"I am continuing non-stop... to save my soul."

Bernard Moitessier was a French sailor. In 1968 he was competing in the Golden Globe Race, an individual around-the-world yacht race. He was nearing the end of the race and was about to win first place when he decided to change course. He wrote a note, put it in a film canister and used a slingshot to throw it onto a freighter he passed. The note said "I am continuing non-stop toward the Pacific Islands because I am happy at sea, and perhaps also to save my soul."

This may be the most beautiful story I've ever heard. Moitessier followed his instincts, ignored the expectations of others, and chose to live the rest of his life doing what he loved. I hope to have the same kind of insight in my own life.

I began this blog more than a year ago to document the adventures I was bound to have (and did have) while I was studying abroad in the spring of 2010. Well, I didn't post anything. I didn't even write in my journal while I was there. I was so happy and content and eager to experience anything and everything that I didn't take the time to slow down and reflect on where I was and what I was doing. It's been nine months since I have been stateside and I have had plenty of time to reflect now.

After a few months of post-study abroad depression and a minor crisis of what to do next now that, at 21, I had achieved my life's goals (or so I thought) I've decided that life isn't about the grand adventures but the happiness you can find in the everyday. It is a cliché but the thing about clichés is that they are usually true. I refuse to just make it through the days between the big trips I have planned. It is time I find adventure in everything and this time I will stop and reflect upon it. It's easy to appreciate your blessings when you're sitting on a crowded airplane headed to the unknown, but it takes a little more work to be content sitting on the couch sipping a cup of tea. It is here that I will take the time to appreciate the pleasures in my life, I will create my own opportunities, and embrace the adventure in everything...

I will continue non-stop to save my soul!

Rockys and Rodeos

I want to start off by saying that Colorado is the most beautiful state I have visited. Everything there is perfect! Snow capped mountains, lush green valleys, lakes, rivers, cowboys... basically everything is just awesome! We only stayed a day, but believe me, it was enough time for me to be hooked for life! I will definitely be going back for a longer period of time... and hopefully soon!

I can't get over that people actually live there and get to see the Rocky Mountains on a daily basis! There is definitely nothing like it in Illinois to compare it to. And even for those of you who hiked with me at Philmont in New Mexico, it doesn't compare. However, I would have rather hiked it than drive the route we drove!

Rocky Mountain National Park

In Rocky Mountain National Park the drive to one of the peak (which is not the highest one in the park) was deathly! I felt like we were corkscrewing up the mountain (which is probably what were doing) with about five inches between our tires and falling off the mountain! My mother was extremely scared and even though I tried to seem unphased it took everything inside of me to not think about what it would be like rolling off the mountain trapped in a car. But luckily everything turned out perfect and we all arrived safe and sound!

From the parking lot, there was a short hike up the the peak at 12,005 ft, which is the highest I have ever been (yet). The view was amazing but I wasn't as blown away as I have been in the past on other hikes. I think the reason I was in want of a stronger emotion was because I had driven up to the top instead of climbing it. There seems to be a larger sense of appreciation and awe when you take the time, exert energy, and sometimes struggle to the top. In my previous hikes there has always been at one point the feeling that I couldn't go any further, and then I would and the view made the effort worth it.

I understand the necessity for these roads up to peaks in the National Parks. The parks need to be accessible to every type of person in order to be saved, but it almost leaves a bitter sweet taste in my mouth. We need to preserve these areas from development but in order to do so we need to develop them. Of course there are miles and miles of undeveloped land in the park and its that area that I want to explore and appreciate. One day I'll go and backpack the different trails in the park. Maybe I'll follow in the footsteps of Isabella Bird, whose series of letters, A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains, I am currently reading. You should check it out, this lady is pretty amazing!

Rooftop Rodeo

OK, so our trip so far has been a little touristy, but it's kind of hard to avoid that when you only have a day to spend in one place. A few years ago when my brother and my father were out here they went to the Rooftop Rodeo and insisted that we go. They didn't have to do much to convince me, what girl doesn't love a cowboy... or two? I've never been to a rodeo but after going to this one I'm pretty sure I've missed my calling in life, I want to be a cowgirl!

The rodeo started off with a few women (and some girls, I think the youngest was 13!) doing tricks on horses. It was absolutely incredible! The horses were circling the rodeo at speeds that made it hard for me to even capture them on my camera and the women were standing, swinging, flipping, and hanging on their horses. One girl rode perpendicular to her horse and all I could think of was "wow her core has got to be rock solid!" If any woman is trying to loose weight and is sick of crunches, ride a horse like that for a few seconds a day and I bet your stomach will be as flat as can be! I can just see the new Hollywood exercise fad: StripAerobics will be replaced with Cowgirl Calisthenics.

Anyway, the rest of the rodeo was pretty sweet. I wish I knew what all the events were called, I should have bought a program, but there were cowboys riding bucking horses bareback and some with saddles. Then there was calf wrestling where a man on a horse rode out chasing a calf, would jump off and wrestle the calf to the ground and pin it on its back. I know it sounds horrific, but really it wasn't. The rodeo cared so much for their animals, almost more than the cowboys. I always thought that in order to make the horse or bull buck they put a strap, like a spiked choke chain, in front of their hind legs but in actuality it is a leather strap lined with sheepskin to slow them down. Apparently horses can't be forced to buck and they have to be trained to do that. The strap slows them down in order to keep it safer for the rider and the instant the rider is thrown off two other men on horseback in the ring ride alongside the bucking horse and slip the leather strap off. The horse knows instantly to stop bucking. The funniest event however was the sheep riding event for the little kids! About twelve 5 to 8 year olds were put in padded leather vests and a helmet kind of like a catchers mask and each one laid stomach down on the back of a sheep and held on for dear life! I'm not sure how the scoring worked, whether it was whoever went the furthest or stayed on the longest or what but it was the funniest thing I had ever seen! I almost wished I was 6 years old so I could do it! The winner received the larges trophy I have ever seen, it was taller than the kid was! It was so cute.

