Places

The sky was not the only thing weeping yesterday.  Just getting somewhat lost took me out of any kind of positivity.  I couldn't take going back to a place we found comfort in combined with the difficulty of getting back there.  How are we going to make this work?  We have failed to find places to stay and everyone we meet has a surprised reaction to learn of our plans to stick in Costa Rica for 90 days.  This could be due to our limited understanding of Spanish and/or our lack of plans.  Then we are told of the dangers that lurk at night in areas less traveled.  It seems almost everyone has had their own experience or knows someone who has been robbed.   Read more

While staying with The Spiels in Ohio, we all decided to have a camping adventure together.  With that, we loaded up their little Nissan Versa with our gear and hit the road.  A combination of Google searching and local inquiries somehow lead us in search of Wildcat Hollow in the Wayne National Forest.  The drive up to our campsite was both entertaining and beautiful.  We passed through the dilapidated old town of Chauncey (Pronounced "CHAN-see" by the locals for some weird reason).  Run-down houses and barns floated by on either side as we made our way through town.  The brick buildings of Chauncey's downtown were mere empty shells of what it must have been in years past.  An old farmer sat on cracked steps next to his John Deere push mower, his cigarette hanging from his lip as if permanently affixed.  He watched as we passed by which made me contemplate... "I wonder what he thinks of us?"   Read more

Coming into Columbus started out on a positive note as we had just skydived that day, but quickly turned into shambles. Everything was STUPID!! The only things people could suggest for us to do were parks, walking, museums, and biking. Which just couldn’t live up to the thrill of jumping from 13,000 ft out of a plane. We spent a few days bickering with a final blow up that drove us to leave and never had an intent to return!

After spending time in The Plains and winging our way to Cleveland, we found ourselves giving Columbus a second chance. This time around we weren’t hyped up on adrenaline and seeking our next fix. And this time we had a challenge: no van and no plans past somewhere to sleep that for the first night. At first glance Columbus appears to be a small town with small neighborhoods surrounding it, but we came to find out it has the 15th largest population of any city in the U.S. with diverse people and LOTS and LOTS of food.

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Ok, ok we know.  Chicago happened in July and August.  It’s now November.  Wait, what!?  November!?  Time definitely flies when you are not required to monitor it.  Either way, we spent 12 days hanging in and around Chicago and managed to accumulate a few pictures and memories while we were there.  Interested?  Cool.  We knew you would be.  With that... a few of our cherished memories from our time spent in the Windy City:   Read more