Two decades ago, I decided to keep in shape by daily walking. To make it more interesting, I started marking my miles on the Wisconsin map, heading west on an imaginary hike. The first week, I walked to Black Creek, the village to the west of Seymour. My daily walks got longer and the miles added up. I soon was out of Wisconsin, into Minnesota. I took a turn in South Dakota and went down to Texas, then turned west again. At this point, I decided to walk around the world, all in my mind, you understand.
As of today, I've walked 17,382 miles, after going north along the western coast through Alaska and crossing the Bering Strait to Russia. I should reach Istanbul by the end of 2010.
This summer, I will be driving some of the same roads I "walked" on when I get to Washington, Oregon and California. Some of those cities, towns and scenic places will seem familiar because I always read up on the geography during my imaginary hikes.
In addition to the entertainment, I stayed in shape. I've avoided the family health issues of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
I encourage everyone to pick up a map and start walking.
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