That’s Loonie, ay

  Toronto is a clean, vibrant, exciting city, a city that appears to do things right. It’s the largest city in Canada, a beautiful, exciting country that also appears to do things right. Except that they call their currency the “loonie,” which seems sort of, well, loony. The last time I visited Toronto, 10 years ago, 70 cents US bought you one Loonie. Today it takes $1.02US to buy a Canadian dollar. I believe it signifies a new low in American economic history that we’re now officially being bested by loonies. Woe unto us. (The Canadian dollar is called the “loonie,” by the way, not because Canadians are crazy, ... [Read More]

Hiking Georgia’s Blood Mountain Wilderness (AT) – Part I

I’d been feeling a little skiddish in the days leading up to backpacking the Blood Mountain Wilderness portion of the Appalachian Trail. How tough could it be I nervously pondered? I mean compared to the “mild” or even “moderate” hikes that were labeled in my paperback, Holman’s Guide to Hiking Trails in Northern Georgia, this particular mountain in Georgia’s share of the Appalachian range had been described as “strenuous.” I had almost convinced myself that my bi-weekly runs around my subdivision were all the preparation I needed. Heck, wasn’t I logging in almost 5 miles when I went out? Still, I had my doubts. “Yeah, but ... [Read More]

Battling the Heat in Manassas

cannons

Rick and I arrived by train at the “un-manned” station at 8am on a Thursday morning, surprised to see a man hanging around the depot.  He was dressed in a dark suit with some official looking pins on his shirt.  Not many people had disembarked from the Amtrak Crescent train, and the few that did, dispersed quickly.  As he approached us with a smile and outstretched hand, we asked him if he knew where the “Old Town Inn” was.  We already knew it was walking distance of the station.  He began telling us he was from New Jersey, and he knew the DC area very ... [Read More]

Madam Twisto & Stuff on a Stick

I love going to the Minnesota State Fair. Okay, it's probably like all other state fairs, but this one's my favorite. I say this because it's the only one I've ever visited. My brothers and I used to go every year when we were younger spending hours and hours in the dime-arcades (formerly known as the penny-arcades and now, the dollar-arcades). I like the deep-fried aroma, the people-watching, the fun-filled midway and the general air of excitement. My brother Steve and I were two of the 1,769,872 people who visited this year's 12-day "Great Minnesota Get-Together" as it's called. We took a free shuttle bus to ... [Read More]