On Friday mornings Roland and I hit up mom and baby yoga followed by a mom group. I know, cute right? This past Friday, in true Roland fashion, he went down for his nap just in time to miss yoga. And with his short nap, we could have made it to the mom group, but I made the game time decision to take advantage of a pleasant summer day. It was so hot in July and early August that it felt like walking on the sun, and we’ve spent a lot more time indoors that I would have liked. Soon I’ll have plenty of fall and winter days to spend inside sipping tea and waxing poetic on all things baby with my fellow mommies.
The White Pine Trail
I popped Roland in the stroller and we hit the trail. We are most fortunate to have the White Pine Trail at our doorstep. The White Pine Trail is a former railroad track turned bike trail that runs from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Cadillac, Michigan. I love this trail. It’s where I progressed from running 5ks to marathons. I’ve biked to and from the Rockford farm market every Saturday for years. I know that sooner than later we will have to move from this house, and I will miss the ability to walk to the trail the most. For years I’ve biked or run the trail, but I didn’t appreciate the beauty of the trail. When running or biking you just don’t get to appreciate the trail in the same way. Walking with Roland in the stroller, maybe some tunes playing from my phone, I actually notice the nature that is happening right around me. Not to get all crunchy, earth mama, but it really is magnificent to experience.
The White Pine Trail
I can tell summer is waning, and not just by the date on the calendar and the back to school ads on TV. I can tell by the trees – even with all of the recent rain, they just aren’t as vibrant as in the spring when the leaves are fresh. The blooms take on different colors – oranges, yellows, and dark reds replace the brighter colors of early summer. They also signify the onset of allergies from hell. Hello, ragweed, you are not my friend. The sun sits slightly lower in the sky and the air feels drier as the humidity starts to diminish.
We had a grasshopper land on the stroller blanket long enough to snap a pic, we had a couple of deer pass across the trail in front of us, Roland took a nice snooze in the shade of his stroller while I got my exercise in for the day. As a matter of fact, it was the first day in a long time that I hit 10,000 steps on my FitBit!
