Tonight I got back out there. It’s been entirely too long and I needed it. There wasn’t much distance covered tonight, but I could tell by the end of the first lap, we completed two, I haven’t been off my duff in quite a while. My lower back and calves were tight during and after. I made sure to do a light stretch once I got home which completely relieved both thank goodness.
nights walk is through Three Oaks Park in South Fort Myers. It’s a brief, paved trail, about 1.3 miles that travels in a double loop, and is very popular with other local walkers from the area. That evening, we saw quite a few individuals, couples, and dog walkers. Some people had small children or babies with them. Many looked as though they were just looking forward to getting out for a nice evening of exercise in the warm weather.
We arrived around 7:30PM. Although on the late side, there were many people still playing tennis, pickle ball, volley ball, basketball and more. The park offers pretty much any outdoor group activity you can think of. There are also lots of soccer and baseball fields. We saw a few people taking advantage of the fields being open, using them to stretch and run in, and the park’s playground was full of kids. I imagine this park sees a number of visitors no matter what time of day. It sits very close to a large middle school and many neighborhoods. It’s convenient, it’s safe, clean and it’s got lots of options for activities.
It had rained earlier in the day. So by general standards it was pretty humid for outdoor activities, but I’m guessing better than scorching in the afternoon sun. Either way, the path meanders through a generous amount of canopy, so there is plenty of shade.
There are only a couple of down sides, the constant hum of the highway on the other side of the massive wall that separates the park from the traffic can be pretty loud, and the lake you circle toward on the north side of the park has got to breed mosquitos big time. Thankfully, we prepared with bug spray before starting our walk, but there was nothing you could do to combat the noise of traffic other than possibly wearing ear buds. We circled the path twice, completing 2.6 miles. I forgot my phone for the first lap, so I didn’t record any miles on my Strava app, and missed the opportunity to shoot photos in the better light. I finally grabbed it the second time through and squeaked out a couple of good photos at least.
All and all, I can see us returning to Three Oaks Park to walk frequently. It’s very close to where we live and it’s quite a pleasant walking experience. There are lots of things to see, plus it’s one of the only walking options my sedentary boyfriend has not jokingly complained about. We had a great time and will be going again shortly, I’m sure.