Since the rodeo I have been on the hunt for a pair of cowboy boots. If I can't actually be a cowgirl at least I can dress like one!

Click on the album below for more pictures of my trip!:

Going West

No-braska

So I expected to tell you all tales of the super fun and exciting things I have done each day on my two week long trip out west, but that really isn't the case... at least not for the first day.

We set out on Saturday morning around 5am and headed toward Lincoln, Nebraska. The night before I had told a friend of mine, who used to go to school at the University of Nebraska, that I would be camping there but probably wouldn't be going into the city. She responded by saying "There's nothing to do there, even if you did go into the city". So I can't say I wasn't warned.

The drive was boring, at least for the parts I was awake for. I was, however, shocked to see so much corn!!! I thought we grew a lot in Northern Illinois but we have some catching up to do... or maybe Iowa and Nebraska needs to catch up to us?

We got to our campsite around 1:00, set up, ate lunch, and then walked around the grounds. There was a lake, but nowhere to swim so that was a downer. After about an hour or so of just laying around we thought "Hey! Let's go find a local ice cream spot!" Because what else are you going to do when you're bored than eat? Patrick searched for "ice cream" in our Garmin GPS and we began driving.

The local ice cream spot turned out to be someone's house. I guess you can't always trust a Garmin. We were still bored and still wanted ice cream so we figured why not try finding a Dairy Queen. Again we punched it into our Garmin, having not learned from the last experience, and began driving. This time the DQ happened to be a pile of dirt on the side of the road. It was at this point that we decided we would leave the camp ground and drive three miles further west that way we had more time to spend in Colorado the next day. At least we knew there would be something to do there!



Click on the album below for more pictures of my trip!:

Going West

The UP and the down.

In the last weekend in June I took a weekend trip with my two favorite girls - Allison and Bridget - to Wisconsin. On Friday we decided to spend the day in Marquette, MI in the U.P. and little did we know that day would be the best weather we would have the whole time. We had planned on boating all weekend but Mother Nature had other ideas. It was OK though because any time away with friends is a good time!

On the way to Marquette, we took the scenic route. We figured any time we lost we more than made up for with our surroundings. Let me tell you, winding expanses of road lined with thick trees is much nicer than the straight paths surrounded by cornfields that I'm used to! Even though the trip took about two hours, and we had just spent about six hours in the car the night before, I think we all enjoyed it.

Once we got up to Marquette, Allison showed us around her old stomping grounds. After laying out on the beach, and attempting to swim in the below freezing waters of Lake Superior, Allison suggested we go see Black Rocks. I was up for anything so we made our way to a different part of the lake. On the way there, Allison told us that tons of people jump off Black Rocks every day and of course me and Bridget were ready to do that too! Well, I was until we got there....

The rocks weren't that high, but they were high enough to freak me out. There were a few people there already so we decided to watch a few of them first, that way if they died we knew not to do it. The first girl I saw jump came back up for air once she hit the water and her nose was bleeding! I knew that if I jumped the same thing would happen to me. The nose bleeding didn't seem to phase Bridget though. That girl has balls! She walked right up to the edge and with a quick look over she took a deep breath and jumped! She wouldn't tell me how unbearably cold the water was because she knew if she did it would take me longer to jump... which was true.

Needless to say, Bridget jumped off and climbed back up a total of three times before I finally took the leap and this was only after Allison, Bridget, and other random people on the rocks encouraging me to jump. I think my favorite bit of encouragement came from Bridget "I swear to God, Teeny, if you don't jump I'm pushing you in... because I love you." That's friends for you!

Once I hit the water I couldn't believe how cold it was! I think I scared Bridget and Allison because my face must have looked like I was dying, and just as I said, my nose began to bleed, (Bridget actually jumped back in to help me, I guess that makes up for her previous comment) but really all I wanted to do was get out of the freezing cold water! At first I couldn't get a good grip because the rocks were so slimy but eventually, like a pro (haha not!), I climbed back up the rocks feeling so proud of myself!!!

I wish it hadn't taken me so long to jump, but at least I did it! But I don't think I would do it more than once, that water was WAY too cold!!!

Thanks girls I had a blast with you!!

Click album below for more pictures:

WisconsinMichigan Trip

A Lifetime of Adventure

My passion in life is travel. I can't get enough of it. I love everything about visiting a new place: the people, the culture, the history, the food, the attractions. I love all the planning that goes into traveling. I love packing!

I hate standing still, I always want to be doing something. My family says that that is my curse in life, but I think it's a blessing. I can't wait to be that 90 year old woman who tells stories of the time she camped with a Bedouin family in the desert or when she took a hot air balloon ride over the city of Stockholm and even stories of when she spent all day in the park down the road with her best friend. I don't know if I will ever do any of those things (well except the last one, I'm pretty sure I've done that ten times over) but I am excited for any opportunity that comes my way.

I may speak as if I am a fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants-act-first-think-later type of girl, but I'm not. I over analyze, constantly and I have fears that include: heights, water, and the dark. I'm sure if you speak to my closest friends they could point out a few more I'm not even aware of. I do, however, never try to pass up any opportunity I am given. It may take me an hour to decide to take the opportunity, but in the end I always do.

So here I will write about my lifetime of adventures. I have no idea what the future holds but I'm ready!