Walking Around Cape

So today I did something I really wanted to do. I walked from Candlewood to Dollar Tree/Walmart. It's exactly one mile, or 1.5 kilometers. Round trip it's two miles, or two kilometers. I was gone for an hour and a half; it was thirty minutes each way for me, and thirty minutes in the store. I'm pretty tired, but also energized. Every time I go to Walmart, or the mall, or Bread Co., or McAlister's, or even Big Lots, I want to walk.

Cape is supposed to be a college town. I suppose it is, somewhat. But it isn't at the same time. There are no sidewalks, there are no bike lanes, and Walmart is as far away from the campus as one could possibly get and still be in the same town. When people build for the long run and are obsessed with money, I guess they don't care. Few people are really "going green" by printing on both sides of paper, reusing paper, etc. It's to cut costs, which is all that really matters. It makes them feel better to think that they're saving trees, but it's making them feel better not to use so much money on paper and they can buy fancy computers and software for their computers so they can be lazier and forget how to write. And, in reality, they're saving a buck. Just like some people who walk everywhere aren't really trying to save on gas to "help" the environment; they're trying not to use so much gas and cut down on their costs. I'm doing it for exercise and to save gas money. I will admit it. The environment just gets the credit for people's actions.

Anyway, back on topic.

I want to build my endurance to walk to the campus and back on Sunday mornings. (Sunday mornings would be the safest time, since Cape is not set up for walking. It has a highway that runs through town all the way from Walmart and beyond to the river and you have to cross it to get to the other side, i.e, the college campus.)

I hate crossing highways or big roads. It's the only thing that's deterred me from walking to the campus so far. It's only three miles there and then three miles back. That, and I don't know how long it might take me. Walking one mile was thirty minutes, so an hour and a half, it would seem like, to go three miles.

Guess what was scary about walking today? Not getting mugged. Walking across the bridge that crosses the highway. There's no crosswalk, and it may seem not so busy, but it's very busy when someone is walking compared to people driving cars. That's why no one walks anymore.

I believe at least twelve or more cars passed me in that 20-foot span one way, and at least eight or more cars passed me when I was returning across it. I couldn't walk on a curb or anything, because it wasn't there. It was very narrow, and cars had to drive half in the other lane around me. It's annoying for both of us!

Of course, some people could be more polite. Like, I was walking on the side of the road, and there was consistently always at least one person driving past me. They could easily be in the other lane and then get back over. Most cars did do that, but a couple just stayed in that lane. And those people that stayed in that lane always looked like they thought I was going to jump out in front of their car. Save your worry. Not happening. But save yourself worrying and drive in the other lane, at least around the person walking, especially when you can get over. I was forced to walk in the grass as a result, which I think contributed to my slower pace.

One guy in a red mustang honked at me. I looked over and he was grinning at me. I have no idea why he was doing either.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel