August 09, 2013

Keeping Fit On the Road (Or Not): Crappy Travel Pictures Part I



Gosh, isn't it wonderful when a health blogger hits the road, and instead of sharing useful information they just slop a bunch of cameraphone pics into a blog post?

Um, well, ok, it's not wonderful, but that's what we got today. No one visits the blog over the weekend anyway, and there's a great guest post coming up next week.

Some of the photos do actually have something to do with health and fitness. But many are just gratuitous selfies and wifeys or are fascinating-to-no-one-but-me aspects of our campervan travel routine. Pretty much all of them highlight the fact I can't focus (literally or figuratively) to save my life.

So, care to join Crabby and The Lobster on Week One of our August Adventure?

Cheers!
Just beefin' up our Vitamin B consumption!



So our first night was spent in the wilds of New Hampshire.


After a surprisingly sound sleep-- which is good for our health, right?-- we emerged from our quarters and ventured into the conveniently located trading post where we discovered exotic brightly colored clothing items. (As well as the expensive RV toilet paper we require). Neither of us were brave enough to "go native" but it was interesting to see the apparel favored by locals.


But, it was time to go do something else healthy besides sleep! So we set off  in search of a pleasant hike.

However we discovered that grave danger lurked ahead:


Undaunted, we decided to brave it.

As it turned out, the hike was easy-peasy and the scariest aspect was the FIFTEEN F*CKING DOLLARS they charged PER PERSON!!!!

But we forked over and had a fine ol' time.





Oh, and here's our Sophisticated Van Security System, arguably a Health and Personal Safety Precaution: We draw all the shades so no one can see in and slap this magnetic bumper sticker on.  



Think we're fooling anyone? 

So I forget exactly where we were when the Lobster (who has just accidentally gotten a full-time job, whoops!) needed to pull over for a conference call, but it was a cute little town with lots of old buildings and I went wandering around for a good long walk. Long walks=fitness!


And then I stopped by a lovely library for some internet... which could have theoretically been healthy had I been trolling for the latest medical research breakthroughs.  Let's just pretend that's what I was doing.



Strange that the library light was so blurry!  Must have been all the dust from those scholarly reference books I was perusing.



The next night we spent in a campground curiously devoid of asphalt and shopping carts.  Natural surroundings:  good for fighting obesity

The Lobster got some work done while I sulked because my computer couldn't get wireless 
meditated and thought Deep and Profound Thoughts.

The best thing was that there was a great dirt road that featured woods and rolling hills and farmland and no traffic and it made for an awesome run. One on which I didn't take my phone so use your imagination. The Lobster, who is participating in the Up and Running course, went on a run too before she went back to the "office."


After running I had a tasty healthy breakfast, as depicted in this impressionist work I stayed up all night painting; I feared the stark realism of a sharply focused photograph wouldn't capture the complex "happy breakfast" emotional nuance I meant to convey.



We took a ferry! What makes sitting in a vehicle on a boat more fun than sitting in a vehicle on a road? Who knows. But ferries are fun.



 But then, alas, after a lovely lunchtime walk...



We had to stop here.



We don't drive the van as often as we should, and (here we go, a tortured health analogy!): vans are like people. They need exercise!  If they sit idle too long, they encounter mechanical difficulties.  We couldn't get ' it fixed (no parts available) and had to skip Montreal and Ottowa in order to get to Toronto where (we're hoping) the van will be fixed before it is time to return home. If not, there are worse countries to relocate to.

On the bright side, we did stop at a National Park outside of Montreal with a lovely shady beachside jogging trail before heading into Toronto.



One cool thing about running in sand: you can catch your footsteps on the way back and analyze your gait to see how f--cked your feet, knees, and hips are going to be if you don't clean up your act.  Well, if you are a compulsive self-absorbed freak like I am, that is.

I tend to throw my right foot way out if I'm not paying attention. Still doing it but it seems to have improved a lot. Plus I look to be moving more towards a midfoot strike, rather than coming down hard on my heel.  This (I think) has really helped on the plantar fasciitis recovery, yay!

However, I do seem to have misplaced a few toes.  Probably not good.



Another thing I discovered when I got hopelessly lost looking for a trailhead: outside the park information office, no one spoke English.  Which is kinda cool! At least until I had to actually use my high school French in order to get back to the campground.

