MO FAUX CAMINO

  Highlights: Today we woke to not being able to see across Lake Washington and checked to see if it was smoke or fog.  The smoke from California fires is apparently higher up this time and the three Air Quality Indices I checked said that all was well. Continuing my Fauxmino was on. Day 30 - the second to last day.   I drove to what I think is the best dog park in the world – Marymoor , which is a multi-use super popular site of not just off leash dogs having fun but outdoor concerts and movies, soccer and other sports, and a Remote Control (RC) Airplane field. Marymoor is also the de facto home of Cirque de Soleil when it tours Seattle. On the real Camino, I would have done a demanding 20.5 miles to get me from Melide to Arca where I would have walked peaceful forest paths, sampled creamy Arzua cheese, and felt excitement building as I neared my goal! In my 18.5 miles today, I focused first on my feet as they tried out new Camino-approved shoes and “guaranteed ...

Highlights: I started today’s walk thinking I was just testing out my tootsies after a medicated week off to heal from the abuse that I had wreaked over the past month and a half.  I wore sandals that didn’t touch the healing parts and set off planning to do “just a few miles”.  I headed to one of my well-worn paths through residential Kirkland.  The coastal fog was heavy, but I was comforted by the knowledge that today was turning into a high 70s (~25 C) day and that it wasn’t smoke. Before I knew, it, my inner camino had kicked in, the fog had lifted, and I found myself in the beautiful  Bridle Trails State Park  that is obviously walking distance from my house. While this park is designed for the many horsey folks in our area with “four arenas and a calendar full of horse shows and organized rides”, this is also a fabulous walking area with 28 miles of soft-earth forested trails to explore.  Since I hadn’t planned to do Day 29 today, I didn’t...

Highlights: It’s time for another 7-day summary before I describe Day 28.   After the first 28 days, I would have walked 433 miles (really walked 443) from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Hospital Alta da Cruz, Spain. I have completed just over 91% of the Camino de Santiago to the popular destination of Santiago de Compostela and over 80% if I were to do the additional 73 miles to the Coast.   As you can tell, I have been rethinking my ultimate destination.   I realize that I have hit a  very real Camino wall as I see the light at the end of this tunnel. If I were doing the real Camino, Day 28 would have taken me from Barbadelo to Hospital Alta da Cruz where I would have crossed the long bridge to Portomarin, visited a fortress-church, and traversed small villages. Day 28 on my Fauxmino ended up being somewhat disturbing, if not bizarre. I arrived at what was reported to be the Interurban North Trailhead in Everett in a tiny parking lot whose first two spaces w...

  Highlights: Today had a practical goal – to walk to Cottage Lake in Woodinville to help Don with his maiden kayak voyage and to get some, not all, miles in for Day 27.   On the real Camino, I would have travelled 14.3 miles from Triacastela to Barbadelo, visiting the Benedictine monastery of Samos, and feeling the excitement of new pilgrims joining the path in Sarria. As I have come to experience over and over, my expectations were greatly exceeded as Google maps led me on a different path that captured my interest the whole way. Near home, I started with my old friend the Kirkland Cross Corridor trail and walked to what usually is my turning around point on my pre-Fauxmino morning walks.   There I began new territory, passing by my Fiat dealership, where I looked for more versions of my little car that still delights me.   I saw signs of our Covid times with middle and elementary school signs that normally would be announcing meet the teacher nights.   ...

  Highlights: What a difference a day makes.   Day 26 was glorious.   On the real Camino, I would have walked 16 miles from La Faba to Triacastela, entering the misty mountains of Galacia, enjoying stunning views, and observing traditional rural architecture as I passed through the villages to the historic town of Triacastela.   On Day 26 of my Faux Camino, I walked 17.5 miles, some of it in the rain with my trusty umbrella as the AQI (Air Quality Index) moved downwards towards safety from 162 (unhealthy for sensitive groups) to 77 (moderate).  Day 25's journey from Boeing in Renton on the Cedar River Trail had felt like more of a chore than a pilgrimage.   Today, even though I struggled to find the trailhead at Landsburg Park at the opposite end of the trail, the personality of the trail completely changed.   I was back to forest-lined, beautifully groomed paths that offered thoughtfully placed picnic benches beside the gently rushing Cedar River...

Highlights: Back in the saddle again with air quality at 154 (unhealthy for sensitive groups) and both my N95 (for smoke) and cloth (for Covid) masks ready for action. On the real Camino, I would have walked 14.7 miles on Day 25 from Villafranca to La Faba, drinking in captivating mountain and valley scenery on heather-lined earthen tracks, and savoring the shade of chestnut trees.   Day 25 of my Faux Camino was not that idyllic.   While the smoke was better, a pall of dirty air still made the sky heavy, and visibility, while improved, was still limited.     I started the Cedar River Trail in Renton, literally right beside the sprawling Boeing campus.   I have always enjoyed seeing airplanes at rest and chuckled at the sign that warned pedestrians that this was a car, truck and airplane crossing. Cedar River is long and shallow and duck couples were everywhere as I made my way towards Maple Valley in the first few miles of trail that was punctuated frequen...

Highlights: Ok, I’ve not gone outside for 3 (3!) days except for quick trips to garbage/recycle with N95 mask due to the poor air quality coming from the devastating  west coast fires that are still not under control.   The AQI (Air Quality Index) has been in the high 200’s here (very unhealthy for everyone) but not as high as poor Oregon that has many areas with hazardous 400 and even 500 scores.   Today, forecasts say that tomorrow will go from today’s 154 (still very unhealthy) to 109 (unhealthy for sensitive groups) with Thursday seeing us back in the good range (44). In preparation for returning to my pilgrimage, I did a short test walk of 5 miles down to the Lake and into downtown Kirkland to earn some miles but also test what it would feel like to wear an N95 mask (the type that will capture small particles in smoky air) while walking briskly.   N95 masks fit snugly and are hot and restrict air getting in (that’s kind of the point) but I was able to breathe ...