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We went north to walk with the Tarrant County Walkers in Graham. It was 76 when we started at 9am, it was 84 when we finished walking the 10K. The walk was two 5K loops.

Pictures: http://www.walktx.org/2011/Graham/index.html

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The next few weeks will be a great time to come to Grand Rapids MI for our seasonal walk and at the same time take in Artprize 2011. This will be the 3rd
year for the annual art competition and at least half of our walk is in the “high density” venue area meaning that there are hundreds of exhibits, many of them outdoors, that can be taken in as you follow the walk route. Artprize 2011 runs from Sept 21 through Oct 9 so come for a visit.

http://www.artprize.org/

Jean Woltjer
Historic Pathwalkers

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Today’s event was in the Lakewood area of Dallas. Carol, Ed and I met up with Brandy at the YMCA walk start and had a nice 12 walk. We saw lots of people and enjoyed visiting with them at the start/finish and along the trail.

Pictures: http://www.walktx.org/2011/Dallas/index.html

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Hi all,

Here is a page that gives some info on the new Seaway Trail club and the Sackets Harbor NY War of 1812 Event walk coming up in two weeks. Also has a great video about volkssmarching that I, for one, had not seen. Hope to see you there – looks like it is going to be terrific!

http://www.seawaytrail.com/volkssport.html
Terry from Niagara clubs

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A reminder of the Randolph Roadrunner event this Saturday 17 September at the Land Heritage Institute in the south side of San Antonio.

An interpretive walk will be conducted at 8:15 and 10:15 on the first 5km of the walk. A video of the Land Heritage Institute will be shown at 8am and 10am The new southwest regional director, Bill Hamilton, will provide the SW stamp for those who have the SNOB book.

Please bring used paper back books for the Roadrunners community service project of supporting the “library” at Prospect Courtyard
part of Haven for Hope.

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Submitted by Elana Silverman

This is a map with details about the beautiful, historical Clark County trails that draw both locals and travelers alike. From a paved multi-use path that traverses a land bridge and follows the banks of the Columbia River, to trails through wildlife refuges and walkways through historic sites dating back to the Lewis and Clark exhibition, Clark County, Wash., has become well known among fitness walkers and hikers throughout the Northwest. 

These well-traveled, popular pathways demonstrate the City of Vancouver’s mission to “facilitate healthy choices for the residents of the Southwest Washington region.” And, to further this mission, Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation has created the first-ever comprehensive map that includes more than 25 trails located throughout the county. In addition to the county-wide map showing all trail locations, there are more detailed maps that provide length and difficulty for six primary trails. You can view the map by clicking here and learn more about the Clark County trails here.

Additional information on the trails and Clark County can be found at www.VisitVancouverUSA.com.

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The Holy Family Walkers from Lawton, Ok hosted this interesting event in Burkburnett (40 miles from Lawton). We had sunshine (hasn’t rained in Texas in over 60 days). Learned a lot about oil drilling days in Texas.

Pictures: http://walktx.org/2011/Burkburnett/index.html

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Ed and I stopped by Wichita Falls on our way back from Amarillo. We walked the Lucy Park YRE. I really enjoy the swinging bridge and I usually climb the waterfall, but these year since it was Labor Day there was lots and lots of people out in the park. It was a beautiful day, great weather. Our dreadful triple digit heat is finally finished.

Pictures: http://2011.walktx.org/WichitaFalls/

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Hi all,

It isn’t often that you get a chance to walk an Inaugural Club Event Walk (Sackets Harbor, NY on Sept. 24, 2011) and commemorate the start of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 at the same time!
It would be great if we could get a good turnout to show our support for this new club – the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Volkssport Assoc.- and see an absolutely gorgeous part of the country.
Info at http://www.ava.org/gen3/data/event_details.asp?eventid=90406

Have a great walking autumn! Terry McFarland from Niagara clubs

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The Klickitat Walk is open. It is NOT remote registration as indicated in
the Starting Point. It was changed on the AVA website this spring.
Unfortunately, I must have forgotten to have the NW Pathfinder changed,
which still says to contact me for remote registration information. The
registration point is the Lyle Merchantile in Lyle, same as the Lyle walk.
The Lyle Merchantile is on SR14. If you have a Starting Point, you can look
up Lyle there to get driving directions – approximately 76 miles east on
SR14 from Vancouver, WA. After registering, you drive to the start up SR
142 13 miles to the town of Klickitat. Directions are on the walk direction
sheet in the walk box in the Merchantile. Walk box is against the right
wall inside the store.

For those from whom I’ve received waivers, I am either emailing or snail
mailing directions. The stamp is in Lyle, so you will need to stamp your
books there. Sorry for the mixup.

