This month is turning out to be rather dull here at Homer's Travels. This post is my tenth post of the month, the lowest for any month since I started the blog. The weather, the mind numbing, mood dampening fog that we've been having for the last week or so, has really slowed me down. I didn't walk, hike, bike, or snowshoe at all last week, something I haven't done in quite a while and, no sir, I didn't like it.
What I did do this week, probably motivated by the deficit of activities, was make plans for future activities and vacations. So far the Wife and I have managed to plan our vacations for the next couple of years starting, this year, with our Jordan trip.
Some of you, the few who really pay attention to my ramblings, may have noticed that I have made no mention of the Camino of Saint James, the Spanish pilgrimage that I was going to do in 2010. I realized that I really wasn't up to the task quite yet. I need more time to convince myself that I can do such an ambitious undertaking. Along with the perceived weakness of the body, there is another reason to postpone the walk. In 2010 the holy day for Saint James falls on a Sunday. When this happens, in the past, the volume of pilgrims increases dramatically. While this may make the pilgrimage more interesting and I'm sure there would be interesting events, festivals, etc. planned for this year, the added crowds would make it hard to get spots in the albergues. The albergues, pilgrim hostels, are first come first serve and do not take reservations. Therefore I have postponed the pilgrimage to June/July 2011.
To get me past my perceived weakness, I am pushing my hiking/walking distance out farther and farther. This week I intend to walk to the downtown area of Omaha and back, an 18.8 mile jaunt. I will keep pushing it out past 20 miles. In May I will be walking the Steamboat Trace from Nebraska City to Brownville, 21 miles, and then, the next day, walk back. I've already made a non-refundable deposit for the River Inn room (riverside room of course) in Brownville so I have some financial motivation to complete the hike as well.
After we get back from Jordan, depending on when and if the Wife does her summer seminars/workshops/classes this year, I hope to walk the Cowboy Trail from Norfolk to Ainsworth and back, a total of 295 miles round trip. This hike will take twenty days total and will average some 14 - 15 miles per day. For reference, the Camino of Saint James averages some 13 - 14 miles per day. If I'm not convinced that I can do it by then I don't know what will convince me.
In 2011 I will do the Camino of Saint James, probably in June. After 35+ days of hiking the Spanish countryside I will come home and we will start a Route 66 roadtrip. The roadtrip was suggested by the Wife and it's something I've been wanting to do for awhile. We would drive to California (3 Days), spend a few days visiting with friends, before setting out on the Mother Road. Five or six days on the road to Chicago, sightseeing and taking pictures along the way, and a day to get back home. The summer of 2011 will be a full one baring any unforeseen circumstance.
So there is a sampling of the long term plans that have been running through my head over the past week or so. Shorter term we have a visit with the Matron of Honor and Best Man, with TE and JA along for the ride, to attend the last weekend of Saint Paul's 2010 Winter Carnival. After that I will be competing (I use that word loosely) in the Trek Up The Tower on February 20th. I'll let you know how it goes ... if I survive.
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