On Sunday we hike the canyon in the Su’kok Natural Reserve. It was a gorgeous autumn afternoon and “peak” color season. There were a lot of people visiting the reserve, but once you got away from the gate, it was actually quite nice. The reserve is great because they do not allow livestock grazing so trees and bushes can actually grow. Overgrazing is a big issue in Uzbekistan and I hope authorities carve out more of these areas to protect. It was fun walking with friends. We took the lower trail to a small waterfall and then hiked out. Of course I wanted to keep going, but with a mixed group and Nadia and Ocean wanting to get back to Tashkent, it was better to cut short the hike rather than overdoing it. The smell of pine trees and red leaves brought back memories of the Upper Peninsula.
In the afternoon, Nadia and I went swimming at her club, BeFit. She swims a few times a week and challenged me to swim 2 kilometers with her. I made it 32 lengths of the pool to her 40 lengths. My form is horrible and I couldn’t keep up with her. I am not a big fan of long distance swimming but see it as a way to prolong my exercise and fitness as I get older. I am really impressed with Nadia’s swimming!
I am taking time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, including walking my dog at sunset and noticing the morning sun going through the chandelier in our house. My son Owen went for a hike to Hogback Mountain in Marquette, Michigan and sent these photos below. It is a week past peak autumn color in the UP but still beautiful.
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