Day 17: Melting Away

When I woke up this morning, I thought, this is one of those days I wanted to have when planning this trip last November. It didn't disappoint.

The day began with a hearty breakfast - an omelette - before doing 60 plus questions of review. I went for my run and came back to Corporations. I haven't had a break from this studying thing in a few weeks now - not that I should - but thank you God: partnerships/agency/corporations on back-to-back days. I could do this stuff in my sleep. (Not really. But it a bit lighter than usual.)

I then made the trek to the Tahquamenon Falls, the second largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi and the place Longfellow made famous in his song of the Hiawatha. There I was studying corporations, something I found a bit ironic. Corporations to many are the evil empire. That might be true in some parts. However, I know the people running large corporations helped provide a roof over mine growing up. That comes despite neither of parents ever working for one. With that said, selling Red Wings boots, Nike, Carhartt and Levi Jeans made those Fortune 1000 companies everyday names in our household. I guess that's the Melting Pot if anything. However, I do think the days of Thomas Watson, the founder of IBM, challenging his company, especially those on top, to accept the responsibility of helping the community, are a bit faded.

That green thing in front of those Falls is a bracelet I have been wearing for a little over a month. In mid-May one of my professor's baby girl, just 10 weeks old, died of pertussis, better known as whooping cough. I promised my professor that'd I wear this. So far, almost every person who I have talked to for more than 15 minutes has asked about it. That's the whole point I've thought during each conversation. Here's more information on Franny Strong Foundation.

I took a break to visit the brewery, where I didn't really take a break, but did see a fox and finished up corporations. Not bad: half a lesson in front of a major waterfall; half a lesson in a brewery drinking black bear stout.

I then preceded for sunset at Whitefish Point. The place Gordon Lightfoot made millions from as his sang his song of the sea - I think if u were there that day you'd call it that too - that took the Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew. This was a complete day and then it went great as the freighter came across the horizon as the sun expired to another place. Perhaps now in Turkiye, Iran or India, people were seeing the same sun I just saw set. As it burned, I felt like the waters of Lake Superior were just melting it away.

Day 16: I'd Love to Be a Fly on the Wall

Like most of us, I got up this morning wondering how the Supreme Court would fall on the health care bill. I woke up and grabbed breakfast before studying for a few hours on Agency/Partnerships and then the verdict was announced. Like most Americans, I just resumed what I was already doing. Life moves on.

However, when I went for my 6-mile run, I kept recalling a conversation I had with out community's priest a few years ago. It was just a few weeks after then Senator Obama had been elected and my priest was asking me about my time as a reporter in Washington and how it was covering the 2008 election. "I don't think 7 years ago in high school I would have thought I'd be flying to Denver and St. Paul to cover this race," I said. He mentioned how the local bishops were meeting that week to discuss their agenda with the new White House. (You know the usual, against same-sex marriage, abortion, etc.) He said "I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that one." "Why?" I asked. "I guess, I'd love to see them tackle other Christian principles too," he replied. "Like how we have so many people in poverty, how so many people can't even afford health care in our nation." (Ding Ding Ding. A lightbulb went on. Why is that?) I then read this today article and I thought - well I guess there goes that theory. Here's a passage: “If the Supreme Court decision lacks clarity, the Catholic response will be anything but ambiguous: the battle lines between the bishops and the Obama administration are now brighter than ever,” said the Catholic League’s William Donohue. Thanks Will.

One last thing on the health care thing: people spraying out there opinion. Its quite interesting listening to people discuss their opinion about the results, whether its positive or negative, especially when reading their distaste or pleasure on the Internet. My question, and its been this way since I covered Obama's inauguration, is his legacy should be whether people not only spout out their opinions but follow through with actions. If you are against expansion of health care, then spend two nights a week volunteering as nurse at a local hospital to show that we don't need public mandates, or a tax as its now called. And if you are for the expansion then volunteer on the weekends at local community centers giving health check ups, showing that some people simply need all the help they can get to survive. (Yes, it might take some time to acquire such licenses.)

My aunt then took me to Sault Sainte Marie, an old Steel, port city, where we went to Valley Camp. It was amazing sitting inside this 60 footer and see what shipmen even had to work with when it was decommissioned in the 1960s. As the evening approached, I took a few more quizzes before enjoying an amazing whitefish dinner. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday.

