A good day for a hike

Let me begin by saying: I realize that the photos aren't showing up in my previous blog. Tech support is on its' way. Riiiight. Seriously though I will fix it as soon as I can steal Sarah's photos from her computer. Thanks for your patience. Who am I kidding, is anyone even still looking at this blog?

Yesterday I went for a hike up Big Mountain with Sarah and Joel. Sarah is my roommate from Kansas, Joel is just some kid who tags along a lot... just kidding. He is originally from Michigan. They are both doing a Physical Therapy clinical here in Whitefish. They both are in a PhD program for PT in St. Louis and have quickly become some great friends and entertaining partners in crime.

We dragged Tia's dog Kita along for the stroll. She loves being outside, and gets cross when she knows you are planning a trip out of the house without her. Besides, she gets into the bread left on the counter pretty often and we have taken a liking to giving her the nickname "Loaf."

When I came to Whitefish in February, I dabbled in some skiing here. One of the chairlifts is just a few paces from the front door of our house. When I rode the chairlift up the Mountain on a clear day, I was struck by how amazing the view is at the summit. You can see all the way to Glacier on the West, over the Flathead Valley and to Flathead Lake, and some days you can even see Blacktail Ski Resort.

Luckily all three of us had the day off yesterday and were itching for a good hike. The trail starts off doubling as an access road and traverse and winds back and forth over the ski trails. Once you get about a mile into the hike, you get to snowy trails that have a steep pitch at about 60 degrees. I guess we should have worn snowshoes!

The view is breathtaking at the top. We checked out the Summit House, sat and had a snack at Chair 1.

Still no bear sightings. Probably not such a bad thing considering we didn't have the bear spray. We joked that maybe Kita would be the appetizer, but then realized that since she is a speedy dog, she would probably just lead bears straight to us and we would become the tasty Grizzly snack. Still considering hucking a slab of meat off the porch one night to see what comes for it...

Yes, Please.

No, thanks.

West Shore Camping

My roommates and I, along with a few others, decided to go camping at West Shore State Park last weekend. Then went to the Wild Mile Rafting Festival in Big Fork, MT.

West Shore State Park is on Flathead Lake, the largest lake in the coterminous United States. It is the cleanest in the world for its' size and type. From the campsite in May, you look across the turquoise water of the lake at the still snow dusted Mission Mountains.

Felesha and I arrived in the afternoon and set up our campsites. Then scrambled down the cliffside to sit by the water and roam around the rocky shore.

We stayed up late by the fire and had a few beers and laughs. We got a little crazy drawing pirate facial hair on our faces with charcoal... Don't ask, I don't think we even know. But we did laugh until our abs were sore. 

The next morning we made an epic pan of scrambled eggs and headed to Bigfork Whitewater Festival.

There were SO many people there, and it was kind of hard to see the rafters. We ended up leaving after the "Expert Slalom" event because we were all pretty tired, thirsty and sunburned.

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.