Day 15: Breakfast of Chumpions

Waking up in the lap of luxury known to outsiders as the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Baltimore ($208 per night = bargain), the Walking Fool crawled out of his plush bed, bearing a slight hangover. After gulping a few Advils, taking a long hot shower and releasing a long, hearty bowel movement, the WF went downstairs for his complimentary continental breakfast. Observing the half-assed breakfasts offered at Super 8's and Best Westerns, the fool was delighted to find a vast array of breakfast choices from bacon to pancakes to good ol' toast. After taking a modest portion of meats and potatoes and requesting a simple order of 2 scrambled eggs, the fool earned his moniker by discovering a huge sign advertising the low, low cost of $12.95 for the small sampling of food items on his plate. WF slapped his forehead and received a check from a waiter who had an expression on his face that seemed to imply he suspected the fool was somehow trying to steal food.

An hour later, the Fool moseyed past the harbor, waved to tourists, and received convoluted and inaccurate directions from a 75-year old man at the Baltimore Visitors Center. The WF found out later that even though the elderly man was officially employed by the Visitors Center, his job was to restock the brochure tables (plus rumor has it that the man often thought he was in Boise, ID).

Eventually, he made it to the outskirts of the city which would mostly likely be described by the Wilmington man (see Day 9) as "extremely dicey." But he made it through the tough neighborhoods unscathed, finding his way to the Balt/Wash International Airport which had a convenient hike/bike trail that followed the entire border. The Fool enjoyed the off-road trail that would have been extremely tranquil if it wasn't for the booming airplanes that roared a few feet above his head every 5-10 minutes.

After the airport, the WF was back on-road. As he approached the town of Odenton, the fool waved to some young kids whose earnest eyes were glued to his every footstep. The town of Odenton offered a couple things -- a freestanding BBQ stand that served ribs and chili; suspicious police officer that drove very slowly past the fool; and the WB&A trail that went southwest towards the fool's next large destination: Washington, DC.

He camped out just off the trail and inches away from one of the many residential housing communities that were built post-1995.