Oh, the places you've gone! pt3

Made it back to Minnesota just in time to watch fireworks with my parents back home and catch the midnight premier of Twilight: New Moon? Eclipse? 

Quickly headed up to the North Shore, visiting Zack and Rachel and Kaleb at their place in Duluth. Spent time playing Apples to Apples and sitting on the shores of Lake Superior.

Since Kat and I moved out of 2210 before the trip west, I didn't have a house to come home to. Spent time between my parents' place and Adam's basement (where Kali chased mice in the night) for a few weeks before we found a nice place in Saint Paul. 

Largely, I spent time biking around Como Lake and Downtown, spending a lot of time finding hidden flower gardens and exploring the Mississippi River in St. Paul. 

Adam and I caught the fireworks alongside the Mississippi on the 4th of July in St. Paul. The streets along the river were jampacked with people and it took me about 10 minutes to parallel park my car, but the lights were very beautiful, especially with downtown as a backdrop.

In mid-July I finally experienced the glories of Zack's parent's cabin around Minong, Wisconsin. We indulged in many games of Hearts, drinks on the beach, homemade dinners, and walks through the woods. I must have took a hundred pictures of Kaleb (which are all super adorable and I should maybe post at sometime). Here are a couple:

With August came Kathleen's birthday and a foray into the northwoods to catch solarflares away from the city lights. While we, unfortunately, saw none, it was nice to get out of the city nonetheless.

Back up at ZRK's cabin for one last summer hurrah - a couple of days along the lake in the woods with a handful of psychedelics. Became aware of movement I never knew existed. Devoured the most succulent fruit. Became convinced I was immune to the wrath of bees and mosquitos. Stared at the floor of an outdoor tennis court for hours. Laughed and laughed and laughed, and experienced the worst headache and best shower I've ever had.

But then it was back to the real-world: school.

Oh, the places you've gone! pt4

But this semester was different! I was a HECUA student now! And I had an awesome internship! I was no longer dreading going to class - in fact I was excited. Our first week of class we spent time foraging wild plums, canoeing amongst wild rice on the Mississippi, eating fresh fruits and vegies from stems, vines, trees, and bushes. We followed cows to new pastures (literally) and heard stories around a bonfire.

Spent a good deal of time in Southwest Minnesota, walking vast fields of monocropped soybeans, canoeing the Minnesota River, and meeting some inspiring organic farmers.

I took part in 350 on 10/10/10 - an international day of climate movement and recognition. I woke up early and participated in a mass bike ride through St. Paul and Minneapolis to raise awareness of the event and talked to a whole handful of people about action around climate change and water justice.

Meanwhile, back in class, we discussed environmental justice and indigenous rights. As a class, we jumped in the vans and headed to White Earth Reservation where we met with activists from Honor the Earth.

After a long day of eye-opening discussion we spent the night playing hide&seek in a total-northwoods ski lodge. 

Epic hiding spot in the elevator (Photo nabbed from Kayla Wolfe via Facebook).

Meeting with White Earth DNR.

Had class in a Wind Turbine! (Photo taken by Kevin Karner)

All too quickly came our last HECUA field trip - one last foray in southwest Minnesota.

We crossed the great windy plains, dotted with wind turbines and spent the night in a former school for the blind in South Dakota. We woke up early to make it to Earthrise Farm (above) and Moonstone Farm outside of Montevideo. Due to such a huge class size, a handful of us spent the night on the farm of a man who KILLED A BEAR WITH AN AXE and stalked and killed a deer with a knife. No big deal, or anything.

After one nerve-racking final presentation, HECUA was done.

But the snow was just beginning to pile up.

And just like that... I was ready to get in the car and go again!

Oh, the places you've gone!

While I feel like 21 has come and gone so quickly, stepping back I realize that I have done so much in my 21st (technically 22nd) year. Looking through pictures, I'm reminded of places I've been, things I've seen, and all that I've experienced.

For my own sake, I thought I'd document the places I've been in the past year with a super-mega-picture post. Hurrah!

Much of the early part of my 21st year was spent in in Adam's bedroom, playing with our new kitten Kalisti and killing zombies in Left 4 Dead 2.

Or in Kathleen's basement watching Life.

Adam and I bought a new camera in spring, heading outdoors and taking lots of pictures everywhere we went.

In May, I packed everything I owned into a storage shed in the north suburbs, effectively moving out of the fire-hazardous 2210 in mpls and preparing for a month and a half on the road.