Update: 1/3 through

Some people have asked where I have traveled so far. Others have asked why the heck I am doing this. Here is the original reason. Here is the original route. Here is the updated route. I hope the links in the previous sentence explain why. If they fail to provide a good reason then grab a beer and go watch TV.

Day 15: Well, Good Luck

And after finishing the Trusts tutorial, I said one last goodbye to Professor Haley. We were in his hangar -- home of his treasured plane and his office -- for a final lesson. We discussed his life; we discussed the next few weeks of mine. It was interesting to stand there in a building decorated with planes - an indicator of how life sometimes flies you to places you never thought you'd be. Here I was, less than three weeks from my 28th birthday. Here he was, the flipside of 28, remembering his 82 years. 'Remember that the thing about this test your about to take. Remember that you're not the only one who has done it. Others have been able to do it and many of them aren't as smart as you. Stay focused.' 'Thank you," I responded. 'I am hopeful about this journey.'

As I drove off this dream called Drummond and boarded the ferry for the mainland, I couldn't help but think I was 17 agai three weeks after 9-11 with my aunt at Ground Zero in New York. Nearly 11 years prior, we traveled to see the aftermath and while we stood at what was the Twin Towers, a police officer said 'Keep moving. Keep Moving. You have to keep moving. You can't stop. Keep Moving.' I thought then that her words were also an omen for moments in life. "I don't need to tell them who I am. That's why I've always told people to call me Clif," he said. "There is no need for Mr. Haley." We hugged; I shook his hand and said, "I look forward to seeing you soon. Thank you Clif."

Next stop was to meet my Aunt in Brimley, just a short 70-mile ride through the country roads of the Eastern U.P. and to the gateway to Lake Superior. A little over an hour was just enough time to recap my Workmens' Comp/No Fault insurance lecture that I didn't get quite right the first time around.

I arrived to Bay Mills Resort and Casino and thought - 'how the hell am I am going to study with people. How the hell am I am going to study while having a bed for the 3rd straight night? How the hell am I going to study when I don't need to hold my cell phone up in the air as if I'm ET phoning home?' Oh well, I'll make do. I did 33 MBE Questions on the Ipad and before finishing two additional exams on Wills and Trusts.

I went down to the casino that evening to people-watch, which let me to the perfect solution for anyone my age feeling upset about getting older - go to a casino in the middle of the week, there isn't anyone here younger than 60. Not that there is anything wrong with them being here. I just know I felt pretty young. I kept thinking there's a generation here bitching about how my era does nothing for the future or professes on how they earned everything without facebook or blogging. Meanwhile they also are in a casino spending those earnings and almost barking at me because I'm the one typing an e-mail on a blackberry.

Oh well, I thought. I guess I'll sit at a video poker machine, They did give me $15 to sign up for a card. Sitting next to me is Jim. He's a native of Iron Mountain, but now lives in Ann Arbor after retiring as a music teacher from the University of Michigan. "What's you're talent Jim?" I asked. "What?" the Korean War Veteran responded. "What instrument did you play?" I said. "My voice," he said. "I focused on opera." "Well, good luck," I responded, asking him if he knew of any good dives in Iron Mountain.

Day 14: Dinner on Drummond

So I got a little cold. I woke up at least 10 times in the middle-of-the night to blow my nose. Oh well, I’m in a bed and I have Kleenex – not just the fake kind, but the brand that actually owns that marketing rights. I woke up around 8:30 and studied Wills until 12:30, when I went on a 6-mile scamper on the hilly roads of Drummond Island. I kept thinking - 'I'm on a island in the Great Lakes.'

And then the direction came, I arrived to Bohica Lodge, the address of Professor Haley, who showed me his property complexes, including ‘The Rock.’ The golf course appears to be more suited for my cousins Ryan and Brett – something I thought of when thinking of when I come back to the “Gem of Lake Huron.”

We saw his hunting grounds and he showed me how Maple Syrup is made -- literally the tools used.

