10 minutes drive or not

[mexexpat]

Each of our homes are in small towns bordering a large body of water so we walk to dinner, fetch groceries and to enjoy the water views and the birds that enjoy it.

At our FL home we see dolphins almost daily, once in a while a manatee. Here in MX in winter we see the migratory white pelicans and and large cranes.

Never drive anywhere to go on a walk.

 

[HFWR]

There’s are large park and nature preserve just down the street, with six miles or so of paved trail, though I sometimes drive to other locations to walk or bike, just for the change of scenery. Pretty much never just walk the hood...

 

[LOL!]

I wouldn't drive. Walking from the house is more pleasant and more in the woods and by ponds with lots more wildlife than what one would get in the local parks. Plus I would see lots more friends and we would end up walking and chatting together if I walk from home.

I can also go in a wide variety of different loops of different lengths, so no issues with boredom. After watching youtube videos of the Appalachian Trail, I see that some of my walks are better than those videos.

 

[joeea]

This question is for retired folks.

For one hour of daily walk, you can do it in the community or drive 10 minutes to a city park with nice views. Which one would you pick?

I have a 12 minute walk to the ocean. For most of my walks I go there and walk for a few hours while listening to a podcast. At low tide, on the beach itself, at high tide, on the sidewalk. For longer walks, I'll walk up to the lighthouse and down to another beach, then back.

When I want to mix it up, I drive to a different part of town about 15 minutes away, and walk the mountain trails.

Occasionally, I'll drive to a nearby town and walk their trails. There are several old military forts that make for nice walks.

I enjoy long walks, and particularly enjoy walking with a beautiful view. Life is good.

 

[Drake3287]

I do a daily 4 mile walk/run everyday and simply drive 5 minutes to our 1,000 acre wetlands park along the river. Much nicer then going through subdivisions!

 

[RE2Boys]

I usually do the drive to walk in the woods of a local nature preserve. If I walk end-to-end, it's four miles.
For ten+ years I walked our dog twice a day through the local neighborhoods 95% of the time. At this time, I like the variety of the woods much more than suburbia.

 

[Bamaman]

I wish I could put in a couple of miles walking daily. Falling off a ladder cleaning gutters 10 years ago and breaking both legs took a lot out of my feet. I'm one of many ladder victims.

I do try to work hard around the house and at our lake house. I was out 3 hours yesterday blowing leaves, and it's been hard walking today. It may take 3 more days blowing and mulching oak leaves to get rid of them--if it'll ever stop raining. I'm painting the rest of our rec room tonight, however.

 

[FUEGO]

A mix. We walk or bike in the neighborhood if we just want to squeeze in a walk/ride. But if we want to spend an hour or more at it, we'll often drive the 10 minutes to a big nature preserve or a few minutes to the greenway for prettier scenery and zero vehicular traffic.

That said, our neighborhood walk takes us through the park along a creek, so it's pretty decent too.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

My neighborhood has no sidewalks and lots of kids tearing down the streets in their big pickup trucks and rice burners, so I sometimes drive 30 minutes to walk on a nice path. This time of year I just walk the indoor track and the rec center. When the weather's nice I sometimes hike one of the many trails nearby. This summer I plan to do more of that, which I feel kind of sheepish not doing more of already, considering one of those trails is the AT.

 

[mystang52]

No brainer for me. I'd do the drive. Then again, I've driven a lot further than that for bike rides on different trails ( 2 1/2 hour drive is my longest so far, but I've done several that were 1 to 1 1/2 hours away). So, driving 10 minutes in exchange ofr a nicer scenic walk would be the hands-down winner for me.

 

[gerntz]

Multiple choices in neighborhood, reasonably nice surroundings. I prefer paved walking surfaces to avoid tripping/injury as I walk at a high pace. To me, driving somewhere is a waste of time. Hiking - off pavement - is another mindset & thus different shoes which I do at times but infrequently.

 

[MRG]

I am surprised that most don’t mind driving 10 minutes for a change. I am talking about daily walk here. I have been working for 20+ years and mostly will take a walk about 30 minutes to 1 hour after lunch. I never, ever, drove away from my office for the walk. I guess I am a boring guy.

This topic came up between DW and me when we are deciding where to build our retirement house. One building site has great community hiking trail linking 2 ponds, but we have to drive 20+ minutes to other interesting places to walk. On another site we have to walk on the street as there is not even sidewalks; but this one is within 10 minutes’ drive to city’s best metro park.

Are you retired yet? Things changed for me, post retirement. Good or bad, where you live is your choice.

