A Walkable Community...Mostly

A goat trail.

Location, location, location. One major reason for choosing this condo was the location. It is situated within ridiculously easy walking distance to my favorite hiking trails where the dog can run off leash, and I can mountain bike.  It's also easy walking distance to this area's new urbanism development, complete with movie theater, chain stores, several of my favorite restaurants, and my two favorite grocery stores.  Within easy biking distance are all the other stores I frequent.  There are only a few places I have to drive to now.  As an active transportation advocate, I derive great happiness from this.  Weird, I admit.  Especially in this community.

All of these destinations are within manageable distances, but I have said nothing about the ease in which we can do so.  Because it's not easy.  There are no sidewalks here.  We reach them eventually when we get to the newer development, but to go anywhere directly from our little village requires some dedication... and some cajones.  We're not the only ones walking.  Even though it frequently feels that way, I can tell from the goat trails around here that others rely on their feet, too.  Despite what our  transportation planners like to believe -- that there's no reason for sidewalks because no one actually walks -- all you need to do is get out of your vehicle and see the network of paths from people on foot.

One of our frequent cut throughs.

Walking to destinations provides endless adventures.  On foot, we don't need to stick to arterials.  We cut through parking lots and alleys, finding shortcuts never realized when confined to a car and zipping by at 40 mph.  We connect to our natural environment, and we find ourselves hopping or skipping just because we can. And that feels right.