CLEVELAND ROCKS! THE GREAT OHIO ADVENTURE

"CLEVELAND ROCKS, CLEVELAND ROCKS, CLEVELAND ROCKS!  OHIO!!" -The great words of The Presidents of the United States band...and Drew Carey.

 

Not only does that song totally rock  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vl5FWUMnNM but so does the actual city of Cleveland, Ohio.

The first impression when I entered into Cleveland, my only stop in Ohio unfortunatley, can pretty much be summed up by saying I was uncontrolably smiling! The city has these amazing structures all over downtown and there is so much to see. The city is right along the coastline of Lake Erie and that is just as beautiful as seeing a big blue ocean.

 

 

Go Browns!

 

Of course I had to see the famous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So I drove to the coast where a giant glass pyramid was standing gloriously in the morning light. There I was. Rock Hall.

I really wish I could have lots of pictures of the things I saw inside. From punk rock to motown, there were famous artist's guitar's, letters and musical notes and lyrics writen on paper by musicians, clothing worn by Janis Joplin, Michael Jackson, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, etc. It was an amazing sight to see so much history from so many generations. I loved seeing the evolution of music and how that effected our societal culture. It's like looking back in time and seeing why you feel the way you do about love and rebellion and joy and sadness. I saw incredible happenings in musical history, such as the telegram to Sid Vicious' mother informing her that her son had died and the declaration by a memphis governer declaring Elvis Presley day to be February 25, 1961.

I love history. And I love music. I don't really know anyone who doesn't. To see the various forms of Rock and Roll from the 1950's on is to see a part of American culture. Whoever said American's don't have culture wasn't really looking.

Johnny Cash's Tour Bus

Joan Jett's first car/ 1983 Jaguar XJ-S

 

Giant hot dog that Phish rode in on at concerts!

 

Eddie Van Halen drum set

 

I had a great time visiting this place! I wish I could have taken more photos but cameras were not allowed through each floor due to the museums contracts with artists. So...I guess you will all just have to take your own trip to Cleveland and see for yourself! Have fun and live a little!

I feel like photos are worth a thousand words, so I think I've given you enough to think about. If you want an adventure, take it. If you think you can't live greatly like these amazing artists, start rethinking. We hold musicians to this unrealistic view of basically Superman/woman. Truth is, we can all do great things with practice, persistance and a little bit of creativity! The degree which you do these things is the only difference between say Les Paul and yourself.

Lovin' my adventures!

"I wanna rock!"

~K.P.~

 

AMAZING MICHIGAN! ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE PARTS OF MY JOURNEY!

I adore Michigan!

My first stop was the small town of Hart where my mother's childhood neighbor, Linda, and her husband lived. They took me in for the weekend and fed me and gave me tours throughout the small beach towns in their area. I can't thank them enough!
Hart is a very rural area with cherry crops, asparagus crops, peaches, corn, and cattle. Apparently 90% of their cherry crops were wiped out by frost this year. Thanks a lot mother nature for ruining those juicy Michigan-grown cherries for us!
These beaches we visited were only really something I can imagine to be in Michigan. The plant life gives the area a whimsical feeling and the lake, although it looks pretty much like the ocean because of how large it is, is really just a large lake. The world always surprises me. We all should remember when we get stuck in our own little worlds and worries that there is something bigger out there for us. There is always something beautiful to see, and something amazing to be doing. We just have to find it.

Beachside Dreams

 

After exploring the beach towns, Linda remembered where my grandparents first met and decided to take me there to see it. In a little town called Manistee, my grandfather got his first teaching job in a old red-brick school house. Luckily, my grandmother just so happened to be working there as a receptionist at the time. The rest is history. The school house is closed down now but it was still an amazing feeling to be standing right at the place where it all started. They met, fell in love, and I have to thank the fates because that is why I'm here today. My grandfather passed away when I was still very young so I don't have too many memories of him. But I hear he was a great man. He flew airplanes in WWII. My grandmother, who passed away when I was in middle school, was an awesome person! She spoiled me and my brother like crazy and was the kindest woman I've ever known. I kept hearing about her being a free spirit and how she used to smoke cigars and didn't care what anyone thought of it!

