Missouri->Wisconsin->Missouri->Florida->Missouri->Wisconsin->Mississippi->Florida->Tennessee->Wisconsin->Maine-> Wisconsin->Minnesota->Wisconsin->Cancun->Wisconsin->Maine->Wisconsin->Maine->Wisconsin->Tennessee->Ohio->Wisconsin->Ohio->Rhode Island->Massachusetts->Illinois->Wisconsin->Missouri->Colorado->Vegas->Colorado->Utah->Colorado->Wisconsin->Minnesota->Wisconsin->Puerto Rico->Wisconsin->The Republic of Moldova!
For a more fun/ funnerrr view of this nonsense click on this little Google map thingy I made here:
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=206440230904767013433.0004cc17441862d12397f&msa=0&ll=45.39845,-83.847656&spn=36.926643,79.013672
This is how flight itineraries go when you take a puddle-jumper (in this case, some of my puddles are HUGE) from one place to the next for connecting flights and stuff right?
I think this is the official layout of where my butt stayed for a minimum of two nights between graduating college and where my butt is now...(I finished in December of 2010 so that's two years come this December I believe). I didn't want to post the states that I drove through and whatnot because that sounds like a redundant hassle that no one wants to read about. Many people wonder where I have wandered, why my mom calls me her gypsy child and where I get all my great memories and stories from. I thought while in one my fits of boredom to map it all out and give my memory a run for its money.
31 States, 1 Providence, 1 Unincorporated Territory of the United States, Mexico for a hot minute, a "Turkish Delight" (type of squishy powdered sugar candy thingy..delicious) layover in Istanbul has added up to be my whereabouts life between 21 and 22 years old.
Not to shabby with a shoe string budget, a car over 10 years old, a mutty Golden Retriever to house and amuse and what some people would call an "inconsistent source of income kinda lifestyle"...
Off the top of my head, in random order here are some of the highlights of my pre-Peace Corps life and travels.
Flying in Sea Planes: 4 times. Count it. Saw some moose, some of my favorite hikes, where I live and the changing fall leaves in Maine all by a plane that could take off and land on water. Groovy. Plus a friend and I in exchange for a ride helped a pilot friend write a stellar resume for a pilot position available in Alaska. Priceless.
Moved 30 rows back, dead center in front of Bob Dylan in concert on the Bangor Waterfront on a pretty summer night in Maine when a drunk guy claimed my seat and gave the security dude grief when we asked him to leave. Because I wasn't a b-iotch and told the security guy I've been in his shoes before (brief and terrible job at Mizzou football games) he hooked me up with a sweet spot to watch the rest of the concert. After that I slept in my tent in a campground full of camper driving Canadians looking for summer deals on school clothes instead of driving 2 hours in moose+deer+bear country at 2 am. Karma.
A dozen or so days up and down Vail and Beaver Creek Resorts blues and greens for less than $75 a day. Not a bad place to learn how to downhill ski, eh? A lot of times were completely free thanks to newly found friends who were lifties, ski shop rental dudes and hotel concierges. Also add a day of snowmobiling in the Rockies to that too for 30 bucks. Networkinggbazingaaa.
Learning the ins-and-outs of the term "all inclusive" vacation in Cancun with my besty. The whole sunny beaches and comfy lounge chair experience and "order whatever you want" was a great get away from the weather in Wisco and a reward for the busy horse show season I just finished up. Need I explain more? There are karaoke videos of us out there... somewhere if you really need me to explain more.
Also include two weekend trips to Quebec City via machina (car). One of which included a parking ticket. All in French. Hmpf. Yes I paid it, no I am not 100% sure if I sent it to the right address (two were listed). I would hate to get refused at the border of Canada, fly rod in hand because of one dumb parking ticket (I blame the French parking meters.. it was a Sunday). There are far too many fishies to be caught and places in that cool country to explore to not go back. Plus they had really good food in French Canada (not including poutine, I am not its biggest fan).
Road tripping to and from Maine were also pretty awesome journeys. People here talk about travels around Europe and they sound so exciting with so many different countries. One way from Wisconsin to Maine is about the distance from Paris to Warsaw (don't quote me) and I did that two times without a layover. Ever. I recall freaking out in Northern Massachusetts on my way there in May because I thought I was going to run out of gas at about 12:30 in the morning. Surprisingly there is little going on in Northern Mass. I thought the entire east coast minus Maine was full of cities everywhere. Little did I realize I would go forever and ever without seeing an exit with a gas station. When I was finally able to get off the highway I went to this tiny little town and met a couple who had a Golden Retriever who's daddy was named Carhartt. That contact with civilization and a Pepsi got me through the next 4 hours of driving in the dark was all I needed before crashing my friends couch sucessfully in South Portland, ME. The trip back to Wisconsin in September was with a girly friend from Tennessee. I convinced her to "come see Maine how it should be seen" and drive back with me to Wisconsin. I remember we stopped for the original buffalo wings in Buffalo, NY and sat and ate while watching kids learn how to yacht on Lake Erie.The cities Buffalo and Albany had very old, depressing feelings driving through them and seeing "once have beens" industrial areas covered in soot and grafiti and not a whole lot else going on.
