Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
When we first moved to Sapulpa in 2021, Kelly Lane Park was one of my first go-to places to see. I’ve been a daily walker since 2019 and had a number of different paths in my old town of Dixon California. Dixon had sidewalks all over town so there were plenty of different paths to walk there. When I got to Sapulpa, I no longer had the luxury of sidewalks everywhere and there are few sidewalks where I live.
Kelly Lane park was, and still is, a beautiful place to walk. I was walking there regularly every day until the weather got rough and I bought a treadmill so I could get all the steps I needed from the convenience of my own home. When I first started walking, I set a goal of ten thousand steps a day. I was enjoying it and frequently got carried away with over twenty thousand steps a day.
I started having problems with my sciatica and my doctor advised me to slow down the walking to eight thousand steps and so I slowed it down before I moved to Oklahoma. The pathways at Kelly Lane Park were set up well and I could get all the steps I needed. Sometimes I would take my dog Sally with me and sometimes it was just me and my headphones and Pandora Music. I could easily get my eight thousand steps at the park. I was only slowed down by the weather.
Eventually, the treadmill upstairs was too convenient, and I could get my steps easily enough rain or shine. I started slowing down a bit and dropped my daily minimum to six thousand steps. Sally was getting old too and the six thousand step minimum was sufficient for me to maintain my weight and workout routine. Eventually, Kelly Lane Park became just a memory.
Two years ago we decided to get another dog and Pee Wee came into our life. Sally was slowing down quite a bit and Pee Wee has some fears from her previously challenging life in a puppy mill. She does not like loud noises, especially those that come with construction. We have been suffering the construction noises from several locations in our immediate neighborhood, so it has been challenging getting into any kind of a routine for daily walks.
Now that Sally is not walking with us any more, it seems as though Pee Wee’s sensitivity has become even more acute. We didn’t think she would like walking at Kelly Lane Park but decided to try it anyway. We are still trying to tweak the pathways but there are many parts of the layout that she enjoys immensely. She is not too keen on the open areas and is easily distracted by other people and dogs. And if they are mowing the lawn, fuggetaboutit.
Now, once we get her over the bridge and into the wilderness paths, she perks up. She loves it in there and gets a huge smile on her face (tongue out and all). She is less afraid of the people we encounter along the path but is still a little squeamish with other dogs. But it is much better than out in the open on the other side of the bridge. So our challenge now is to find a place to park and a way to get her over the bridge without her slamming on the brakes.
She only weighs ten pounds, but I don’t want to carry her too far. So we went to Amazon and ordered a doggy stroller for her. Please do not judge us. There are more plusses to that than just not having to carry her. It’s nice to be able to bring water along for us and the dog, and the stroller, like just about everything these days, has cup holders. Besides, while we are gathering up about three thousand steps, that poor little poochie is probably getting eight to ten times more than that. Poor baby. We want this to continue to be fun for her. So go ahead and roll your eyes, It don’t bother me…