The walk is a really nice flat trail. The trail is more like the Lyle trail
north of the Fisher Hill bridge. It’s unimproved railbed, but well defined
and entirely doable. I used my regular walking tennis shoes but carried a
hiking stick, which I didn’t need. The 10k route has small stretches of 2″
gravel, but most of it is dirt or dirt on gravel. The trail has good shady
stretches. The 10k route has a stretch of fruit trees, mostly apple and
pear, right along the trail. You’re free to grab one, if they’re ripe. AVA
challenges: America’s trails, Hillside Letters and if you’re still in need
of filling books, Riverwalk, Railroad Heritage, Native American Heritage.
Klickitat is the name of an Indian tribe now part of the Yakama Federation.

Washington State Challenges: Klickitat County, Farmland, Valley/Gorge, Post
Office.

I hope you’ll give this one a try. It’s good through October 31.

Nancy Wittenberg

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This beautiful wooded walk qualifies for Walking America Trails and Waterfalls. The award is the Redbud leaf in our leaf series for $6 including credit. The start is Forest Picnic area for North Chagrin Reservation which is off Buttermilk Falls Parkway, south of Sunset Lane Entrance: off SOM Center Road/Route 91 in Mayfield Village. You can try the 3037 SOM Center Road for your GPS. In addition, this event is 13 miles from the Chagrin Falls YRE which has many special programs and Novelty/West Wood Nature Center yre just 9 miles away.

Hope you put this event walk that starts from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. finish by 4 p.m. on your schedule. Trail is rated 2 would be advised to wear hiking boots there is a 10k and 5k trail.

Deva Simon
President Valley Vagabonds

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body Carol and I walked alone on Saturday. It was in the 90s when we started at 8:50am. There was some shade, but little breeze. It was really hot by the time we finished. This is a nice park that we walked when it was an event back in 2001.

Pictures: http://www.walktx.org/2011/Plano/index.html

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Hello all, Maumee Valley Volkssporters (MVV) is sponsoring another 5 event weekend from 2-5 September. All 5 walks can be walked any of those days. The walk directions and driving directions will be available at the AmeriStay Hotel in Waverly, OH at 8am on Friday 2 Sep through noon on Monday, 5 September.

Walks will be in 5 counties: Highland County, Fort Hill State Memorial-Sinking Spring, OH; Adams County, Serpent Mound State Memorial-Loudon, OH; Lawrence County, Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area-Vesuvius, OH; Scioto County, Portsmouth, OH; and Pike County, Waverly, OH.

The time to get your discounted rate for the AmeriStay Hotel in Waverly, OH for our Labor Day Weekend events is ending tomorrow, 25 August. You must have your reservations before the end of tomorrow or you’ll be paying more. Their numbers: 888-622-7829 or 740-941-4678.

We will have a meet-n-greet get-together at the Dakota Roadhouse on Saturday evening at 7pm. Dakota Roadhouse is adjacent to the AmeriStay Hotel.

For more info email me at gcgauger@hotmail.com or call: 4193504345. Hope to see you there. Craig

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body
I fall into the category of crazy Volkswalking US County Counter and was just
wondering how many other folks out there are also into this Volkswalking pursuit.
I have been walking for just over 20 years and have done almost 2800 volkswalks.
This summer on the way home from the AVA convention I passed the mark of 1000
US counties walked. Just interested in hearing from other volkswalkers who
are crazy enough to also be counting US counties walked. I know there are a
few of you out there–let me know how you are doing!! Maybe we can get the AVA
to start a Special Program for us too. KITRA–the WV Hillbilly Hiker

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Hello all, Maumee Valley Volkssporters (MVV) is sponsoring another 5 event weekend from 2-5 September. All 5 walks can be walked any of those days. The walk directions and driving directions will be available at the AmeriStay Hotel in Waverly, OH at 8am on Friday 2 Sep through noon on Monday, 5 September.

Walks will be in 5 counties: Highland County, Fort Hill State Memorial-Sinking Spring, OH; Adams County, Serpent Mound State Memorial-Loudon, OH; Lawrence County, Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area-Vesuvius, OH; Scioto County, Portsmouth, OH; and Pike County, Waverly, OH.

The AVA listing has a few of these listed erroneously: Highland–Hillsborough, Adams–Peebles, and Lawrence–Pedro. All 3 are what I’ve typed in the above paragraph; not these monikers.

You may get walk directions early (to walk on the days of the events) by sending me a signed AVA waiver for each event. We can email your walk directions to you (or snail mail with a SASE). In doing this you may walk an event (or more than one) on the way to the walk headquarters in Waverly. Please preregister for this option by sending $3 per event to MVV 233 W Dudley St Maumee, OH 43537. If you mail, be sure it arrives by 31 August as we will be on the way south to host on the 1st.