I learned a few things during our more than three-hour chat. (1) He reminded me a bit of my paternal grandfather. Whenever we drove by someone, Haley waived. My grandpa use to do that whenever we were driving around Chesaning. Just like when my grandfather was alive and I was a kid in Chesaning, I just assumed that Professor Haley did know everyone. Just like when I was 10 it was kind of comforting knowing that someone did know everyone. (2) He loves his wife. As much as he talks about the realities of life, he complements those conversation with how wonderful his wife is in the many talents she has. I kept thinking. I hope to feel that way when I am in my early 80s. Shit, I hope to feel that way in my late 20s. (3) He’s a savvy businessman, but it all stems from him doing things the right way. As he showed me around his projects on the island, there was never a sentiment of deceit, cheating or doing things half-ass. If you can’t feel proud of that then I don’t know what you can. And the more he showed, the more he spent touting proud the projects of others. Take the chair in his computer room, a friend made it for his home and we spent about 15 minutes talking about how it came to fruition. To give thanks for others talents is a virtue we can’t ever forget to possess.

We parted for an hour before Dinner on Drummond and then I headed back to his house to join himself and his wife for dinner. On the menu: elk pate from elk that he hunted for appetizer, Greek style rack of lamp, fire-grilled over maplewood for dinner, and we enjoyed some grand marnier sorbet for dinner. Dinner, which took just over three hours, involved talking about life, both present and past for the three of us, and the night concluded with Professor Haley giving me advice on the Bar, affirming my motivation to pass this damn test. And then it was back to the bunkhouse where I watched some Trusts notes and took a nap.

If Drummond has taught me anything -- and it has taught me more than a small post on the web can convey -- it has affirmed that people come into your life at different times for different reasons, and you have to sometimes sit back and listen or you’ll never learn. And to think, none of the past few days would have ever happened if I hadn’t asked to get into Mergers after the class was already full.

Day 13: To the Eastern Posts

Woke up at 5 and thought I might end up getting up to get a glimpse of any sunset, but passed on it due to filling a bit sick – my guess staying up till 1 when tempertures are cold and having smoke in your face might not be a great recipe three nights in-a-row. I woke back up at 9 and studied before going for a the same run yesterday- but in a different route.

The run was just as beautiful and as the day before. As I turned down the beat-up road, and ran up to the corner fork, I saw a man in his mid 60s going for an afternoon walk. “Its beautiful, aint’ it?” I gasped. “You betcha,” he said. “Can’t get sick of this.” (There we go, my first ‘U BETCHA.’ And it came from a guy that looked just like this guy from the show Alcatrez.) I kept up, getting a little pickup in my legs and thought ‘LA you can have your Sunset boulevard, us Michiganders have our Boulevard Drive.’

I said goodbye to that campground on Lake Michigan and headed toward the UP’s most Eastern Posts. Deciding to forego anything involved in I-75, I took the county roads, making a few stops -- at a drugstore and Roadside Park to take a few pictures and the scenery -- before arriving to DeTour. The short 80 minute drive reminded me again why I am taking this voyage. I stopped and looked out at the Les Cheneaux Islands.

The car ride gave me some time to review some tort subjects I’d been missing and the ferry wait to Drummondallowed me to get a little ahead on a Wills lecture slated for tomorrow.

I arrived to Drummond Island at around 5:00 and found my quarters shortly after. I was going to be sleeping in a true bed tonight, the first time since Day 2. I have wanted to come to this 83,000 acre paradise flanked by 140-miles of shoreline since I was a tyke and my father would tell me that some of the Tigers’ players were vacationing on the island. Back then Tom Monhahan, the Dominos tycoon, owned the Island and “The Rock,” where they stayed. Today, my Mergers and Acquisitions professor, who has been gracious enough to host me, owns the resort and conference center.

Day 12: Jimmy Cliff Kicks In

I woke up at 5 and then gave in at 6. It was a downpour. My my main concern was whether the weather was gonna cause me to move my hostel to the car. No problemo rain can't get into my new hovel. Only problem now was I awas up and this isn't the Pure Michigan I've longed for. After surfing the news, texting with my friend Kinga from Hungary who was the only up -- it was already past lunch there -- and getting a bit agitated by anything anyone had to say about the 2012 election, I decided to hit the books. Luckily, the rain eventually came as a soothing alternative to some women ramble on about Equity and I fell back to sleep for about 90 minutes. I finished the video and it was sunny again. I could see clearly now that the rain was gone.

