Hawaii

 I went to Hawaii one year. The calming sound of the ocean was always an escape to me. The beauty and culture always interest me.

At Nuuanu Pali State Park. Legend said that the winds on the Nuuanu Pali there can be so strong that if you fall it would blow you back up. In Truth the wind can hold you up while leaning. At the body of the cliff in 1897 they found the remains of Kalanikupule’s soldiers who were pursued by Kamehameha’s army off the cliff. (info from http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/oahu/nuuanu-pali-state-park/)

Bears

Here is a bear i encountered in glacier National Park. It is nice to see nature from the safety of your own car.

Mount Rushmore

We use to camp out a lot when we were young. The earliest memory of my dad taking us on a road trip was to Mount Rushmore. It probably looks a lot different today. The pictures I took of the place isn't all that good but they capture the memory. The kid in the picture is some random person that got in the way.

Here is a fun fact: The black hills were very Sacred to the Lakota Sioux. Mount Rushmore is an insult to some Sioux because it stands on land that was taken away from them, it is on sacred grounds and it celebrates the European settlers that have tormented and killed them throughout the years. The original faces were suppose to be of western heroes including Native American heroes.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rushmore/peopleevents/p_sioux.html

California Summers

California was my second home. I had some very fond memories going there. I had relatives that lived on signal hill. It was a pretty cool place. You could see the ocean and if you had binoculars you could see the Hollywood sign. The best place to stay in long beach was my uncles condo. I wrote a poem about the place in high school when I found out my uncle was moving. I felt like I needed to immortalize my second home.

I felt the paint peel under my hands

As I looked far past the balcony.

Lights from long beach,

Spread to the lights of

Anaheim,

Los Angeles.

I tried to see the Queen Mary

Behind the big round tree,

Its leaves moved in my view.

Their purpose was to make me mad.

Oil rigs drink the oil from the hill,

In the middle of nowhere,

Near the condos.

You could see fireworks. Sat on

The hillside. Saw people gather

From all over. They danced on cars,

Smashed beer cans in peoples faces.

I got them good though. Aiming

My laser pen at their heads,

As I watched them scatter.

The cops came. I sat quietly,

While my brother took the blame.

I laughed,

Silently.

I was only ten. That was years ago.

I walked up to the wobbly rail,

Examined my surroundings.

The cities don’t glitter as much,

Too many houses in the way.

Walked down the streets

No more hillsides.

They’re covered in mansions,

Brown, white,

With little pools filled with rich children

Only from Disneyland

The fireworks are seen

But behind the condo,

Away from the balcony.

The oil rigs decreased in number

Yet one sat in front of me,

It still sucked from its straw.

I looked towards the Queen Mary,

Its smoke pipes gleamed in the moonlight,

As it sat by the green submarine,

Sleeping away the years.

When I was young.

My father once told me, "always find a way to travel. It will free your mind."

Maybe my father didn't actually say that but it was something similar to that. When I was young my mother took us to California and my father took us out into the forest. One year my mother and aunt took us on a road trip to Utah. It doesn't sound that exciting but trust me it was a lot of fun. We stopped at so many places. We stayed at Canyon De Chelly, Lake Powell, Zion and the Bryce Canyon. We weren't a rich family. My parents always had to save to make us kids have a chance to see the world. Road trips were common in my family. We drove each year to Tucson, and California. Sometimes if we were lucky my dad took us on a trip to Colorado or past that to South Dakota. My love for the wilderness came out of these road trips. the excitement of seeing something new erupted inside of me every time we hit the road. The pleasure that comes out of being out in the woods, hearing the voices of the trees can not be matched. Travel is in my blood and to this day I still crave the road. Each cell in my body is curious of where to go next. The world is so big and beautiful. It would be a shame not to see it.