Headed back to Florida #WDW #10K

I'm headed back to Florida today for the 10K on Friday.  If you want to track me, you can sign up for runner tracking here. 

Wednesday's Walk in the Woods #CascadeSpringsNaturePreserve #Atlanta

We haven't been as good about getting out and exploring new parks like we'd planned.. something about the heat being a bit too much.  We did finally get out, though, last Friday.   We drove to the southwest part of Atlanta and explored the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve.  Just inside 285 off of Cascade Rd.

It is very shaded (it is a wooded area) and thus helps against the heat.  Some of the trail is paved, but not the majority.  The total trail is around 2.7 miles, we walked about 2 miles worth of it.

The falls themselves

Pump house

A spring house

A very nice walk/hike.  A bit out of the way for visiting often, but both of my kids enjoyed exploring the area with me at the time.  There are civil war earth works scattered throughout, so watch for those as well (they're not well marked).  My favorite part (other than the walk itself) is the little spring house above.

Friday Fitness

So, I didn't do so well in the month of May. I could blame it on end of school, leaving my job at GCA, or any number of other items. Fact is, I just didn't want to. I hit a wall and couldn't get myself motivated. Instead of doing a workout after my son headed off to school, I'd just watch the news or doze until time to get going for the rest of the day. Then I couldn't get in to walking the dogs later. Depression? Maybe. Stress? Definitely. Lack of motivation? Not really, at least not from external sources.

My kids, though, have agreed to start walking out at Stone Mountain park some mornings. It'll be fairly early due to the heat, but I want to start getting out there twice a week or so. I don't think I want to CLIMB the mountain, but certainly doing the 5 mile loop around is a good place to start.

I also want to explore a bunch of the parks in GA that I've yet to go to.  Get some hiking and what not in.  I need to replace my son's bike (he has 2 that don't fit) and maybe we can do a family bike trip. I'd love to try the trails at Callaway.

At any rate, here's hoping I do better than I have.  

A walk on the wild side..

We visited my parents in Florida the week of Christmas.  They live in Celebration, FL (just down the road from WDW).  I got antsy one morning and wandered on some of the paths that are around their condo.  I gave myself a camera for my birthday (which isn't until next month) and I took it with me. These are some of the things I saw on my walk.

This is a 5-6 foot gator that lives in the "pond" by their condo.

The birds were may be 5 feet from the gator.  

This little guy (may be 2-3 feet) was in a lake near Celebration Ave (not far from the high school)

A lizard posed for me

A cool looking spider

Another bird I saw in the lake with the big gator.. he was on the other side, though.

I love walking around their town. It has a lot of boardwalk paths and such where you can wander and see wildlife and just enjoy yourself. It makes a great way to relax over the holidays as well.

Maybe I'm crazy..

I'm off to train for Disney's 1/2 marathon in January. Today I'm doing the Atlanta Women's 5k. I won't finish quickly, but at least I'll finish. It's a great first step to getting ready.