I have a gym membership (to some this may be hard to believe) and in bad weather I do go, but it is with reticence. What I really enjoy is walking, biking, or hiking. I started walking as a young girl growing up in the country. We lived up against a forested mountain in Polk County, TN and I spent many an afternoon walking its' trails. The road below our house ran into a holler that ran smack dab into row after row of chicken houses. If the wind wasn't stirred up too much, I loved to walk this road as well (if you have to ask why this made a difference, you have no knowledge of chicken houses). Along the road into the holler, a creek ran that was fed from a spring up in the mountain. I was told it was spring fed; however, I never found the source of the spring. I had a lot of fun trying! 

I think these early days of walking and hiking in nature is why I still prefer being outdoors for exercise. There is something about breathing fresh air into the lungs that makes you feel alive. Plus, the trees, flowers, and nature you get to enjoy are like icing on the cake. As I got older, I also learned to enjoy biking. My sweet husband last year for my birthday had a hitch installed on my vehicle AND bought me a Trek bicycle. My first, shall we say, quality built bike. I have treasured it ever since. As in, don't mess why my bike!

Yesterday, I decided to bike the Riverwalk in Chattanooga which is something I truly enjoy. I began at the very beginning of the trail near Chickamauga Damn and headed toward downtown. At the Hunter Museum I went across the glass bridge and instead of going to Coolidge Park as I usually do, I turned left on a whim and made my way down to Market Street, then at the Hamilton County Library, I went on down to Broad Street and decided to go to St. Elmo. I had seen the Bike Trail signs and decided to see where it went. I went up over the Chattanooga Creek bridge and found myself in front of the Mt. Vernon Restaurant. I got to the intersection where you turn left to head under the tunnel to go into St.  Elmo (which was a little scary since I had to navigate in the traffic), I was able to stay in the bike lane all the way thru St. Elmo. Unfortunately, even though there are signs aplenty that tell motorists Not to park in the bike lane, many did so. At the end of the main drag, I turned around and headed back. 

All in all, the trip took about two hours and was fantastic! I had worked up a good sweat and was ready to jump in the pool when I got home. I recommend to anyone getting out into the great outdoors and enjoying it. As a writer, it also gives me a chance to think about those plot lines. Speaking of plot lines....I better get off of here and work on that!