We came across these beauties on a jaunt up a windy mountain road on our way to Whitefish, Montana. They weren’t afraid of us. They stood proud on the freezing plateau between white mountains, reaching over the fence eagerly to the few carrots and apples we offered them. They were Majestic just like the land beneath them.
The Road Trip has ended. Right back to a place that has been the source of many of my beginnings, California. Doug and I met up in Oregon and drove through the redwoods at night to Arcata, CA. We stopped in the Jedediah forrest and played in the massive trees by moonlight. The scent of the place was comforting, wood stoves burning and fresh rain. It was nice knowing that soon I’d be in a place that I consider one of my homes. We stopped at a Lagoon just above Arcata and slept for a while on the driftwood dense beach. The loud sea was music to my ears and the stars were sharp in the sapphire sky. These 17 days on the road have been amazing, and there are people and places I will never forget but I am happy to be in our last State. Right now I’m in San Francisco, and my plane departs at 7am – home to Hana, HI where I’m ready to be.
Wisconsin was a straight shot, and we were in MN by evening. Doug and I walked to the observatory and meandered about in the snow, astonished by the amazing Minnesota sunset. We headed to downtown Duluth and met Emily at an art show where I was transfixed by an poem about Portuguese Man o’ war. We moved on to another show featuring glorious pastel paintings, a perfect mix of subtlety and vision. The delicious cupcakes and expressive keyboards reminiscent of Hall and Oats made the second show my favorite. That night I experienced a rather un-glorious sleep on the floor of a friend of Emily’s, nestled behind a drumset I tried to ignore the sounds coming from the gathering in the living room that went on into the morning. Doug said nights like that added character to the trip, and I think I agree. Following an authentic Duluth breakfast at the Sunshine Cafe where our waitress was the friendliest woman I’ve met in a while, we moved on with Emily and Ramona in the backseat for the next few days.
MI Vocabulary Word of the Day
Youper = (N) Michigan term for a person from the Upper Peninsula. Note: They tend to look down on those from the Lower Peninsula nicknamed “Trolls” because they live under the Bridge. The bridge is shown in the following images.
Pasty = (N) Midwestern trademark bite. Pastry dough enclosing seasoned meat and vegetables. Often served at dingy MW bars, best with a $2.50 pint and amusing speak from the regulars.
After driving into Canada, having our car searched and being asked a handful of times if I had any narcotics on my person, even “in my necklace” which is a solid Ellensburg stone, we passed into Michigan, where the border patrol was quite friendly and made a joke about our being from California and Hawaii and why anyone in their right mind would come from those two states to Michigan in February. He was right, the place was cold, but it was probably my favorite stop thus far on our trip. We met up with Josh, Doug’s mate from University in Australia, and the three of us ventured to this lovely cabin in the middle of winter wonderland, yards from icy Lake Michigan. The stars were incredible, the best I’ve seen since Hawaii, and much to my regret I didn’t have a tripod, but as you’ll see I tried anyway and ended up with some sort of abstract looking stellar picture. There was no one else around. It was quiet. It was amazing.
Niagara Falls was a powerful sight. My fingers were numb with cold in what seemed like seconds but I forgot about them trying to find the angle from which I wanted to portray this massive beauty. It was strange in Winter. Doug, Rocko, and I seemed to be a few of the only living things around. This was the last place we went in NY, from here we crossed into Canada.
For the past five months I have been living in New York City. After short stints in SE Harlem, and Bed Stuy I ended up in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn and it was quite a place. My life was about yoga, poetry, whiskey, music, espresso, and for a short period of time, kittens. I met some amazing people, and happened to live with my favorite of all. You know who you are R. At any rate, I practically stopped taking pictures and was caught up in other things – hence my very sparse posts these past few months. The city is extremely stimulating in some ways, but it isn’t right for me right now. Thus, on February 2 I embarked on a road trip with a stoic, adventurous Californian named Doug who I’ve know for some time now, and we began our excursion across the Northern United States.This is New York. There are many more to come, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana. Enjoy!
Viola Jean Photography 