Je suck bigtime at parling Francais.

But I did eventually find my way back and had a lovely run and encountered the Lobster just heading off for her walk.
 See that tiny dot? I didn't know yet it was her.

As it happened, the Lobster had also taken along her camera phone.

Tip for knowing you are happily married after 22-plus years: What is your immediate gut reaction when you encounter your spouse unexpectedly?


Yep, I am ALWAYS happy to see her.

So that's it for now. We made it to Toronto, but be forewarned: we still have our camera phones. More "health" and "fitness" posts may be coming your way.

Miss you guys! What is everyone up to?

38 comments:

  1. Welcome to Canada. Love the travelogue and am hoping for more.

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  2. Warn the Lobster about that Full-Time Job. Look what happened to me!

    Mary Anne in Kentucky

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    1. Yeah, she's been duly warned Mary Anne, but the self-employed consultant thing was a bit too slow-paced for her. She's got a job she's really excited about, working with a guy she's worked with before, doing stuff she's really good at--the downside is lots of travel: mostly to Frisco, Texas and NYC, NY. Can you guess which business trips I'm going to be tagging along on? (Hint: probably won't be packing my cowboy boots).

      However, as I recall you are working TWO jobs, seven days a week and somehow coping with the rest of life! Amazing how hard you work. As a perpetual professional slacker, I have much admiration.

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  3. Looks like fun-- except the strawberry and brussel sprouts for breakfast.

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    1. Anon, my bok choy, spinach and eggwhite scramble might not be to everyone's taste, but put enough pecorino cheese and onions in there and it tastes pretty good to me. The Lobster is as skeptical as you are however, and stays FAR away from the weirdness that is my breakfast.

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  4. Gah! Don't you just love it when you type a multi-paragraph comment only to have it disappear in a 'puter hiccup? The fact that I have no intention of retyping it just proves the truth of the saying "Isn't it surprising how many things, if not said immediately, seem not worth saying ten minutes from now?" #8-/

    Out of all the last few posts, my favourite thing has to be the picture of the Lobster with the Weißbier - love the taste of that stuff, though my stomach never got to grips with it even after three years living in Germany. Hope she enjoyed it!

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    1. Ah shoot Lucky Duck, I love hearing all your thoughts so am sad about the missing paragraphs. Hope it wasn't my stupid blog platform that was responsible.

      But gotta agree about the Weißbier; I had one too and it was delicious. I'm more of a wine drinker but sometimes great beers on tap on a warm summer evening are just the thing.

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  5. I've read your blog for a while now...and I love to because it always makes me smile and laugh. Love your sense of humor!! Enjoy your trip! Can't wait to see more captivating camera phone pics :)

    - Emily @ alittlebitofem.com

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    1. Hey thanks so much Emily--And looks like a fun blog you have there, thanks for stopping by!

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  6. I love all of the pictures!!! That library really looked cool (I'm a bit of a book nerd!) - far more character than the public library here!!!
    My favorite picture is the last one and your look of JOY!!
    Can't wait for the next edition of the trip in pictures!!!
    Have a great time!!

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    1. Yay for book nerds!! I still think of myself as one even though I have been shockingly lame of late on that front. Stupid internet! And thanks Kim!

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  7. Sorry to hear about the van troubles, but welcome to Canada! If you get Fran fixed, carry on that western heading, then veer north!
    Loving the pictures - keep 'em coming!

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    1. SO wish we were closer Bag Lady! Canada, like the U.S., is just too damn big. And thanks for putting up with the goofy blurry pics!

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  8. Well, it's weekend, and i'm reading, because i like your posts a lot! Hope you are both having fun in Toronto and that your van troubles are ironed out quickly.

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    1. THanks so much messymimi! Fran is safe in an expensive parking lot until next week when we have an appointment to get her fixed. Fingers crossed...

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  9. Fun!!!

    When I was off to France for a few months of surgical study, my girlfriend, who was fluent in French taught me two phrases in French. (In English for you)

    1) I don't speak French well!
    2) Where is the bathroom?

    I managed to survive the trip!

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    1. You are always resourceful Dr. J! We actually encountered more English speakers in France than on the road in Quebec... unless they were all bullshitting us and just enjoying my hilarious and inept endeavors to speak French. Always a possibility. But Canadians seem about 500% more approachable than Parisians, so I'm thinking it really is a French speaking province.