I spent 29 years w*rking in downtown KCMO and never would have left that area for an afternoon walk. Post retirement, it is different for me. It's an great joy to walk around with or without our dogs in various places. The older one has to be carried for distances over a mile, but it's worth it. For us walking/hiking/exercise are higher priorities right now.

It's really a first class problem to have.[emoji111]

 

[Drake3287]

I wish I could put in a couple of miles walking daily. Falling off a ladder cleaning gutters 10 years ago and breaking both legs took a lot out of my feet. I'm one of many ladder victims.

I do try to work hard around the house and at our lake house. I was out 3 hours yesterday blowing leaves, and it's been hard walking today. It may take 3 more days blowing and mulching oak leaves to get rid of them--if it'll ever stop raining. I'm painting the rest of our rec room tonight, however.

Sorry to read about the fall, I've worked off ladders all my life and still worry plus I've had a few minor fall's over the years. We have a two story house and I stopped putting Xmas lights on roof line years ago. Not worth the chance.

 

[haha]

This question is for retired folks.

For one hour of daily walk, you can do it in the community or drive 10 minutes to a city park with nice views. Which one would you pick?

Out the door and walk.

Ha

 

[DEC-1982]

This question is for retired folks.

For one hour of daily walk, you can do it in the community or drive 10 minutes to a city park with nice views. Which one would you pick?

The park, unless I am short on time.

 

[Jimmie]

I'm blessed with a large variety of walking choices where I live. The open space, views of the mountains, and typically decent weather (even in winter) do wonders for my stress from megacorp as well as helping keep weight under control. I typically do a 4-5 mile walk every day on Friday to Sunday. I'm still working downtown (will retire upcoming July 31st) and walk 4 miles at lunch. I find that walking has become an important aspect of my life. We plan to stay put for 1st year in retirement, then will put home on market to downsize and probably move to an area with a lower COL. Wherever we move, having easy access to a multitude of walking trails will be in the top requirements for our next (and last) move.

 

[HillCountry]

Are you retired yet? Things changed for me, post retirement. Good or bad, where you live is your choice.

I spent 29 years w*rking in downtown KCMO and never would have left that area for an afternoon walk. Post retirement, it is different for me. It's an great joy to walk around with or without our dogs in various places. The older one has to be carried for distances over a mile, but it's worth it. For us walking/hiking/exercise are higher priorities right now.

It's really a first class problem to have.[emoji111]

Thanks for sharing the nice pictures.

My plan is to work for another 4.5 years. I am just debating the location to build my retirement home. Maybe I didn't frame my question right. It should be whether you will drive everyday for 10 minutes to a nice park.

From the replies so far, I think majority said no. Yes driving occasionally is fine, but not everyday.

Walking is the most important thing for DW and me. My health app says my average daily is 14417 steps for 2018.

 

[Bir48die]

Drive to the gym. Walk when the weather allows.

 

[NYEXPAT]

I generally walk the 16 city blocks to my coffee place (beautiful tree lined Blvd) and than take the Pacific Ocean route along the cliffs back to my apartment.

 

[NW-Bound]

We usually just take walk around the neighborhood.

When we want to go further for a longer and more serious hike, just 5 minutes of walking from home will take us to the 4th largest city park in the US, as listed on this site.

https://www.infoplease.com/us/us-cities/100-largest-city-parks-2007

 

[Midpack]

I walk in our neighborhood about 98% of the time. It’s a big neighborhood so I have quite a few “routes” to choose from, I’d hate to walk the same route and distance every day. And we have a lake, but it’s not particularly scenic since I’ve seen it for 25+ years, but I couldn’t bring myself to use gas to drive somewhere to walk. We drive 15-20 minutes to walk or ride along the beach (Lake Michigan) a couple times a year though, but not often.

 

[Ronstar]

We usually just take walk around the neighborhood.

When we want to go further for a longer and more serious hike, just 5 minutes of walking from home will take us to the 4th largest city park in the US, as listed on this site.

https://www.infoplease.com/us/us-cities/100-largest-city-parks-2007

Thanks for the list. I’m 5 minutes from no. 6 on the list. I hike there a lot. It’s great to have sizable parks with easy access from big cities.

 

[meleana]

This question is for retired folks.

For one hour of daily walk, you can do it in the community or drive 10 minutes to a city park with nice views. Which one would you pick?

''


Change it out to break up the monotony.

 

[Ally]

I would do both.

 

[Chapter 3]

I would have a difficult time driving to go for a walk, although if no peaceful options exist I suppose I would. Living adjacent to the American River Parkway (with 23-mile paved trail) that is my default choice for walking, running, or biking. While I did not choose the location because of the parkway, it is a large factor in why we stay here.