traveling
Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 5:33 pm
Durning my christmas break i did quite a bit of traveling. A close friend of mine and I went up to Detroit for the Motor City bowl game to watch a thrilling game of football between Purdue and Centeral Michigan. The game was refreshing to me although i don't usually like watching sports. Jealously (for not being able fish) and passion (from previous trip up there) for the Detroit River was one of the reasons i agreed to the trip.
After a short stay in Detroit with a high school friend of ours we decided to just keep driving west; instead of exiting off toward Indiana.
After passing through Illinois we ended up in Wisconsin near the Dells. We got word another friend of ours was in the area for a skiing trip so we had to meet up with him. After a day of checking out the local ski resorts we went to a local bar that was not a dissapointment. The bar was straight out of a movie, had every plot happen and the right people to fill the spots. Us as out of towners, the local yolkels that were basically the bouncers. There was a strip club down the road. The club that we were at was the hang out spot for the girls when they switched shifts at the topless club. There were homosexual men and women, drug abusers, and quite a few guys looking to take a woman home. My two friends and I just sat back and observed the craziness. This really didn't come to a surprise to me as how there was a maximum security prision not but 20 min from the bar. (the prision we were told held Dommer) The next morning waking up around 9am we were on the road again.
We ventured any and every natural park or lake along the way back to Illinois. We did some ice fishing at a lake that you could see out the dorm windows of what we think was the University of Wisconsin. The guys were killing the gills mainly small in 7 ft of water. Everytime the bait was down the hole a fish was either caught of missed. Not being dressed for the weather with only jeans and winter coats on we made a short visit of the lake and talked quickly with only a few of the hundreds on the ice. Most of the parks we went to were littered with cross-country skiiers, these people I have found are real outdoor lovers. After making some conversation with a couple that were cross country skiing they shared stories of there traveling adventures when they were younger which was real interesting conversation.
The last big things that happened on our way back to Indiana was seeing (what my friend and I refer to) as the great goose migration! Just outside of Illinois on the Wisconsin boarder there were millions of geese. I think we were on I67? There were absolutely millions of geese everywhere the typical v pattern seemed to strech for counties. With all the creeks and the main river in the area that ran straight south i can only reason that they were following the water south? Along there migration route and our way home we came into contact with a huge wind farm that i personally have never seen in person. At the conclusion of our trip we ended up in Indiana in Noble County on what we refer to the S-Bridge, if there are any conductors for the train system on this forum you have probally seen us on this old bridge late at night just sitting on it and waving to the trains and taking in the scenery of this beautiful rail area that is closed off to the public. Just so happens we found the trail to drive near the tracks to park on this old bridge, just hope it doesn't collapse.
When we came back to our home town it was ironic to hear friends and family critisizing us for our time spent on the road. To most they were calling it a pointless venture and a wasteful expendature. The trip cost each of us about 130 dollars including gas. I always wonder if those are so critical aren't just jealous that they dont have the drive to get up and try something on their own. I had no predetermined destination after Detroit and this was probally one of the better vacations I have ever had. My only regret is not being able to fish more or bringing the proper clothes to do some more adventuring like hiking or cross-country skiing.
End notes Cold Meat sandwhiches and Wallmart jugs of water was a great investment.
After a short stay in Detroit with a high school friend of ours we decided to just keep driving west; instead of exiting off toward Indiana.
After passing through Illinois we ended up in Wisconsin near the Dells. We got word another friend of ours was in the area for a skiing trip so we had to meet up with him. After a day of checking out the local ski resorts we went to a local bar that was not a dissapointment. The bar was straight out of a movie, had every plot happen and the right people to fill the spots. Us as out of towners, the local yolkels that were basically the bouncers. There was a strip club down the road. The club that we were at was the hang out spot for the girls when they switched shifts at the topless club. There were homosexual men and women, drug abusers, and quite a few guys looking to take a woman home. My two friends and I just sat back and observed the craziness. This really didn't come to a surprise to me as how there was a maximum security prision not but 20 min from the bar. (the prision we were told held Dommer) The next morning waking up around 9am we were on the road again.
We ventured any and every natural park or lake along the way back to Illinois. We did some ice fishing at a lake that you could see out the dorm windows of what we think was the University of Wisconsin. The guys were killing the gills mainly small in 7 ft of water. Everytime the bait was down the hole a fish was either caught of missed. Not being dressed for the weather with only jeans and winter coats on we made a short visit of the lake and talked quickly with only a few of the hundreds on the ice. Most of the parks we went to were littered with cross-country skiiers, these people I have found are real outdoor lovers. After making some conversation with a couple that were cross country skiing they shared stories of there traveling adventures when they were younger which was real interesting conversation.
The last big things that happened on our way back to Indiana was seeing (what my friend and I refer to) as the great goose migration! Just outside of Illinois on the Wisconsin boarder there were millions of geese. I think we were on I67? There were absolutely millions of geese everywhere the typical v pattern seemed to strech for counties. With all the creeks and the main river in the area that ran straight south i can only reason that they were following the water south? Along there migration route and our way home we came into contact with a huge wind farm that i personally have never seen in person. At the conclusion of our trip we ended up in Indiana in Noble County on what we refer to the S-Bridge, if there are any conductors for the train system on this forum you have probally seen us on this old bridge late at night just sitting on it and waving to the trains and taking in the scenery of this beautiful rail area that is closed off to the public. Just so happens we found the trail to drive near the tracks to park on this old bridge, just hope it doesn't collapse.
When we came back to our home town it was ironic to hear friends and family critisizing us for our time spent on the road. To most they were calling it a pointless venture and a wasteful expendature. The trip cost each of us about 130 dollars including gas. I always wonder if those are so critical aren't just jealous that they dont have the drive to get up and try something on their own. I had no predetermined destination after Detroit and this was probally one of the better vacations I have ever had. My only regret is not being able to fish more or bringing the proper clothes to do some more adventuring like hiking or cross-country skiing.
End notes Cold Meat sandwhiches and Wallmart jugs of water was a great investment.