This Girl Can (again) for the Mommies

Another great video from the UK campaign to get women moving, This Girl Can.  I am so moved by this effort to encourage physical activity and help women feel good about it.

If you're a mama, you might be interested in my friend Natalie's new project and facebook page, Mamas of the Big Bend: It Takes a Desert.  Natalie is collecting stories about "exceptional mamas unified by the wild, beautiful desert."  If you have a story to share about being a mama in the Big Bend of Texas, "like" her page and get in touch. 

The Most Romantic Gift

There's no better evening than one spent absorbed in a map, for it is one full of dreams and possibilities.  Think of yourself at the peak of the mountain, or tucked into a canyon looking for shade or your feet dangling in a stream. 

Research shows vacationers are happiest planning a trip.  They're happier before than during or after.  So take all the time you want to plan, and savor the experience.  What better feeling to share with someone special?

We were inspired by all the trailmaps we picked up at last weekend's Iowa Bike Expo, an event by the Iowa Bicycle Coalition.  Add those trail maps to our state atlas, and we've got hours of planning to do.

Rewards

It was getting too warm, the snow was getting slushy, and ice started accumulating on my skis.  It didn't matter, the beauty of the day was enough to ignore any possible irritation.

Slush, mud, ice and fun

It was snowing when we got up this morning.  And we'd slept late.  I kept thinking:

It is too cold
It is too windy
It is too wet
that ice will melt and then it will be mud
Wouldn't it be nicer to stay inside and watch old movies?

And sure, it would have been nice to stay in all cozy-like, but we'd have missed this:

And this:

Excuses aside, TODAY was one of the reasons we moved to Iowa.  In the last year, we've been to some of the most spectacular, stunning places in North America:  Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, Arches, but Iowa City's Hickory Hill Park TODAY rivaled their beauty.

Trail Report: First Day Hike to the Indian Fish Dam

Far below the trail, under the Iowa River, are the remains of an old fish dam

Seeing a long distance into the woods only captures the imagination

The winter sun felt muted on New Year's Day, but my anticipation started building the moment we parked the car, and headed out on the trail. The dried winter grasses bristled in the wind, but I couldn't wait to get into the forest.

We celebrated January 1 by hiking Amana Colonies Nature Trail for our official First Day Hike.  Just outside Homestead, Iowa, the trail begins at the intersection of Hwys 151 and 6. The trail is sponsored by the Amana Society Conservation Committee and is a satisfying excursion, even in the middle of the winter.



Distance options range from 1 mile to 3.5 miles round trip, all over relatively easy terrain.

Imagination Factor: High

Frozen stream below the trail

The trail's signage clearly indicates the presence of Indian mounds, yet for the casual visitor, they're impossible to detect.  That's okay, though.  I'd rather imagine Meskwaki or the Ioway people living in these woods, and I'd rather know what remains of their culture is buried deep beneath the trail, safe from the curious and poachers.  The lack of underbrush lets you see far into the woods, and you can imagine a tribe of people making a home here.

Far below the trail is the fish weir (or fish dam) built as early as 300 years ago.  Rivers never remain the same, and the structure of boulders was covered by water during the flood years.  It remains below the water, safe from poachers. And the fish dam made it onto the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Here's a great article on the Indian mounds and fish dam.

Snow on a mossy log

Who said there's no color in the winter?  In the birds, the leaves, the soil, water, sky, trees we saw: white, gray, beige, buff, mahogany, umber, sienna, black, olive, khaki, buff, chestnut, sand, russet, taupe, blue, topaz, tan, periwinkle, ice, salmon, mauve, brick, crimson, mulberry, green. 

Did we see birds? A few--raptors, woodpeckers, chickadees, cardinals--but we chose to hike during the day when temperatures were warmer, and birds are harder to spot.
Trail Condition:  Fair In a few places, there were signs of erosion and vandalism, but overall the trail was easy to navigate and very satisfying to traverse.  The markers and maps were plentiful and easy to read.

Difficulty: Easy
Unpaved path of soft packed earth and sand, covered with last fall's leaf litter.  There's a satisfying crunch underfoot this time of year.

Color coded trail markers
are easy to follow

Here's a link to information on the trail posted by the local Sierra Club.

Proximity to food and drink: Lots of options
Since we did our hike on January 1, there weren't too many places open.  However, just about any other day of the year, you can find food and drink in nearby Homestead (less than a mile), Amana (about 3 miles) and Coralville/Iowa City (14 miles).  The area's specialty is German food, and Amana has a microbrewery for beer drinkers to enjoy.  Of course, many more options exist in Tiffin, and Iowa City and Coralville, east on Highway 6.

Getting there: 
From Interstate 80, take Exit 225, turning north on Hwy 151. Travel along Hwy 151 for five miles until you reach the intersection of Hwy 151 and Hwy 6.
From Iowa City/Coralville, take Hwy 6 west out of Coralville for about 14 miles.

This Girl Can

Need inspiration?  From the new British campaign,  a great video,"This Girl Can." Be inspired by this "a celebration of active women up and down the country who are doing their thing no matter how well they do it, how they look or even how red their face gets."  I love that, don't you?

Many thanks to the women of Another Mother Runner for pointing me to this resource, and who offer significant inspiration through their podcast, blog and daily emails.

Get Outside

I was beyond happy to feel the cold moist air this morning, to watch the city wake up to the dawn, to hear the few leaves left rustling in the breeze. I might have been that kindergartener skipping to school, but no, I am a old/young woman walking to work.

There was barely enough light for photos, but the haze conveys the feel of the morning.

I love the sense that there's a seam between night and day. The porch light is on, but it really isn't needed.  Santa is illuminated, but there's really no need. 

My day was better, infinitely better, because I found a little pocket of time to get outside.  Even if you find a few minutes in the morning or just after dark, there's hardly a better way to find a few moments of peace to lend to the rest of the day.

 

Hello. We've been away a long time.

Yes, and we're far, far away from the desert and the mountains. It looks like this here:

This is the trail I'm running now.  Dark, occasionally icy, often foggy. I love being in the forest again.  It inspires wonder. It inspires me to run as hard as I can, and it inspires me to stop and listen.  Stop and take in the scents.  Stop and feel the moisture.

In addition to looking for BIG adventures, I'm looking for daily moments of wonder that will carry me through the dark days of winter.  Because being fit is more than what the body feels.

Notions like:

--Remembering the underside of new spring leaves
--Cirrus clouds
--Picturing who lived in my house in 1925, what they wore, what their lives were like, what they made in this tiny kitchen....

Oh, I'm getting to the gym and I'm working out.  And that feels good.

I'll be looking for inspiration in other people's stories.

So even though we're a few days before a new year, THIS post right here, is a new start.