The Old School House where my grandparent's first met

The next stop was the city of Grand Rapids. Now, after visiting this place I could definitely see myself moving there. At least for the summers! There was so much going on and everyone seemed to be out for a good time. I just so happened to be there the week of Rock the Rapids, a huge concert festival. The day I came into the city I stopped at a bar called The Bob http://www.thebob.com/ . I heard there that a concert was going on that night, so I decided to check it out and see if I could get tickets. It was country music star Miranda Lambert, also featuring her band Pistol Annies. I met a girl that offered to sell me a ticket to the show. I figured, "why not"! While I was in the crowd I just so happened to run into the same girl that sold me my ticket. She told me her name was Whitney and we decided since we were both alone we would hang out together for the concert. The concert was fun and Miranda Lambert was energetic. I didn't listen to country stations enough to know the words to her songs, but I did recognize a lot of them that I liked. And the Pistol Annies had some great songs that I now love!

Pistol Annies (far right, Miranda Lambert)

After the concert Whitney asked if I'd like to check out the bars with her. So we proceeded to have one of the funnest nights I've had so far on this trip. We drank and literally danced down the streets singing that Call Me Maybe song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWNaR-rxAic . Whitney thought this would be a good thing to sing to guys to pick them up. And of course, most of the guys we sang this to sang it right along with us. Fun town! To my extreme luck, Whitney offered a sofa for me to sleep on instead of in my car for the night. So I spent two nights NOT in a car. Thank you Whitney!

Whitney and I

 

The next night we went downtown to the bars to see who was playing at Rock the Rapids this night. I have to admit I would have much rather gone to this concert but if I hadn't have gone to the Miranda Lambert one, I wouldn't have met Whitney and wouldn't have had a place to stay. So everything worked out just fine. But Shinedown, Staind, and POD were playing this night and they sounded amazing! The concert was outdoors so it could be heard from all around the downtown area. We ended up seeing this guy that Whitney knew that said some of the members of the band were supposed to be showing up at the bar and he could get us into their VIP section. Needless to say I was EXTREMELY excited about this. We drank, met new and interesting people, and had a fabulous time. The actual band members never showed up by the time we were ready to leave, but some of Shinedown's and Staind's guitar and drum technicians were there. And they still pretty much looked like rockstars with all the girls and booze around them!

Another amazing thing we did that night was go to this huge courtyard filled with people swing dancing. Apparently they did this every Tuesday in the summers and they were going for the Guinness world record of most people swing dancing in an area, or something along those lines. The energy was so contagious there! It was one of those times that I really wished I knew how to swing dance. One of Whitney's friends took it upon himself to teach me a few basics and I was getting it down and having some fun practicing. Another guy asked if I'd ever been flipped before. I said no and he proceeded to have me jump up and flip over his arm backwards! The rush was amazing! And now, I've decided that I'm taking swing lessons. Done.

Swing Dancing!!

Another great night in Grand Rapids!

It was then on to my mother's childhood neighbor Ray's place in Somerset. Ray and his wife took great care of me and we went out for dinner to get some amazing tasting BBQ and talk about the good old days when my mom and uncle were younger. Ray and his wife lived in a beautiful little lake community. It was so peaceful there. We took a ride in Ray's boat and he reminised about my family and what it was like growing up for them. After hearing some of the stories, growing up in the 60's sounded like so much fun I almost wished I could see what my mom was like back then and hang out with all of them!

I had so much fun on this journey through Michigan and I met so many kind people that didn't think twice about helping me out. I know that I will definitely be coming back for more fun times with new friends and relaxing scenery on lake-side beaches.

Thank you to everyone who made this a great trip!

~Kelsey P.~

Manistee on Dwellable

THE CRUISE ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN

Hello Michigan!

I've always loved Michigan. I used to come here to visit my grandparents and other relatives and friends from my mother's side of the family. I have a lot of great memories here, including catching lightning bugs, learning to ride my tricycle, and exploring my grandparent's house and yard.

So I've finally made it back once again! The car ferry went from Manitowoc, WI to Ludington, MI and took 4 hours to get across a 60 mile span of Lake Michigan.

The S.S. Badger

Weight: 6,650 tons displaced

7,000 total horsepower

Average speed of 18 mph

The ship had a movie lounge, concession stands, a gift shop and lots of great views. I went up top to watch the water and listened to the chugging of the ship and the splash of the water from below. It was so relaxing I actually fell asleep for a minute or two. Then I went into the movie lounge and was there for as long as I could stand it. The whole boat creaks from side to side and the lounge was in the middle of the ship with no windows so I was feeling a little strange to say the least.

When we finally arrived toward the harbor the sun was about ready to set and the water looked so clean I just wanted to jump overboard. But I decided against that.



I didn't think these fishermen were going to move over in time for our big 'ol boat to get through the canal! But they made it and gave us a wave.