Fishing. Fishing could have its whole chapter in my "I love my adventurous life book" but I won't bore you, yet... Maybe after many years of international success as a kick-ass chick fly fisher, but not now. What I will say is fly fishing in Colorado has topped everything else I have fished puffer fish and other little guys on the riverways of Eastern Florida, trolled around in Northern Maine on Moosehead lake and the Kennebeck River, fished for pan fish in Wisconsin with friends and family and stuck into some Makerel off the coast of Hartford, New Hampshire. Oh yea, and one time in Puerto Rico while setting up my kindle-reading-perch on the beach I saw a dude sitting next to a big ol' salt water fly rod and after walking over and talking to the Massachusetts-residing-Maine-lover who owned the rod, I got to try it out for an hour or two. Must have been wearing my lucky bikini at the time. ; )
$10ish live lobster and a bottle of wine with friends in Maine. Learned how to cook em and crack em like a Mainer on different occasions.
Free crawfish boil/traditional cajun dishes and live music for anyone attending/working the Gulf Coast Classic Horse Show in Gulfport, MS every Friday for about a month. Met people down enough to earth to actually hang out with after work including a talented local guitarist and friends I would continue to keep in contact from Tennessee well after the show hit the road. Also drove over to Fat Tuesday/ Mardi Gras on my day off in New Orleans and had the original Cafe Du Monde roast and beignets (Anyone interested in sending over a can of the Chicory Coffee is gladly encouraged, I was introduced to Chicory coffee as delicious "Vietnamese coffee" in College and has loved it ever since; its easier on your stomach than regular coffee :).
Tennessee has left memories of late nights with great friends, dancing in Nashville in a bar where everyone swing dances and whatnot like you would before the bump and grind was created, an Amishish run restaurant with tasty southern food and a friends mom with magic healing hands. And boys that played Rugby. Saw my first live rugby game at MTSU; was way cooler than American football, sorry.
Riding in Wyoming and anywhere else I sat on a horse. Recently in Moldova has been fun too. I sold my horse when I was in college and I do not regret it. He is with a great girl with an awesome family and is fat and happy in Missouri. I do however miss riding daily minus the whole expenses part. Probably one of the prettiest places I have ever ridden was when I went up to Wyoming and visited a friend who lived there and had horses (my former horses owner whom I have stayed in contact with ever since buying him in 2004/5ish). We were right on the border of South Dakota in Black Hills country, the weather was clear and nice and the horses were great. Kinda makes me want to be a real cowgirl just thinking about it.
FOX HUNTING! How could I forget?? Talked to a fox hunting guru at a horse expo outside of Chicago before Thanksgiving and before you know it I was on my way to the first hunt under my belt (for about 50 bucks instead of the usual $200 plus). It was cool. Kinda like a rich person's trail ride because you ride in stylin' hunt clothes and don't actually hunt/kill anything (we never saw the alleged coyote we were hunting). I highly recommend checking it out if you are a horse fan. Or dog fan. The 40 some dogs were fun to watch.
From my pictures from Puerto Rico its pretty obvious that I was a kid in a candy shop with horses running around next to the ocean and stopping traffic on the island of Vieques. That was a pretty unique place to spend some beach time before Moldova. Ponies + Non Busy Beaches= Loverly. However, I could not be an Island person. One week and I was bored of driving around and around, circling the island and drinking lots of rum.
Hmmm... What else... I'm sure I'm leaving a bunch out...
Want to go to Vegas and barely spend anything but still have a good time? Come with me. I'm glad I checked it out since I was "just a car ride away" when I was living in Vail. In my car destined to the Sin City were two dude co-workers of mine. One was from Argentina and the other from South Africa, both fresh out of university. Besides having handsome cargo/ company, the trip was alot of fun; we met up with another friend of ours from South Africa when we got there. They showed me how to gamble long enough to get free drinks at the bar with computer blackjack and cash out when you are even. Foreigners can be so handy. I met two guys from Denmark and a couple from England in the hotel hot tub when the boys were gambling during the day and we all went out one night... Talk about a good looking multi-national group to explore Vegas with :) ... I still talk to all of them and hope to visit the love birds in England when I am finished working in Moldova.
The day-to-day life I had in Maine and Colorado could easily out-brag the Kardasians (sp?) I'm pretty sure. I hiked alot; Kathadin and Eagle Rock were my favorite places in Maine but I can't count out the number of times I hiked or snowshoed up Colorado's mountains with friends between work. Carhartt and I always had a blast, it was a fun way to stay in shape and the views were always breathtaking (all exercise that high up is breathtaking actually). I went a number of "Full Moon Hikes"where we owned Vail pass with the moon on our side and only still, crisp air to listen to instead of busy runs and rude tourists. Posted is a picture of a drive to the Ice Castle, constructed in Silverthorn and some creativity behind a friends camera. Another fun time was taking in a group of South Africans to a Avalanche game in Denver. And another time a buddy and I drove these stranded Argie kids (Argentinians.. there were alot of them here for the skiing) through a snow storm back to Frisco through Vail pass after they knocked on my car asking for help (we are all happy little friends now too). I felt like such a good little tour guide/ sofer.
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| I lived on the second floor of the big white house on the left. |
My living situations were always sweet and swell too; couch surfing via friends or rented. In Maine I lived in this old hunting shack for $200 a month across from the Mt Kineo ferry dock/ Rockwood boat ramp on Moosehead Lake where Carhartt got to jump off whenever he pleased. My friend and I while driving one day had a baby bear cub run across the road to the woods directly behind my house. Scary kinda but more cool than anything.
I think that't it.
I feel like this is enough. :)
Thanks for reading! More on Moldova laters :)
Sit, be still and listen, because you're drunk and we're at the edge of a roof.
-Muslim Poet Rumi
