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Published: June 26th 2008
“Adventure is a path. Real adventure - self-determined, self-motivated, often risky - forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind - and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” - Mark Jenkins
Currently Listening: M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas, & Lost Ghosts
Recently Listened To: Minus the Bear - Menos El Oso
Ronald Jenkees - Self-Titled
Reading: Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
Read Thus Far: The Road - Cormac McCarthy
Choke - Chuck Palahniuk
Lullaby - Chuck Palahniuk
The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman
Irresistible Revolution - Shane Claiborn
Ishamel - Daniel Quinn
My Ishmael - Daniel Quinn
The Holy - Daniel Quinn
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Shadow - Orson Scott Card
Killing Floor - Lee Child
Our stay in Columbia (Baltimore, D.C.) has been a wonderful stop sign to our journey thus far. We have been
staying with my Uncle Steve (and Heather, Pete, and Claire) and they have been most generous in their hospitality and time. On arrival, we ate pizza and general chit-chat led us into the evening. Throughout the last few days, we were able to see a section of the bay and enjoy the scientific wonders of the science center. Perused some stores and saw a small bite of Baltimore, "the country's angriest city." We have been able to sit down, enjoy some futbol, catch up on showers, laundry, eat some wonderful meals, all courtesy of our hosts. We plan on remaining here through the early weekend, long enough to see my grandparents (they fly in on friday. what a coincidence). Hopefully we can make it to a disc golf course nearby in the next few days, regardless we will thoroughly enjoy the remainder of our stay here.
We met up with another of Tim's friends just outside of Columbus, Ohio, near Springfield, and he was generous with his home as well, offering beds, drinks, and entertainment in the form of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (and select other dvds). We went disc golfing at a local course, which was fun as
usual. Then the road called us forward. We met up with Sarah, a friend of all of ours, who walked us through some of the most beautiful, natural settings I had seen in a long time. Fireflies dotting the ground and the sky in the moonlight, next to a lake with an orchestra of frogs and crickets to crack the omnipotent silence of the forest we were in. Outstanding.
Indianapolis greeted us with more friendly hospitality. Tim's friend Carson's family was inviting and generous and I found our time there relaxing. When we first arrived, we parked and headed into town, finding our different locations to settle until meeting up with our eventual host. The overall stay there was fun, including conversation, late nights, hooka, a movie, and plenty of food.
Chicago was the largest city I had experienced up to this point in my life. Rolling in, I was amazed at the span of buildings and the ensuing skyline. As fate would have it, we found a parking spot for the duration of our stay there, a bike ride out from the hub of the city. We never had to move and it served as an effective
base of operations. The adventures began when Ben and I decided to go on a late-night romp through the north city. What we didn't realize was distances on a map look a lot shorter than they actually are (without using the distance guide). Six miles later, we found our location, but were let down when the cafe not only had no outlets, but had no wireless (Wi-Fi hunting has become a subconscious activity for us at this point in the trip). Most of the time, coffeehouses will have a network, but after such a trek, it was quite disappointing (not to mention their $4/hr-minimum-per-person-after-9pm-rule). After backtracking some miles, we found a 24/7 Starbucks and made this our second base of operations. Millennium Park was amazing: a grass field with speakers on an overhang across the entire length, with a stage in front. The symphony was rehearsing over several days, acculminating in a free concert. Earlier, we had gone there to hang out in the late evening and happened upon some picnickers who were willing to give us their leftovers (which was more than the four of us could manage). A man named Parks came by and ate with us, told
us about himself and the city of Chicago. He ended up giving us more food than he ate, in the form of pre-cooked hot dogs. Four hit burn finished up the night (hacky sack) and we proceeded through a few more days in Chicago, including getting kicked off the streets for not having a busking permit, almost giving someone a ride east, and snagging a traffic cone, courtesy of the Chicago traffic system. I also was able to get my bike fixed i Chicago, which was quite the relief.
In St. Louis, we visited some of Tim's friends and hooked up a parking spot behind their place. Several days and bike rides later, St. Louis had shown itself to be a captivating city. While here, we were on our way to the St. Louis Zoo (free) when I noticed a rabbit crossing the street. Dodging, scampering, he cut his way through the traffic, but must've failed to judge his own momentum, for he ran his head into the curb. This threw the rabbit into shock and it somersaulted, rolled, attempted everything it could to continue it's path into the bushes, but was proceeding in nothing of the sort. Once
it settled down, apparently unable to use its hind legs, I picked it up and set it down in a protected area of bushes. It didn't move and I concluded the situation to shock, like if I had ran into a brick wall. I would not be dead and my legs would not be injured, yet a splitting headache and loss of balance would ensue. After the zoo, we rode back by the location and the rabbit was gone.
