Living in the Scoot Utopia

(I didn't post about Urban Walk #3 -- that was last weekend where I did an 11-mile loop walking the Urban Living Tour.)

Sunday, May 14, 2006

As I hinted late last week, I decided it was time to do something extreme. So, at 10:48 this morning, I was dropped in the parking lot of the Bally Total Fitness at 119th & Strang Line in Olathe, KS. 7-1/2 hours and 42,900 steps later I arrived at my home near the City Market in Downtown Kansas City, MO --
completing a 22-mile walk.

Before I get on with the pictures, a few notes about walking in Johnson County:

1. I was able to find sidewalks pretty much everywhere. There were a few small gaps but nothing major.
   
2. The exception was Mission Hills. I never saw a single sidewalk in Mission Hills.
   
3. Every crosswalk I eencountered required a button to be pushed to get a walk signal.
   
4. While crossing Quivira at a crosswalk I began speedwalking as soon as I got the walk signal and I still had 2 more lanes to cross when the cross-traffic got their green light. There's no way an old person or a family could possibly get across.
   
5. While crossing 95th near Oak Park Mall the crosswalk displayed "WALK" and "DON'T WALK" simultaneously. Then, 3 lanes into the crossing, both displays shut off altogether. I did a quick 270-degree scan then dashed the remaining way across.
   

I'd also like to say a little bit about the walk itself. Not since my teens have a felt as good, physically, as I do now at the age of 36. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it could very well be that getting caught with diabetes -- and doing something about it -- has been the best thing that has happened to me. The thing today that really brought that home was that part of my route took me along an old walking route I used to use 10 years ago when I lived near 85th & Switzer. That particular walking route used to wear me out back then. Yet, on the map above of today's walk, that route barely even registers as a blip just to the left of marker #7. Amazing.

Now, on with the pictures!

Looking back at my starting point...

The first of many parking lagoons I'd cross...

Crossing I-435 at Quivira...

Arriving at Oak Park Mall, where I took a short break...

Crossing US-69 (Overland Parkway) at 91st...

Taking a break in a part at 85th & Switzer...

As I approached 83rd, the homes all took on a funky '50s look...

New roundabout under costruction on Santa Fe
at the south end of downtown Overland Park...

Overland Park Farmer's Market...

The gallery that burned dowwn a couple of months ago. :(
You can still smell the soot...

Massive amounts of flowers landscaping a yard
on Tomahawk just east of Nall...

The most pedestrian-friendly thing I saw in JoCo:
Pedestrians get a nice bridge, cars drive down into the creek...

Brush Creek...

Prairie Village Shops...

This sign completely blocked the sidewalk at the entrance
to Mission Hills. Just beyond the sign the sidewalk ended.
I never saw another sidewalk until I reeached KCMO.

This is the closest thing Mission Hills has to sidewalks,
a painted white line reserving the curb for pedestrians...

Pretty much all of Mission Hills was under construction...

Looking north on Belinder at Tomahawk...

Roundabout (or traffic circle?) at Belinder, Tomahawk,
and a couple of other streets...

Meyer Circle Fountain...

The Church of the Rich Christian...

Filthy stinking rich...

Arriving at Loose Park, and various Loose Park shots...

Civilization! Heading north on Wornall towwards the Plaza...

New tower...

Another new tower... this one north of the Plaza...

43rd & Washington...

Relaxing at the Westport Sunfresh...

Southwest Trafficway, around 38th...

Penn Valley Community College...

31st just east of Broadway...

First full view of the skyline...

From here on out I didn't really take any more pictures because
it's all stuff that's been seen before on my previous walks.

However, I did take this shot to show that the facade of the
Bartle expansion is now going up...

Finally, the best walking shoes I have ever bought...