Goodbye Mitten!

      Mile: 23,000

        I had a great time in Michigan!  I rocked out six sled dog assemblies, and was lucky enough to have CJ at the local paper write an article about it.  You can find that HERE if you want to read more.  I spent about two weeks in Michigan, which was long enough for me to record the song I sang to Erin when I asked her to marry me.  The song, "I'm wishing" was recorded in Ann Arbor, MI by my very good friend Dave Menzo.  To give you an idea of how perfect this session was, the last time we recorded was 2001.  We have both come a long way since then, but there are only a few people on this earth that I can connect with on the musical level, and Dave is at the very top of that list.  Being a singer/songwriter that usually doesn't have a band playing with him, I find that my tempo and time can go all over the place, so when I record I need someone who gets my music to harness it in it's purest form.  Dave did just that, and even helped me with several harmonies throughout the song.  You can download "I'm wishing" at my STORE.
       I spent several nights with my old Moosejaw buddies, who are also my canoe trip buddies, down in Royal Oak.  I sampled lots of Michigan brews, and I have to say, even though it IS biased, that Michigan beer far exceeds several of the states I have been to.  It's just the perfect state to brew beer, I guess.  The taste, the selection, and the culture all flow into one river and create a following as devoted as a Lion's fan.  I visited the Beer Baron in Livonia on my way out to Ann Arbor, and I highly recommend this store if you need any and all information on Michigan brewing.
      Yesterday I visited my new niece Claire at my Cousin's house in White Lake, MI.  They are great parents, and I always enjoy stopping in for a little bit and seeing my Michigan family.  We went for a walk with the dogs and Audrey, who's 2nd Birthday is today, and then I got in the truck and headed to sweet home Chicago.
       Lake effect snow is the perfect start to my last leg of the trip.  I have 5,000 miles to go until I'm in Nashville, TN for Easter.  The weather will be everything I'm sure, but I made the decision to leave Michigan a bit later than planned due to all these tornado's spinning around the midwest.  The cold front now has pushed south, and clear blue skies awoken me this morning, as the sun peeked through the cityscape of Northern Illinois.    I'm staying with Tyler and Rachelle, friends from High school, that I haven't seen in probably six years.  Tyler has a home brew on tap in his apartment, and even though he is his biggest critic, I think that it is a killer coffee stout.  He ground up the coffee this time instead of steeping whole beans, and the taste is blunt up front, and the finish is smooth as silk.  I am most envious of his kegerator, but soon enough I will be settled down and have the space to brew my own beer too.
       Today I am a writing machine.  I have lots of work to do with planning my trip out west.  I will be just south of St. Louis, MO tomorrow, about a 7 hour drive, and the next day push through to Texas, the 1st of only eight states left on my journey.  I am trying to get to Brad's in Aspen by the 20th, so I have lots of road to cover between now and then.  Today I will hopefully finish content for the breweries I have visited thus far.  I am trying to suggest good camping spots, and must sees for the breweries, as well as a short write up of what they have to offer.  So far I have eighty-four breweries chosen for the book, and about 50 of them are completely done as far as book content and writing go.  So today I will finish what I have done so far, so that I can focus on traveling!
       Well that sums up where I am at.  Erin and I are excited to be living in North Carolina this summer, she has been working full time for about a week now.  When I get back I'll hopefully have an idea of where I'll get a job, and then rent an apartment until Erin and I move in together.  I've got a few leads for work, but once Erin and I decide where we want to be after we get married, it will be easier to gain residency and go back to school to finish my Bachelor's degree.  I'm excited as ever to start a new chapter in life, and the momentum I've created from my dog sledding days has refined my mind and established a strong sense of self.
       For now I have made a promise to get Tut and Ketza out west as soon as possible so they can say they've been to every State in the Country!  We were born to be, born to breathe, strong as the wind, wild and free!