So, two weeks in FL and it was AWESOME!! Besides all the craziness that is inherent to a large gathering of my family (or a small one, for that matter), it was really nice simply being back east again.
I mentioned the weather there the other day, from when we went over to St Augustine. And, true to FL, it did rain just about every day. There were some down sides to that, obviously, like in St Augustine we couldn't go up the lighthouse... lightning warning - some sort of safety issue with lightning in the area... Oh well, can't win 'em all. Still got to visit the museum, just couldn't go up for the view. :( Guess we'll just have to go back and visit again! Oh, darn!
That same weather in St Augustine was really nice, too! Didn't mention it the other day, but it kept almost everyone home, even after the rain started. We stopped by the beach, and the only folk there were the sandpipers and the hard-core surfers enjoying the waves. You never get the beach to yourself in August in FL unless it's bad weather! We walked along the beach for a little and enjoyed watching the waves. There's just something so pretty about an ocean after a storm. I miss it so much...
The nicest thing about the weather, though, was being outside again. Yes, it was ridiculously sticky and humid, as FL summers are known to be, but it was REALLY nice running outside again. In the desert, with a total lack of humidity, it hurts to breath when you run. Or walk to the mailbox for that matter. Yes, I was sweating like a pig when I ran during our trip, but I could BREATHE without feeling like my lungs were bleeding. Running out here can be painful - the wind and the dry air just rip all moisture from your lungs. A friend is an aerobics instructor and is very conscious of proper breathing when she works out or rides her bike or runs or whatever. She laughed "I've become such a mouth breather since moving to the desert!" You just CAN'T breathe through your nose here. You don't feel your sweat in the desert, which some people like (it just dries SO fast on your skin), but I can live with feeling sweaty - it's a run, for cryin' out loud! You're supposed to sweat! :)
Beyond the breathing and moisture for my lungs, I really liked running in both Tally and Gainesville because of the park systems available there. Gainesville has a State Geologic Park at the Devil's Millhopper. It's a big ol' sinkhole, and there are stairs leading down to the bottom of the hole. 220, if I remember correctly. At any rate, it's 120 feet deep and the stairs go all the way to the bottom, and there's a little half-mile trail circling the top of the hole. Makes it a perfect place to do a stairs workout! Lots of greenery all over the sides, water flowing in and out of the hole, very pretty place, too, so even better!
Tallahassee has really been working on expanding it's trail system. Besides another state park I like to run in, the city has the Miccosukee Greenway, a trail system of about 17 miles of trails along Miccosukee Road, one of the old covered roads in the city. Lots of old oaks, Spanish moss, flowers... beautiful to drive too!
I mentioned the weather there the other day, from when we went over to St Augustine. And, true to FL, it did rain just about every day. There were some down sides to that, obviously, like in St Augustine we couldn't go up the lighthouse... lightning warning - some sort of safety issue with lightning in the area... Oh well, can't win 'em all. Still got to visit the museum, just couldn't go up for the view. :( Guess we'll just have to go back and visit again! Oh, darn!
That same weather in St Augustine was really nice, too! Didn't mention it the other day, but it kept almost everyone home, even after the rain started. We stopped by the beach, and the only folk there were the sandpipers and the hard-core surfers enjoying the waves. You never get the beach to yourself in August in FL unless it's bad weather! We walked along the beach for a little and enjoyed watching the waves. There's just something so pretty about an ocean after a storm. I miss it so much...
The nicest thing about the weather, though, was being outside again. Yes, it was ridiculously sticky and humid, as FL summers are known to be, but it was REALLY nice running outside again. In the desert, with a total lack of humidity, it hurts to breath when you run. Or walk to the mailbox for that matter. Yes, I was sweating like a pig when I ran during our trip, but I could BREATHE without feeling like my lungs were bleeding. Running out here can be painful - the wind and the dry air just rip all moisture from your lungs. A friend is an aerobics instructor and is very conscious of proper breathing when she works out or rides her bike or runs or whatever. She laughed "I've become such a mouth breather since moving to the desert!" You just CAN'T breathe through your nose here. You don't feel your sweat in the desert, which some people like (it just dries SO fast on your skin), but I can live with feeling sweaty - it's a run, for cryin' out loud! You're supposed to sweat! :)
Beyond the breathing and moisture for my lungs, I really liked running in both Tally and Gainesville because of the park systems available there. Gainesville has a State Geologic Park at the Devil's Millhopper. It's a big ol' sinkhole, and there are stairs leading down to the bottom of the hole. 220, if I remember correctly. At any rate, it's 120 feet deep and the stairs go all the way to the bottom, and there's a little half-mile trail circling the top of the hole. Makes it a perfect place to do a stairs workout! Lots of greenery all over the sides, water flowing in and out of the hole, very pretty place, too, so even better!
We dragged Zach's sister along on the run, too. She's in FL now, so it was easy to see her as well as all my side of the family when we visit! Fun!! I love my family :)
Tallahassee has really been working on expanding it's trail system. Besides another state park I like to run in, the city has the Miccosukee Greenway, a trail system of about 17 miles of trails along Miccosukee Road, one of the old covered roads in the city. Lots of old oaks, Spanish moss, flowers... beautiful to drive too!
I have to say, I was nearly in tears my first run back here in CA desert. It was very windy and obviously dry and not nearly as scenic :(
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