When we finally came to the dock to tie up the ship, the workers at the bottom of the ship threw across rope and a wire line. A little boy standing next to me watching them do this looked over and asked his mother if that is how we got off the ship by walking across the wire. His mother replied that all the children on the boat had to get off this way. Of course I had a good chuckle at that!



And so I came into the great state of Michigan with a smile and a short drive to my next destination; my mother's childhood neighbor in Hart, Michigan.

~K.P.~

'Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." -N.D. Walsh

After first hearing this poem in 7th grade, this is still my favorite poem today. I feel it applying to this time in my life again and I just wanted to share it.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

HEY THERE CHEESEHEADS! WISCONSIN: FROM PACKERS STADIUM TO CUTE PORT TOWNS

Hello there WISCONSIN!

I didn't expect much out of this state. And I appear to always be mistaken since I started this trip. Wisconsin was actually one of the more interesting states I've been through so far!

After Canada I decided I was going to head to the car ferry in Manitowoc, WI that goes across Lake Michigan to Ludington, MI. So I drove through Minnesota once again and came to the boarder where the city of Duluth meets Superior, Wisconsin. Duluth was one of the coolest cities! All the houses looked like those old ocean port town houses from pictures.

Duluth

They had a beautiful park filled with flowers and a path that went down to the shoreline of Lake Superior. So I decided that I would stick my foot in the water to prove that I was there and I could say that I've been in Lake Superior.

My foot in Lake Superior

Annnd....then I saw this...

What the heck is Coliform Bacteria?

And am I going to die??

If you are wondering, the answer is yes, I do embarrass myself quite often.

Anyway, I crossed into Wisconsin.

And drove until I couldn't drive anymore. I stopped in a little town called Rice Lake about a half hour north of the city Eau Claire. It was the first time I had to sleep in my car on this trip and it really wasn't that bad. It was even kind of cozy. Like a small cave. I never felt unsafe because it was a small town and I parked under a street light and camera in a Walmart parking lot.

The next morning I got up and drove to Green Bay. The land is mostly farm land. There are more trees than South Dakota, but there was more dairy farms and crop land than anything else. This is where a majority of your dairy comes from America! As I was driving I saw signs for the crossing of Amish horse drawn wagons. Now that's something I'd never seen before!

When I arrived in Green Bay, the city actually kind of reminded me of my hometown in Colorado (Pueblo) because everything appeared to be pretty spread out. After a while of being lost down the many streets I finally started to get the hang of it and could navigate my way through that part of the city pretty well. I went to a Starbucks and decided I'd stop to look up what there was to do in the city. It just so happens I was only a couple of blocks away from Lambeau stadium, which is the home of the Green Bay Packers football team. I decided to go there and check it out.

Packers were the first football team

I called my dad to tell him where I was and I couldn't pronounce the name of the stadium. Of course I got in trouble for that! Ha! Hey, I'm not really a football kind of girl. Little did I know it was his second favorite team, I'm assuming Broncos are number 1?, so I got him a shirt.

I got to see the inside enterance. Unfortunatly, by the time I got there the tours for the field were about ended. But everything else was pretty interesting too!



I shopped around in the gift shop area and read all the fun facts around the building about the history of the team. I have never been a Packers fan, but they definately have an interesting history. The man that started the team and had a hand in forming the National Football League, Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau is a football legend and there was many things there to commemorate him.

Lambeau

Vince Lombardi (Head Coach)

It was all really interesting to see and you can feel the all that history and importance of the stadium when you walk into it. I went to the restaurant on the second floor called Curly's Pub and finally got to order some famous Wisconsin cheese curds and leinenkugels beer.

So yummy!

I spent the night in Green Bay in another Walmart parking lot and then headed out the next morning for the car ferry in Manitowoc.

Now Manitowoc is a cute little port town. I drove in a pretty heavy rain to get there and the rain didn't let up until about noon. So I went to a little coffee shop on Main street and looked up different states and what they had to offer for my trip. I love rainy days when you have nothing to do but stare out at the overcast sky with a hot coffee in your hand and a comfy sweatshirt to wrap yourself up in. Ah, I'm almost craving fall. Almost.

The little coffee shop I stopped in (green)

Manitowoc, WI







A haunted house on Main street that was closed. Good rule #6 and so true!

I explored parts of downtown and then it was time to get to the ferry. So I said goodbye to Wisconsin and headed toward the ship for the next adventure!

The S.S. Badger



Michigan here I come!

~K.P.~



WHEN LIFE'S GOT YOU DOWN, PICK YOURSELF BACK UP. NO ONE ELSE WILL.

