Go West Young Man

Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota – 3 states in 3 days. From the relatively hip, cultured cities of Wilwaukee + Madison to the handful of architectural masterpieces in Iowa to the forlorn American Indian reservations of the prarie state. On two-laners, crossing both the Mississippi + Missouri rivers, the changing landscape is a treat for both the eyes and senses. Last night we slept on one of the grassy knolls of the Little White River valley, miles of prarie running off in each direction for as far as the eye can see. There was a lone teepee down by the river and only a couple lights within sight. We picked our spot just as the light was getting good and poured a couple glasses of wine to enjoy as we cooked a tailgate dinner and watched the light change, and then fade into darkness. The night before we'd slept outside of Algona, Iowa to see one of Louis Sullivan's "Jewelboxes". Also there we enjoyed the surprising treat of the largest group of fireflies yet, twinkling around us as we enjoyed an evening in the forest.

We continue West now along desolate Highway 44 through the lunar landscape of the Badlands, past majestic Mount Rushmore in a hailstorm, and through the Black Hills in to Custer State Park. There we spend another night in the wilderness and are treated the following day to a host of wildlife including spotted + mule deer, pronghorn sheep and herds of American Bison! That's a first. These prehistoric-looking animals look imposing and I marvel that we can view them at such close range.

From here we take a more South-Westerly trajectory to visit my brother + his family in Cheyenne. Sticking to two-lane highways and back roads leads us through the dramatic and unpopulated Oglala Grasslands of Northern Nebraska. It's an undulating, wheat-colored sea that stretches to infinity in every direction. Without signs, we take our guess at random intersections in the road, continuing towards the sun which has become obscured by a very dense mass of clouds. With the uninterrupted vista, we watch as the storm moved across the horizon, then towards us, then enfold us, and finally to continue on leaving a vibrant rainbow in it's wake. We spend the night somewhere in this golden sea. Tomorrow, we go West.

Check the links for more photos of the Great Plains area, friends + family and funky Americana seen along the way

A Whirlwind Tour of the Windy City

We just finished a speedy 3-day tour of Chicago as the next stop on our way back West. My legs are sore and my feet ache after our relatively inactive three weeks reuniting with family + friends in Michigan. Here, the weather's been perfect – warm + balmy - and everyone's out enjoying it. The entire east side of the city, flanking the downtown, is an almost uninterrupted lakefront avenue with biking + running trails and several sandy beaches packed with sunbathers even mid-week. I suspect employers are hip to the unseasonal epidemic that's keeping employees out of the office. Who wants to be indoors on days like these?!

Day 1 we hit "The Loop", walking up and down crowded downtown boulevards admiring the World's first skyscraper + the numerous others that followed – The Wrigley Building, Tribune Tower, and the Carbon + Carbide Building among others until dark. Then we head uptown on the "El" to the cheap + funky Chicago International Hostel near Loyola - a decent pick for budget digs.

We began Day 2 in "Lincoln Park", walking along it's charming streets and through several parks to the more upscale neighborhood of "Gold Coast" where we had an excellent free tour of Louis Sullivan + Frank Lloyd-Wright designed Charnley house. Built in 1892, it's a beautifully detailed forerunner to the California bungalow. After, we lunched on the lakefront with the scores of people out enjoying the warm, sunny day. From there we continued south past the Hancock Building to the riverfront and further to the Cultural Center with it's stunning Tiffany glass mosaics + domes. By then it was getting late, so we grabbed a couple of cold brews and joined the throng assembled in stunning Millenium Park for a special evening performance of Beethoven's Seventh.

For our final day in the Windy City, we hopped the "El" out to Oak Park to stroll amongst the numerous FLW works, including his own home + studio, and the Unity Temple. This filled the majority of the day, but we still managed to make it back into the City for the free evening hours at The Art Institute, containing masterpieces like American Gothic and A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.

As we've had the supreme luxury of time on this trip we've indulged and satisfied our curiosity so that there have been few places that really left us wanting more. Three days in Chicago was just barely enough for an overview. One week would have just given us time to see
the highlights at a comfortable pace. We didn't even have time for a dip in the lake… Aaaah, next time.




