This has been a big summer. The issue that will define the latter half of the 20-aughts and potentially the next several decades, the future of energy, has revved up, and everyone has started to pull into the lanes they will follow throughout the period of adjustment. Some have opted for quick fixes, buying up mopeds and fuel-efficient cars like iPhones on launch day. Others are being a little more cautious, watching the miles and fancy coffee purchases while hanging on to the pick-up trucks and SUVs. And, of course, everyone is talking about this issue, from complaints about gas prices to boasts about mileage. Hardly a summer issue of V1 has gone by without some discussion of bike lanes or walkers’ safety.

    So, to cap off the summer, we (Eric and Ian, intrepid adventuring writing duo) wanted to take a trip for the magazine. In the past, we’ve driven around to parks, swimming holes, and other local attractions. These were intense, dangerous trips, fraught with daring. This time, we decided to shift gears and commemorate the energy issue. We decided to take a walk.

    That sounds incredibly lame! We know! Why didn’t we visit local sporting goods stores and pawn shops and purchase firearms at each one? Or maybe we could have tried scaling the five tallest local buildings. Perhaps we should have pioneered the best local roads to bury the needle on your Camry. But we wanted to take a different route. Having conquered the adjectives “adventurous,” “brave,” and “attractive,” we wanted to add “thoughtful” and “introspective” to our repertoire. A contemplative walking travelogue seemed like the way to do this.

    I’m sure you are thinking, this is really an article about taking a walk? I’m not reading it. So, how about this. To add a narrative hook, we decided to incorporate some gastrointestinal exploits. We stopped at six convenience stores, and imbibed a slushie at each one. It took a lot of fortitude, and the recovery time was significantly longer than any previous adventure. The whole trip sounded like a great idea, even as we headed to our first stop…

Words by Eric Rasmussen and Ian Jacoby
Photos by Hanna Agar / Design by BMOEN