This past weekend, we made it up to Old Forge, NY. This has been one of our absolute favorite annual retreats for about a decade now. Uncle Mikey hails from not too far away, and introduced us to  this beautiful place, and we have been partnering with his family on Labor Day every since.

The routine is similar almost every year. We usher in the cooler temps, take a pontoon out on the Fulton Chain and eat hotdogs and ice cream until our heart’s content.

In the beginning, we had no kids, and this trip was a way to reconnect and recharge. Now, we still use it to reconnect, but we get the added joy of watching our kids explode with joy (and they almost do literally explode).

I can’t imagine a better weekend to be in Old Forge, NY. The mornings can be in the 40’s and the days can reach the 80’s. The colors of the trees are starting to turn, and everyone in town is much like us, cheerful and in the long weekend mood.

Although Old Forge is not that large, it does have its own Amusement Park, Enchanted Forest Water Safari. The park is part dry rides/part wet rides, and we look forward to stopping in once a year.

However this year, we were so busy being hero’s, we nearly missed our opportunity. To go to the park on its last day of the season, we had decided to drive the boat into town, and that was lucky for a young couple who were apparently endeavoring on a self-guided beginners class on canoeing. As we were trolling down the river, we heard them capsize and as it turned out, neither could swim. Uncle Mikey and myself found ourselves lifting these people out of the water (with little help from them I might add) and onto the boat.

All ended ok, except it only left us about an hour to rush through the park. We attempted to negotiate hero pricing at the ticket counter, and I guess it kind of worked, because they let us in at half price, not too shabby.

Lucky for us and you, the reader, there was enough time for us to devour one of the most ingenious to-go food inventions of all time. I would say holding meat between two pieces of bread is probably the number one invention in this category that I just made up. And this is possibly number two.

The Walk-Away Taco.

Part of the genius is just how simple. After breaking up a bag of Doritos, you tear the side of the bag, and add meat…

cheese, lettuce, tomato, and in this case, some taco sauce.

Grab a plastic fork, and you are ready to walk away.

It is obviously delicious, and very convenient.

And we even managed to hit a couple of rides.

We adore our time with our extended family, and can’t wait until next year.