Photos

I went up to the Apostle Islands during my second year of university with a friend, it was pretty close to the town of Bayfield. The whole weekend getaway type feel was very cozy and I loved the atmosphere of a cabin in winter. The town had a very nice view of Lake Superior, but sadly all the tours of the islands were closed for the winter.

I went to Boston with family when I was younger. Honestly I was mostly inspired to suggest it because of Fallout 4, I was hooked on it. So we saw the USS Constitution, walked the Freedom Trail, saw Fort Independence, those sorts of things. Still, it was a very fun vacation. I'd like to go back up to Massachusetts for another vacation, though more like Roxbury and Salem, to check out the Puritan/New-England history there.

I've been to Chicago a few times. Honestly, can't stand it. Yeah sure there's history and people and opportunities, but it's just not worth it. The whole city is so cramped and loud and dirty, and all the buildings look ready to fall apart. Just not a fan.

I went to college at UW-Whitewater. I didn't have many friends or go to parties or really have roomates. Still, I liked a few of my classes and liked being around so many people in general. Philosophy by Chris Minor was a really good class, the best professor I've ever had. Whitewater is also where I went to my first WELS church, one of those places with pews and hymnals. I also met a girl there, and we went to church together, and it was honestly a really just peaceful time for me.

I remember being in the woods once and hearing Skyrim music. I followed it off the trail and found a couple people who had made a little ramshackle camp, with branch structures and a few lawn chairs or stools put around. They were just having fun out in the woods, it was cool. The guy had a sword and a bow and let me shoot a target on a tree he had set up, it was a really fun experience. I only ran into them a few more times and kind of miss it all. I still remember how to get there from the trail.

This trip was also very nice. We went up to the Smoky Mountains, got an AirBNB on some mountain road. Honestly it was beautiful, especially a lot of the views and trails. Some of the scenic mountain roads are literally in the clouds, you just see a gray mist outside the window. And all the plants that high up were very green, a lot greener than I would've ever expected. Plus there were a lot of very cozy little shops there. I'd definitely like to go back sometime.

Milwaukee is ok. I mean it's got that typical rust belt problem where everything feels like it's starting to collapse, and the downtown is just a bunch of middleman finance jobs mostly. I have mixed feelings on Milwaukee. It's a huge city and one of the cultural centers of Wisconsin, but it feels like it's becoming more like an extension of Chicago every day.

So I was going to go out to Independence, Missouri, and travel all the way to Oregon City. The Oregon trail, you know? Stop off at Salt Lake City, Denver, Boise, all the big spots. Wrap it up by seeing the Pacific Northwest, those forests, then take the interstate via Montana back home. But you know what? It wasn't worth it. I got down to Missouri and just thought to myself. This was going to be weeks, not of exploring but of just driving eight hours a day. Hundreds of dollars in gas. And for what, to see some trees? I lost heart and turned around. It had been a dream of mine to travel the country like that, but honestly there's not a lot of fun in traveling itself. Even on country roads, it was all farmland and cornfields, it was just as uniform as the interstates.

This was another trip when I was young. At the time, it was pretty enjoyable. Cool voodoo shops, bourbon street, marie laveau's grave, all those things. And the highways on stilts over the swamps and water, honestly beautiful and a very nice vibe. It was a fun trip. But looking back, I guess it was all a bit tourist-y, and a lot of vulgarities. Drunk people in the street, strip clubs with softcore porn prominently displayed on windows in sight of the public, things like that. Jackson Square was nice though, and there were lots of cool street performers there. I'd go again, though.

I remember this was just a little stop on the way to Boston, but it was nice. The waterfalls were pretty loud, and you had to wear a poncho when you went on the walkways and observation decks under it otherwise you'd get drenched. Plus there were the museums dedicated to the guys who would float down in barrels off the edge. Awesome place, good sights. Just a real straightforward attraction, not much else to say other than I strongly recommend it.

I have a friend that works here, which is a nice coincidence. It's a bunch of old 1800's type cabins, meticulously deconstructed and reconstructed on site, with plaques and all their furnishings and such, as well as actors that help immerse you. Some of that living history stuff. And there's also nice little attractions like old time-y sodas, ice cream I think, a blacksmith, just quaint stuff. I love the place, it gives off such a cozy feeling that's hard to find in other places.

Honestly? Smaller than I expected. Or maybe it was just very far away. But the rest of South Dakota was cool too, Wall Drug and some of the prairie dogs and all that. Honestly a nice little spot just to relax and have fun, a tourist attraction without a lot else to it.

I was really young on this trip, too young to remember a lot of it. I remember being surprised how far away the Washington monument was from the pool in front of it, because movies always make it seem like they're right next to each other. I also remember seeing the Hope diamond, with all the curses and stories about it. I saw the White House and got a photo of it, right up against the fence. Saw the Capitol building, the Lincoln memorial, all the big important stuff. I remember taking photos of the attractions with my Alcatel prepaid smartphone, all those low resolution photos, though I only have a few of them left. I also remember getting told to stand back by one of the officers during the guard changing at Arlington because I was kinda sticking my arms out a little too far through the railings recording the switching, and I didn't even realize he was talking to me at first, kind of embarrassing to remember. Very nice trip, I had fun, but I don't remember much. I must've been nine or ten, I think. It could be nice to go back.