Saturday morning’s Steps for Sips adventure started exactly the way it should: with a walk and the promise of coffee at the end. ☕🚶♀️
Except this morning, the desert decided to provide a little entertainment along the way.
I headed out toward Starbucks, and it was quiet. Like, dead as a dodo quiet. No school traffic. No parents hustling off to work. No Crosswalk Lady. Just little old me, my walking shoes, my purple shirt, and the great laser beam in the sky trying to make a comeback. 😂☀️
Thankfully, there was a really nice breeze, and it felt like we were hanging out somewhere in the 70s instead of Phoenix remembering that it is, in fact, Phoenix.
And then there were the ravens.
I had seen two of them around my house earlier while I was messing around taking photos, but naturally, those little boogers wouldn’t hold still long enough for me to get a decent picture.
Then, as I’m walking and talking to ChatGPT, I look up…
There they are.
Running along ahead of me.
And apparently they decided they were coming to Starbucks too.
I swear there is a whole little raven family that hangs around the trees behind my house and along my Starbucks route. I usually see them in the palm trees, but they’re ridiculously camera-shy. The second I pull out my phone, they’re like:
NOPE. SHE HAS THE CAMERA. ABORT MISSION. 🐦😂
Naturally, after talking crap about them, one of them turned up practically three feet away from me at Smashburger.
I picked up my phone.
He immediately started booking it.
I managed to get a picture of his little raven butt as he made his getaway. 😂
Then I spotted two of them over by the tacos-and-tequila brunch place, apparently working the Saturday breakfast crowd.
These birds have NO SHAME.
And honestly? They’re clever little things.
A while back, on a rainy day, I watched one of them pick up a French fry from the parking lot, carry it over to a little puddle of Chick-fil-A sauce sitting on the base of a light pole, dip the fry into the sauce, and then eat it.
I mean…
That’s not just scavenging.
That’s culinary technique. 😂🍟
Eventually, though, it was time to get my coffee and head home.
☕ COFFEE ACQUIRED.
I stopped at my usual midpoint bench, sat in the shade, enjoyed the breeze, and sipped my coffee for a bit before starting the return trip.
And apparently that coffee kicked in.
The walk out:
🚶♀️ 1.36 miles
⏱️ 40:17
👣 3,114 steps
🔥 210 calories
❤️ Average HR: 91 bpm
A nice, easy, coffee-seeking stroll.
The walk home:
🚶♀️ 1.23 miles
⏱️ 27 minutes
👣 2,732 steps
🔥 201 calories
❤️ Average HR: 121 bpm
🏃♀️ 24 minutes moderate + 3 minutes vigorous
📈 41 feet elevation gain
Walk Receipts
Fitbit actually told me:
“That was a much brisker pace for the walk back.”
😂😂😂
Yeah, Fitbit. I HAD COFFEE.
And apparently I was ready to get my ass home before the Phoenix laser beam got serious.
By the time I made it back, I was sitting at 6,231 steps before 10 a.m.
AND…
🎉 14-mile weekly walking goal: COMPLETE.
🎉 Weekly cardio: 108% — 449 of 415.
So that’s another Steps for Sips Saturday in the books.
Coffee? ✔️
Walking? ✔️
Fresh air? ✔️
Raven surveillance? ✔️
Raven brunch reconnaissance? ✔️
Weekly goal? DONE. ✔️
Hair completely defeated by the wind? ABSOLUTELY. 😂
This is what movement looks like around here.
It’s not perfect. It’s not fancy. It’s me walking to Starbucks, drinking coffee on a bench, photographing prickly pear, getting stalked by a raven family, and then walking home with enough caffeine in my system to accidentally turn the second half into a moderate workout.
Wellness without perfection. Movement in real life still counts.
And sometimes…
the raven mafia comes along for the walk.
Still counts. Always! 🐦🐦☕🥕💜
Read more.
Weekly Reads (Steps for Sips, Monday Pinball Shower Thoughts, Whisker Wednesday and Foodie Friday)
Carrots for a Cause – American Cancer Society 62-mile October Walking Challenge
Starbucks Carrot Method – North Phoenix Walking Series and Jazzercise