We constantly are making the decision whether to be happy or not, to make the most of our situations or to feel sorry for ourselves. I am feeling very lucky to be who I am at this moment. I know that in some people's eyes I may look lost, but I kind of like it that way. After college you are supposed to get a respectable or high paying job and that just never happened for me. Truth is, I'm not a very career-minded person. If career happens to fall under something I like to do than sure, okay, I might end up being career oriented. For right now, being "lost" feels good. I'm exploring my options before I take a head-first dive into any one direction.

For a long time I was feeling bad about not having everything figured out. I felt sorry for myself and hated that I couldn't get it together like everyone else. And I was lazy in finding anything to go after. I was waiting for something to find me or for someone to tell me what to do with my life. Well, as it turns out, no one else is going to do the hard work for you. You have to pick yourself up and find something that you love. I guess that is what spurred on this trip. Knowing that if I just sat around waiting for some kind of big aha! moment, it would never come. I decided that I had to make some kind of drastic change. Hence, the freeing lifestyle of random and spontaneous travel.

Being houseless and jobless feels right at this moment for me. I'm having to depend on myself and at the same time I'm learning to trust that whatever I need will be given if it's really what I need. I never have the fear of going hungry or not finding a place to lay my head (even if it is my car). For example, during a trip to Belize me and my travel companion were going to sleep in a tent on the beach during our first night we got into the country. Well we ended up meeting some very nice people on a small bar along the beach and got to talking and laughing and drinking. We told them our plans and they insisted that we stay with them in their spare bedroom in the condo next door. We accepted. That night, there was a huge storm that passed through that probably would have blown our tent away. So it just goes to show that life will give you what you need if you just have faith that it will. 

There. That's all I have to say about that.

Ambergris Caye, Belize

~K.P.~

OH CANADA! Sioux Narrows Adventures

Well as I said before and I'll say it again...I'm a rebel. On my American tour I decided to visit another country. But I've never been before so I HAD to! So now I guess it's a North American Tour. Sounds good to me.

I started the journey to the north from Rochester, MN and continued until farmland became forest. Now I'm a sucker for mountainous areas, so the drive was very peaceful and a happy one for me. I came to International Falls where I crossed into western Ontario, Canada. I made sure to get gas before I crossed, but it was still crazy expensive. I should have known that a trip made in summer would result in major financial losses because of gas prices.
Anyway, I always get nervous crossing boarders. Not that I have anything to hide, but all the questions they ask you (where are you going, who are you going to see, why are you here) is so nerve-racking! I'm always thinking if I don't answer fast enough or sound normal enough than they are going to send me to a prison cell around back. Yah, paranoid.

I'm happy to announce however, that I made it across with no problems.

So I drove an hour and a half through beautiful country up to a place called Sioux Narrows to visit my friend's parents who have a lakeside home.

The Lakeside Home

Looking out into the lake is like seeing a vivid dream. It was so amazing to be there. That is when I really felt like I was on vacation. The home looked out toward miles and miles of calm waters and beautiful homes. What I wouldn't give to have this be one of my summer homes someday! I jumped into the lake off the docks and enjoyed sunny days and beautiful sunsets.

View from the deck

A happy Kelsey!

My hosts were so great to be with and they fed me well and made sure I had everything I needed to have a great time. And I did! We went fishing one day and I put the line in for about 30 seconds and caught my first fish of the day. In the two hours we were out on the lake I had caught 9 fish! Everyone in the boat pretty much caught the same amount or more as well. Definitely a great day for fishing!

One night I had a hard time sleeping because I heard a large animal rumbling around in the bushes next to my window. Now, this window was somewhat old and very thin. I didn't trust it to keep back a bear that's for sure! So I didn't get a whole lot of sleep that night, but it might have been a deer. Nighttime imagination is never very trustworthy.
A couple of times I went swimming off of the dock in the clean water and sometimes I just sat by it and watched all of the boats and people headed off to the distant parts of the lake. Oh yes, the lake must have been a hundred miles long. It was never ending! Little islands were dotted everywhere and we even named fishing holes after ourselves.

I was told that we were going to visit the zoo in town. So I asked how much it would be to get in and apparently it was free. Now I'm not sure what kind of zoo is free but maybe the Canadian government pays for it. I didn't know. Well, here are some pictures of this "zoo".

The city landfill could definitely be conceived as a zoo! Two big bears just scrounging around for their food in the dump was quite an interesting sight. I couldn't believe the guy working directing cars where to go was that close to them everyday and it never fazed him at all.

This out-of-country trip was so worth the drive! I loved every peaceful and interesting minute of it.

Thank you Durkin family!

~K.P.~

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