Another Great Adventure

I drove all the way from Keene to Chicago in one long day of driving on Monday, May 11. I chose to do this because I wanted to spend Mother's Day with (obviously) my Mom. In the past few weeks while at home, I was struggling with some tough news of some friends and it had put me in a pretty sad place. My mom was the strongest person to help me deal with it and was constantly giving me hugs and trying to keep me upbeat. It was hard to say goodbye and thus why I prolonged my stay in Keene until the very last possible day.

I also needed one last late night Keene State College Urban Assault, and to invent breakfast with Katie, Erik and Will. Long story, but it involved crashing KSC Graduation Parties, Searching for "Jacki" and ended with a ragingly hungover breakfast at the Stage that included one still intoxicated Shelby, a few delicious Bloody Marys, and then a hike to Goose Pond for some quality Jethro swim time. I pretty much packed most of my favorite Keene things into one lovely day.

The drive to Chicago was 16 hours. Luckily I had beautiful weather as I crossed the Vermont hills early in the morning. I was in a pretty good mood, and welcoming a new change in my life that I have high hopes for. I also couldn't wait to see Manuel and Colt again in Chicago. I love spending time with them, they make me laugh and keep me on my toes.

After a much needed two night stay in Chicago, and a visit with Mary Welch and her boyfriend, I picked up my new roommate Felesha and we headed out of town in the direction of Minneapolis, MN to meet up with Tia, my long time friend since high school whom I will be living with in Montana. Luckily she did her homework on things to do for the rest of the road trip because the next few days were filled with adventure and sight seeing as well as many laughs.
First we went to downtown Minneapolis and walked around the outdoor mall, and had some lunch at the Newsroom.
Then we went to the Frank Gehry designed Weisman Art Museum. It is located on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus and is free to the Public. They are currently holding an exhibit on a Vietnamese Women's Art Collection.


Next on the list was the stunning Cathedral of St. Paul. The interior of this space is breathtaking, the photographs do not do it justice and I truly feel that it is hard to capture the magnitude of it without experiencing it firsthand. I will be adding photos of this place once I get them up on my computer.

I rode the first rollercoaster in many years at the Mall of America.

Early in the morning on Friday, we headed towards and across South Dakota. After a very long day of driving we finally reached the Badlands National Park. Badlands is located just east of Rapid City, SD and surprises you with its' sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires after a long and arduous drive through miles of prairies.





We decided to call it a night in a cabin just outside of Custer, SD. The next day would be filled with Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills in the morning, and then a long 14 more hours of driving to Whitefish, MT. If you ask me, Rushmore is cool, but don't waste your money on the park. Instead take a drive through Norbeck Scenic Byway, it loops through tunnels, over bridges through the Needles, and offers many of fascinating views of Mount Rushmore. I promise there is little to leave you disappointed here.

We made a quick stop to Devil's Tower, although we didn't get all the way to it because it was pretty far out of the way. What a strange yet intriguing place.

We got to Whitefish at 3:00a.m. all three of us thoroughly exhausted. I need a couple of days to recover before posting more on Montana, but good things to follow.

Forever Onward

Where would you want to wake up tomorrow?

Fifty People, One Question: London from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.

in the Caribbean.
with peace of mind.
under a blanket of stars.
in the arms of the one I love.
in a day where my father is still alive.
to fresh waffles.
with a cure for Leukemia.
to a world without toxic chemicals, pollution or cars.
courageous.
to a cool breeze blowing through summer heat.
on a boat.
laughing.
in the comfort of my home.
surrounded by the people that make me who I am.
without debt.
with limitless knowledge.
happy. healthy.
alive.

coming soon...

I am about to move westward again. Next weekend I will actually be moving to Whitefish, Montana. I had gone there in February 2008 to visit a friend and look for jobs. I never did get offered a job and came back to New Hampshire. One thing lead to another, I got laid off, I ended up in Boston and then ended up taking a road trip. When I was there this past February, I fell in love with it all over again. I am very excited about living close to Glacier National Park, and basically at the bottom of a ski resort and close to some beautiful lakes.

I am driving through Chicago again, then on to Minneapolis where I will meet up with my future roommates and we will then embark on our road trip through South Dakota to see the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, and various other silly roadside attractions.

More adventure photos and stories abound. Wish me luck and better, come visit me!

Chicago, IL

or more like "Chica-GOD I LOVE YA!"

Spent the day walking around searching for inspiration in unusual places with Manuel. He happens to be one of my most inspired and inspiring friends. Not only do I have the most fun, but I also feel like my creativity level is heightened on spelunking adventures. Go read his blog Dear Diary.







I also spent a day with Manuels significant other Colt. Went to Millenium Park and saw the sculputres.




If you know anything about me, you know the importance of this ravishing sports car.

And I chanced upon a young lady named Leslie Hall, a champion Gem Sweater Crafter and Spandex Enthusiast. This is not a joke, moreover it is rib-ticklingly amusing. Check her videos out on youtube, but this one is my favorite

Various Locations, Colorado

I will come back to this later this week, but I need a place holder for sequence sake.

Jackson, WY

I drove south from Montana to Jackson, Wyoming where a handful of my friends from Colorado State live. It also just so happened to be my friend Kolby's birthday party on Saturday. I brought about 10-12" of fresh snow to Jackson and luckily got to borrow a pass and ski all day on Saturday with my favorite traveling companion, Cherene, who I went to the Caribbean with a few years ago.

Jackson Hole was quite possibly the best day of skiing I have ever had. in. my. life. But it is steep, with only 10% of the trails being beginner trails, so be ready to be challenged and have a blast. And yes, I did take a ride on the new tram. It holds 100 people and gets you to the blustery cold summit in 9 minutes. I've heard a rumor that it is the first tram built in 20 years.

I also met a kid who went on Semester at Sea with one of my oldest friends and his girlfriend. That was a trip.

Whitefish, MT

I spent a little over a week with my friend Tia in Montana. I got there just in time for her birthday, she probably would have murdered me if I didn't, but she also celebrated her birthday for about 2 weeks.


I got in a few good days of skiing up there with some fresh snow on the trails. Usually Big Mountain is surrounded in fog, so getting good pictures is a little challenging. Thanks to google image I can basically get a decent photo of anything I want.

If you ever find yourself on Big Mountain on a Wednesday afternoon for a little apres ski action, go to the Bier Stube for "Freebird." A weekly event hosted by the Big Mountain Ski Patrol in which the most embarrassing stories and activities of the week are presented and a winner is chosen. Best of all, they give out free beer for about an hour.

I love it there. I think I have decided that I am moving there this summer and hopefully will work doing trail crew or SOMETHING. There aren't any jobs available anywhere so I am not exactly looking for a design job right now. When I got to Whitefish I started to think about what I might do in the next couple of years and it seems like the perfect opportunity to join SCA or Americorps. I'm still contemplating all of this.