Oh wait. Its Sunday. Isn't that laundry day or something like it? I guess I'll clean some clothes and talk to the owners about Freighters. Nice people. I mean really nice. This wasn't the Waldorf, but it the kind of nature that I was looking for. And then laundry was done. What's up next? Oh yeah more studying. (I kept telling myself, just get to 5:30 and you can go for a run.) I did it and it was rewarding-as-hell. A really rewarding 7-miler.

Tourist Alert: I recommend the following if you're ever planning on spending lesa than 90 minutes in St. Ignace and want to get a run in and want to be motivated the entire way. Or maybe you just want to take a sweet pic, well boulevard drive, along with its potholes will give you just that. I'm guessing its makeout point for the locals. And if you're with the kids you can also stop and say hi to the Father Marquette Memorial. Its more history than religious so all denominations are welcome. (Then again this comes from a Catholic who spent 6 years as an alter boy at Our Lady.)

The evening involved packing everything but books, tent and bedding before heading down to the water for the sunset and a late night jamboree with my MBE practice exam and a Lecture over Wills. Oh yeah. I also had dinner - Grilled salami and cheese sandwich over fire and smores... There was a bourbon in there too. On that note, I finished my first bottle - Redemption - maybe that's some kind of omen.

As the clock hit 1, it was hitting low 50s and the fire was dieing out, I looked up at the stars and recalled a conversation I had with a Congressman when I was a young reporter 6 years ago and writing a profile on him. 'We all just need to take a break and look at the stars once in a while.' Not a bad ending for a crappy morning.

Day 11: You Just Never Know

I was going over Creditors Rights' today in a coffee shop and decided I needed something new, so I bought the 'into the wild' soundtrack. I love that movie; the book was even better. The Soundtrack is perfect for this kind of trip. I'm not going to be Alexander Supertramp nor do I aspire too, nor do I think this trip is anything like that. But the music does soothe me and provides a nice afternoon pick-me-up. (The coffee doesn't hurt either.)

After leaving studying at the coffee joint for a few hours I biked to a park to listen to a lecture on Michigan Procedure. (Yep. That was fun.) At least the lecture was over-powered every 45 minutes by a Ferry bringing people back from Mackinaw Island. (People wondering why I haven't put Mac Island on this. Well, its expensive and that's about it.)

After studying I biked back home taking a long route: big mistake. As some of u know my nice Raleigh Road Bike was stolen earlier this month just days before leaving on this trip. I had planned to ride that everywhere. Instead, I brought my former road bike, which if you can believe-it-or-not is even short for me. (I guess I grew since buying it 5 years ago. Or as my friend Neil said after I bought it in 2007 'really? Do you want to get any shorter?' Hey. It got me through my first tri.) Anyway, this bike hit a flat and despite my ambition of walking 8 miles back, my mind simply said no. The odd thing was I wasn't really pissed. I punched out a 'ahh shit,' and then thought, I sure hope this doesn't screw up my study session.

I called a cab and you won't believe who it was - 'Tony.' Most of you probably don't know Tony, but you're about to. The ride went like this in 4 steps. (1) 'Flat tire? Was that a friend who called?' Tony asked. 'No. It was a woman walking down the street and I asked if there was a cab.' (2) 'Yeah, I'm going to this campground over south of US 2. Its actually an RV Park and I'm the only tenter' I said. 'You visiting?' Tony asked. 'Yeah. Backpacking through the Northern Michigan while studying for the Bar.' After a poetic pause. 'You must have some desire, kid' he said. 'You're gonna have stories you look back upon and appreciate in 10 to 15 years'. 'I hope so, I just want to see more of my own. I mean our state.' (3) It sure is beautiful up here. How long you lived here,' I asked. 'Well, about 15 years. I lived in Flint, but have only been back twice since 94,' Tony responded. 'I'm from Chesaning,' I said. And then Tony told me how he use to drive Bus 27 in Chesaning back in the 70s - he's 79 now, but doesn't look a day past 65 - he was in his first week and some students had previously broken off some panels of the bus seats. Tony contacted the bus garage and police and rigged up this plan to replace the seats with straw and ended up taking the kids down the police station for a lesson. Long story short, he said those kids ended up being the best he ever had, they even came over for a campfire at school end. (5) Tony handed me the card, saying ' if the early bird gets the worm then the second mouse gets the cheese. I've made my living doing jobs what other people didn't want to do.' Now. This was the type of post I've been waiting to write about. You Just Never Know who you're going to meet.

