So, as part of a campaign to lower my blood pressure and increase the amount of "good" cholesterol, I have been walking at least 5 times a week, at least 60 to 90 minutes each time. Some days I can manage 2 hours or more, but then my bunions protest for the rest of the day.
One of my favorite walking places-- also one of the closest-- is Alviso, which has salt marshes and baylands that appeal to nature lovers, be they walkers or birders.
When I was a child, Alviso was often looked down upon as a backwaters town. It has since then become a district of San Jose-- and true to its red-headed stepchild status, it is classified as an "unincorporated" section of the city-- but it still retains its former atmosphere as a small port town nestled in the far southwest corner of San Francisco Bay.
Additional background about the town of Alviso is here.
Today I did 6 miles, which encompassed the 5.5-mile loop trail as well as a brisk stroll down the boardwalk that connects the Alviso EEC to the rest of the loop. My average walking speed is about 3.4 miles/hour, which is, I feel, slow for me. However, I remind myself that I have only been seriously walking since the middle of June. It will take me a while to reach the average walking speeds I enjoyed when I was in, say, my mid-30s.
At one point along this loop trail, you come to the remains of a ghost town, Drawbridge. Additional information on Drawbridge is here.
The major source of entertainment on these walks is for me to try to memorize the features of the birds that I catch sight of, and then to try and figure out what they are when I return home and ruffle through my mom's birdwatching books. Right now I'm trying to figure out if this morning I saw cormorants or else pelicans, which are easily distinguishable in drawings but harder to tell apart when you're out in the marsh wind and the sun is glaring right into your face.
