Crescent City
June 14, 2021
I have received quite a bit of mail. 🤪 I thought I’d address several of the most popular questions.
Q. What do you eat for meals and snacks?
I have found that I tend to front load my calories - I wake up hungry but I am not hungry later in the day. If available my go to is an Egg McMuffin. If unavailable, a couple of hard boiled eggs and some dry cereal. I am also capable of grabbing something unhealthy for breakfast. Of the foods I miss, I miss my eggs whites, chicken sausage and Kefir berry smoothie the most. Lunch is usually a salad. Sometimes a sandwich. I do try to avoid bread as it’s not worth the calories to me. Dinner is like lunch, if I am hungry.
If there is a Whole Foods, I’ll scarf down some of their prepared grilled salmon. I do miss my grilled sweet potato.
Snacks range from unhealthy sugar stuff to bananas, grapes, oranges and apples. I also tend to have saltines available, but they make a mess. Dry cereal is a good snack. As are hard boiled eggs - I skip the yoke.
Unless I am in an Airbnb, I don’t cook. That means I am likely low on my vegetable intake. I’ll drink vegetable smoothie to offset my lack of vegetables although they are high calorie dense snd lack fiber. ☹️
I‘m working on upping my water intake. I try to drink 64 ounces a day — currently I’m drinking Gatorade Zero to fulfill that goal.
And I sneak in too much chocolate.
Q. Do you get enough exercise? How would you gauge your degree of fitness?
In general I think I’m pretty fit. I could use more intense cardio. Most of my exercise is walking. If I have a flat space, I’ll do push-ups and planks. I’m pretty religious about stretchI guess my quads, hip flexors and hamstrings
I don’t weigh myself but things fit loosely so I don’t think I’m gaining weight. I’m certainly more active than I would be living indoors.
My goal for the remainder of the summer is to keep increasing the number of push-ups I can do at one time, walk more and faster and keep stretching.
At this point my fitness is a B. To get to an A, I‘d need a gym to get my cardio.
Q. Do you still have questions that bother you so?
I feel more at peace and that I am headed down a good path. Kindness to others and myself is key.
Yes, I still have questions, but I also have more insight. Glad there are more Paris’ to visit (next up is Paris, Oregon and then Paris, Idaho).
Q. Don’t you feel ridiculous sleeping in the back of your Sequoia?
I’ll admit I don’t run across many people doing what I am doing that “look like me“ sleeping in the back of their 310,000 mile SUV. But I am not embarrassed by sleeping in here. I am on an adventure and that is part of it. I’ll sleep in the tent more this summer I expect. I really am quite comfortable on “the rack that Tim built.”
I I were staying in hotels, this would just be a business trip.
Q. Do you meet new people?
I would say on average 2-4 times a week I engage in > 5 minute conversation with someone new. Yes, there are days I don’t talk with anyone. But those days don’t get me down. I notice that when I do have one of those 5 minute conversations I have a lot to say. It’s almost like I am making up for the quiet times.
I haven’t handed out as many “Going To Paris” cards with my contact data as I thought I would. Part of that is Covid; part of it is my blog is more personal that I thought it would be and I don’t want to share it with just anyone.
Q. What’s your typical daily schedule?
Honestly every day is different, but I try to be up between 6 am and 7 am. During the day I hike or walk an hour or two. 30 to 60 minutes of other exercise. An hour or two on my blog. If it is a travel day I try and know where I am spending the night by 4 pm. Podcasts or reading for an hour. I’m usually in the rack by shortly after sunset.
My sleep apnea ensures that while I sleep 8 hours I am not all that rested when I wake up.
Q. What are some of your takeaways so far?
The walkabout was a great idea.
California is larger than I realized.
I am more adaptable than I was.
Attitude. Optimism. Jump right in.
My last job took a tremendous toll.
I think I’m a hopeless romantic.
Toyota makes great vehicles.
I am more interesting than I thought I was. At least to me.
People are people.
I like sunshine. (Confirming what I already know.)
I still have a lot to learn about composing good photos in challenging light conditions.
Life is more fun anchors up.
Kindness goes a heck of a long way.
I am lucky.
I love dogs.
It is fun to keep learning.
I can take a lot of photos per hour.
Long hair.
I still have way too many clothes with me.
I’m working hard at not skidding in my golf swing.
I still buy too much stuff but it is less than it was.
Touching is important.
A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn will make you think.
I used to take things way too seriously. We all do everything better when we are relaxed.
I am so proud of Courtney and Lucian.
I am thankful for my sisters and their families.
Maybe I’ll try living in a big city — but at my pace.
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