Living in the Scoot Utopia

Since I got tired of explaining that the KC RagWalk is not a walking tour for menstruating women (it was instead named after the message board whose members gave me the idea), I have officially renamed it the KC TourWalk.

ALSO DUE TO TOO MANY CONFLICTS WITH GRADUATIONS, FINALS, AND NOTHER'S DAY, THE DATE HAS MOVED FROM MAY 12 TO MAY 19.

The new web site address is KCTourWalk.com. Check it out, the registration deadline is May 18. Come join me on a tour of KC unlike any you've ever had!

Posted by ScooterJ at 07:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Want to get a great up-close tour of Kansas City and get some terrific exercise at the same time? The join me for the First Annual Spring KC Ragwalk on Saturday, May 12.

After multiple requests, I have decided to organize this group event as a way to introduce more people to the joys of walking for fitness in KC. There's no charge, I just want more people to get to experience why I like doing it so much.

The course I have laid out makes a loop from the City Market to the Plaza and back and takes you through some very interesting and beautiful parts of town. You can choose between either the full 12-mile course (will take about 4 hours) or the 6-mile half-course (will take about 2 hours and require $1.25 for MAX fare back to the City Market).

I highly recommend the 12-mile course if you can do it, the second leg is totally different from the first leg. It also ends on the patio at Harry's Country Club. :)

In addition, the walk will employ the same technology I used during my recent Liberty to Olathe walk... so your friends and family will be able to track your progress online and see live photos of where you are.

If it works out well, look for a Summer edition (which will include crossing the Missouri River) and a Fall edition that will explore the changing colors of the season.

I urge all of you to sign up. :) Just go to www.kcragwalk.com for complete details and to sign up. I hope to see you there!

Posted by ScooterJ at 09:42 PM | Permalink

For those of you who don't have Firefox or otherwise didn't get to see them, here are the better of the pictures I took on my walk from Liberty to Olathe last Sunday in an IE-friendly format.

Sorry, these are camera phone pix since I wanted to carry as little extra weight as possible.
 
Liberty

The courthouse, where I started...
 

The south side of Liberty Square...
 

The start of the new extension of Liberty Parkway...
 

Claycomo

 


KCMO

I'm not sure what the name of this neighborhood is... this is NE Barnes, on the south/east side of I-35 from Stroud's...
 

The next few are from the Winnwood neighborhood...

 

Jacobo family Extreme Makeover house
 

These next two are just west of Chouteau, I don't know if this would still be considered Winnwood or not...
 

 


Avondale

 

 

 

 

 


North Kansas City

NKC Hospital...
 

 

 

 

Ultra-long warehouse on Swift...
 


KCMO

Crossing the Heart of America...
 

 

 


River Market...
 

CBD and P&L..
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crossroads...
 

 

Union Station...
 

 

 

Liberty Memorial...
 

 

 

Federal Reserve...
 

Pennsylvania...
 

West edge of the Plaza...
 

 

 

 

Mercier...
 


Mission Hills

 

 

 

 

 
Overland Park




Lenexa

 

 

Recent fire damage...
 

My parents intercepted me as I passed near their house and brought me fresh water. Here's me and my mom...
 

Old town Lenexa...
 

This tunnel under I-35 looked like a snap when I scoped it out duing the day.  I didn't consider the possibility that it would be dark before I got to it.
 


Olathe

Since it was getting really late, I called off my push to go all the way to the courthouse and and eded just south of 119th & Strang Line...
 

Posted by ScooterJ at 09:37 PM | Permalink

[Update: the detailed route map is now available below.]

Yesterday (Sunday, April 15) I set out to walk from Liberty, MO to Olathe, KS. I started out at the courthouse in Liberty Square. I wanted to end at the courthouse in downtown Olathe but really only needed to cross the city limits. I ended up stopping in the parking lot of the PetSmart at 119th & Strang Line, about a mile into Olathe.

Some stats...

Time started: 6:38am
Time ended: 9:35pm
Distance walked: 37.5 miles (new personal record!)
Steps taken: 69,800
Calories burned: 4,700
Detailed route map

I'll post photos in a followup post tomorrow. Until then, as long as you are using Firefox, you can also see the photos from the walk here: livewalking.com.

This was more than 8 miles longer than my previous longest walk and also my first major walk of 2007, so I'm very happy with how well it went. My ankles are pretty sore today as I take a day off work to rest up, but I should be back on my feet by tomorrow.

Posted by ScooterJ at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

It looks like the weather is finally going to cooperate, so this upcoming Sunday (April 15) is the new date that I'll set out to try to walk from Liberty to Olathe.

I've set up a web site that I can update via my cell phone where you'll be able to:

• Track my progress in almost real time


• Read my comments about the walk/my condition and post comments/questions of your own that I'll receive during the walk


• See photos I take along the way, as I take them

The web site address is: www.livewalking.com. At the moment it's still password-protected while I do some final work on it but it will open up for service in the next day or two.

I'll be setting out around sunrise Sunday morning and, including breaks, should finish around sunset or a little later.

Wish me luck!

Posted by ScooterJ at 07:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

This weekend I'll be taking on my biggest walk yet... I'm going to attempt to walk from Liberty, MO to Olathe, KS.

This will be either on Friday or Saturday, depending upon the ever-changing weather forecast. I'll make the decision Thursday by noon.

This particular walk will feature a first for me (and maybe for the KC walking community?)... you'll be able to track my progress live on-line. An online map will show my position and progress mile-by-mile and I'll post comments, my feelings, and my condition as I go.

Look for complete details on Thursday!

UPDATE

Due to the forecast high temperatures this weekend that drop lower and lower every time I check (now predicted for the upper 30s), this walk is being postponed. I'll announce a new date as soon as one becomes available. Currently the 10-day forecast looks pretty crappy.

Posted by ScooterJ at 08:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The days are long enough and the weather is warm enough. If rain stays out of the forecast, next weekend you may spot me on the streets of KC as I tackle my first major walk of the season. And it's a doozy!

Posted by ScooterJ at 05:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Yesterday afternoon I took a walk around midtown. The teardrop-shaped route was 13.8 miles long and took me into a few areas I haven't walked through before. The route ran south roughly along Walnut and then Gilham, then west mainly along 43rd, north along Bell, northeast along Karnes, and then back north along Baltimore. The walk was slightly over 4 hours long. I took 19,031 steps and burned 1,357 calories.

I took several photos along the way, this time with a bonus section inside Union Cemetery. I also took a couple of pictures by request. Click on the route map below to launch the photo gallery.

Posted by ScooterJ at 07:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Though I'm currently doing 2-3 mile walks a few times a week, I'm only posting the longer ones on my blog.

This afternoon I took a walk to the Plaza and back. The loop was 11.4 miles and took about 3-1/2 hours to complete. I took 16,296 steps and burned 1,147 calories.

As I was walking along I could not help but notice what a truly beautiful city Kansas City is. Both natural and architectural beauty. And there are so many details -- tiny little quirky shops, overlooked stonework, and fascinating architecture. Much of this can only really be noticed by touring the city on foot. If you have only experienced Kansas City by car, you are truly missing out.

As usual I took several photos along the way. Click on the route map below to launch the photo gallery.

Posted by ScooterJ at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I walked to La Bodega for dinner tonight, and along the way took several pictures of the Fall colors around Downtown. Click the picture below to view the full gallery.

Posted by ScooterJ at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)