Let me start by saying I LOVE our neighborhood. Great neighbors, parks, library, sports and shopping all right close by...BUT... the elementary school ... there have been some frustrations, just ONE being getting the kids to and from school. The bus boundary is 1.5 miles. We live 1.35 miles away ... so NO bus. Now, if you know me at all, you know I'm a proponent of walking. I'm a pretty fast walker too, and it takes ME a good 20 minutes to make it to the school. The first half, through the neighborhood, is just fine. In fact, the kids wouldn't ever have to leave the sidewalk, but THEN ... you hit 7800 South ... the street couldn't get much busier ... across from a SuperWalmart and the huge Jordan Landing shopping complex, adjacent to Bangerter Highway (which we have to cross to get to the school), and now, there is constant construction too ... I do not LET my kids walk to school. Riding their bikes ... I have to say that scares me even more than walking! I have been lucky enough to arrange for a carpool, so I only have to drive one way, but with one child in kindergarten, I have an additional pickup every day. I do try to walk with my little ones safely in the stroller when weather permits. Here's just a glimpse of our "wonderful" walk ... 
Now, just so you don't think I'm an utterly negative person, there are some good points as well. Once you are back in the neighborhood, the walk is very pleasant. I LOVE our winding neighborhood. I DO stop and smell the flowers (literally!). The hanging basket (above) makes me smile every time I walk by it.
I also ADORE the spring blossoms on this path ... with the pink petals falling, they look so pretty blanketing the ground. A close up of the blossoms below ... I love when the smell just hits you as you walk by ...
And of course, I have the CUTEST kids! They happily talk and point things out as we walk. "There's a bird, that flower is yellow, I saw a bug" ... they love to see NUMBERS and call them out (and as there are addresses on the houses and mailboxes ... this is pretty easy to do). Of course they have to have their "treat" bag filled with goodies to munch on, and a blanket if it gets cold, and sunglasses if the day is too bright. Another funny thing they do is reach out and run their fingers along the fences. I have to keep them just the right distance, so that they can touch, but so I don't end up smashing them!
Home again home again jiggitty jig ... almost three miles on the pedometer ...until tomorrow ...
The canal ... I haven't heard of any kids falling into the canal, but this would be a constant stress for me if my kids were walking every day. It's completely open, easy access. In fact, taking the dirt canal road does nip some distance off the walk. But we take the longer, smoother path on the sidewalk through the neighborhood.
After the canal, you get to pass the horses. In addition to the LOVERLY smell, the fence has been broken down like this for a couple of years ... the inner fence is an electric fence ... I can just imagine the kids daring each other to try touching it ...
Then there is this nice stretch of sidewalk. It bumps us silly .... can you say shaken baby syndrome? But I don't know how they will ever repair it, because if they tore it out to replace it, there would be absolutely NO place for pedestrians during construction. This is right before one of the several streets and driveways we must cross going down 7800... there has never been a crossing guard posted anywhere along the way (probably because so few kids end up walking ... like I said, I don't LET my kids walk). 
The recent (and seemingly never ending) construction has pushed traffic RIGHT NEXT to the sidewalk. If I reached my arm out, I would touch the cars and trucks passing by. I don't know which is more terrifying, having the cars rush by coming from behind, or seeing them come head on! We get to experience both, on the way to and then from school. Often traffic is so backed up that the cars are pretty much at a standstill, but at other times, when traffic is flowing, the cars rush by so quickly the wind almost knocks us over. The sidewalk is decent size, but when you come across a group of people, or a lady with a double stroller (that would be me) there just isn't enough sidewalk to share, so you often end up stuck or struggling to pass without stepping out into the street.
Right at the intersection of 7800 South and Bangerter Highway, we are hit by another scent ... sewer ... (suddenly the horse smell doesn't seem so bad). We always try to get by this grate as quickly as possible, holding our noses and our breath. 
And then, there's the overpass. Always good to get a little INCLINE in your walk. Up, up, up, up, watch out for the graffiti, litter, broken glass and pigeon poop ... the wind on the walkway can also almost knock you over as well. Then down, down, down the overpass (hanging on to the stroller so we don't go too fast and can't make the turns) and ... we're at the school. Collect the kindergartner and ... back we go ... I can feel the additional 40+ pounds of an extra child as we go up, up, up the incline ...
Then there is this nice stretch of sidewalk. It bumps us silly .... can you say shaken baby syndrome? But I don't know how they will ever repair it, because if they tore it out to replace it, there would be absolutely NO place for pedestrians during construction. This is right before one of the several streets and driveways we must cross going down 7800... there has never been a crossing guard posted anywhere along the way (probably because so few kids end up walking ... like I said, I don't LET my kids walk). 
The recent (and seemingly never ending) construction has pushed traffic RIGHT NEXT to the sidewalk. If I reached my arm out, I would touch the cars and trucks passing by. I don't know which is more terrifying, having the cars rush by coming from behind, or seeing them come head on! We get to experience both, on the way to and then from school. Often traffic is so backed up that the cars are pretty much at a standstill, but at other times, when traffic is flowing, the cars rush by so quickly the wind almost knocks us over. The sidewalk is decent size, but when you come across a group of people, or a lady with a double stroller (that would be me) there just isn't enough sidewalk to share, so you often end up stuck or struggling to pass without stepping out into the street.
Right at the intersection of 7800 South and Bangerter Highway, we are hit by another scent ... sewer ... (suddenly the horse smell doesn't seem so bad). We always try to get by this grate as quickly as possible, holding our noses and our breath. 
Now, just so you don't think I'm an utterly negative person, there are some good points as well. Once you are back in the neighborhood, the walk is very pleasant. I LOVE our winding neighborhood. I DO stop and smell the flowers (literally!). The hanging basket (above) makes me smile every time I walk by it.
I also ADORE the spring blossoms on this path ... with the pink petals falling, they look so pretty blanketing the ground. A close up of the blossoms below ... I love when the smell just hits you as you walk by ...
And of course, I have the CUTEST kids! They happily talk and point things out as we walk. "There's a bird, that flower is yellow, I saw a bug" ... they love to see NUMBERS and call them out (and as there are addresses on the houses and mailboxes ... this is pretty easy to do). Of course they have to have their "treat" bag filled with goodies to munch on, and a blanket if it gets cold, and sunglasses if the day is too bright. Another funny thing they do is reach out and run their fingers along the fences. I have to keep them just the right distance, so that they can touch, but so I don't end up smashing them!
Home again home again jiggitty jig ... almost three miles on the pedometer ...until tomorrow ... 
You really need to move into my neighborhood!!! ;D The walk to the elementary school is about 6 blocks (and that is Davis county blocks, not SLC blocks), and the jr. high is about 1 more block in the same direction. However, the walk home is uphill all the way - but that means it is downhill all the way to school! There is one busy road to cross (with a crossing guard), but that is Farmington busy - which means two lanes. Haven't I tempted you enough yet?!? (you know I'm kidding - sort of)
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