Snow AdVANture

So, today I went on the biggest adventure I have been on since returning from Idaho. I overslept this morning and did not make it to a church service in time, and while I was watching a lecture for class my roommate Korey (who had already left the house once) came back. He was taking his girlfriend home to St. Joseph, but a brake line had failed in his car, and he asked me if I could drive them. I agreed, and we went on our way.

After safely getting her back home, Korey and I decided to go look at the lake (St. Joseph is right on Lake Michigan), as I have not seen a Great Lake in the winter. As we drove toward the lake on a small road leading into a beach, we saw that the snow was getting too deep to continue safely, and in the whiteout conditions, it was only going to worsen. I stopped the van to back up, but it was too late: we were bottomed out and stuck. After shoveling the snow away with a paddle I happened to have in my car (a paddle once taken down the Clam River in Cadillac...), we still were not going anywhere. A woman drove up after several minutes of this and offered to help, saying she had tow straps in her car and a snow shovel nearby. Apparently she is from Colorado, and eventually took over and just backed my van right out herself, haha. She said she was also going to the lake, and was a local photographer going to take pictures on the dunes. After helping us out, she also invited us to tag along as she went out to take pictures. We hopped in her van and she proceeded to go down the same route where Korey and I got stuck.

Needless to say, her vehicle got stuck, too.

Fortunately, a man driving past just moments afterward had a hitch and helped us out. We ended up finding a parking spot nearby and just walking over.

Naturally, we still could not make it to the lake. In the VERY same spot, someone else had gotten themselves stuck, and we took the next 20 or so minutes helping them. By the time we actually got to the lake, the woman's camera had either become too cold or had got moisture in it, and would not take pictures.

The lake, though...the lake was beautiful. We walked up frozen, snow-covered dunes to a small overlook. I have never seen frozen sand before. The beach was snowy and icy, and the white-capped breakers were crashing silently on the shore; the wind was so loud it drowned them out. A blizzard was keeping us from looking out too far across the lake. We probably could not see more than a half mile out.

After failing to take any pictures, we returned to our cars and headed out. There were sheets of ice in my beard at this point.

It would have been very natural to complain in this situation: a long day of driving in terrible weather conditions, the stress of people trying to sort out rides for the next few days without a working vehicle, my vehicle almost getting seriously stuck, running out to take pictures and the camera failing...all while my clothes are soaked, it's incredibly cold with a vicious biting wind, and I'm dehydrated. One of my other roommates even said afterward that I'm one of the few people today who actually has a legitimate reason to complain about the snow.

However, this was probably the most fun I have had since returning to Michigan, and I had a lot of fun all day long. Getting stuck, getting cold...this things make me feel alive. I'm thankful for everything that happened today, and I'm glad I decided to go.

Peace.

A New Year

So, looking back on 2013, I'm inclined to call it a year of reconciliation for myself. Several very close friendships were restored and my relationship with my dad finally received some important healing. Brian "Head" Welch, from the band Korn, used this term in reference to 2013, and I agreed with his assessment.

I have decided that 2014 is going to be a year of education. Tomorrow, I start an Introduction to Genetics and Evolution class, and Monday I start Dinosaur Paleobiology. Both are online through Coursera.org, a program which partners with major universities around the world to offer a large number of free online classes to anyone. I am very excited to start both classes, and they are both going to help me become more connected with the paleontological field. Until I am able to either find a job in that area or at least take more formal classes to further my education in it, I am planning on continuously taking free online courses of this nature. It will help me stay interested and on track with my life goals.

That being said, if anyone is interested in taking these courses along with me, it IS free, and I would love to discuss them with you!

Peace.