I then hopped down to the Lake to watch the cloud-filled sunset and the Bridge turn into something suited as the gateway to the Emerald Palace.

Day 10: Bye Bye Trolls; In Yooper Land I go

In many ways 10 days ago seems like a forever-ago. In other ways it seems like yesterday. I guess that’s what happens when your life isn’t resemblant of anything involving consistency. As I sit here atop Lake Michigan just a few miles west of St. Ignace, I am struck with a few thoughts: (1) wow, this is breathtaking; (2) why did I wait 12 hours to actually eat something and wait 6 hours after running 6.5 miles? (3) I’m defiantly a minority at this “RV Park.” Its like the Eagles Club without fellow patrons buying me a beer.

Today was a typical – get up and study, run, go back to studying and travel. The one unigue thing about today was the 2nd study session, when I went to the Cheboygan Brewery. I spent about 90 minutes taking a few tests on Michigan law while enjoying a nice lager. I then filled my growler up so I could do the same tonight while sitting at the campfire. Thank you Aaron Mulder, my brother-in-law for lending the growler. Thank you Tim McLin, for telling me that your great-grandfather started the brewery in the second half of the 19th Century.

I then took the small trek up US 23, driving through Mackinaw City - a Wally World like community if there was such a place - before stopping to take in the Bridge, "Big Mac," the "Bridge they say could never be built." It turns 55 this November; I guess that'll be a good reason to party. Hopefully I'll have a positive score back from the Bar.

I then set up camp and laughed thinking about Trolls v. Yoopers before realized that all I had eaten since waking up at 8:30 was a granola bar and a beer. I found what looked like a neighborhood dive on US-2. It was here where I watched some of the Tigers and talked to an older guy at Timmy Lee's pub. He also was from East Lansing and a Spartan Fan. By the way: I recommend the whitefish reuben if you're ever in the region.

The night ended with me taking notes from a 3.5 hour lecture on Michigan Procedure. At least the stars were out in full-force. At least I had that growler to finish. And at last I've arrive to the UP. It only took 10 days and 400 miles.

Day 9: And Summer has Arrived

Traversed through Cheyboygan State Park twice today. First, in the afternoon, hiking the paths before walking along the shores of the Lake Huron. The second came after dinner and another study session. This was the best run yet. As moved deeper in the woods around 8 p.m., I turned over only the shoreline and ran about 4 miles along the bluffs. And then the sunset came as I could see the Mackinaw Bridge in the distance. I kept thinking, tomorrow I’ll be crossing over that marvel. I haven’t been north of the bridge since I was 20; I’ll be 28 in less than a month. Maybe this whole trip is a bucket list that starts 30 years earlier than anyone else. Then again it might just be an extension of life.

That sunset was beautiful, especially as a shower came pouring in and I could barely keep my eyes open as both I and the sunset fought the clouds. I thought if I ever was a writer I'd put this in a song,, “They say their ain’t no heaven on earth, but the look of her was all the beauty I ever needed.” I wonder why we always call beauty her? I guess that's because her is usually more beautiful that him.

I took a much needed before realizing the campfire I just purchased was now soaked. That's OK. I'll just light up the tent and study that way. And then I heard the tearing and ripping. "Oh Fuck. I left my pantry box out." I finally got the courage to see the raccoon mowing down on some hamburger buns. Ironic thing was I was going to throw them away tomorrow. Sleeping wasn't as pleasant, but I still got 6 hours.

Day 8: Days Start Blending In

It was suppose to take about 90 minutes to get from the cabin over to Cheboygan, but I decided to take the long route, which pegged me in dead-center of north, central, eastern lower Michigan. (Huh you say?) If you care to look at a map its around Lewiston and Garland, a beautiful enclave in the middle of nowhere. It reminded me of my drive last spring down from New Hampshire’s White Mountains and out to Maine's Capital Coastline around Portland.

