Living in the Scoot Utopia

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)

It was a cold day and I really didn't feel like going outside as I've been battling a cold of my own the last week. But I needed the exercise, so I headed out on a walk that was almost too short to be worth mentioning.

I walked for 2 hours, making a loop throughout Downtown that was about 6 miles long. I took 9,758 steps and burned 621 calories. This is by far the shortest walk I've posted about.

The route took me through the River Market, the Garment District, Quality Hill, the West Side, the Crossroads, Union Station, Liberty Memorial, the Arena District, and the Central Business District.

As usual I did take several pictures along the way. Click the thumbnail below to view the photo gallery.

Hopefully by next weekend I'll be feeling better and able to take more respectable walks again.

Posted by ScooterJ at 07:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Sunday afternoon I walked from the City Market to the Nelson Art Gallery to see the newly-reopened sculpture garden. I had originally planned to walk back from there but then ended up continuing on to Waldo. Total distance was approximately 9.25 miles, roughly 18,500 steps taken, and 1,100 calories burned.

Along the way I was nearly run over by an idiot in a Mini Cooper who came barreling around a blind curve at high speed and honked at me for being in the crosswalk, andsoon after that I was threatened by a pair of vicious-looking dogs out being walked by an owner who looked way too small to handle them. Other than that is was a beautiful walk.

I took a few pictures (not too many this time), click the thumbnail below to see them.

Posted by ScooterJ at 05:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

On Sunday I wanted to meet my friend Brandon for lunch in Waldo, so I left my place at 8:30am and started walking.

Because the days are getting shorter, I've decided to start taking short walks more frequently rather than killer walks that then leave my feet beat for a couple of weeks. This is the first of the walks in this series.

Originally I had covered 10 miles exactly, but when I got to Waldo I was unable to get a hold of Brandon due to his ringer being off. So I got in another 2 miles as I wandered around the area in hopes he'd get my message. In the end he did, and we had a relaxing lunch before I boarded the MAX to head back home.

Total number of steps taken: 22,601
Calories burned: 1,510
Miles walked: 12.1

Click the picture below to view the photo gallery from the walk...

Posted by ScooterJ at 05:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I was out walking my dog this afternoon when I spotted a dead bird:

Just a few feet away I spottted another...

Then another...

And another...

And finally, another...

All of these dead birds were along the sidewalk in front of this DST building at 9th & Washington.

I did not see any more once I stepped away from this building. How and why is DST killing these birds?

Posted by ScooterJ at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)