16.2 misty, almost muggy, miles

Checked the temp before getting dressed -- it was 50F! And medium clouds -- with the high today in the 60s, it was going to be a warm run. I wore shorts and my bright yellow shirt, carried my G'ade, and set out for anywhere from 12-15 miles, planning on the 15.

The birds were singing, make that SINGING, this morning! Many bird voices I recognize, but still a lot that sound good, but I don't know which they are. And the redbud blooming at the end of the driveway has several hummingbirds already. I could hear their wings humming before I got all the way to the bush. :)

And it was misty almost the whole run. Gentle mist usually, with occasional times when it was a heavy mist. For a short while towards the end there was no mist, and the sun was just starting to break through, but that made it definitely muggy. And the mist after that was more like a rain sprinkle.

First part of the run was up on the ridge. I did 4/1s for run/walks today. Near the top of the ridge is a farm where the horses were all out in the pasture beside the gravel road. The horses were grazing, with one lying in the grass, pretending it was sunny. As I passed the first group of horses, the one lying down got up -- it was a little filly, cute little thing, and she trotted over to her mama, who was in the first group of horses that I passed. :) No, I didn't take my camera and I sure wished I had it then!

There's a curving, woodsy section on the ridge where there are many wild cherry trees in bloom. They have such a delicate fragrance that you only get when there are a lot of trees, like here, or when the sun is shining on the blossoms. That's a definite spring treat!

Coming down the ridge, on the part that's on my 'block', I met my two yellow lab buddies. They are usually inside their fence, but today they were out on the road with their masters, who were taking the 4-wheeler to the drive that goes down beside their vineyard. So of course both dogs came running up to greet me, the youngest one almost giving me a black eye when he jumped up to kiss me and I was bending down to him. :)

Lots of cherries blooming now, and apples just starting. On the main road, there are lots of wild daffodils. I know we always plant bulbs, but there must be a way for them to seed, too, for there are scads of daffodils out in fields and alongside the road where no one would've purposely planted them.

Anyway, down to the main road, and around past the little church and then turning at the school corner for the 3.4 mile out-and-back section. Lots of scrap fires today -- prunings from the filbert orchards, and miscellaneous burn piles that have been collected over the winter. Fortunately, the breezes were light so smoke went mostly up, instead of horizontally, so it was a woodsy-smoke smell, not so much a lung-full of smoke!

Back on the main road again, and this out-and-back section would be 15 miles total when I was done. But why stop at 15? It wasn't raining, it was quite comfortable actually, I had on my new shoes...so I decided to go to my next turnaround point, and it would be 16.2 miles total. :)

There was a lot more traffic on the road, but the 4/1s worked and I only had to add a little extra walking for passing cars. Lots of people out working in their yards today, too.

OK, turnng the other direction at the school for the last out-and-back section. I walked most of this section, for there was more smoke on this section (and I didn't want to have to breathe deep in the smoke). Also not as much room to get off the road for traffic past the bridge, so walking this section was safer, too.

Then started running again when I got back to the school. Now just over 1/2 mile uphill, then 1/2 mile walking before I got home. And the last hill is when the sun came out and the mist and sprinkles finally stopped. :) It's a real mix of sun and clouds now, and the wind is changing to WSW (and south means more chance of rain). So today was a good day to run!