Its been rewarding to get some work done and also cut out things in my life that I don’t seem to have the urge to have anymore. This includes Spam, something that was unfiltered in my life when I entered college 10 years ago. It is isn’t much of an accomplishment, but it sure seems like one. Each morning, I unsubscribe to e-mails that I just habitually delete. (Lufthansa - it was great taking that flight from Berlin to London last August, but we're gonna have to take a break.)

Another note to be proud of, though it has nothing to do with me, is that the Tigers have won every series since I started this trip. They went from being 5 back in the race for the pennant to 2.5. I’d like to think that I had something to do with that. I also think of passing this test while spending the summers listening to Dan Dickerson. At least I'll have to Tigers and essentials like hot sauce, bourbon and smores to hold me over.

The halfway point for the bar is done and I’m now complemented by multistate studying with Michigan specific subjects. I met a lawyer at a wedding 2 weeks ago – the last time I shaved my face – and she said she now uses less than 5 percent of what she studied for during the bar. She said she didn’t want to sound depressive, but most of it is useless because you forget it. However, she did say that the week leading up to the bar and the weeks following she never felt so smart. I guess that’s something to look forward to.

Day 7: Angler at Dusk

We never did fish much as kids; we didn’t hunt either. I was told once by a college professor that those things come from your father. I can say I never really missed it and we had plenty of other things to keep us occupied. Tonight I had a front row view of a local angler hoping to fly fish his way into dinner. “You catch anything yet?” I asked. “Nah, not yet, but I’m trying,” he responded. About 5-minutes later the neighbors asked the same thing. I thought to myself 'he's gonna get sick of answering this if he keeps moving down the river.' He just stayed there until I could barely see him.

Today, was a solid day of getting up early and studying through the morning rush. When I say rush, I mean any urge I might have to eat a granola bar. The summer heat was in full force I recalled the days when I was on the beach and that I’d be back in Cheboygan in just a few days. Overall, Lovells, or wherever this cabin along the Au Sable is actually located has provided a tranquil place in its own right. Like the Angler at Dusk.

Day 6: Back With Nature

You may recall a few days ago, when my toes were in the Au Sable as the river winds into Lake Huron. Well here, I am back in the National Huron Forest and on the banks of Au Sable. However, this time I'm about 80 miles in the middle of north-central lower Michigan. (that's a mouthful) So far I have traveled just under 300 miles, slept in a bed, on a floor, on a couch and a pull out sofa. Here's my map that I'll be updating throughout.

Here in the middle of nowhere, and just south of Lovells, MI, I am finally to my first place on this trip that I hadn't previously visited and it is in the midst of beauty. A friend from our hometown has his family cottage here and was gracious enough to allow me to stay for 2 nights before heading to Cheboygan and then north of "the bridge." Yesterday was probably my most relaxing day yet. I started the day studying in the car before taking a breather until the evening. With a wraparound deck larger than my first apartment after college, I had a great place to study at.

And as the sun began to set and dusk turned to dark, a large thunderstorm came pummeling through the region. I ended going outside to study on a covered portion of the porch, listening to raindrops become surrounding by thunder and lightning. I was content to be Back With Nature

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Day 5: Coast to Coast

The day began on Tawas Bay in Lake Huron and ended at Grand Traverse Bay in Lake Michigan. This isn't Jefferson's Manifest Destiny, but it does have shades of sea-to-shining sea. Sunday morning started with a study session before heading out to the Bay, where I swam nearly a mile. It was windy, which made it that much more rewarding. It also reminded me how you can be lost in the world whether in the midst of the national forest or swimming in the Great Lakes. As I came back to shore, I couldn't stop laughing at a famous line from Seinfeld - "the sea was angry that day my friends." I guess that's life - paddling through the deep water and then laughing about it.

And then we were off for a 140 minute drive to Acme, Michigan, on the west side of the state. I spent the first half of the car ride listening to an ipod version of evidence while spending the second half doing questions in a workbook. (Studying sure makes car rides go by much faster.) If you haven't heard of it, Acme, is home of Grand Traverse Bay Resport, one of those four-season destination places that brags about having things that you never realized you actually wanted. I was there to visit my mother, who was in the middle of her annual Fathers' Day weekend trip to Traverse City area with my aunts. Atop the Trillium, a bar on top of the resort, I enjoyed a hoppy Michigan made Short's brew, and relaxed, watching the sun fall down on the bay.

