What does it look like to intentionally choose to walk?
I posted photos for, more or less, thirty days in April. I skipped some days, but I did intentionally take a walking trip everyday! You can follow our Instagram account, @mplsbike, or by using #30daysofwalking to follow along.
April 1 was the first day of "30 Days of Biking." If you've heard of #30daysofbiking, you know that you can bike a lot or bike a little, as long as you at least bike around the block, for 30 days of April. I love it!
For me, personally, biking every day for 30 days isn't much of a challenge. I've been using bicycles as my main mode of transportation for awhile, and it would be harder for me NOT to bike at this point, because it is so integrated in how I work and move.
This isn't a humble-brag, though! I just know that if I'm going to commit to doing something for thirty days, I'd love to be more intentional. I'm presently not intentional about biking.
I posted photos, more or less, for thirty days in April. I skipped some days, but I did intentionally take a walking trip everyday!
#30DaysofWalking
Today I walked with a bag full of outreach gear 1 mile, and after the Health Fair at the Midtown Global Market ends at 3, I'll walk a mile home in this beautiful weather! #30daysofwalking
Signs of spring! I saw this lilac bush getting ready to unfurl it's beautiful green leaves on my walk today. I walked to the corner store, and to a friend's house for dinner this evening. Less than 2 miles total! #30daysofwalking
My walk really made an impression today! Maple seeds, a footprint that was patched and then biked over, and a hand. Currently hiding under an awning. #30daysofwalking
I discovered these crocuses on my walk today! March went out like a lamb? Could it be that the April flowers are coming before the showers?! #30daysofwalking
The trees are still bare, so I find myself looking down constantly for signs of spring. I'm always rooting for the little weed coming up through the sidewalk crack, or any sparrow or plant that can survive in the very concrete downtown jungle of Minneapolis. I think we humans make very strange environments for ourselves. I'm so thankful for the scrappy plants, animals, and people that can thrive in urban areas! These are the things that make Minneapolis beautiful! I walked to lunch and back. It's only three blocks, but I normally would have ridden my bike! #30daysofwalking
I love walking back from a meeting at the end of a long day. On the way back to the office to catch up on emails and get some crucial tasks done before heading home for the night. Took a detour to @boneshakerbooks, the neighborhood volunteer-run #bookstore to pick up some #zines. This is so possible when walking! I love the scale of the city when I'm a #pedestrian. #30daysofwalking
I'm an A to B kind of person. If I have somewhere to be, I'll always try to take the shortest #route. Biking through an #alley, on the road, or by trail, I often choose the fastest route. I'm learning that the most efficient route when #walking is a little different than when I'm walking. There's no "one way" roads for me! I don't need to know where the bike racks are! This is the rear entrance to #cafesouthside, my office for the day. #30daysofwalking
Looking back... #30daysofwalking I should have chosen better footwear for the conditions.
#30daysofwalking this weekend. This is what 4 miles an hour looks like. This is what a spring walk sounds like. #soundon
#30daysofwalking I usually #bike to the #grocerystore every few days to buy a few #vegetables or #fruits or something from the dessert case at @sewardcoop for my fairly simple diet. It's easy, fast, and makes me feel like my ingredients are fresh. A setback to walking is my cargo capacity, and how much weight I'm willing to carry on my back. I want to get one of those cool wheeled carts that I sometimes see people with on the bus!
I've biked by this button so many times. On my walk, I was able to stop and snap a photo. See how the corner is worn down? Where people on bikes grip the sign and wait for the lonnng signal. Recently, a "bicycle beg button" was added. It doesn't give you a very long crossing, compared to the walk sign. As ridiculous as it is that you have to press a beg button, there are always so many people crossing at peak hours that I always press the pedestrian signal to let as many people cross 55 as possible.
#30daysofwalking #latergram from yesterday's walk to the corner market. *Furious surf rock Muppet Animal drumming* LEEEEEAAAAAAF OOOOOOUUUUUUT!! #spring is #sprung
#30daysofwalking It's raining a little, but I ain't made out of sugar.
Windy day for a walk as part of #30daysofwalking, but our little office crew left the bikes at the office and strolled to our meeting in #DowntownEast today. #walk#minneapolis
#30daysofwalking I've been failing at intentional walking the past few days because after getting drenched multiple times a day on my bike, I don't feel like walking. I did stand on my porch and listen to the thunder and rain pour though!
#30daysofwalking I took a loop around the park today and enjoyed doing and looking up. I don't do that enough. Also, #allergyseason is... AH-CHOOO!
#30daysofwalking Access to #Greenspace and #nature are crucial to my health and happiness. I am so #privileged to live within walking distance to a park. Thank you, #Powderhorn, for smelling like #cookouts, sounding like children screaming with happiness, and feeling like cool #grass on the bottom of my city-dwelling feet.
#earthdayeveryday #earthday #barefoot #respectourmotherearth
I'm not sure what kind of road #construction needs the meters to be hooded and #trafficcones and a barrier, but I appreciate that the cones effectively make a #pedestrian #bumpout, slowing cars turning right onto southbound #ChicagoAve. #30daysofwalking
#30daysofwalking when you have to walk home from the store wearing your helmet because you forgot it was in your bag and needed to make room for veggies. #carrotsnack
#30daysofwalking A pre-dawn walk charms me with a quiet city.
#30daysofwalking Walking with my mom on her birthday. A special treat for both of us. I hold her purse and she points out and names every plant we pass.
