Where have you been?

A lot of people want to know what we've been up to recently. Well, my mom, Sarah's mom and Alena do, and that's almost a lot, right?

Anyway, Sarah has been on nights at the hospital which gives me, approximately, 38 seconds of free time a day.  I have chosen to spend this time mourning the end of my youth, not documenting the activities of my charges, which I know is shameful. My apologies.

Anywho....

We continued to go hiking, including a trip to Walcott Falls. Now, the guidebook describes Walcott Falls as being beautiful and worth the one hour trip from Rochester. So I picked a day where everyone was tired and, banking on some good car napping, I headed out there.

At first glance I admit I was skeptical, seeing as the park appears to be guarded by the summer home of Marilyn Manson.

Entrance to Walcott Falls Park. Seriously.

But, being the intrepid travelers that we are, we were not phased. Next up was the falls itself.

Pretty nice, right? It really is, especially when you crop the HUGE sewage outflow pipe out of the picture. 

"What's that, daddy?" 

"Um, it's where the fish get their food"

"The fish must be hungry."

Then came the part of the trip we were all excited about, the Walcott Falls playground. Graham, as always headed right for the swings...er...swing. I, being the buzzkill, had to say no.

"Um, sorry buddy, we can't use that swing."

"Why?!?!?!?"

"Because it probably still has bubonic plague on it from the kids in the Middle Ages who were tortured there."

Tantrums ensued, but I stand by my decision.

Seriously?

 Finally, as with all good trips, it had to end. But, being on the "substitute water and coffee for food" diet, I had to hit the head before we left. This is where Walcott Falls really shone.

Looks good, right?

 Now, I have been in some bad bathrooms before. As a kid, I spent all my summers camping, using only outhouses and port a johns with no problems at all. But nothing, I mean nothing prepared me for what I would find in this outwardly well-manicured restroom.

I present to you the single worst toilet in North America.

For those of you keeping score at home - Yes, that is just a shallow hole in the concrete covered by a piece of duct work and a plywood top; Yes, that is human feces literally everywhere; Yes, the stench was unbearable; Yes, I made Graham stand outside alone while I peed and No, it has never been cleaned.

The great outdoors, people!