I'd say a pretty good afternoon considering there are few places in the world where you can be surrounded by such beauty.

Day 4: Remembering Why

My first 48 hours wasn't in pure solitude, but it provided a precursor for when I will be deep inside the Porcupine Mountains and along Lake Superior's stunning coasts. Then Friday afternoon came when I was treated to familiar faces as family came up. We all woke up Saturday morning to the sun beating off the bay - and I thought what a beautiful way to complement both studying and spending a Saturday with them.

I woke up at 9:00 and began my study session on the deck before biking downtown to a local farmers market. My aunt said she'd provide the main course and I figured the least I could do was buy some vegetables to throw on the grille. That small ride ended up lasting 3 hours as I stopped in the city park to study. It was refreshing by all accounts to see all ages experiencing the sandy beaches on a beautiful day. It also reminded me where I was this Fathers' Day weekend one year earlier. It was this weekend last year when I had tok an overnight trip to rural Transylvania to meet the director of an orphanage who I was working with in a program I was directing for the summer. I'll never forget that 36-hour whirlwind, 30 of which was on a roundtrip train ride through the Carpathians. During my few hours at the foundation, I spoke with a girl in her late mid-tweens who said to my friend, who is an attorney in Budapest, and I, an aspiring one, that she also would like to be an lawyer. "Why?" I asked. She said almost prophet-like, "because I don't want other children to go through what I have gone through. The law changes that..."

I biked back home on Saturday and went on a 1-hour kayak ride in the bay, before coming back to the beach and spending another 2 hours on Questions and Answers. Reflection seems to always put life into perspective.

Day 3: A New Day; A New Opportunity

As I started planning this trip, one of my personal goals was to complete something I'd always remember that day for. Day 1 was the initial drive, knowing I had just 40 days left. Day 2 was that sunrise at 5:30 am. Day 3 included driving 13 miles through the Huron National Forest to the beautiful Au Sable River and being beneath the bluffs that almost empower it. With my toes in the river, I spent three hours studying in the same posts that lumbermen spent their grueling days building America during the second half of the 19th Century. It was a beautiful 82 Degrees Farenheit.

That experience was complemented by a 7-mile run through the forest trails. As I popped in and out of sand dunes upon the bluffs and back into the woods, I couldn't help but think I was simply doing something that had been done well-before my time. As I ran farther into the deep-solitude that only the woods can provide, I thought that without preservation like these posts, those after won't have such self-spirtual experiences. Surely we need to retain such beauty and surely we need to provide amble opportunity for modern inventions to be used in such places, which is why we must have 21st Century sustainability plans that conform with 21 Century ideals and 21st Century way of life...... And then it was back to Constitutional Law.

Day 2: A Sunrise Start

When I told friends that I'd be taking this trip, I was often pegged with the same question, "really? How are going to study?" My response was always the same, "would u rather be studying in a cubicle as your backdrop or ?" Point was usually well-taken and affirmation came on Day 2 when I woke up to a Lake Huron sunrise.

My first stop has been in a place quite familiar with my childhood, where I would spend my summer months on the shores of "Michigan's Sunrise Side" with family. Back then time was split between a family cottage on Hammel Beach, just north of Augres, and my aunt's condo on Tawas Bay. Those memories are the kind that we look upon decades later and hope we can provide such unforgettable moments for our children.

Thursday's sunrise was beautiful, and a great beginning to this journey. And to answer the question about studying. Well, I ended up getting in about 12 hours that day to complement a great awakening.

Day of Departure

Today is the starting point. And it wasn't until 20 seconds ago that I realized the 13th might not be the best day for a new beginning. Then again 13 months ago I departed on Friday May 13th, 2011, for Budapest. Despite my luggage getting lost, that trip remains one of the greatest lessons of my life as I traversed throughout Eastern Europe as a tourist and a summer trainee. Perhaps more than anything, that trip reminded me of how much I needed to see in my own state before moving forward.

