WILLIAMSBURG, VA. — History surrounds me in this cradle of America. Everywhere I look, the past looks back. Over there is where an Indigenous village thrived 7,000 years ago. A few metres away is where Revolutionary and Civil War battles were fought. On the spot I’m standing next to the James River is where Virginia’s first settlers made landfall and declared, “This is paradise!”

FORT BRAGG, CA. — In the tree canopy above our campsite, a group of silky black ravens are entertaining us. As the unofficial welcome crew at MacKerricher State Park tucked along the California coast, they are chattering on with their deep-throated croaks and caws. When they make a noise that sounds exactly like crashing bowling pins, we can’t help but smile in wonder.

BILOXI, MS — He’s a lifelong resident of the area, a well-known businessman, and current mayor of Biloxi. So, there aren’t too many people more qualified to speak to the tremendous growth and popularity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast than Andrew Gilich.

TOPPING, VA. — Travis Croxton sticks out his meaty, calloused hand and welcomes me with an enthusiastic emoji smile. His ruddy, boyish face makes him look much younger than his 40-something years. His attire — untucked pink and grey plaid shirt, faded blue jeans and worn sneakers — is not the usual uniform of a business tycoon. But then again, Travis Croxton is not your usual titan of business.

CHICAGO — My love for for this Windy City started more than a decade ago. The Magnificent Mile wooed me with its shiny, multi-level flagship boutiques and I was giddy with finds at Nordstrom Rack.

CHICAGO — During my inglorious days as a player in the Toronto Men’s Press League (women were welcome, by the way), I can’t recall ever being stationed out in left field.

SAINT HELENA, CA. — Visiting the Napa Valley just weeks after the October 2017 wildfires, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The news stories and footage still haunt me. People lost their lives. Wineries and homes had burned to the ground.

Long Beach, Wa. — We stand on a windswept grassy dune breathing in the heavy sent of saltwater. To our left, the Pacific Ocean crashes in a rhythmic drum against the long stretch of beach. In front of us is a wooden sculpture of three gray whales, carved barnacles and all. Perched above the ground, they seem to float into the grassy dunes, swimming northward to their feeding grounds.

ORLANDO, FLA. — Thanks to movie magic, we found out what toys do when the lights go out nightly — Pixar’s 1995 blockbuster film Toy Story spotlighted that for us. And now, thanks to Disney magic, we’re about to find out what it’s like to be a toy.

I look out on the savanna that spreads out below my balcony and admire the morning sun shimmering in the small pools created by an overnight rain.