Number Seventeen

Earlier this year, I saw this list on Alana Winder's blog of 25 things she wants to do before turning 25. I was inspired. It took some time to come up with all twenty-five things (and even then some weren't good, so I've edited and will probably replace some of the less cool/exciting/achievable goals), but I've still got my list!

I'm not going to publish the list in its entirety because some of my goals are a little embarrassing. But I will post updates on some of the cooler accomplishments as I get them done.

So with no further ado, I would like to present number seventeen:

Go on a Road Trip With Friends.

My friend Liam needed a ride from our school in Massachusetts to his home in Minnesota. While at first I thought it was a ridiculous idea to drive him all the way out there, I suddenly realized that it would be heaps of fun, that I am twenty-one and can decide to take a road trip if I want to, and that I had absolutely nothing better to do. So we went.

On the shores of Lake Superior.

Though the trip was full of lovely things, I have chosen five things that were particularly enjoyable and/or amusing to share with you.

This is Niagara Falls. These are the leggings.

1. During the drive out we decided not to stop for the night and instead drove straight through (it took us 24 hours, including gas and food breaks and two hours or so at Niagara Falls). Just after we crossed back into Michigan from Canada I was pouring water from one bottle to another and sloshed a ton all over my lap. It was fine at first, but then my leggings started drying and got to the awkward damp stage where they were icky it was driving me crazy and I had to take them off. Mind you, it was well after midnight at this point and we were just driving along through Michigan, minding our own business. I was wearing a flannel shirt that was almost long enough to be a dress...but still. I officially rode partway across the country without pants on. I even went through a toll like that, though I'm pretty sure the tollbooth worker had no idea I was pantsless.

Duluth aerial lift bridge.

2. I went to Duluth! This is noteworthy because in middle school (and high school.....and maybe even a little bit now still...) I was obsessed with Veggietales. Especially "Silly Songs with Larry," which I have been known to sing in their entirety. Duluth is featured in Larry's song "I Love my Lips" and I can now say that my lips have been to Duluth! Also, in the three weeks since I was there, much of Duluth has been destroyed due to flooding.

3. The Midwestern sky is different from the sky in New England. First of all, you can see more of it because there aren't any hills. But the air feels different and the clouds are different. In a very beautiful way. However, in Maine we don't have tornadoes. I have never seen a tornado, nor do I ever particularly want to experience one. One day, while we were driving through rural Minnesota on our way to Loontropolis (the lake house), I saw a straight, line-like cloud coming down from the sky and into the trees far away but directly in front of us, and I was pretty sure it was a tornado. And I pointed it out with mild alarm, which made Liam react with surprise and amusement because to him it was clear that the cloud was nothing like a tornado at all. Unfortunately, he didn't articulate his amusement well enough and I thought he was starting to freak out. Which obviously made me go into panic mode. So I turned on the radio and tried to find the weather alert station (with no success) and was on the brink of tears and hyperventilation before he was finally able to make it clear to me that the tornado was just a cloud.

4. As mentioned in the previous post, I trespassed and explored an abandoned train depot. It might just be one of the coolest things I've ever done. I'm usually not much of a rule breaker, and I don't typically trespass. But it was totally worth it.






5. Every Saturday night, in the Brainerd/Bemidji area (ish) of Minnesota, there is a call in radio trivia show called "Green Cheese" that is broadcast for two hours. The trivia master asks several questions all at once, and people just call in when they know the answers. It's kind of like trying to win a contest sponsored by a regular radio program, but there are no prizes, and it is a lot less pressure. Also, the people hosting and calling in all talk funny because they are from Absolutely  Nowhere, Minnesota. It was really fun. There may have been a meltdown or two from the stress, but overall it was a good time. At one point, Liam mentioned something about a state that is only bordered by one other state and I said, "Um, I think that's MAINE?!?!" But I hadn't heard that question and he didn't know to repeat it to me, so by the time we started calling someone else had already answered it. I missed the question about my own state- shameful!

So there you have it; one of my twenty-five goals has been accomplished.