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    2. I am French Canadian (from Quebec) and I can tell you that a LOT of Quebecois do NOT speak a word of English. I can also tell you that Quebecois are a wonderful people! :-D

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  10. Big thrill for me to recognize the Flume before I read your post - have not been there since I was a kid. I hope you also climbed Mt Washington (on foot!!) and looked at what is left of the Old Man. :) Tons to do around there.

    Mary (Native Vermonter who has hiked in the White Mountains.)

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    1. Thanks so much Mary! It really was a lovely hike. And we did Mt Washington on a previous trip, so missed it this time, but love the area and hope to be back!

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  11. Welcome to Canada!!! Great pics...lots of fitness going on.

    The Boss has been on vacation for the past couple of weeks, so we have been doing many things...tomorrow we are going to Niagara-on-the-Lake to see a play and then next week we are headed north to a B&B. That will be followed by some local hiking and anything else we can think of before he heads back to work.

    Hope you both enjoy your stay here and that Fran is in working order before you have to head back!

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    1. Ooh, we keep hearing that Niagara-on-the-Lake is wonderful Kimberley, and hope to swing by on the way home. Hope you have a great time!

      We did the Falls a few years ago but were clueless and missed Niagara-on-the-Lake entirely. Don't want to repeat that mistake!

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  12. What a perfect vacation post! Love the pictures, even the fuzzy ones. Of course the last one is just perfect. You two make me smile. :)

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    1. Thanks so much Shelley! You have put up with so many silly posts throughout the years... Merci beaucoup!

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  13. Totally love the pics and sharing your adventures, though sorry about the van break down. Hate vehicle malfunctions on the rd!
    That is one spectacular library. Such beautiful wood work!
    Can't speak for beer because I've a really low threshold for CNS depressants but I really enjoyed the look of delight on the Lobster's face and glad to hear she got a position that she enjoys.
    YES on the "I'm ALWAYS happy to see", too:) How lovely for both of you!

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    1. Thanks so much dlamb!!!

      And the Lobster was only a few sips into her CNS depressant, so the look of delight on her face is pretty much her natural lovin'-life expression. And how lucky am I to get to see that every day?

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  14. Bienvenue au Canada! I am Canadian and totally butchered that. But welcome!
    Coralie

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    1. Coralie, THANK YOU! I am totally in love with Canada and all things Canadian. My ignorance of the specifics, including the French spoken in eastern parts, does not make me any less happy to meet and commune with any Canadians who cross my path. Thank you so much for the warm welcome!

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  15. Welcome to my town! Hope you enjoy your stay.

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    1. Marie!!!

      Where the hell have I been, I have not caught up with you in ages and I miss my favorite Mousearoo! Must scurry off to your site and see how things are going. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  16. That looks like a really nice library! Love the photos. Now I want more vacation.

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  17. Looks like you're having a ball :)
    Like that library you visited. Make me think of the one's I see in movies. The ones here in South Africa aren't like this one.
    That beer looks delicious.

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  18. Okay, it hasn't been 22 years (it's been 15), but a couple of times when I saw my spouse unexpectedly, there was a microsecond during which I did not realize it was him and told myself "That guy is hot", only to be followed by "Oh, and he's mine!". :-)

    I love the photos and particularly the library.

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  19. HappinessSavouredHot, that is awesome! It's been 22 years for me and I feel exactly the same way!

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  20. What a wonderful trip!! You crack me up with some of the pics & your "commentary"! $15 bucks for that hike but it did look beautiful!!! My sis has a motor home & has encountered the dread of needing it fixed - once they were caught in a town for 3+ days!

    Keep on enjoying!

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  21. I love these kinds of "health and fitness" posts, so keep them coming. Aren't vacations the best? How did the Lobster accidentally get a job? Hope she likes it. Enjoy Toronto. I've never been but it's on my list. For now I'll live vicariously so keep the pics flowing, blurry though some may be. :) (If I were there I would probably, occasionally, be drinking, so blurry is somewhat of an accurate view as to what I'd be seeing if actually there. Make you feel better about your photos? You're doing a public service.)
    Gaye

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  22. Thanks for the entertaining post. I think the sticker of the Rottweiler is a great idea... would certainly make people think twice if they got too close. :-)

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