Pineapple Track Walk - a tough 15kms

The walking group met at the Wakari Union Church in Centennial Avenue. 22 keen walkers left at 12.37pm and only 17 finished the tough circuit. We walked towards Tanner Road and then up the Pineapple Track. I found the going hard. I did not need to stop but my chest was burning and legs felt heavy. However I did not stop until the group did.

The whole group met at the Swampy Creek intersection for a photo and then we were able to walk at our own pace. We did meet briefly at the summit. I stayed in touch with the group until I hit 3 Mile Hill. I had to slow down to my own pace and walked by myself for the last 3-4 kms. The walk took 2 hrs 50 mins but probably had 20 minutes with stops. I estimated the distance was 15 kms.

I caught up with Martin who walked with the other group around Ross Creek. We had a beer at Cableways and then went home.

Fraser's Gully Again

After the club met at the clubrooms, car pools went to Fraser's Gully. Twenty walkers went up Fraser's Gully, along Dalzell Road, Mt Grand Road and Townley's Road. Once we reached Kaikorai Valley Road it was a walk along K.V. Road back to our cars. I estimated it was about 10kms after we walked for 1 hour and 40 mins not including the stops.

Caversham Vice President's 5000m Walk

After a three week break with the trip to the States, t was back to the Harrier Club. On Saturday it was the Vice Presidents handicapped race at Forbury Park. I was on a 5 minute handicap and did the walk in 38:37 minutes. I did my first lap in 7min 40sec.

I was quite please with my pace considering only two people passed me with a longer handicap.

This race was notable for losing my car key but thankfully someone found and handed it in.

Today (Sunday) I walked to Port Chalmers and back in wintry conditions.

Walking Manhattan - 30 April 2008

I did it. My second goal completed and the good news, not one blister.
I left 1 Broadway in south Manhattan at 7.15am and finished at the Harlem River Bridge at 1.15pm. It was very cold and my hands felt like ice. The trouble is the sun does not rise higher than the skyscrapers as you walk along in shade and cool conditions until you get to 95th Street where the sun is higher and the buildings, lower.
The last cross street was 215th but I crossed the river and stopped at 225th Street. I will write about this in full detail later on.
I did one side trip to the "Apollo Theatre" on 125th Street. This is right in middle of Harlem.This theatre is well know for the concerts performed by numerous African American performers.
On the way back

Here is a run down of the day's travels.
6.19am - left Kamdyn's apartment in Brooklyn
7.15am - left 1 Broadway - an Office Building (Cars are travelling one way south)
7.20am - Wall Street (hands are freezing holding a camera and dictophone)
7.22am - Ground Zero (World Trade Centre site)
7.29am - City Hall
7.30am - Chambers Street
7.38am - Canal Street
7.47am - Houston Street
7.52am - 3rd Street
New York University - Washington Square
7.58am - Union Square
8.02am - Union Street - a market area selling shrubs flowers, plants and food
Noticed a number of school buses
8.12am - saw Empire State Building for 1st time. Flat Iron Building (22nd St)
8.15am - 23rd Street - 5th Avenue intersects with Broadway, Madison Square Park. Needed to be careful did not take wrong street.
8.18am 1124 Broadway
8.21am 27th Street noticed the shops are more upmarket
8.24am - 32nd Street - pedestrian traffic is increasing significantly - very slow walking through this section of Broadway - one block away from Empire State Building
8.29am - Macy's - the World's largest store as it is advertised - Herald Square
8.38am - 42nd Street - Times Square
8.42am - Watched the "God Morning America" breakfast show - Guest was Gordon Ramsay
Queue of people waiting to purchase tickets to a Madonna show. They had camped on the sidewalk overnight.
9.07am - 57th Street
9.12am - Columbus Circle
9.15am - 63rd Street - 1881 Broadway
9.18am - Lincoln Centre that houses a number of organisations like Ballet, Opera, Philaharmonic and Jazz
Noticed two way traffic, apartments, wider sidewalks
9.25am - 9.50am Breakfast at Cafe 71 on 71st Street
9.57am - sunglasses on - Skyscrappers not as tall (less than 20 storeys) - upmarket shopping - called Upper Westside
10.15am - 96th Street - 2553 Broadway
10.19am - 100th Street - lots of phamarcies, supermarkets
10.25am - Strauss Park
10.34am - 116th Street Colombia University - lots of students - construction evident
10.40am - 3062 Broadway
122nd Street - see train lines above ground level
10.47am - 125th Street - took detour to see the Apollo Theatre in Harlem
11.01am - Apollo Theatre - area very busy with shops and traffic - energetic place - saw an African Amrican being interview on TV lamenting the way progress is changing Harlem
11.15am - 125th Street
11.22am - back on Broadway
11.30am - 136th Street - shops are more run down
141st Street - Mexican neighbourhood - a lot of people milling around speaking Hispanic - Shop signs also in Hispanic as are the newspapers
150th Street - the street is rising slightly - can see the water
12.03pm - 3959 Broadway - a New York Hospital and an Emergency Room
168th Street - 4005 Broadway
12.15pm - 175th Street - Plaza America - stalls selling goods like souvenirs, sunglasses
177th Street - legs are starting to feel the walk
12.30pm - Gorman Park The streets with numbers are replaced by names. I have to check the street signs to make sure I am still on Broadway.
No shops - park on one side, Job centre, then apartments on the other side.
12.43pm 4744 Broadway - very windy - come across a store now and then
Noticed a number of schools - elementary and middle school
12.48am - 204th Street
1.00pm 215th Street - 5037 Broadway
1.06pm 220th Street
1.10pm - 225th Street - stopped at McDonalds do a thickshake and fries
I was uncertain where to stop for my trip as I continued over the Harlem River to 225th Street. I decided the end point was Harle River which I reached at 1.05pm.
Neighbourhoods walked through included Financial District, Tribeca, Soho, Greenwich Village, Gramercy, Garment District, Theatre, District, Midtown West, Upper West Side and between Morningside Heights and Harlem.

