I've been walking somewhat regularly to improve my cardiovascular fitness and help lose weight for about 3 years now. And, for much of that time, I've made my Sunday walk a little bit longer to help build up my endurance and burn a few extra calories. For much of the last couple years, that has meant getting out of my neighborhood and hiking out around the nearby Albuquerque Academy.
But, this year I've started getting out there 2 or 3 times a week, so it's not such a stretch any more. Recently I discovered a good walking path around the Arroyo del Oso Golf Course south of my house. So, today I decided to head down a bit further south than I usually go and swing west to check out the route.
On the way, I spotted these flowers growing on someone's concrete block wall by the sidewalk!
A small park at the corner of Osuna made a convenient stop to drink some water and munch on some dried cherries. The park has a little demonstration xeriscape garden, but I couldn't see most of the labeled plants. I'll try again in a couple months and hope they have been set out. The yuccas you can see in this picture don't need much help. I have a few in my front yard.
This park near the Arroyo del Oso (Bear Canyon) has several soccer fields and tennis courts. They have added this walking bridge to cross the arroyo.
The path is used by walkers, joggers and cyclists. I saw an older couple in matching yellow outfits on bicycles today!
The golf course is open to the public and has a nice view of the Sandia Mountains to the east and north.
After circling the golf course and taking another bridge back across the arroyo, I headed up a side street towards home. Unlike my usual route, most of the last mile and a half on this course is up hill! That made it a bit tougher than I would have guessed from the slight extra distance. My thighs didn't hurt, but weren't really up for more calisthenics when I got home!
Whether by intent or otherwise, several homes now feature large growths of prickly pear cactus in their landscaping!
Not much to look at, but this picture shows (sub)urban renewal in process. This chunk of land a little west of my house is a half mile long and perhaps a quarter mile wide. It used to have mobile home spaces, but the renters were not allowed to renew their leases. That makes it one of the few large spaces in the area available for development. Now, the western end has been rebuilt with new apartments. You can just see the tops of them in the back of this picture. Some of this eastern part will be redeveloped into an assisted and senior living center.
Another "not much to see" picture, but this concrete lined arroyo is where I had to retrieve one of our dogs a few times after she sneaked out the front door to go exploring! After greeting several of the neighborhood dogs, she would slow down when she got stickers in one of her paws and I would have to climb out on the ledge to pick them out and bring her home.
Fortunately, she always made it home successfully and is a little less adventurous now. But, she still likes to greet the neighborhood dogs!
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