KAA: Lambeau Leap of Faith

One of the reasons I went on this journey is because I literally NEEDED to get away, as ridiculous as that may sound from someone who had been unemployed for months.  I needed a break from the hopelessness, but I also knew my resources were slim at best.  I was going to see how far I could get with what I had, knowing I didn't have much.  When I got to Wisconsin I had a cold reality check and I thought that would be as far as I would make it.  

After sleeping only for a few hours in a Wisconsin rest stop, I got to Madison, capital of WI and home of the University of Wisconsin.  You probably noticed already that I like to check out state houses and universities and there's 2 reasons for that a. I'm insecure and b. They are free tourist attractions.  

Wisconsin's campus is right next to A FREAKIN' LAKE!  How cool is that?  'Oh I just got out of class, where should I go, well there's always A FREAKIN' LAKE!'  Though its probably not that big an attraction during the cold months, but still, a freakin' lake is a freakin' lake.  I suppose that makes up for having a campus bookstore that doesn't sell shot glasses, that was a big WTF moment.

After a fine day of checking out Madison, my next destination was Milwaukee, and I've always wanted to go to Milwaukee.  Unfortunately, I begun feeling very sick on the way there.  By the time I got to a Motel 6 I had a fever and was about to pass out, I thought I would have to turn around.

Antibiotics and 14 hours of sleep gave me a boost so I ventured into Milwaukee.  First impression: this place is REALLY NICE!  Lakefront parks are nice, weather was nice, downtown area is nice, people are nice, and the food is great.  I would live in Milwaukee, which doesn't sound like much for someone who is moving to El Paso, but generally I like to live in nice places.  I stopped at the Milwaukee Brat House for lunch where the sausage was excellent and the beer was hands down the BEST I'VE EVER HAD!  Read more at http://kanan.yelp.com

Reinvigorated I headed up north to Green Bay.  My plan was to drive north to Michigan's UP, see Lake Superior, and cross into Michigan from the north, skipping Chicago and more importantly Gary, IN.

When I got to Green Bay I immediately headed to Lambeau Field, home of the Packers.  There were a lot of people touring the stadium and buying up Packer gear, hoping to see the players after practice.  At first I was puzzled by how many attractive women there were around, then I remembered rich people work here, makes sense.

This NEVER Happened =P

Before heading out to see Lake Superior I decided to stop at a Kinko's to check on email, facebook, and twitter (which had been acting up all day).  I also checked my bank account balance... I knew I didn't have much and I had been trying to be as frugal as possible during the trip, but I had not counted on there not being any Chevron or Texaco stations in so many states, the gas costs were really adding up.  I realized I wasn't going to be able to continue on my trip.

Dejected I decided to turn around and head south for Texas, Kanan Across America was over, at least I had seen many new places, but I was still upset.  When I got to Chicago, while stuck in traffic I decided to go for broke.  I knew I wasn't going to be able to pay September's rent and truth is, I was happy.  I had not been this happy in a long time, I'd been practically rotting for almost 2 years unable to do much.  I stopped thinking about tomorrow and headed east, even if that risked getting me stranded in Gary, IN.

Your American Hero,

-AK

KAA: (Mall of) America, Fuck Yeah!

Growing up I was never really into going to the mall, but I do remember when the Mall of America opened up and I really wanted to check it out.  After only 17 years I finally made it!

I was excited to arrive exactly around lunchtime, and soon enough I was in mall food heaven!  They literally had every single mall restaurant I had ever come across plus some exciting new choices.  Naturally I was drawn to the shitty Thai food place, when will I ever learn?

I had ABSOLUTELY no plans on riding the rollercoasters, after all, the place is called Nickelodeon Universe, how good could the rides be.  In one word: AMAZING!  They are not messing around when it comes to rollercoasters.  I knew I couldn't stay all day and I'm on a tight budget, so I only bought enough credits for 4 rides, then I bought the same package again, for only $10 I could've bought an all day pass.  And I wonder why I'm broke.