Check the "link" for more photos of our time in Chicago + The Great Lakes area

The Streets ARE Paved with Gold

July 11 - Michigan, USA

I can't believe it's been nearly two weeks since I've been back in the States. It's flown by in a whirlwind of reunions with Darin's family + friends in Michigan. Cities like Ann Arbor, Bad Axe + Detroit; Lakes Michigan + Superior; Strolls through quaint towns + crumbling cities; Drives through miles + miles of lush farmland; A boat cruise past the dramatic Pictured Rocks of the U.P. Many images come to mind, but the overriding one that ties it all together is how prosperous the U.S. looks. Everyone's homes are well-manicured and with sweeping green lawns. People are shopping. Most folks seem to be driving new cars, or SUV's, too and there are a lot of recreational vehicles to boot. Compared to our own lives while traveling and those of the majority in the developing world, the U.S. is truly a world apart. Where are the signs of the recession we've heard so much about in the press? As seen from the state with the highest unemployment, people don't seem to be curbing their lifestyles much. Are people in denial? Haven't they heard the news?!

Over the course of the trip, in numerous conversations with Indians, Vietnamese, Khmers and Chinese, I always felt irritated at their perceptions of America – the belief that their country is inferior to ours in such a profound way that it's as if our streets are paved with gold. People would frequently profess how envious they were of us - that they want what we have. Having left home in part because I wanted to get away from the pervasive consumerist lifestyle for a while, I actually tried to convince people that the American life isn't as great as what they think. It's not like in the movies. I told them that what they have is in some ways better than what we have. And I said those things in all honesty. Now, when I look at our lavish lifestyles here with fresh eyes, knowing how little most third-worlders have, I see things in a new light. I think of how many families live with 8 or more members in a single, small home. By comparison, a typical middle-class home here is one that only a high-ranking government official could afford in their country. Even more telling are some basic necessities or luxuries that Americans take for granted – 24 hour electricity; 24 hour running water – hot and cold, from a tap inside their home; Garbage collection - both publicly + privately – including street cleaning… to name but a few. With greater wisdom I now have such a deep appreciation for these "necessities" that I almost find it impossible to convey these thoughts to people without my eyes welling up. Most Americans just don't know how incredibly fortunate they are.

With these things in mind, I've been spending a lot of time pondering what it really means to be an American and what my obligations and rights are as a citizen. What is the American Dream? For the vast majority of people on this planet living everyday hand-to-mouth, just trying to get by, their dream is simply for food + shelter, and to live without fear. For the next tier – those educated and now able to improve their lives – it means the ability to move up the food chain and buy a moto or car, a t.v. and a fridge - to be consumers. But for Americans, and many other first-worlders too, the dream is really the expectation, and that's just such a egotistic comfort spot it's no wonder to me that billions of disadvantaged people on the planet are working their butts off to get where we are and that the American economy is declining.

For the positive part of my rant, read on -

From my perspective, as someone whose entire life has been blessed with all these things and who has now spent a fair amount of time in the developing world, the dream is more thoughtful and much bolder. My dream is to hold on to something that is slipping away from America, and Americans - not just jobs, but independence. America is still a place that allows for independent, liberal and even radical thought + expression. It's been dismaying + disturbing for me to see how little voice people have in other countries. Not only do many have the inability to break out of the norm, but the concept of free thought has never even crossed their minds. Or if it has, the idea of actually doing something radical hasn't.

So do something radical - be a free thinker. Don't just believe what you're told, about the state of the economy, about the dangers of venturing outside the safety of our borders, about the rising need for more, more, more. Do your own research and get out of your comfort zone. Challenge yourself. Do something for a cause you believe in. Exercise your rights and freedoms that so much of the rest of the world is literally dying for. Don't let our government become the voice for all Americans. Privilege has it's price, and we all need to start doing our part. I'm saying this just as much to myself as to anyone else. The time is over for being lazy. The American Dream should be for each one of us to lead by example, not only in this, but in all things. Because the world is watching. And because I've come to agree that our streets are paved with gold - at least a little of it - but we're going to have to start making some changes or it's all going to chip away.