Walkin the streets of Wausau

I discovered the pleasures of the long walk recently.

My truck was in the shop, and I had some time on my hands. So I decided to walk to the library. It's about a three-mile hike one way. And the walk goes through one of the iffiest neighborhoods in Wausau, which means it's got some lower middle class housing and plenty of rentals filled with people who like to leave furniture and children's toys outside all winter.

The homes may be a little run down, but they are interesting, and I found myself looking at the different turn of the century building styles, day dreaming about how I would fix up that place or renovate this place, and soon I was in downtown, a few blocks from the library. Wow, I thought, that was kind of cool.

I spent about an hour wandering around the books. I was looking for a specific copy of a Joseph  Campbell book, but couldn't find it. Finally, a little reluctantly, I decided to head back for home. Part of the allure of walking is that you can noodle around with your routes. This time, I headed down for the river, and strolled the pathway that runs parallel to Wausau's world-class whitewater kayak course. The water is open at the rapids, and it burbled musically around the rocks. I felt totally at peace.

Ten minutes later, I was stepping into Cafe Latte on the corner of Grand and Thomas, ordering a large mocha. I took it to go, and felt the warm sweet coffee glow in my stomach. It made mile or so stretch of noisy and jarring Grand Avenue seem a little more pleasant.

Back in our southeast neighborhood, I took a round about route to home, and saw homes that I never noticed before. My legs, hips and knees were getting a little sore when finally slumped on our new couch.  But it was that special kind of relaxing sore that tells you that you did just the right amount. I decided then and there that the long walk will now be a regular part of my exercise repertoire, along side the bike riding, running and skiing. It's not the glamour sport, and it won't make be faster or stronger. But it just makes me feel good, and that's the main goals.