We will have a meet-n-greet get-together at the Dakota Roadhouse on Saturday evening at 6pm. Dakota Roadhouse is adjacent to the AmeriStay Hotel. Discount rates may still attained for the hotel till 25 August or until the hotel is fully booked. You may contact them at 740-941-4678 or 1-888-622-7829. Ask for the Volksmarch block and rate.

For more info email me at gcgauger@hotmail.com or cell: 419-350-4345. Hope to see you there. Craig

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Hi, I am your walking email list editor, Wendy Bumgardner.

I am raising money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure through the France 2011 Walk with RFAC.org.

Please support this cause with a donation – all of your donations will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer, as I am funding all event-overhead expenses.

Here is my donation page – it also has a printable donation form if you are uncomfortable with donating online.

http://www.rfac.org/wendy_bumgardner0.aspx
Many thanks to those who have already donated.

Names for the Prayer Flags
If you have donated or will do so and have a loved one you would like recognized on the Tibetan prayer flags we will flying during the walk, please email me this morning so I can add the name. You are welcome to recognize anybody who has been affected by any kind of cancer or other condition. Anybody who has found the courage to live strong through diagnosis and treatment, no matter the outcome.

Did you know that walking and other moderate exercise is good for you during and after cancer treatment? Exercise helps maintain fitness for a
better recovery and improves mental well-being. Exercise also reduces rates of recurrence of some cancers and risks of developing other conditions.
http://walking.about.com/od/cancerprevention/a/Exercise-With-And-Beyond-Cancer.htm
–

Wendy Bumgardner
http://www.facebook.com/AboutWalking
http://www.twitter.com/walkingguide

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Ed, Carol, Kerwin and I went out to far East Texas to walk at Caddo Lake State Park. We started at around 9:30 am and we had 99% shade the whole way. It was great. It was 100 degrees when we finished at 11:30. We went into Marshall at ate Mexican food at El Chico’s. Good food, good service, friendly people.

Pictures: http://www.walktx.org/2011/CaddoLake/index.html

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This clip is really about the divergence between professional design standards and reality. It is not intended to be funny but it almost is.

This walking tour of a diverging diamond interchange seems to make the case that it is a pedestrian paradise. If you had to explain to the narrator why it is not, it would be difficult in the context of the short, simple pedestrian crossings and the well placed ADA warning strips. The narrator would not understand that this pedestrian space is a victory of function over form, over intuition, or even over humanity.

Larry

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgSctDRYmdg

Some background on diverging diamond interchanges:
http://www.slate.com/id/2300425/?GT1=38001
_______________________________________________

Yes, a pedestrian can get through the I-44/MO-13 Diverging Diamond, but I agree that it is not a pleasant experience.

A number of details struck me:
–For the rather long length of the bridge, you are surrounded by multiple lanes of traffic on BOTH sides. There is a barrier, but still . . .
–You have to cross a freeway ramp at either end without the benefit of a signal. How well do drivers yield to pedestrians at those crosswalks, particularly for pedestrians who are not holding a video camera?
–At the start of the video, there were no sidewalks leading up to the interchange. When does MoDOT plan to build them?
–He likes the pavers on the vast islands, but grass or other vegetation would be a lot cooler in the sun — something to think about after a record hot month.
–The ped button light only goes on momentarily when you touch the button, unlike most others I have seen where it stays on until the Walk Signal comes on. (Like an elevator button — it lights to acknowledge that you have pressed it, and then stays on until you get to your floor.)

The Slate article shows pictures of the Dorsett Road Diverging Diamond. It does not appear to have any accommodations for pedestrians at all, even though it is brand new. But the aerial shot clearly shows major development in all four quadrants of the interchange. A very dangerous situation.

So there are two problems to deal with:

1) Getting DOT to make any accommodations for pedestrians. A strong Complete Streets policy might help if it has teeth.

2) Getting DOT to understand what makes for a pleasant pedestrian environment. And for that, you need to have their planners and engineers get out and walk. Perhaps someone could start a program to offer free volksmarch registration for transportation engineers.

John Z Wetmore
john@pedestrians.orgProducer of “Perils For Pedestrians” Television
www.pedestrians.orgikoni

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Holiday Island Start Point Change December 1 – 31, 2011, registration will be at Island Rentals, 35 Woodsdale Drive, Holiday Island, AR.From the Main Entrance off Hwy 23, take Holiday Island Drive to the 4-way stop sign. Turn
left on Stateline. Go to the 3-way stop sign. Turn left on Woodsdale. Island Rentals is next to the Arvest Bank.

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Hi my name is Eva North and I’m new to this group and I’m wondering about if there are walkers/walking groups in Grand Rapids,MI area? I’m the far north side of Grand Rapids. I look forward to chatting w/you all.

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