Riding coasters at MoA is the most fun I have had in a long time, you couldn't wipe the smile off my face, this place is awesome, America, Fuck Yeah!

Sweet Coaster!

Lego Store, pretty sweet

If you get it, you get it.

The College Store at MOA

St. Paul is just a pretty city, I decided to check out the capitol area while traffic in Minneapolis died down, I didn't get to do much other than sightseeing, but after MOA, there really isn't much else I can ask from Minnesota.... well I guess I can think of one thing :)

Minnesota State Capitol

Downtown Minneapolis, thru my shitty camera

Your American Hero,

-AK

KAA: Fargo, because I can!

To be honest, I'm not sure there are many reasons to visit North Dakota, at least not for me.  It also kills me to know that I'm not the only one amongst my friends to have been to ND, its like why else would I go other than to say I've been there?  So my reason for visiting Fargo was: because I can.

My drive to Fargo was the least efficient part of my entire trip, one that otherwise, was a model of roadtrip efficiency (don't look it up, I'm right).  To get to Fargo I drove from Iowa to Minneapolis only to have to return to the Twin Cities to continue my trip.  Though technically I didn't travel the same road twice because my dumbass GPS took me through a state route on the way there, and the interstate on the way back.

Inefficiencies aside, I had an enjoyable time in Fargo, named after its sponsor, Wells Fargo.  There aren't many unique things for a tourist to experience, which, coming from El Paso, I can relate to.  I visited the Red River Zoo, only to find out it wasn't THAT Red River, but they had some pretty kick-ass animals, which made my trip worthwhile.

RR Zoo, famous for its Chinese Red Pandas, which is Mandarin for Raccoon

Meerkat Apartment

Red Squirrel, redefining 'adorable'!

Hey in today's world, I'd also be checking to see if mine were still there!

They Are

Random Bunnies, is there a better kind?

"Get a job you lazy beast!" I heard him yell at me.

Prairie dogs, they're just like chubby meerkats!

An American icon, plus a bald eagle in the background.

Your American Hero,
-AK

KAA: Where does corn come from?

Iowa, corn comes from Iowa, do NOT listen to Nebraska, they are mean, but first...

South Dakota is way bigger than I thought it would be, that's what she said, and it took me an entire day to cross the state.  I may have gotten through a little faster had I not decided to stop at The Badlands National Park, a decision heavily influenced by a Red Hot Chili Peppers song.  I could not believe how remarkable this place is, there's just something so alluring about the canyons and land formations.  I won't go into details as to why I can't go hiking, but I'll let pictures describe my little hike.  Good thing I had plenty of painkillers!

I detoured to Pierre, which is the capital of SD, mostly b/c I was very hungry and there was no town in sight.  Pierre is a very low key town, but I did learn an important lesson, it is spelled Sovth Dakota, we've been wrong all along!

My friend Ben, who used to be my boss at Microsoft, had graciously invited me to stay with him and his family in beautiful Lake Okoboji, however it was late at night when I finally arrived in Sioux Falls, SD.  I decided I would see Ben the next day, then I decided to go to Nebraska, because this makes a lot of sense:

Here's the truth Nebraska, YOU'RE OUT OF THE FUCKING WAY!  But, its okay, you're not the only state that's inconvenient.  Maybe its because of low expectations but I was impressed by Omaha in that it remarkably urban, and I don't just mean they have black people, I mean there's tall buildings and stuff.  After spending the night in Omaha, I was grateful not to have been shot because of my choice in motel location, and I thought it would be neat to go visit the Cornhuskers!

FUN FACT: Nebraska is the only college football team I have seen more than once without them facing Texas, this happened in 06 when I was tricked by Colt McCoy into buying Big XII championship tix (no, oklahoma doesn't count, though technically they were at the same game).  The reason I bring this up is that the people in Lincoln were unexplainably hostile!  After all the support I gave you people while freezing my ass off at Arrowhead?!  Ben tells me its because I was wearing UT gear (and driving with UT plates I suppose), but seriously?!  Where's the beef Nebraska?!  I kid you not, a little boy, no older than 10, gave me the evil eye while I was touring the campus, I'm sorry but I don't know where they get their reputation as the nicest fans in college football.

