week 8-- 237 miles. Past Silver lake on my way to Christmas Valley. 

CHICKEN MAZE

October shortly after letting the chickens into the oat field (planted in August.)

chickens scratching in the oat field this week.

The oat field experiment  was a great success. It was a fall cover crop, a winter distraction and feed for the chickens, and mulch for the rest of the winter. This summer I am going to try fava beans and barley for them in a different part of the garden.

week 7-207 total miles

Jetty-cat houses

31 miles. I must be on logging roads in the Cascades. Specifically "Nat for Dev Rd. 8610." Big tides  this week so I had some nice low-water beach hikes. I was happy to make my 30 mile goal and go to Algebra class, Master Gardening and a weekend writers' conference.

I listened to "Peace Like a River" while walking this week. It is lovely and lyrical to listen to. The week before I listened to "Zeitoun" by David Eggers--annoying writing in a worthwhile story.
Yesterday-Sunday I biked to the end of the pavement on Euchre creek.  Saw a heard of elk, flowering myrtle wood and grazing cows oblivious to their spectacular surroundings.

mile 145

Along the Rogue near Huntley Park

Five extra miles last week! Its good to have biking weather and minus tides to send me to the beach. I am somewhere on Crater Lake Hwy.
 I'd forgotten where I'd gotten the idea to do this virtual trip. I was thinking that it was my own invention til I talked to Shirley Freeman today and she reminded me that the whole crew of Freeman Marine was charting their running / walking time across the country. She had told me about this several months ago and the idea settled into my brain without an author's credit. So I stole a good idea.

Near Secret Beach along the Coastal Trail

 I guess the Freeman crew is already in Maine.
So this week I hiked Huntley park trail with my new friend Julie. Biked, Cedar Valley, Euchre Creek and  spent a lot of time on the beach. Its hard to turn around when there are possible agates ahead.