Spring into summer

Well I haven't been doing much training, but it is still early. I've taken a couple of walks by Lake Frank and one along the towpath by the C & O Canal starting at Riley's Rock.  The last walk was with a dog-walking group so hardly counts as we were walking pretty slowly. I don't advise going there on a sunny Saturday morning because it was fairly crowded with bikers, walkers, picnickers, and those out boating.

The Aquaduct

Boating on the C & O

Of course I walk regularly with the dogs through the neighborhood behind my house in good weather to the City of Rockville's Maryvale Park.  All asphalt, to be sure, but it still qualifies as exercise.

Park bench, Maryvale Park

Exploring near Lake Frank

I have been overwhelmed with all of the photos I have taken, however, and have been attempting to organize them somewhat.  Last year I put together a video on my camino from Sarria to Santiago and have now another on the Via Podiensis.  I had to install a goodly number of updates to Windows 7 a month ago, and, in the process lost the ability to use the Windows Movie Maker.  I then installed VideoPad Video Editor and was somewhat disappointed with the results as I found it very difficult to use. Fortunately I remembered that Movie Maker was on my basement computer.  None of these are as intuitive as I would like, though, and the instructions seem to leave out the steps where I need clarification. [to watch the videos, click on the highlighted links above.]

I have also been accessing my guidebooks for the Conques to Moissac segment I plan to walk.  My Michelin Chemins de Compostelle covers the entire trail all the way to the Spanish border so that is good.  My TopoGuide : Grande Randonnée Sentier vers Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle stops at Figeac, so that will need to be updated, and my Miam Miam Dodo is too out-of-date (2012) so that will need to be updated as well, as the edition I have doesn't include the variant GR651. Since the TopoGuide is now available in a e-book format, I may opt for that, and download it when I arrive in Paris.  I understand it will have the variant Célé Valley route [GR651] that I want to take.

The TopoGuide I Need

I have also recently become of the administrators for the Way of Saint James - Via Podiensis - Chemin du Puy-en-Velay Facebook group.  Since this is a closed group, I basically monitor the conversations, and admit interested persons into the group, provided they seem to have legitimate intentions for requesting membership.  The idea is to keep out spammers and those that have no real interest in the group, which is described as "a place to find, share, ask questions, for people who want to walk, or have walked the Via Podiensis chemin from Le Puy-en-Velay, France."  I had been posting about one of the donativos, those gîtes, frequently Christian, that do not charge, but operate on donations given by those that stay there or use their service.  The"donativo" in question seemed to have trumped up charges levied against them by their local commune, likely because they felt that they were taking business from them and couldn't understand how they could function.  I felt the charges were unfair, brought their plight to the attention of the group, because I felt it set a precedent that was not in the interest of the Chemin, and, lo and behold, was asked to become an administrator! 

Since I have TV5Monde as a Verizon Fios TV channel option, at this writing am actually watching a video on the Aubrac, (called "Aubrac des bergers et des moines") that region in the Massif Central that I visited last fall.  I was working on this blog with the television on in the background, heard the word "Aubrac", looked up, and realized they were showing a special program on the subject!

The Aubrac

And again the Aubrac, particularly known for it's breed of cattle named after the region