I stopped at the Empire State Building to go to the Observatory on the 86th floor. The views are magnifcent. However Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan were not there (a scene from "Sleepless in Seattle"

Sunset Boulevard Walk - 21 April 2008

Set the cellphone alarm for 4.30am and headed away at 5am to Irvine to catch the 5,29am Metrolink to Union Station in downtown LA. The trip took an hour and 10 minutes. A quick look around the station and away to find Sunset Blvd. We had to find Cesar Chavez Avenue that merges into Sunset Blvd. The distance was 1.5 km. We got there at 7.20am and walked a steady pace through areas like Echo Park, Silver Lake, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, Westwood, Brentwood and the Palisades. We stopped in the Hollywood area at a McDonalds for a comfort stop and a McFlurry (cream freeze with Oreos). It was nice and cold.
We hit Sunset Strip where all the nighclubs are, like "The Viper Room" (was owned by Johnny Depp and where River Phoenix died of a drug overdose, "Whiskey-a-Go-Go" (where The Doors played in the sixties) and "The Roxy".
As soon as we left the "Strip" we came to Beverly Hills. The transformation was amazing - green manicured lawns and no sidewalks in some places. Bel-Air was the same. This is where the wealthy live, especially from the film industry and the Middle East.
Around 2pm we had a sub from "Subway" in Brentwood (or is it Westwood). From here we kept going until we hit the Pacific Coast Highway at 5.20pm.
We were met by John, a friend of Oliver's who would later drive us back to Irvine Station to pick up the car.
We soaked our feet in the Pacific Ocean and then had dinner at "Gladstones 4 Fish". Denise you would have loved it. I had "Fish and Chips" plus a glass of champagne and a Corona with John to celebrate the walk. Oliver does not drink alcohol.
When we got home it was straight to the jacuzzi for 30 minutes. I have no sore limbs and just one blister on my small left toe. Oliver feels very sore snd stiff but nothing major.
So the 40kms took us 10 hours less 40 mins for lunch and stops for drinks.
One thing that worried us was finding toilet stops on such a long journey. Not an issue. Once we ran out of fast food places there were always portaloos along the way on construction sites, that we used. In each case there was no one there so we took full advantage.
If interested here is a summary of the walk as recorded on my dictophone
5am Left Oliver's place, Picked up train at 5.29am. Arrived Union Station in LA at 6.40am. Walked along Cesar Chavez Avenue until we reached the start of our walk. Passed Chinatown.

I tried to record where we were at hourly intervals (in bold)

7.20am Started walking on Sunset Blvd
7.44am Echo Park
8.07am Silver Lake
8.20am 3912 Sunset Blvd
8.30am McDonald's for a comfort stop and a McFlurry's (snow freeze with Oreo biscuits broken up through it).
8.45am Intersection of Hollywood and Sunset Blvd's. Saw the Hollywood sign on the hill in the distance.
9.20am KTLA Studios (Hollywood)
9.43am Sunset Blvd and Vine Street
10.04am Sunset Blvd and Highland Street
10.20am Guitar Centre with a "Rock Wall" where handprints of musicians are put in concrete.
7425 Sunset Blvd. Spent 5-10 minutes here.
10.49am Start of Sunset Strip (at Crescent Heights)
11.35am End of Sunset Strip (at Doheny Drive)
11.41am Start of Beverly Hills
12.05pm 9580 Sunset Blvd (my estimation of half way)
12.20pm Rodeo Drive intersection
12.35pm Leaving Beverly Hills (just before 10000 Sunset Blvd) - ran out of sidewalk
12.58pm Passed Bel-Air east gates
1.09pm UCLA University
1.20pm Westwood Plaza
1.33pm Passed Bel-Air west gates
1.53pm Passed over I-405 freeway
2.00pm Westwood Village - Subway for lunch 11500 Sunset Blvd
2.20pm Having meal at Subway
2.28pm On the walk again
3.30pm San Remo Drive intersection
3.33pm Palisades at 13652 Sunset Blvd
4.17pm 15000 Sunset Blvd
4.20pm 15140 Sunset Blvd
4.31pm Watched a high school baseball game briefly. Saw a double play.
4.40pm 16000 Sunset Blvd
5.00pm The Lake Shrine, 16963 Sunset Blvd, contains the ashes of Mahatma Ghandi (so the research shows!!)
5.20pm Pacific Coast Highway - our destination, Crossed over highway to soak our feet in the Pacific Ocean.

I used the internet to research the walk. In two articles I read, Victor Margolin did it in 11 hours starting at 8.30am while Jeremy Rosenberg did it in 10 hours 5 mins starting at 7.45am. In his blog, William Campbell did his walk in 9 hrs 45 mins starting at 6.30am.
There were not as many cars on the Boulevard as I had thought apart from around 2.45pm. We suspect people are finishing lunch and possibly going to pick up children from school.
The highlight - completing the walk with only one blister and the feel of the cool ocean over some hot and tired feet.