You Lie!

PWNED!

You know there is no sign that says 'Nebraska welcomes you' and that's because they don't.  Anywho, after being practically chased out of the state, it was on to Iowa.  I found out there is a whole lot more to Iowa than just corn, I mean its still mostly corn, but there's other stuff.  On my way to Okoboji I stopped in Le Mars, IA, Ice Cream capital of the world!  Talk about a bold statement, I wonder how the places where Ben & Jerry's, Dreyer's and Blue Bell feel about it. (Le Mars is home to Blue Bunny)  Read my review on Yelp!

Finally made it to Lake Okoboji.  It was great catching up with Ben and hanging out with his family.  We took his boat out for a spin, chated about the good old days, and yes even had some corn.  A BIG THANK YOU to Ben and his family for their hospitality!  If y'all are ever in L... well El Paso now I guess, you have a place to stay, though you'll probably not want to =P

See all pictures at http://tr.im/KAAPlainsPics

Your American Hero,
-AK

KAA: The Road to Mt. Rushmore

I must admit I was expecting more out of the state of Montana, I don't know why. Maybe I just got off on the wrong foot, no pun intended. I was planning to cap off my AMAZING Wyoming experience by crashing at a hotel in Livingston, MT, but destiny had other plans. First off, the road from Yellowstone to Livingston is absolutely pitch dark, there is nothing, no gas stations, no little towns, no 'Welcome to Montana' signs, NOTHING! Then, when I finally arrived, there were no rooms available, not a good start for your hero.

I decided to just drive on through to Billings that night, an additional 2.5 hours on the road at around midnight. Billings struck me as the kind of place where the local economy is largely driven by crystal meth, don't bother looking it up, I'm probably right. Travel guides don't list many attractions to Billings other than casinos, but they all list Moss Mansion as a top attraction. Visiting Moss Mansion has to be one of the biggest non-sexual disappointments of my life, the place is neither covered in moss nor owned by Randy Moss, WTF?! I was missing Wyoming badly!

Okay, so the open road has to be better, right? This is Big Sky country after all, unfortunately it was raining, so I wasn't able to enjoy the view of the plains, eventually I did get a nice scenic loop. I don't want to completely give up on Montana yet, I should've visited Glacier National Park, next time! :)
 
I would finally make it to South Dakota in the late afternoon, the long day allowed me to take in all the scenery of the Black Hills, but I wasn't going to stop until Mt. Rushmore.  Before I describe my experience, I must give some major props to the attendant at Gate C (or 3, I forget).  See there is no way to see Mt. Rushmore without entering the visitor's center, its pure genius!  Sadly, they do not accept credit cards to pay for admission, and I don't carry cash, but the dude at Gate C (or 3) told me to go in, get some cash from the ATM and pay him on my way out.  Dude totally saved me having to go back and forth to go in, thanks! :)
 

Seeing Mt. Rushmore gave me this odd feeling, the same one I got when I saw the Eiffel Tower, or the Statue of Liberty.  Its like here's this thing that's really famous and you're all excited to see it, and after a few minutes you're like, now what?  There are no other exciting activities around it other than watching the monument itself, and don't get me wrong, it is absolutely majestic!  So I did the only things I could do, I sat and contemplated the view, I took a TON of pictures, I checked out the many little exhibits, I went to the gift shop, got a Diet Pepsi, and of course I tried to figure out where exactly they would carve George W. Bush's face. 
 
I'm still happy that I went, if you would've told me a year ago that I would visit Mt. Rushmore the next year, I may have slapped you in the face, not because you told me I would be at Mt. Rushmore, I was simply really into slapping people in the face last year.
 
The 3 States of Kanan:
 

Cross-Armed

 

Crazy for America!

 

and of course, Hook 'Em!

 

Your American Hero,
-AK