 

Starting in South Dakota, we crossed the Badlands on a windy day. Buffalo, prairie dogs, and wildflowers ran rampant in the prairies. On the bare rocky cliffs, I almost fell to my death when my foot slid on lose rocks while hugging rock walls.

In Colorado, we climbed up into the Rocky Mountains by car, stopping occasionally to take scenic pictures around mountain lakes. This was the first times I got a chance to take the grandeur of the Rockies in.

The western side of the Rockies led us to stunning desert wildflowers and the National Parks of Utah - stepping foot for the first time in Arches, Bryce Canyon, and Zion (where the above pictures were taken). While all three parks are located near each other in southern Utah, they are all fantastically different. Admittedly, I was surprised that Utah could be so breathtaking.

The red rock deserts of Nevada were strangely enchanting. At the end of May, the blistering heat had not yet reached the Valley of Fire. As the sun began to set and the moon began to rise, I found myself surrounded by petroglyphs from thousands of years past. While nightfall found us around a campfire cooking dinner surrounded by desert stars.

After a somewhat drunken evening in Vegas, we camped in the Santa Ana Mtns. Admittedly, I dreamed of serial killers attacking us in our secluded forest camping spot, but Adam played guitar and chased all those bad thoughts away. By the next morning it was home-sweet-home: the ocean.

Returning to Oceanside, California we soaked up the waves and all the delicious food from the farmers market. Our stay by the water was brief; as we had an urge to see new things we headed inland towards the tall, tall trees.

 

Looking up at General Sherman, the largest tree in the world!

In Sequoia Nat'l Park, we climbed up to Moro Rock - Sequoia's equivalent of Yosemite's Half Dome. By the time we reached the top, out of breath and shaking from our fear of heights, the sun was just setting on the San Juaquin Valley behind us and the Sierra Nevada's ahead. So incredible. (Do you see the road behind our backs - the zigzaggy path behind us?!)

Oh, the places you've gone! pt2

Camping alongside the King River in the San Juaquin Valley, we had a most glorious view from our tent. Inside the tent... not so much. But much time was spent huddled in sleeping bags.

Back to the coast! We spent a night and day in Santa Cruz. This marked the first time I had swam in the Pacific. Despite the fact that it was June, the water was absolutely freezing. But invigorating and I find it thrilling to get beaten down by massive ocean waves.

The large crowds and packed freeways made our visit to SanFran short, but we did visit Golden Gate where I got a chance to take pictures of lots of pretty flowers - both outdoors and in the Conservatory. I never really thought I would see the Golden Gate Bridge for some reason, but I did. I was more interested in the depopulated land beyond. It was there, near Muir Woods where I had the best breakfast of my life - fresh peaches, fresh strawberries (we bought both at the farmers market in Sausalito the day before) and granola in yogurt with nutella break. Om Nom.

From there, we headed further up the coastline. While the weather was a bit chillier and the sun spent the day hiding behind clouds, I still took every opportunity to dip my feet (and sometimes more) in the powerful ocean. Before reaching the Oregon state line, we stopped at Redwoods Nat'l Park - although I was initially apprehensive about the rain that was falling, it proved to be for perfect ambiance for the forest.

Also, it was here where we saw an ostrich?!

In Oregon, we experienced the bounties of the Portland Farmers Market. In true Portland style, I looked through shelf after shelf of books at Powell's Books - a bookstore in downtown Portland that's a whole city block. After parousing, I enjoyed an authentic Oregon Chai Tea with a Voodoo Donut. So good, So Portland.

Outside the city limits, I drank deep from Multonmah Falls.

I have no images of myself in Idaho, although, rest-assured, I was there. Here, the Rockies came back into view while I took in bathroom graffiti and the vast snow-capped peaks.

Upon Adam's insistence, I also got my butt bruised by riding down a rocky river on an inflatable tube in Lava Springs. Nearby, in Soda Springs, I saw my first geyser. It was man-made, but still.

Driving home through Wyoming and South Dakota, we passed back over the mountains and returned to the great plains. I truly understand what it meant to be homesick, even though I didn't have a home to go back to. Even though there was still so much I wanted to see (Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons), it was time to stay in one place for a while. I had seen so much and needed time to take it all in.

Four months in to being 21 and look at all I had seen! Now it was time for a Minnesota summer.

a well-intentioned explosion

I'm reminded that, although my form - this body, this self - is ticking up to twenty-two today, all my bits and pieces are billions of years old and they will continue on without this body, this self for all eternity. 

Stars have died so that I can live. I stepped out of a super-nova. So have you.

Running with the Wolves

just need to get away