A little catch up before the end of September...

The month is about to get by without a post, it has been a real blur. We have had too much rain, too little sun and not enough time outside. Running has been going well though, even if it mostly occurs in a muggy, cloudy cauldron. The weatherman is promising blue skies, cool temperatures and low humidity for this week. I am holding him to it.

For the most part, day to day stuff has kept us occupied. I am still unpacking as we continue to downsize, consolidate and organize. I blew through a couple of adventure books, Rowboat in a Hurricane (Julie Angus) and Walking the Gobi (Helen Thayer) and currently have my head buried in Desert Queen, a biography of late 1800's adventurer, Gertrude Bell. For fun, we slipped in a little playtime here and there, bicycle rides, dinner with friends and time with family.

Last weekend we participated in the 9th Annual Neighborhood Bike Ride with friends Will Skelton and Kim Robinette and this weekend we hiked in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (photos of both trips: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnandbeverly74). Although the hike was strictly for exercise, we were treated to several nice vistas along the way.

Chestnut Top hike as mapped by Garmin Forerunner 305

Chestnut Top elevation chart (also measured by the Forerunner 305)

In the Townsend Y parking lot preparing for the hike

After the hike we walked down to the Little River to inspect the results of the weekend flooding. We were treated white water rafters enjoying the swollen river.