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.

The Route

A lot of people have been asking where I will be traveling to during my monthlong excursion. Here's the tentative plan. I haven't planned everything, but the plan is to visit family/friend on Drummond Island, Grand Marais, Bay Mills, and Houghton. I'll also be camping in St. Ignace, Porcupine Mountains, Copper Harbor and other posts. I know I have to put in roughly six days of studying a week at about 8-10 hours.