Over the next 40 days, I'll be traveling nearly 2000 miles across Michigan and its only fitting that I begin this journey in the place I've always called home, Chesaning. All roads do lead there..... Overall, this journey will take me from the Sunrise Side of the Great Lake State to the backtrails of Michigan's western posts and from well known fixtures to hopefully hidden gems.

And to complement what I am hope is tranquil, spiritual and surreal, I will be reminded each day of reality when I pummel through thousands of pages pertaining to the task at hand -- passing next month's Michigan Bar.

As in any journey I've taken, I look forward to defining the unknown and becoming friends with those who I hardly knew.

Here's a photo taken by my cousin Matt a few years ago of a Mackinac Bridge sunset.

June 6, 2012: A Day Filled With History

Today, Americans will remember DDay and the generation that once was. Twenty four years after that 1944 event, Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel just hours after Drysdale pitched a then-record 58 scoreless innings. Nearly a half century has since passed and many say we continue to fight the same battles that were fought on those fronts - one at the shores of Normandy; the other on the back of pick-up trucks across Route 66. Two months earlier Kennedy gave perhaps his most historical speech in Indianapolis, the only large American city not to riot the evening Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

In early 2009, when I was flirting with the prospect of attending law school, I read "The Last Campaign" by Thurston Clarke. During Kennedy's short-lived campaign, which many had pinned as quixotic, we saw a well-versed student of international affairs, an advocate for capitalism complemented by accountability, and a champion for the underserved. Seventeen years earlier, at the age 25, Kennedy had graduated from Virginia Law School. Now, here I was, just months shy of my 25th birthday and weeks after covering the 2008 election and the inauguration of our nation's first African-American president. I figured there'd have to be something else.

When it began to sink in last winter that I'd have a JD in a few months, I decided to re-read Clarke's book. This time, wrapped up in my bed in East Lansing and on airplane rides for school functions, I used my now customary law school highlighters to point out passages that appeared as pressing today as they were in 1968. I imagine during this upcoming journey, I'll spend many nights thinking of RFK, DDAY and passages that never fail to inspire.

Road Music

With one week until I take off, I thought I'd start packing. My goal is to go as limited as possible, but not to forget any of the necessities. To be honest, the only things I really need are my law books, computer and something to sleep on. Oh yeah, and something to listen to. I debated whether to get a book on tape, but refrained from that for two reasons: (1) I don't think I'll be in the car that much to enjoy a book on tape; (2) I have every law MBE law subject on my Ipod, which I plan to listen to during short drives and while long runs and bike rides. I also am renewing my XM so I can listen to the Detroit Tigers. Instead, I thought I'd like some good music after and during a long day of studying, such as today - when I studied roughly 9 hours. So I've broken my music into a few different groups. Cooking music: When I want something catchy that will keep me afloat prior to the sunsets or when I wake up to the sunrise. This includes contemporary bands such as Fun, of Monsters and Men, and the Lumineers. Study Sessions: When I need something calm that will allow me to forget everything during the 90 minutes of focus-time at hand. This will include the musician I listened to the most during law school, Ray Lamontagne, Bon Iver and James Taylor. Lifelong Songs: And Finally, when I just want to relax and stare out on the Great Lake State and the waters that shape it, I figured I can't go wrong with Simon and Garfunkel, Edward Sharpe or Brett Dennan. Of course I'll have other music and most of these have the rhythm of American Folk embedded in them, but I figured I'd be content listening to them for 40 days.

Less Than 2 Weeks

I'm less than 2 weeks from when I take off for this adventure. To be honest, life's been a little odd lately. Days are starting to blend in - a reflection of not having a schedule where I see the same people, but having a daily schedule of working on the same thing, studying for the bar. To help prepare for the 40-day journey, I biked from East Lansing to my hometown of Chesaning. The 50-mile trek took just under 3 hours and was beautiful as moved through the windy, bucolic roads of mid-Michigan. One of my goals this summer is to ride 100 miles in a day. My goal is to be able to do it by the time I get to Iron Mountain. Another present came today when my Uncle called the headquarters for Stormy Kromer to give me a tour when I arrive to Ironwood. Our family store sells a few lines of their Michigan made products, a trait that my parents and uncle love to share when selling the attire to customers.