Everyone needs a vacation from time to time. And since Kristen was away taking hers, team Walk-O-Rama apparently thought they should get one as well. Walking can be very exhausting. And since no one seemed up to even inventing a phony chronicle of make-believe events to share with the world, I am now forced to tell you all about mine. Prepare yourself, this story contains a lot of walking. And driving. And eating.
What was meant to be a vacation filled (or overfilled, rather) with a lot of driving and eating, quickly turned into a week-long walking adventure, exploring areas of the globe that have never been traversed by mankind before, such as Buffalo, NY and Toronto, Canada. In the spirit of exploration, I gathered a make-shift Walk-O-Rama crew of domesticated beasts, both human and animal (haha, just kidding, Mom), and began tackling the northern hemisphere, WOR style.
Having discovered that Buffalo, NY is not the most walkable city, we spent only a matter of hours there before heading northwest, or whatever direction it was, to Niagara Falls. While others cruised about in ships that skirted along the misty falls, we walked all around searching for public restrooms and cheap exchanges for American currency. It was a magical experience that brought us closer to nature. We spent a bit of time photographing the scenery, until we read a sign that told of a small boy who had fallen in years ago. Having read this, we cowardly departed.
Not the best place to visit when one has to go to the bathroom
Just north, in the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, we befriended a unique group of willing members at our quaint bed and breakfast. They were very happy to frolic around the rural countryside in the clean air with us, and even took a break to eat, completing the WOR adventure. Though their meal of grains and hay looked very delicious, it could not compare to the tasty gourmet meal that we had the pleasure of eating until near gut explosion.
Team Walk-O-Rama welcomes Misty and what’s-his-name the sheep to our group
This table was cleared of its edible delights in record speed
All signs soon indicated that we should be on our way
While there, we thought, “Why not head on over to Toronto?” It seemed walkable and interesting. Here we encountered a whole new world of wonders, such as garbage cans that made sense, germ-wise, and a wide array of global cuisine in a not-at-all-like-America food court in the mall. We took a ferry to the outlying islands, where more animal friends were there to greet us, and wandered around amongst a bunch of cool shops and activity centers that we were not told did not open until 10:30. Feeling jilted, we left this place, being happy to have walked around, but not as happy as we could have been if we could have rented a bike to explore instead.
Toronto, home of garbage can innovation
…and is apparently run by chickens…
…and is shockingly walker friendly, especially for dopes like us who have no sense of direction in the morning
In fitting with our farm animal theme, we recruited one final nerdy member
Farewell Canada! Please be under less construction next time
Next on the journey was Mackinac Island, a beautiful place filled the pleasant aromas of fudge and manure. We exchanged our farm animal companions for more befitting additions to our walking party. Being family members, they showed all the signs of having a good time in our presence while on our outing, at least during all the times that did not involve hills and stairs. Surprisingly, this was only about 10% of the time. We are not sure how, but this island seems to only go up, regardless of which direction you are attempting to walk. We are glad to say that we all earned our chocolate on this day, having walked up, down, and apparently backwards in time. Though this was interesting and invigorating, we all agreed that we will choose the horse and buggy route next time, should we ever return.
Mackinac Island, where everything is uphill, unless you’re falling
And sometimes, as Doug learns, falling sounds like a better alternative
Welcome to Walk-O-Rama, Kim and Doug Gauthier!
The time portal
Whisked back in time when people were smart enough to ride in buggies instead of walking
Now that vacation is over and the stress has instantaneously set back in, we will take at least a short break tomorrow to squeeze in a bit more walking. The new members of Walk-O-Rama are welcome to join us! If you leave now you should be here with plenty of time to spare, which you can use to do some of my office chores.
Hope to see you then!
Walk-O-Rama 