that walk could be.  The section of the trail between I-75 and Opdyke is mostly wooded, and you can spot the backyards of a few houses but otherwise the trail is pretty secluded.  We saw quite a few squirrels and even a bunny while walking, and even had the chance to chat with a few more walkers along the way. 

It took us about a half hour to get to Opdyke and then another half hour to get back, so not a bad walk at all.  I took quite a few pictures that you can see by scrolling to the bottom of this page, though I wish I would have remembered to turn on my Noom so I could track my stats. 

Once back at the park, Diesel and I shared a few snacks and talked with more volunteers and participants about different routes and about the trail. It was a nice morning despite the overcast and the lower than welcomed temperatures.  All and all it was a great morning.

If you walked/cycled the Fall Classic, please feel free to share your stories in the comments below.  I would love to hear from you! 


If you would like more information on the Clinton River Trail, check out the Friends of the CRT Facebook group or visit www.clintonrivertrail.org

Starting Again

Sorry to all of my readers for being a bit absent lately.  The weather has been rainy and icky these past few days and I haven't really gotten out on many walks with Diesel.  Not to mention I have been battling my allergies and it seems to be draining all motivation to do anything.  I've even skipped out on two personal training sessions!  I've been working this week on trying to get back on the good side by going to the gym every day after work, getting my butt kicked by Toria and trying not too eat too much crap. 

Hopefully, this weekend can be the start of a new healthier week.  Earlier this week I signed up with Door to Door Organics a produce delivery group.  I am hoping that the new, fresh fruits and veggies being delivered to my home every week will give me that needed push to start bringing my lunches to work. Not to mention its also getting colder out and I hate going out for lunch when its cold. 

Also this Saturday, Diesel and I will be walking a 5K hosted by The Friends of the Clinton River Trail.  The Fall Classic is a great opportunity to support the community, the local hiking/bicycle trail, and meet people who love the trail as much as I do.  Before the CRT was even a designated trail, I would walk along those abandoned railway tracks to pretty much anywhere I wanted to get in the Auburn Hills Area.  And no, the tracks back in the day were not the spooky things you see on TV.  They ran the length of the town and crossed by many homes and business and into neighborhoods where my friends lived.  The tracks were just a shortcut.

Well that's all I have for now.  Just wanted to pop in and let you know I am still around. I'll be posting an update on the CRT Fall Classic sometime this weekend.  Hope everyone is enjoying the end of Summer cool down. 

For more information on Door to Door Organics, please visit https://michigan.doortodoororganics.com.

To participate in the Clinton River Trail Fall Classic, visit www.clintonrivertrail.org