I won't talk about the zoo much, but I will throw my concept of a zoo out there. I have nothing against zoos, yet I find myself miserable when I am there. Like animals are a sideshow for us, a means for us to show our dominance of the planet earth. "Look what we can catch!" All the children everywhere, amazed at the animals, walking right up to the glass of a jaguar, a hippo, a bear. Some things about animals are all too human and frankly, you can see it in their eyes. I don't believe that all the animals should be released back, because they wouldn't know what to do in a wild setting. But I don't think we
Sights
Back of creepy child projection.need to create a library of live animals. Caged and fed. You could almost believe that an alien race has us caged and fed on the earth for observation. In which case, I hope they intervene soon because we are hastily bleeding the planet dry.
We played disc golf on an amazing course, through countless trees and foliage. It was here that I found a driver that works very well for me. The scenery was beautiful and it is currently my favorite course, although I have not played many. I plan on working with disc golf and getting better, learning more about the game, and hopefully entering some tournaments. At which point in time, I might try traveling to and fro to experience other tournaments courses. Keeping in mind, beside the discs, disc golf is free (rarely do you find a course/park that makes you pay). So feel free to give it a try if you have not already.
Denver was a short stay in which we met up with some more of Tim's friends, did some busking, some relaxing, and an overall neutral stop in my perspective. This stop was, in my mind, what we thought the trip
was going to be like. We came in and found a spot behind a Safeway. We had mixed success busking, yet we met up with a guy named Dan who played an amazing blues guitar. We held a slow steady beat for him, while he went to town. It was a revival of my interest in the blues genre and I hope that one day, I can play an entertaining and passionate blues guitar. Colorado Springs was a brief stop to see some of Tim's friends (yep, more of them) who graciously offered us dinner and we moved forward.
No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow. ~Lin Yutang
Personal thoughts:
This quote (along with the first one) ring very true for me. On this trip, I set out to discover things about myself, about what I wanted to do with my future, what I wanted to accomplish, the person I wanted to mold into. Some of these things came to fruition within the first three weeks of the trip, while others may take longer than the trip implies. Regardless, we have come
to the conclusion that the trip will not take as long as we thought it would. I thought this early on in the trip and now, after we discussed the topic, we will be coming home sometime during the month of September (in all likelihood).
In dealing with traveling, I have come to understand that the way we are traveling is not the way I would like to travel in the future. I want to enjoy the locale, sit down and eat somewhere, buy some odd or end. I do not yearn for luxury, yet I do not pine for poverty. Casual travel. I plan on utilizing this in the future. By no means do I not want to travel and I plan on traveling as often as I can with whoever, but under different terms than this trip provides. In all this, the trip is going well and I am learning much that would not have been possible otherwise.
When I return, I plan on starting up weekly visits and donations to the homeless downtown, including blankets, socks, shoes, and sandwiches (and conversation). Other things may make themselves available and that will be wonderful. Before I left on
the trip, I did not do much to help other people and that is the first thing I plan on changing. I hope to find out where homeless live (outside of the rescue mission and other organizations) such as bridges and alleys. This does also include donations to the boise rescue mission. If anyone would like to contribute to this fund, donate whatever it is, let me know:
samhall_@hotmail.com
You can reach me there for anything you want to talk about, whether it's the trip, music (i love talking about music =] ) donations, future plans, the blog, stories, etc. Whatever it is, let me know. (if you are involved in disc golf at all, let me know and we can hit the courses sometime. or let's just talk disc golf.)
I plan on selling most of the things I own, to simplify my life and get rid of excess. I know what influences me, the things i enjoy and don't, and I want to reflect that for myself. These are the two changes I want to make most of all in my life. Help others and get rid of excess. It does not take much to be
happy, and so long as i'm helping others and doing things that I enjoy, I think that will keep my life on lockdown.
As for education, I do not see myself returning to college in the near future. I have doubts and concerns towards the system and would rather stay out of it awhile. It doesn't take a degree to help people and I do not see myself using a degree for whatever its use would be. Daniel Quinn did a great job of laying out some issues with our education/societal system in his book "My Ishmael". Be sure to read "Ishmael" first, but I recommend both books highly. If I don't enjoy math, then I should not need to take a math class. I do not enjoy school, I do not have a good time there. So at this point in time, why should I go? Later in my life, perhaps an opportunity will present itself where I want to go to school. For the near future, I don't see it as an option. If you want to talk more about this, send me an email! I'd love to get some feedback.
When I get back, I plan
on getting an apartment and a paper route and enjoying life while helping those that could use it. When summer comes around, snag a job firefighting. Proceed with my love of poker, and just see where all of this takes me. Read, write, play music.
From Columbia, MD, I say goodnight. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King awaits. Take care everyone and I look forward to some emails! =]
Postscript: Enjoy the pictures!
-Sam
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TGNS
The Great Northwest Secession
This post ...
puts all others to shame! Good show!